by Cori Lefkowith | May 16, 2018 | Blog, Butt, Exercises, featured, Foam Rolling, Pain Relief, Stretches, Warm Up
Mobility is not the same as flexibility. Nor is it the same as stability. But for true mobility, you need both a certain amount of stability and flexibility of the muscles around the joint.
Heck, you even need a certain amount of distal stability and mobility in order to have proximal mobility.
HUH?
What that even means is not only do you need to work on your HIP JOINT and the muscles that move it if you want hip mobility but you have to make sure that the other joints that can really influence movement at the hip are also mobile and stable.
For instance, especially with hip mobility, core stability and ankle mobility issues can be incredibly important to address and may be the reason why your hip seems to lack mobility when there is actually no restrictions at the hip.
Our body often limits our mobility because it is PROTECTING itself from doing something that it feels could result in further injury.
Of course, all too often we still continue to push through…
BUT if we listen and take a full-body approach to our pain, realizing that where it hurts isn’t always the problem, we can help restore proper functioning!
These 15 moves are a great way to address not only common tight muscles, mobility issues and stability issues at your hip but also the common restrictions elsewhere in your kinetic chain that can result in what seems to be limited hip mobility.
How To Improve Your Hip Mobility: 15 Hip Mobility Exercises
Restoring proper mobility means using foam rolling, stretching and activation to relax tight muscles, restore them to their proper length-tension relationships and then get the underactive muscles engaged and working.
These 15 moves provide you with moves from each part of the 3-Part RStoration Method – Foam Rolling, Stretching and Activating. Because we have to remember that all three are key to preventing and alleviating injuries!
Foam Rolling:
Hip Foam Rolling (Psoas and TFL):
All too many of us end up with tight hip flexors from sitting long hours hunched over a computer or commuting in a car. Tight hips can mean underactive glutes and can lead to not only a lack of hip mobility but also injury!
And if you’re a runner or cyclists, you may only be perpetuating the problem with the repetitive movement and further hip flexion. That is why it is important you roll out your hip flexors before you run.
Two important muscles to target and roll out, that are often tight, are the Psoas and TFL or Tensor Fasciae Latae.
Psoas:
A tight Psoas contributes to Anterior Pelvic Tilt and hip mobility restrictions as well as underactive glutes. This can lead to not only hip injuries, but also low back pain and injury. It can even create compensations that lead to problems further up and down your kinetic chain, like knee injuries!
To roll out your Psoas, a big foam ball/posture ball works best. Place the ball in your abs above your hip to one side of your belly button.
Relax over the ball and lie face down on the ground. Breathe.
Then move the ball, working your way around the side of your lower abs between your belly button and hip. After you move the ball, relax completely back over it.
If you don’t have a larger ball, you can use a tennis ball; however, the tennis ball will dig in more. To use the tennis ball, you will also need some books or a yoga block. Place the ball up on the books or block and lie over it just like you would with the posture ball. Relax and breathe.
TFL:
Ever have IT Band issues? Tried suffering through rolling your IT Band and feel like the pain goes away a bit but never fully gets better? STOP rolling your IT Band and instead focus on rolling your TFL!
This hip muscle can contribute to IT Band issues as well as hip and knee pain! It is often also the reason our glute medius doesn’t fire correctly to stabilize our hips, which can lead to hip and low back pain!
To roll out your TFL, lie on the ground on your side and place a ball just to the side and slightly under your hip bone. Hold on this spot and even move an inch or two down your leg.
If you find a tight spot, hold on that spot and lift and lower your leg up and down as if doing an adductor leg raise. By lifting and lower the leg, you are flexing and relaxing the muscle, which will help loosen everything up as you hold.
As you seek out tight spots in your hip, bring the ball back around your side toward your butt. Hold on any tight spots. You can even work back into your glute medius if you find any trigger points.
Remember to relax and hold on any tight spots and breathe as you hold.
Hamstring Foam Rolling:
Ever feel like your hamstrings are tight no matter how much you stretch them? What if that is because they FEEL tight, but are actually OVERSTRETCHED!?
This is actually often the case, especially if you sit often and have tight hips. So instead of stretching, try rolling to help relax your hamstrings. (This is especially important if you’ve ever had any high hamstring injuries!)
To roll out your hamstrings, a ball is actually best while sitting up on something like a chair, table or box. The pressure you can apply even when isolating one leg on a roller on the ground is limited so using a ball when seated up on something allows you to dig into your hamstring more.
Take the ball and place it at the top of your hamstring right under the bottom of your butt while you are seated up on a chair. Rock side to side on the ball and roll it from your inner thigh out toward the outside of your leg.
Hold on any tight spot and perform small rocks side to side to help you dig into the knot further. You can even flex and relax your hamstring by straightening your leg out and then relaxing your foot back down to the ground to help the muscle release the knot.
Work your way down your hamstring toward your knee. Work all along the hamstring, moving toward your inner thigh and out toward your IT Band. Make sure to hold on any tight spots. Do not spend time on areas of your hamstring that aren’t tight.
Adductor Foam Rolling:
Tight adductors contribute to limited hip mobility and stability because your glute medius doesn’t fire correctly. This can lead to hip and low back pain.
Tight adductors can also contribute to knee valgus, which can cause your patella to not track correctly, leading to knee pain and injury! That is why it is important to roll out and relax tight adductors.
To roll out your adductors, lie face down on the ground. Bend one knee out to the side at about 90 degrees and place the roller under the inside of your knee.
Resting on your forearms, rock your leg forward over the roller toward your quad and then back toward your hamstring. Hold on any tight spots.
Then move the roller up your inner thigh toward your crotch. Rock forward and backward again and remember to spend more time on any tight areas.
Lower Leg Foam Rolling:
Movement distortions at our feet and ankles can lead to problems up our entire body. They are our foundation and any imbalances there means compensations higher up. That is why it is important to roll out and relax tight muscles in our lower legs.
If you wear high heels, run long distances, cycle or simply find you walk on the inside or outsides of your shoes, you’ll want to try these foam rolling moves to loosen up your lower leg.
Calf Foam Rolling:
Tight calves can contribute to plantar fasciitis and even knee pain. Tightness here can also limit your ankle mobility, which will impact your hip mobility as well!
To roll out your calves, a tennis ball works great especially if you have a yoga block or books to place the ball up on.
Using the tennis ball, place it up on some books or a yoga block and then put one calf on top of the ball. Start with the ball at the bottom part of the meat of your calf.
Cross the other leg on top to help apply more pressure if needed.
Rock very slightly from right to left or side-to-side a couple of times and then move the ball to another spot on your calf, working over the entire meaty part of the muscle right up to below the back of your knee. Keep rocking side to side as you work your way around your calf.
