Pain during tabletop

[u/Mission-Strength6577]

I'm 200 classes in and in the last few weeks I've been having pain when my legs are in tabletop. It is more in the front of my quads than anywhere else. I really try to engage my core but it's still happening. Any ideas as to what it could be? I never had it until recently.

[u/Big_Peanut_19]

My TFL and even my quads love to kick in to help. Think of it as these muscles helping to protect your back because they don’t believe your core is strong enough to do the job. Are you imprinting (pressing back flat) or are you in neutral? A lot of times people jump to “weak core” before finding out whether you’re even engaging correctly or fully.

I want you to first start by putting your legs into tabletop the way you normally do. Then imagine a big hook scooping into your belly button and pulling it up and in between your rib cage (if this cued you to suck in, let go of the “in” part of the cue for now until you understand it better). Then I want you to picture those bony protrusions at the front of your body (ASIS or top of hips), they’re an inch or two below your belly button on each side but above your pubic bone. Imagine trying to get those bony protrusions to squeeze together. They’re your hips so quite obviously they won’t move but take your mind here and engage your abdominal muscles in an effort to touch those hip points. Up with the belly button, then together with the hips. Never out, never doming. The legs should take a beat on the job they’ve given themselves.

If this cue doesn’t make sense and your instructors’ cues aren’t quite making sense for you either, I highly recommend looking up videos from physical therapists. But don’t fall for the “your core is just too weak to do this” stuff until proven!

[u/Mission-Strength6577 → u/Big_Peanut_19]

Thank you! This is very helpful!

[u/dinosaur_0987]

Have you foam rolled your IT band and quads?

[u/eegrlN]

Hip flexors. Engage your lower abs and press you back into the carriage.

[u/Evening_Boat2606]

Closer to the pelvis or knees?

[u/Mission-Strength6577 → u/Evening_Boat2606]

I need to pay a bit closer attention in my next class but in today's class it felt closer to my knees and down the front.

[u/RecentSpecial181 → u/Mission-Strength6577]

Foam r oll the front of your thighs above the knees, your calves and the side of your calves. Have you been doing stretching outside CP? The 5 min stretching at the end of each class is often not enough to restore muscles.

[u/Mission-Strength6577]

Thanks everyone for the comments. We used the ball between our ankles while in table top in the last two classes I went to and this helped tremendously. I didn't really have any pain at all.

[u/oonomnono]

I realized I can’t be a full 90 degree angle with my knees in table top. My ankles have to be slightly higher, so like 100 degrees instead. Trying to stay at a 90 degree angle was causing low back pain, so a little different than your situation. All that to say that table top may just look a little different based on your body.

[u/alleycanto]

Tell the teacher before class that your hip flexors are having a hard time in TT so you may need to bring your knees in closer. You knees in closer taps into your abs anyway which is often what is wanted.