First: Does this sound like you?
“I grip insanely hard with my adductors, which has actually resulted in pelvic floor dysfunction!”
“I’m trying to do dressage...but I’m very tight in my hips, ankles, and hamstrings; and not in control of my seat.”
“My hips are typically not quite even. My left hip is a little bit stronger. My left leg is a little bit stronger, so my right hip doesn't have as much rotation, as much mobility, and so I get a little off-balance at times.”
You are not alone. I hear this ALL THE TIME!
And - more importantly - I LOVE helping riders fix their gripping issues.
Because gripping this much is a stability issue, and a stability issue is a breathing issue.
When our muscles need stability, they will find it any way they can.
This means gripping, compensating, creating new problems in other places.
All of these are your body asking for support and help.
This is why learning to breathe better is always - ALWAYS - Step #1
You may think that what you need is more mobility, and I understand why.
When you grip this much, you feel immobile, stiff, uncomfortable. We talked about feeling stiff as a board in an email a few weeks ago. To regain your mobility, you’ll stretch, do some yoga, maybe watch some YouTube videos on tight muscles.
I bet you haven’t considered working on how you breathe... At least, you hadn’t until you met me 🙂
Optimizing how you breathe creates a supportive foundation from your pelvis to your neck. This is the first step in letting muscles holding on for dear life to start feeling safe enough to relax.
At the same time, ideally, you’re working with someone to remind the muscles that they have a full and powerful range of motion. Muscles that are gripping have gotten stuck in one position, and they need active training to bring them out of panic mode.
This is where dynamic stretching or motor control pendulums come in, something I incorporate into every rider’s program once we’ve gotten them breathing better.
Gripping with your thighs can come from a variety of places - pelvic/hip shifts or foot issues that create uneven muscle activity side-to-side. Core instability from compensatory breathing patterns. Spine deviations, which can also stem from breathing issues or muscle compensation.
Honestly? It’s all so connected that many issues are chicken or egg. I love having a simple, holistic, impact-the-whole-body approach like breathwork for this reason. Maybe you find the breathwork the most impactful; maybe you love the pendulums. Either way, I cover a lot of bases to help you unlock the rider you want to be.
Are you done with thighs gripping your saddle and ready to ride softly again?
AWESOME. Click that link and let's get you breathing better, gripping less, and riding better pronto!
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