Hold on any tight spots. If you find a super tight spot, make 10 circles with your foot and then tense and relax your calf (flexing and dropping your foot) 5 times before you move to the next spot. This will help the muscle relax itself and help the knot to release.
Peroneal:
If you tend to walk on the inside of your shoes or your have eversion of your feet, the outside of your lower leg may be tight. This movement distortion can lead to not only knee pain, but also hip pain. And can cause imbalances and compensations that lead to underactive glutes and tight hips.
To roll out your Peroneals, place a ball on the ground in front of you and then bend your knee and place the side of your lower leg on top of the ball, starting with the ball below and outside your knee. Press down on your lower leg with your hand to apply more pressure so that the ball digs in.
Then move your leg so that you make small circles on top of the ball. Work your way down the length of the side of your lower leg, pressing your lower leg firmly down into the ball. (You may even put a book under the ball to help you apply more pressure and get a better angle.)
Hold on any tight spots and, as you hold, flex and relax your foot to help dig into any knots or trigger points. To dig in more, you can also circle the ankle while holding on any tight spots instead of flexing and relaxing the foot.
Stretching:
After your roll out and relax overexcited or overactive muscles, you want to work on the flexibility of your muscles and improving range of motion with a combination of Dynamic and Static Stretches.
You want to make sure too that you address all of the muscles around your hip joint as well as the other muscles of your lumbo pelvic hip complex.
It is important that you use stretching to help you mobilize not only your hips but also other muscles and joints that may create imbalances or compensations that could lead to your hip movement becoming restricted aka addressing a lack of ankle or spinal mobility is also key!
World’s Greatest Stretch:
A great way to improve your hip mobility AND even your spinal mobility is the World’s Greatest Stretch. This move stretches out your hips, glutes and even hamstrings. It will also work on opening up your chest as you activate your core.
To do the World’s Greatest Stretch, start in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and feet together. Your body should start in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Do not let your hips sag or your butt go up in the air.
Step your right foot outside your right hand so that you are in a nice low runner’s lunge. Make sure your foot is flat on the ground. (If you are less flexible, your foot may not be right outside your hand or you may need to drop your back knee down to the ground. But do not let your front heel come up. You still want your foot to be flat on the ground.)
In the low runner’s lunge, drop your right elbow down to the ground near the instep of your right foot. Do not worry if you can’t touch the ground. Just drop your elbow down as low as you can. Feel a nice stretch in your hip and glute.
Then bring your elbow up off the ground and rotate your right arm up toward the ceiling, opening your chest up toward the ceiling to face your right leg. Stretch your right arm up toward the ceiling and rotate your chest open to feel a nice stretch in your hips, glute, back and chest.
Bring the right hand back down to the ground and then drop your back knee (left knee) down to the ground. Sit back on your left heel and let your right leg straighten out in front of you. Feel a stretch down your right hamstring. Lean forward over that front leg to increase the stretch. You may even feel this stretch your low back a bit. Make sure though that you are pushing your butt back as you hinge and lean from the hips and don’t simply round over.
Then shift back forward into the low runner’s lunge, bending your right leg and lifting your left knee up off the ground. You can then repeat the stretch on the same side or step your right foot back into the plank position and step your left foot up outside your left hand to stretch the other side.
Seated Foot Stretch:
All too often we only pay attention to our feet when we have an injury, like plantar fasciitis. But tightness even in our BIG TOE, can lead to imbalances that cause injury. Our body seeks out the path of least resistance. Immobility in one area causes us to try to find mobility from other joints or flexibility out of other muscles or even strength from muscles not meant to handle the loads.
That is why it is important we address restrictions at our feet and ankles because this is often even why we feel like we lack hip mobility during moves like squats!
To do the Kneeling Foot Stretch, kneel on the ground and flex your feet, tucking your toes under. Then sit back on your heels and feel a stretch down your feet and toes. Rock a little side to side as you hold in the stretch.
You can then release and move into the Bear Squat Stretch (described below) or you can simply relax out of the stretch and repeat, sitting back on your heels and gently rocking side to side.
If your quad flexibility is really restricting you from sitting back on your heels and feeling this stretch, you can instead stand up and place the ball of your foot on the wall and lean forward against the wall to stretch your foot and even your calf.
To do the Bear Squat Stretch, place your hands down on the ground and press your butt up into the air, driving your heels down to the ground. Relax your calves and try to get your heels down to the ground. Feel a nice stretch down your calves and even up into your hamstrings. Hold for 1-2 seconds and then drop back down to your knees and sit back on your heels again to stretch your feet.
Make sure that as you drive your butt up, you are pressing yourself back so that your driving your heels down. Don’t simply pike up and lower back down. Actually drive back and feel the stretch down your calves.
You can walk your hands in just a little bit closer to your knees to help you feel the stretch a little bit more, but do not walk them in too close.
Alternating Quadruped Pigeon Pose:
The pigeon pose is one of the BEST glute stretches and a must-do move to mobilize your hips and prevent low back and hip pain. Ever had sciatic pain or piriformis issues? This is a MUST-DO MOVE!
However, if you’re using it as a warm up, you don’t want to do the static pigeon pose stretch. That is where this version of the pigeon pose works well. The Alternating Quadruped Pigeon Pose makes the stretch dynamic to mobilize your hips AND this version can make it easier to get in and out of the stretch if you struggle to set up correctly.
To do the Alternating Pigeon Poses, start on your hands and knees on the ground. Then straighten your left leg out and slide it behind and over your right. As you rotate to slide your left leg over and behind your right, begin to walk your hands over to the left and rotate your body.
You will basically keep your right leg still as you rotate your upper body to the left and slide your left leg over and behind your right to shift into a pigeon pose. Sit back into the right butt cheek as you walk your hands out and pause in pigeon.
Then bend your left knee and walk your hands back around front as you shift back into the quadruped position. Switch sides, walking your hands to the right as you slide your right leg over and behind your left leg. You will rotate your body to sit into pigeon pose on the left side.
Pause in pigeon and really push that left glute back as you square up your hips. Then come back into the quadruped position and repeat on that first side.
Seated Hamstring, Glute and Spinal Twist Complex:
This static stretch is the perfect way to work on your hip and spinal mobility and unwind after a long day. Low back sore, tired and achy? This should be your go-to stretch! Remember with hip mobility, you don’t only want to focus on the hip joint, but also your entire lumbo-pelvic-hip complex!
To do the Seated Hamstring, Glute and Spinal Twist Complex, sit on the ground with one leg out straight in front of you. Pull the foot of the other leg in to your inner thigh so that your knee is pointing out to about 3 or 9, depending on which leg is out straight. Relax that bent leg and let the outside of the leg relax to the ground as you fold over at the hips and reach toward the foot of the straight leg.
