Exercise Comparison
IT Band and Glute Stretch vs Iliotibial Tract-SMR
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Instructions
IT Band and Glute Stretch
Loop a belt, rope, or band around one of your feet, and swing that leg across your body to the opposite side, keeping the leg extended as you lay on the ground. This will be your starting position.
Keeping your foot off of the floor, pull on the belt, using the tension to pull the toes up. Hold for 10-20 seconds, and repeat on the other side.
Iliotibial Tract-SMR
Lay on your side, with the bottom leg placed onto a foam roller between the hip and the knee. The other leg can be crossed in front of you.
Place as much of your weight as is tolerable onto your bottom leg; there is no need to keep your bottom leg in contact with the ground. Be sure to relax the muscles of the leg you are stretching.
Roll your leg over the foam from you hip to your knee, pausing for 10-30 seconds at points of tension. Repeat with the opposite leg.
Verdict
Both exercises target the abductors. IT Band and Glute Stretch is a intermediate exercise using other, while Iliotibial Tract-SMR is intermediate and uses foam roll. Choose IT Band and Glute Stretch if you have access to other, or Iliotibial Tract-SMR if you prefer foam roll.