As a personal trainer, the most common dysfunction I see in my clients is hip mobility limitation. Anyone, from the middle age worker to the teenage #athlete, can suffer from a lack of hip mobility.
Think of mobility in terms of an iPhone software update. Apple sends you an internal update to improve your phone’s ability to do its job more effectively by reprogramming and vanquishing aspects you no longer find useful. Your cells are very similar to your iPhone #update. Your cells are programmed by you; when you start to move less, your cells reprogram your body to get rid of the aspects it no longer uses – in this case, hip #mobility.
Mobility is a tool to help achieve a better position. I’ll share two of my favorite hip mobility lifesavers. These two drills will help to achieve better positions when performing movements in both real-world and gym settings. Benefits include increased blood flow to #muscles, tissues, and joints and decreased lower back pain.
ACTIVE SPIDERMAN STRETCH
Start in a #pushup position. Bring your right foot to the outside of your right hand. Then start to push your right elbow into the inside of your right knee, all the while keeping your right foot flat on the ground. Hold for five seconds and repeat eight times on each leg.
QUADRUPED ROCKING
Start on all fours. Keeping your chest up, chin aligned and your spine neutral, proceed to rock back and forth. Rock as far back as possible without sacrificing your spinal position to go lower. Continue to do 10 rocks and hold at the back position for five seconds.
Give these two drills a try, either at home or at the gym. To reprogram our bodies, mobility needs to become an everyday ritual – no days off.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Alleman, NASM, PES, is a personal trainer at the Oak Park YMCA.