Keep that leg straight to stretch your calf and hamstring as you reach and grab your foot. If you can’t reach your foot while keeping your leg straight, grab a towel or jump rope and wrap it around your foot so that you can use that to pull yourself over and stretch your hamstring.
Hold here and breathe for 15-20 seconds and try to relax further into the stretch.
Then release and cross the ankle of the bent leg over your straight leg right above your knee. Place your hands on the ground behind your butt and bend the straight leg to bring your quad and the leg crossed over in toward your chest.
Sit up nice and tall and press your leg and chest closer together to feel a stretch in the outside of your glute. Breathe and hold, trying to get your legs and chest closer together. You can walk your hands forward toward your glutes to help push you up taller. You can also move your foot on the ground in closer to your glutes to bring your leg in closer. Flex the foot of the leg crossed over to protect your knee.
Hold for 15-20 seconds.
Then allow the foot of the leg crossed over to lower down to the side while keeping your bottom leg bent. Place the foot flat on the ground as you lay your bottom leg down on its side.
Then lift the hand on the side you lowered your foot down to and place that arm on the outside of your knee pointing up toward the ceiling. Press off that knee to rotate your chest toward the leg. Sit nice and tall and feel a stretch down your spine. Breathe and hold for 15-20 seconds.
If you are less flexible, you may need to straighten the bottom leg out instead of keeping it bent like it was from the glute stretch.
After holding in the Spinal Twist, release and straighten the other leg out and start on the other side with the Seated Hamstring Stretch.
Camel:
Stretching and activation all in one is what you get with the Camel Bridge. It is the perfect way to stretch out and unlock tight hip flexors while really focusing on your glutes to drive hip extension and even hyperextension.
The bonus of this move is it also opens up your chest and can even stretch your feet a little. Opening up your chest can help improve your spinal extension, which can, in turn, aid in improving your hip mobility.
To do the Camel, kneel on the ground with your knees about hip-width apart and your feet flexed. If you point your toes instead, this will make the move harder and require more flexibility (bottom two photos). Also, flexing your feet will stretch the bottom of your feet more while pointing your toes will get your shins more. With either your feet flexed or pointed, sit back on your heels and place your hands on your heels.
Then arch your hips up and away, as you press your chest out and lift your glutes up off your heels. Keep your hands on your heels as you arch away and squeeze your glutes to fully extend your hips. Do not hyperextend your low back. Engage your glutes to stretch out your hips.
Relax your head back and arch as much as you can, getting a nice stretch down your chest, core, hips and quads. Do not let your shoulders shrug and really focus on opening your chest up. Hold for 1-2 seconds and relax back down.
Repeat, arching back up. Or you can also make this a static stretch by simply holding the pose for 15-20 seconds.
If you are less flexible and can’t place your hands on your heels, you can do this stretch with a couch, chair or table behind you.
Activation:
A HUGE part of mobility is stability of our joints. Our body will not allow us to perform a range of motion it doesn’t feel safe or STABLE enough to do. That means that if you want to improve your hip mobility, you also have to improve not only your hip stability, but also the stability of your entire core!
Frog Bridge:
If you want to improve your hip mobility, building stability is also key. That means making sure your glutes are activated and strong! Too often our modern lifestyle leads to underactive glutes. That is why more isolated activation moves to target our glutes before compound lifts are so essential to include!
This Frog Bridge may not be something you want to do in the middle of your gym, but it is one of the BEST glute bridge variations out there, especially if you struggle to feel your glutes activating and your lower back and hamstrings have a tendency to take over.
To do the Frog Bridge, lie back on the ground and place the bottom of your feet together, letting your knees fall open sort of as if doing the butterfly stretch. The closer you bring your feet in toward your crotch, the more mobility you need to do the move. Find a comfortable placement and allow your knees to relax open.
Lying on your back with your knees wide and the bottoms of your feet together, bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arms are against the ground. You want to really drive your elbows down into the ground as you bridge up.
Driving through your upper arms and the outsides of your feet as you engage your core, bridge up while keeping your knees open. Squeeze your glutes as you lift and really contract them at the top.
Then lower back down and repeat.
Keep your core engaged and really drive down through your upper arms so that you don’t push yourself backward as you bridge back up. Do not let your knees come back together. Keep them relaxed and open.
Concentrate on your glutes working to lift. Make sure to pause and engage your glutes at the top.
If you feel your hips too much, don’t bring your heels in as close to your body.
Pelvic Tilt with Slides:
An often ignored piece of the puzzle to build hip mobility is CORE STABILITY! If our abs, and core intrinsic stabilizers, aren’t engaging correctly and strong, we can not only overwork our hip flexors, but also restrict our hip mobility. When our body doesn’t feel safe and stabile, it will restrict mobility.
That is why the Pelvic Tilt with Slides is such a great move to include. Not only will this move strengthen your posterior chain, specifically your hamstrings, but it will also do it while you work on engaging your intrinsic core stabilizers. This can help you prevent low back, hip and knee pain! It is also an essential move to include if you have Anterior Pelvic Tilt!
To do the Pelvic Tilt with Slides, lie on your back with a slider under each heel and your heels a few inches from your butt. Feel the space between your lower back and the ground.
Engage your abs to get rid of the space as you press your lower back into the ground. Keeping your abs engaged and lower back pressed down, slowly slide one heel out, straightening your leg out.
Then curl that heel back in, pulling the heel in with your hamstring almost as if you are trying to drive the slider into the ground as you curl it back in. Feel your hamstring work to pull it back in.
Make sure to keep your abs engaged and hips still as you extend out and curl back in. Move slowly so you can focus on the right muscles working. You can complete all reps on one side or alternate sides as you go. Do not let your lower back come off the ground. If you start to feel your abs disengaging or your lower back taking over, pause and reset don’t just push through!
Side Plank Clams:
When you work on building core stability, you have to work your core from every angle. That means making sure you include moves to work on your lateral stability as well.
Often these frontal plane moves are also the perfect way to strengthen your obliques and glute medius. Your glute medius especially is important to activate as it is key to hip stability and preventing not only hip pain, but also low back, knee and Achilles aches and pains!
To do the Side Plank Clam, set up on your side propped up on your forearm with your elbow underneath your shoulder. Bend your knees so that your feet and lower legs are behind you. You can place your top hand on your hip or reach it up toward the ceiling, but don’t touch it down to the ground or use it to help you balance or press up.
Propped up on your elbow with your knees stacked, lift your bottom hip up off the ground, driving through your knee and forearm. As you bridge your hips up, lift your top leg up and toward the ceiling, keeping the knee bent. Open up your legs, lifting your top knee toward the ceiling using your glute. Make sure to squeeze your glutes forward as you lift.
