Six stretches, two strengthening moves
Why eight, in this split: the six stretches cover the full piriformis line from gentlest (lying) to deepest (pigeon), with desk-friendly versions in between. The two strengthening moves (clamshell, banded glute bridge) are what actually fix the underlying weakness driving the tightness. Pair them in the same session for best results.
Pigeon Pose
Pigeon is the deepest accessible piriformis stretch in a typical mobility routine. Anatomically, the angled-shin position places the femur in 90 degrees of flexion plus external rotation, the exact li...
Supine Figure-4
The supine figure-4, also called the supine piriformis stretch, is the foundational version: lying on your back takes balance and body weight out of it while still placing the hip in the flexion-and-e...
90-90 Hip Stretch
The 90-90 works both hips at once: the front-leg hip in external rotation (the piriformis line), the back-leg hip in internal rotation. It asks more of the knees than the figure-4 family, which is why...
Seated Piriformis Stretch
The seated piriformis stretch is the most realistic stretch to do during a workday because it requires no floor and no setup. It is mechanically the same external-rotation hip line as the supine figur...
Lying Piriformis Stretch
The lying piriformis is the gentlest of the four core piriformis stretches because it loads the muscle in a passive cross-body rotation without compressing the back of the hip joint. It is the right c...
Standing Figure-4 (Wall)
The standing figure-4 stretch against a wall is the most practical piriformis stretch: no floor, no mat, just a wall. That makes it the one to use after a run, during a desk break, or if getting down ...
Side-Lying Clamshell
Clamshell is the gold-standard isolation exercise for the glute medius. Boren and colleagues (2011) measured clamshell progression 4 at 77 percent of maximum voluntary isometric contraction for the glute medius, one of f...
Glute Bridge with Band Abduction
The banded glute bridge with abduction combines hip extension (glute max) with hip abduction and external rotation (glute med + deep rotators). For piriformis sufferers it is the most efficient single exercise because it...