Exercise movement reviewed by:Marie Braga, PT, DPT, CSCS

How Iridium Programs This

Iridium schedules this soft tissue work when your 7-day workout history indicates high recent volume that is impacting your per-muscle recovery status for the glutes. As a recovery tool, the system tracks this movement by duration and explicitly excludes it from your Minimum Effective Volume landmarks to ensure your data reflects growth stimulus rather than fatigue management.

Form Cues

Sit on the floor and place the ball under the fleshy part of one glute
Cross the ankle of the working leg over the opposite knee to open the hip
Lean your weight onto the ball and roll slowly to find tender spots
Pause on any tight spots and breathe deeply for 30–60 seconds
Relax the muscle completely to allow the ball to sink in

Don't

Don't roll directly over the hip bone or tailbone
Don't tense the glute muscles while trying to apply pressure
Don't hold your breath when you hit a painful trigger point
Don't move quickly; this technique requires slow, sustained pressure
Don't continue if you feel sharp, shooting nerve pain down the leg

Common Mistakes

Rolling too fast
Tensing up against the pressure
Placing the ball on bone instead of muscle
Applying too much pressure immediately
Holding breath due to discomfort

Muscles Worked

This recovery exercise primarily targets the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius to release fascial adhesions and hypertonic muscle fibers. relaxing these powerful hip muscles, you can improve hip internal and external rotation while indirectly relieving tension in the lumbar spine.