As you lower the leg back down, lower your hip back down to the ground.
Repeat, bridging up as you raise your top knee up toward the ceiling. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Also keep your elbow under your shoulder and do not get too spread out. Really focus on bridging and lifting with your glute and obliques.
You can also challenge your glute medius more by adding a mini band right below or above your knees!
Band Hip Thrusters:
Improve your hip extension and activate your glutes with this move. By adding in and using the mini band with the Hip Thruster move, you also help activate your glute medius. And often when we get the glute medius firing correctly, our glute max will also fire better!
To do Mini Band Hip Thrusters, place the mini band right below your knees with your back on a bench and feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Press out on the band and don’t let your knees cave in. You want your ankles, knees and hips in line throughout the entire move. Don’t even let your knees cave in when you come down.
Then, perform a posterior pelvic tilt (especially if you feel your low back often taking over during bridges) and bridge up, driving through your heels and upper back on the bench. Make sure to press out on the band as you bridge up. Squeeze your butt to drive up and keep your abs engaged with a pelvic tilt so you don’t hyperextend your back at the top. Pause and feel those glutes then lower back down and repeat.
You can even look down slightly toward your knees as you lift up. That slight spinal flexion can help activate your glutes even more!
Calf Raise Circles:
As I mentioned, your feet and ankles are your foundation. Imbalances, immobility or instability there can create compensations and issues up your body and lead to hip pain and injury! That is why it is important we also create strength and stability in our feet and ankles!
The Calf Raise Circles are the perfect way to strengthen your feet and lower legs and help correct any pronation or supination you may have!
To do Circle Calf Raises, start standing with your feet about hip-width apart. You can face a wall or table if you need a little help balancing so that you can really focus on circling.
Then start to circle by rocking to the outside of your feet. Slowly come forward toward your pinky toe. Then come up onto your toes slowly circling from your pinky toe toward your big toe. Come up as high onto your toes/balls of your feet as you can. Then reach your big toe and circle in toward the inside of your feet as you come down.
Then come back up, this time starting with the big toe and circling out toward your pinky toe before coming down on the outsides of your feet. Repeat circling back up and in. Really feel yourself getting as big a circle as you can while feeling your calves work to help you come up onto your toes. In order to really circle, you may need to lightly keep your hand on the wall.
Plank:
This basic isometric core move is a MUST-DO if you want to prevent injury and maintain a stable strong core. You can literally strengthen everything between your shoulders and your knees with this one basic move.
The key though is focusing on engaging HARDER and creating shakeage over holding LONGER.
To do the Basic Forearm Front Plank, set up with your elbows underneath your shoulders and your feet and legs together. It is important that your elbows are underneath your shoulders so that you can properly engage your back and the muscles around your ribs to support your shoulders. By placing your feet and legs together, you can engage your inner thighs. Putting your feet wider apart provides you with more stability if you are just starting out.
With your body in a nice straight line, drive back through your heels with your elbows under your shoulders. Then begin to focus on engaging the muscles of your core to create tension and “shakeage.” Think flex your quads, engage your glutes and squeeze your legs together. Think about performing a slight posterior pelvic tilt as you brace your abs and draw them in toward your spine.
Make sure that you aren’t shrugging and that you are using your back and the muscles around your ribs to keep your back flat and shoulders down. With everything engaged and your body in a nice straight line, HOLD. Make sure you don’t feel your lower back taking over or your neck tensing. If you start to have your hips sag or butt go up in the air, regress the move or rest.
Need workouts and a program to get you on track and consistently working to improve your hip mobility? Then check out these two programs I offer below.
by Cori Lefkowith | Mar 16, 2018 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises, Push Ups
Stop wasting time on bicep curls and isolated tricep extensions. If you want strong, and sexy arms, it’s time you started focusing on HYBRID exercises.
These moves will get you better results in less time because they work more muscles at once, including the larger muscle groups of our upper bodies!
And as much as I love weights, you don’t even need weights to build killer functional upper body strength.
Using your own bodyweight, you can get in a great upper body workout AND even work your core! Try these 5 Hybrid Bodyweight Upper Body Exercises that you’ll be sure to feel the next day!
5 Bodyweight Upper Body Exercise (no equipment needed!)
Below are 5 Hybrid Exercises to work your arms, chest, shoulders and even back. Try including these in your next upper body workout, especially if you need something quick at home!
These are some of my favorite moves from my 6-Week Bodyweight Shred to not only work the upper body, but also the CORE!
Climber Push Ups:
This core-intensive push up variation will work not only your chest, but really target your triceps and shoulders as well!
To do the Climber Push Up, start in a plank from your forearms. You can set your feet wider apart if needed to create a more stable base. Make sure your body is in a nice straight line from your head to your heels and that your shoulders are stacked over your elbows while on your forearms.
Engage your abs and, keeping your body in a nice straight line, climb one hand at a time up to a plank position from your hands. Place your hands right below your shoulders, but outside your chest as you climb up. Try to wiggle your hips as little as possible as you climb and don’t let your butt go up in the air or your hips sag toward the ground as you climb up.
Then at the top perform a push up. Keep your body in a nice straight line as you drop your chest between your hands and down toward the ground. Press all the way back up.Then climb back down, placing your elbows right below your shoulders. Repeat, climbing back up. Make sure to alternate or switch which hand leads the climb at some point.
Beginners can do the whole thing from their knees or even just drop to their knees for the push up.
Push Up Leg Kick:
This Push Up is a great way to work your obliques and really toast your entire core!
To do the Push Up Leg Kick, set up in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and outside your chest and your feet close together. Your body should be in a nice straight line with your abs braced and glutes and quads engaged.
Then lower down to the bottom of the push up, keeping your body in a nice straight line. Press back up and at the top, kick one leg out to the side toward your elbow. Your hips may rotate slightly as you kick, but your butt shouldn’t go up in the air.
Kick your leg up as close to your elbow as you can and then lower it back down and place your foot back on the ground. Once your foot is back down, repeat the push up then kick the other leg out to the side toward your elbow. Keep your leg as straight as you can as you kick it out. Place your foot back and repeat the push up before repeating on the first side.
You can modify the move by doing it from your knees then come up onto your toes for the kick. You can also do it with your hands up on an incline. To advance the move further, perform the kick at the BOTTOM of the push up!
Scapular Wall Hold/Reps:
This move is a must-do if you have a desk job. Whether you perform the isometric or the reps, it is a great way to work your back and open up your chest.
To do the Scapular Wall Hold Reps, stand with your back relaxing against the wall and your feet about six inches away. Bend your arms and drive your elbows back into the wall. With your body in a nice straight line, drive off the wall with your elbows, pressing your chest out and pinching your shoulder blades down and back. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your body moves as one unit.
