No athlete competes in a single plane or walks in a stiff, straight line. Hip and spine mobility play a large part in any athletic competition — or simply enjoying an afternoon hike in the woods. Five exercises to improve movement:
Bridge with a reach-across
- class="p5">Lie on the floor with knees bent at 90 degrees.
- class="p5">Perform a normal bridge, raising your hips and keeping shoulders on the ground, forming a plane from your chest to your knees.
- class="p5">Extend your right arm up and across your body toward a point on the left. As you extend, also rotate your trunk toward the left. Hold for a two-count and return to neutral bridge. Repeat on the left side.
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Hip extension out of a bridge
Here's a way to increase hip strength and mobility with a band while doing a common exercise. Use a closed-loop band (a band that's in a circle).
- class="p5">Sit on the floor with knees bent at 90 degrees, and hook one end of the band around your left heel.
- class="p5">Draw the band across your lap, and hook the other end around your right heel. Keep the toes of your feet pointed up.
- class="p5">Perform a normal bridge keeping your shoulders on the ground and raising your hips (against the resistance).
- class="p5">Lower your hips to the floor and repeat.
Thoracic rotation during a ball slam
Ball slams are a great way to build power and increase stamina when done quickly after a hard workout. The typical execution is to squat down, pick the ball up, raise it to full extension overhead, and then slam it viciously to the ground in front of your feet.
To add rotational power: When you pick up the ball, instead of raising it straight overhead, bring it out to your left side (around mid-trunk), continue the elliptical until it's overhead, then repeat the slam. When you pick it up next time, rotate around to your right side.
Hose pulls
This is an old-school throwback.
- class="p5">Attach one of your stronger bands to a point about mid-thigh.
- class="p5">Grasp the end of the band, and step back until it’s just taught.
- class="p5">Grasp with both hands, putting one hand 8 to 12 inches in front of the other (imagine your grip in a tug-of-war). Pull the band smoothly to your chest and rotate your trunk in the direction opposite from your forward hand. You can start your trunk rotation either as you pull the band or when the band reaches your chest. I prefer the former since it makes the exercise more of a compound movement.
- class="p5">Hold the pull for a one-count, then return to the start and repeat.
Half-kneeling band Y’s
Kneeling puts the emphasis where it should be — on raising the shoulder blades.
- class="p5">Put a band with handles around a pole.
- class="p5">Move away so that there is some resistance in the band (it’s not slack) and arms are at almost full extension.
- class="p5">Kneel facing the band connection.
- class="p5">Grasping a band end in each hand, move your arms out to the sides so they form a Y with your trunk, then raise both arms directly overhead.
- class="p5">Hold for a two-count, then lower your arms until they’re parallel with the floor.
