The Flat-Back Booty Unkink: Buddy-Assisted Glute Meltdown

Pressure Cascade · Mechanism

Alright, we're stretching the glutes, and we're doing it with a buddy, because some stretches just need more hands than you've got. The Lying Glute stretch is an expert-level partner stretch that will unkink your butt muscles so thoroughly that sitting will feel like a completely different experience afterward — like upgrading from economy to first class, except the upgrade is just in your pants.

You lie on your back and bring one knee toward your chest. Your partner then gently — and I mean gently, not like they're trying to close an overstuffed suitcase — presses your knee further toward your chest and across your body, rotating your hip to target the glute and piriformis area. This is the deep tissue of your buttocks, the region where tension builds up from sitting, running, and existing in a world designed by people who apparently don't have glutes. The partner can adjust the angle and pressure based on your feedback, which you should provide constantly, like a very opinionated backseat driver.

The glutes are the largest muscles in your body, which means they can store an enormous amount of tension — tension that manifests as lower back pain, hip stiffness, and a general feeling that your rear end is made of cement. This stretch releases all of that, restoring mobility to your hips and making you feel like you could kick over a garden gnome with ease. Not that you should. Garden gnomes are innocent. But you could. Lie back, trust your partner, and let your glutes melt like butter on a warm muffin. That's the feeling we're going for.