Relax back into against the wall, keeping your body in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Do not let your hips drop. Then repeat the press out, driving off your elbows. Do not arch your low back as you press out. Also, make sure not to shrug your shoulders. The further from the wall that you walk your feet out, the harder the move will be.
To do the hold, you would simply hold pressed out. That is a great activation move even before your pull up work!
Row Push Up:
This anti-rotational core move will work not only your abs, but also your chest, back, arms and shoulders. Talk about a move that works EVERYTHING!
To do the Row Push Up, set up in a high plank position with your feet about hip-width apart and your hands outside your chest (beginners can do this from their knees). Then perform a push up, lowering your chest to the ground as your body moves as one unit. Do not let your butt go up in the air or your head jut forward. Also, make sure your arms create an arrow shape (–>) with your body instead of flaring way out.
Press back up, again keeping your body in a nice straight line. At the top of the push up, row one arm up. Lift the hand off the ground as you drive your elbow down and back toward the ceiling. Feel your back work to lift your arm. Bring your hand to about chest height then place it back down and repeat the push up.
At the top of the push up, row the other hand up. Try not to let your body rotate as you row. Also, do not let your butt go up in the air. You want to keep your body square to the ground as fighting the rotation works your core more.
If you have weights and really want to use them, you may also do the Renegade Row Push Up.
Push Up Walk Back:
This push up variation is going to work your arms, shoulders and abs and get your blood pumping. It is also a great way to work on your mobility with the walk back! (Hey a little extra lower body work never hurts!)
To do the Push Up Walk Back, start standing with your feet close together. Then bend your knees and squat down slightly. Rock forward to “dive out” and extend into a push up.
As you dive out and catch yourself, bend your elbows to absorb the shock of landing. You will perform a push up as you catch yourself and lower your chest to the ground. Push back up to a plank position and then, keeping your legs straight, walk your hands back in toward your feet.
Stand all the way back up and then squat down to repeat the dive back out and push up. This is an advanced move. Beginners may need to walk out instead and go down to their knees for the push up.
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by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 6, 2018 | Blog, Bodyweight, Butt, Exercises
Have you ever noticed you have a stronger and weaker side?
Have you ever been told your hips are uneven? Your SI joint is “out of whack” or you have an upslip or even rotation?
Or maybe you’ve just noticed you always get low back or hip pain on one side?
Heck…maybe you’ve even noticed a leg length discrepancy you weren’t born with!?
All of these things show imbalances and compensations that need to be addressed….
Addressed by UNILATERAL moves.
All too often with bilateral movements, we can compensate and our dominant side takes over for our weaker side.
We can often “hide our weakness” and make it hard to activate the right muscles when we do bilateral moves.
Plus, because one side is stronger, we compensate so our weaker side can “keep up.”
But if we don’t want to risk compensating, which can lead to injury, we first need to correct our imbalances.
And by correcting those imbalances, especially when it comes to GLUTE ACTIVATION, we can create lumbo-pelvic-hip stability so we can prevent injury and lift more.
This is where unilateral activation comes into play.
It helps us address those imbalances so that right muscles are working and we can shrink the gap between our weaker and stronger side!
So if you have hip issues, low back issues…even knee pain…unilateral glute activation is especially important!
And not only doing unilateral, or single sided glute activation, but even potentially more reps, on that weaker side.
So if you’re ready to build hip stability, try these 3 Unilateral Bodyweight Glute Activation Exercises to correct those imbalance and get both glutes firing!
1. Glute Bridge with Rocks:
Unilateral moves are essential to correct imbalances because you can isolate one side at a time and focus in on the muscles that need to be working. And glute bridges are a must-do activation move to improve your hip extension.
HOWEVER, Single Leg Glute Bridges are an advanced move that could lead to you using your lower back or hamstrings to power the lift instead of correcting the existing imbalance.
So how can you get the benefit of a Single Leg Bridge if the move is too advanced? Do a Glute Bridge with Rocks! This move allows you to use both sides to bridge up WHILE pausing to activate each side a little extra individually.
To do the Glute Bridge Rocks, set up like you are going to do the Basic Glute Bridge. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Your feet should be about hip-width apart and your knees should be in line with your feet and hips.
Bend your arms to 90 degrees and then drive through your arms, upper back and heels to bridge up. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs to bridge up. Then slightly release the contraction in one glute and rock to bridge one hip up slightly higher. Really focus on contracting that glute. Release that side and rock your other hip slightly up to contract that glute harder. Keep your abs braced as you rock slightly and alternate contracting each glute a little bit extra at the top of the bridge.
Do not let your low back take over as you hold at the top and work to contract each glute a little bit extra. Also, do not let your hips sag down toward the ground. Alternate rocks until all reps are complete then lower down.
2. 3-Way Hip Circles:
Activation moves can not only activate but also MOBILIZE. And the 3-Way Hip Circles do just that – they activate your glutes as you open up your hips.
You will work your glute medius with the Fire Hydrant and your glute maximus with the Donkey Kick portion. And you will even activate your abs with a Knee Tuck! It’s the perfect move to build hip stability!
To do the 3-Way Hip Circles, start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet.
Then, keeping your knee bent to about 90 degrees, kick one leg back like into a Donkey Kick. Hold there for a second. Make sure to keep your arms straight and squeeze your glutes as you extend your hip and drive your heel up toward the ceiling.
Then, keeping your knee bent, bring your leg up and out to the side into the Fire Hydrant position. Do not lower your leg down as you move from the Donkey Kick to the Fire Hydrant. Keep your foot flexed and knee bent to 90 degrees.
Without touching your knee down, then drive the knee forward and in toward your elbow. Feel your abs engage as you hold.
Repeat the circle, kicking your foot back to repeat.
3. Warrior III Squats:
Work on your balance, core stability, hip mobility AND glute activation with this Unilateral Activation Exercises – The Warrior III Squats. You’ll feel this move working from the ground up!
To do Warrior III Squats, set up in the Warrior III position. Start balancing on one leg then hinge over so that your chest is parallel to the ground. Reach your raised leg back toward the wall behind you as you keep your hips square to the ground and straighten your standing leg as much as you can. Then reach your hands overhead toward the wall in front of you or out to the sides or even back toward your feet.
From this Warrior III position, bend your standing leg to perform a small squat. Make sure to keep your raised leg up and reaching toward the wall behind you as you stay in that hinged over position as you squat. Do not start to stand up as you squat.
Straighten your standing leg back out and then repeat the small squat. The lower you squat as you maintain that Warrior III position, the harder the move will be. Also, the more you completely straighten your standing leg, the harder the move will be.
Complete all reps on one side before switching. Do not let your hips open up as you squat. Also, do not go forward onto your toes or round your back. The move doesn’t have to be super big to have benefit!
Ready to correct those imbalances with 15-minute booty burner workouts? Learn how here –>
by Cori Lefkowith | Jan 30, 2018 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises
If 5-minutes is all you have, workout for 5-minutes. You’ll STILL get great results.
I always get the strangest look from people when I tell them that. A look of pure and utter disbelief.
Yes, of course moving more is BEST.
BUT I think our belief that if a workout isn’t a certain length, it doesn’t count, so often holds us back from achieving the great results we deserve.
When you can get killer results from 5, 10 or even 15 minutes a day!
But to get those results out of that time, you have to be SMART with how you create your workouts.
You can’t waste time with a ton of rest. Or with isolated movements that focus on small muscles.
NOPE!
You have to combine moves that work more muscles at once and even get you moving in multiple planes of motion to build functional strength. You have to up your intensity and even shorten your rest.
And to do all of this and get great results in less time, you need to make sure your quick workouts focus on HYBRID EXERCISES!
What Are Hybrid Exercises?
Hybrid Exercises are moves that COMBINE two or more exercises together that flow well with each other and allow you to work more muscles at once and even work your body in different planes of motion in a shorter amount of time.
When I’ve spoken about Hybrid Moves, I’ve gotten asked, “But aren’t those just compound moves?”
NOPE!
Compound exercises are great moves to work multiple large muscle groups and engage two or joints. But with Hybrid Exercises, you are even trying to COMBINE compound moves together.
You are taking it a step further to max out your body in less time by combining moves together.
This can not only allow you to work more large muscle groups at once but even hone in on some of those “trouble zones” as you burn more calories in less time.
So if you want to work more muscles, burn more fat and get in and out and on with your day more quickly, you need to include Hybrid Exercises!
Benefits Of Hybrid Exercises:
The top benefit summed up…Getting better results in less time.
We all have crazy, busy lives with a bazillion demands on our time. Too many of us don’t have hours to spend in a gym.
That is why using Hybrid Exercises is so key!
Hybrid Exercises…
- Work a variety of muscles groups in a short amount of time.
- Help up your intensity to burn more calories and create a better after burn.
- Move you in every plane of motion.
- Build functional strength.
- Are killer cardiovascular movements perfect for interval training
- Help build full body strength WHILE you even target particular trouble zones.
- Help us learn to control acceleration, deceleration and the transition from one movement pattern to another.
- Serve as their OWN “active rest.”
Because these moves work more muscles at once, we can burn more calories in less time. They also work more LARGE muscles at once, which is super key to getting more out of less time.
And when you get more muscles working at once, your body is going to have to work harder to keep up with your energy demands. AKA your workout intensity will go up as well as the benefit of the After Burn, which I talk more about here.
Because these moves can get our blood pumping in less time, they are the perfect moves for interval training. They will help us feel the burn in those quick 20-30 second intervals of work we so often use!
These hybrid moves also create movement patterns working different muscles twisting, turning and lifting to build functional strength.
Let’s face it…In life you aren’t always just squatting. Nope, you’re squatting to get something out of the dishwasher then rotating up to place it in the cabinets…Or at least that is what I have to do haha
The point is, we so often “combine” compound moves in our daily life, why wouldn’t we train some of those same moves and “ideas” in our workouts?
Especially if they help us get more out of less time!
And not only are the functional, increase our intensity and work more muscles at one, but they are a great way to target our “trouble zones” AND even perform “active rest.”
How do they accomplish all of these things…things that honestly seem at times slightly at odds?
Well, Hybrid Exercises are two moves COMBINED. And those moves could be to huge compound lifts OR a compound lift with a more focused moves.
That means you could take a more “isolation” exercise or an exercise that targets a specific area…like say the Bench Dip for Triceps…and combine it with a compound upper body move…like Push Ups…to get the Push Up to Dip.
This move will really burn out your triceps BUT you’ll get more bang for your buck in less time because you’ll also work your chest, shoulders and core WHILE you target your triceps!
And you can do this for just about any area….
For another example…the Squat to Lateral Leg Raise. You not only work your entire leg, BUT you also get in a little extra targeted abduction work to get your glute medius activated and working.
But because you are short on time, you aren’t wasting time on isolation moves. NOPE! You are getting the benefit of targeted work, BUT included with the benefit of compound moves!
And you can change up these same moves so that they DON’T burn out an area and can even allow you to keep moving WITHOUT rest by becoming their own “active rest!”
What do I mean by this?
Well if you only have 5 minutes, you can’t really afford to spend any of it truly resting. That means you can’t just work one area over and over again.
But with Hybrid Exercises, you can combine two moves that allow you to rest one area as you work the other!
This can be combining an upper and lower body move OR even something as simple as combining giving one side of your body a rest after a bilateral compound move, like a Push Up to Toe Touch!
The point is, you can combine moves in so many different ways so that you can get more benefit out of LESS TIME.
And the even BETTER part about Hybrid Moves!? You don’t need any fancy equipment to do them!
Not only are there a ton of great BODYWEIGHT Hybrid Exercises, but even just a basic pair of Dumbbells can help you build full-body strength!
Below are 5 Bodyweight Hybrid Moves I use ALL OF THE TIME. And even one of my go-to dumbbell Hybrid Moves!
5 Hybrid Exercises:
These are 5 Hybrid Exercises I use all of the time (as well as some of the ones I mentioned above like the Push Up to Dip and Push Up To Toe Touch). They work your entire body and will get your blood pumping in no time! They are also multi-planar movements to get you twisting and turning and moving in every direction to build functional strength. Some combine two compound exercises while others will combine more focused moves with compound moves to target those trouble zones.
Mountain Climber Burpee:
The Mountain Climber Burpee takes that Basic Burpee and makes it even more core and upper body intensive with 3 push ups and 2 mountain climber knee tucks! Talk about a way to burnout your body quickly and get your blood pumping!
To do the Mountain Climber Burpee, start standing tall. Then bend over and squat down to put your hands on the ground in front of your feet as you jump back into a high plank position. From this high plank position, perform a push up. Keep your body in a nice straight line as you lift and lower. Beginners can go down to their knees and come back up to their toes at the top for the knee tuck.
After pushing back up, tuck one knee in toward the same elbow. Then place the foot back and perform another push up. Once you push back up, tuck the other knee in. Do one final push up then jump your feet into your hands and stand back up. Jump at the top then repeat the move.
Beginners can also do this off an incline. Using a bench, place your hands on the bench and jump back instead of going all of the way to the ground.
And while there are 3 full push ups, you can modify by taking out a push up and doing both knee tucks in a row. You can also modify the push ups by doing them from your knees or off an incline.
Crawl with Sit Thru:
This move is a staple in my cardio interval workouts. Your blood will be pumping with this contralateral crawl that really works your entire core! Your quads, shoulders and abs will work as you crawl not only forward and backward but also twist with the Sit Thru!
To Crawl with Sit Thru, set up on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. Flex your feet and then lift up onto your hands and the balls of your feet. Then begin to move forward or backward, moving your opposite arm and leg together. Step forward with your right hand as you step forward with your left foot. Keep your back flat and core engaged as you move. Try to keep your knees close to the ground.
Think small steps and stable hips over trying to get further faster.
After a few steps forward or backward, perform a Sit Thru.
To perform a Sit Thru, from the crawl position, rotate open toward the right and bring your left leg under and through toward where your right hand is. As you bring your left leg forward and through, lift your right hand. You should almost be sitting when you rotate through with your left hand down to support you.
Then bring the left leg back through and place your right hand back down so that you are back in the starting crawl position. Next rotate to the left and kick your right leg through and forward as you lift your left hand.
Bring the leg back through to the crawling position and then change the direction of your crawl or keep moving in the same direction. Move quickly as you crawl back and forth performing a Sit Thru to each side every few steps or so.
Beginners may crawl on their knees and either do a straighter leg Sit Thru OR keep both hands down.
Reverse Lunge to Knee Tuck:
The less you can rest during the short time you have to work, and the more muscles you can work during that time, the more bang for your buck you’ll get! And this move will allow your legs to rest a bit as you work your abs and obliques with a nice Knee Tuck and Twist so you can keep moving for the entire time you have.
Plus this unilateral move will help you improve your leg strength and your balance to correct any imbalances you may have between your dominant and non-dominant sides!
To do the Reverse Lunge to Knee Tuck, start standing tall with your hands on your shoulders or by your head to help with the twist. Then lunge back with your right foot, dropping your back knee down toward the ground as you keep your chest up. Keep your front heel down as you lunge back and bend your front knee to about 90 degrees as you load your glute. Keep your front knee about over your ankle to help you think about loading your glute.
Drive back up to standing, pushing through your left (front) heel. As you drive up, bring your back knee up and forward as you come to standing. Tuck your right knee up and rotate your upper body toward that right knee. You can slight crunch toward the knee but don’t just round over.
Twist toward that knee then lunge back again and repeat on the same side. Make sure to engage the glute of your standing leg and feel your abs work to twist toward your knee. You can tap your toe down to balance if needed between the lunge and knee drive. The less though that you tap down between the harder the move will be.
Beginners may not lunge as low or even perform the twist without the knee tuck if balancing is an issue to start.
Inchworm Push Ups:
Some Hybrid Exercises are amazing because you can work on your mobility AS you build full-body strength and get your blood pumping. By combining an Inchworm Crawl with a Push Up, you can not only improve your mobility, but also get your blood pumping as you work your upper body and core!
This has fast become one of my favorite Hybrid Push Up Variations for cardio workouts!
To do Inchworm Push Ups, start standing tall. Then place your hands down on the ground, keeping your legs as straight as possible. Then walk your hands out to move into a plank position.
When you reach the high plank position, you will perform a push up. Keep your core engaged and make sure your body moves in one straight line. Do not sag your hips. Beginners can drop to their knees for the push up.
Press back up to the top of the push up and then, from the plank position, walk back in. Keep your legs as straight as possible as you walk in and out.
Beginners may even need to take out the push up to start or do one from their knees every other rep.
Squat To Lunge:
Don’t have weights and want to toast a body part in less time? Then moves like the Squat to Lunge are the way to do it! Combining these two compound leg moves will have your legs shaking in no time!
To do the Squat to Lunge, start with your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Squat down, sitting your butt back. Do not round forward as you squat down. Keep your heels down and sink your butt so that your quads are about parallel to the ground.
Then jump up and switch into a lunge stance as you land. One foot will be forward and then other will lunge back as you drop your back knee down toward the ground. Sink low in the low and keep your chest up.
In the lunge, your front heel should be down and your weight should be fairly centered.
Jump back into the squat and then lunge on the other side. Move quickly, exploding up off the ground to switch.
Beginners can start with stepping between the two moves instead of jumping. They can even do more of a Skater Squat Movement shown below.
BONUS:
So there are SO MANY Hybrid Exercise options out there, especially when you start to add in a variety of tools. One of my favorite staple moves using the dumbbell though is the Renegade Row Push Up.
It builds complete upper body strength and I love that it is a press that also includes a pull! Talk about building core stability as well as back, chest, shoulder, arm and even CORE strength!
Renegade Row Push Up:
To do the Renegade Row Push Up, you can use dumbbells (or kettlebells). Place them on the ground about shoulder-width apart with them just outside your chest. Place your hand on each dumbbell with your palms facing in so the weights are parallel.
Then set up at the top of a plank with your arms straight and legs out straight behind you. You can do this from your knees or your toes. The closer together your feet/knees are, the harder the move will be on your core because you won’t have as wide a base to fight rotation during the row.
From this plank position, perform a Push Up, dropping your chest to the weights. With your body moving as one unit, lower down and press back up. At the top of the Push Up, row one dumbbell up to your side, driving your elbow down and back toward the ceiling. Lower the weight down and then perform another Push Up. After the Push Up, row the other dumbbell up. Make sure not to shrug your shoulders as you row. You want to feel your back working.
Also, fight the urge to rotate open as you row. Keep your body in a nice straight line from your head to your heals. Really focus on squeezing your glutes.
Beginners may need to do a row on each side after each Push Up to eliminate some of the Push Ups. Advanced exercisers will want to do only one row after each Push Up and use heavy weights.
Heck from here you could even add in a Cross-Body Mountain Climber for what I call the Mountain Climber Row Push Up!
For even more great hybrid moves and the fast and effective workouts I create using them, check out my Bodyweight Shred program! All you need is your own bodyweight even for killer full body workouts to burn fat and build muscle!
by Cori Lefkowith | Jan 25, 2018 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises
The Side Plank…we love to hate it, but it is a must-do move if you want to build core stability and strength.
It’s a unilateral move that can correct imbalances and really works the abs, obliques, glutes, lats, and shoulders.
However, it is a tough move that many of us don’t do correctly, leaving us feeling like it is impossible to do or not as effective as it should be!
Because, like with all planks, it isn’t just about holding LONGER, but engaging the right muscles HARDER.
Let’s first take a look at the basic Side Plank and proper form. Then I’ll go over some great ways to modify the move to build up as well as some fun variations you can include in your workouts!
The Basic Side Plank Form:
To do the Side Plank, start lying on your side with your top leg in front of your bottom leg, propped up on your elbow with your elbow under your shoulder. Rest on the inside of your front foot and outside of your back foot and then flex your feet as you lift up.
Lift your body up into a straight line, driving through your feet and elbow. Do not shrug your shoulder as you hold. Make sure that shoulder is aligned right over your elbow. Feel the side of your back under your armpit engage to support your shoulder as you lift up. You may even feel the muscles down the side of your rib cage.
Make sure too that you aren’t rotating toward the ground. Squeeze your butt and keep your body in a nice straight line as you lift up and hold.
Feel your glute and oblique working to lift that bottom hip up. You want to engage everything down the side of your body from your shoulder to your feet. Brace your abs, feeling everything engage.
Too often we just “rest” on the sides of our feet. But especially as we progress the plank, we need to create tension even through our lower leg. This not only helps us stay up and engage our glute, but it also prevents unneeded stress on our knees. So flex your feet to create tension all the way down.
Hold here and focus on what muscles are working. If you feel yourself compensating or your form breaking down, rest or regress. Do not try to focus on how long you hold, but instead on how well you are engaging everything!
From here you can progress or advance the Side Plank by stacking your feet or even lifting your top leg. This can put more force on the spine so make sure your abs are working before progressing to this movement. You do not want your lower back getting overworked or bearing too much load. You can even do the Side Plank from your hand just make sure to keep your hand stacked under your shoulder to protect your shoulder and neck.
Beginners can also regress this move by doing it off an incline or by even dropping their bottom knee to the ground. The incline is a great way to learn to engage everything from your shoulders down to your feet.
However, doing the side plank from your knee is also a great modification especially if you don’t have an appropriate incline near by.
Best to do the version that allows you to do this move with proper form over compensating and letting your bottom hip drop or your chest rotate toward the ground.
Remember form is how you get the most out of the move and the right muscles working to get stronger!
So a quick summary of some important things to remember when working on your Side Planks…
Side Plank Quick Form Tips:
- Create tension all the way down your body, even flexing your feet to engage the outside of your lower leg.
- Stack your shoulder over your elbow and feel the side of your back engage. Do not let your elbow get above your shoulder toward your head so that your upper trap takes over.
- Do not let your bottom hip sag. Feel your oblique and glute on your bottom side lifting you up.
- Brace your abs and engage your glutes to extend your hips. Do not let your chest rotate toward the ground!
- THINK about the muscles working and engage harder instead of focusing on just holding longer!
After learning to do the Side Plank, and hold harder not just longer, you can mix things up and even target your core in different planes and from different angles with some of these fun variations!
5 Side Plank Variations:
These Side Plank variations are a great way to build core stability and strength and even work your core in multiple planes of motion!
Side Plank Hip Dips with Rotational Reach:
To do Side Plank Hip Dips with Rotational Reach, set up in a side plank from your forearm with your feet unstacked and your top leg in front of your bottom leg. Make sure your elbow is under your shoulder so you can engage your back to support your shoulder instead of just using your shoulder and even irritating your neck.
Then perform two hip dips, dropping your hip down to the ground before lifting back up into the side plank. Do not let your chest rotate toward the ground and really use that bottom side to lift back up as high as you can. Do not relax on the ground when you lower though.
After performing the two dips, reach your top hand down toward the ground and under your body as if reaching for the wall on the other side. As you reach under, pivot your feet as if moving into a front plank. Reach under then rotate back open into the side plank and repeat the hip dips.
Side Plank with Front and Back Toe Touches:
To do the Side Plank Front to Back Toe Touch, set up on your side and prop yourself up on your forearm with your elbow right below your shoulder. Your legs should be out straight and feet stacked. Then, driving through your forearm and the sides of your feet, lift your bottom hip up off the ground as high as possible while keeping your body in a nice straight line.
Squeeze your belly button in toward your spine and keep your glutes tight. Do not let your chest rotate forward toward the ground or your top hand touch the ground. Keep your top hand on your hip or reach it up toward the ceiling.
Then, holding the Side Plank, lift your top leg up toward the ceiling, then bring it forward to lower down and tap the ground in front of you. Raise it back up center then lower down to tap the ground behind you. Move slowly, lifting and lower with taps front and back.
Side Plank Adductor Lift:
To do the Side Plank Adductor Raise, set up in a side plank from your forearm and feet. You will want you elbow to be under your shoulder and your feet unstacked with your bottom foot in front and even slightly angled forward. Lift up into the side plank position with your top hand on your hip and your chest not rotated toward the ground. Drive through the sides of your feet and flex your feet to engage even your lower leg.
Holding this position, lift and lower that bottom leg, raising it up a few inches then putting it back down at a controlled pace. Stay up in the side plank the entire time and don’t let your hips sag. Do not place your top hand down to assisted.
Side Plank Tree Pose:
To do Side Plank Tree Pose, set up in a forearm side plank with your elbow under your shoulders and legs out straight and stacked. Flex your feet to create tension all the way down your leg.
Lift up into the side plank position and bend your top leg and place your foot flat on the inside of your upper thigh. Open your top knee up toward the ceiling and squeeze your butt as you drive your foot into your leg and keep your bottom hip up. Try not to rock open or rotate toward the ground.
Side Plank to Tabletop Toe Touch:
To do the Tabletop to Side Plank Kick, it may be easiest to set up first in the side plank from your hand. Stack your feet and engage your back to support your shoulder. You can reach your top hand overhead.
From the side plank position, lift your top leg up and kick it forward as you reach your raise hand to touch it. After touching your hand to your foot, straighten them back out.
And as you bring your arm back out and straighten your leg back out toward the side plank position, bend your knee, rotating your body open toward the ceiling as you put that foot on the ground behind. You will move into an almost turkish bridge position.
From here, raise your straight leg up (the one that was your bottom leg in the side plank) and reach the opposite hand to touch your toe. You are doing a kick from a tabletop position and reaching your hand to touch your toe.
Place the straight leg back down and move back into the side plank position and kick the top leg forward as you reach to touch your toe to repeat the move.
Love these Side Plank Variations and want even more fun ones? Ready for a strong, lean core that not only looks amazing but keeps you injury free? Learn more HERE!
by Cori Lefkowith | Jan 15, 2018 | Blog, Butt, Exercises
Glute bridges are a basic bodyweight move.
People will even say, “These are easy!” And think they are beyond that basic bodyweight exercise.
But guess what!?
All too often people aren’t doing them correctly! AND even the most advanced exerciser needs to return to that FUNDAMENTAL move.
Let me ask you a few quick questions too…
- Have ever felt your low back during glute bridges?
- Or maybe your hamstrings are doing all the work?
- Or maybe your quads are working?
- Heck…maybe you even feel your traps and shoulders!
Answer yes to one of these?…Or maybe all of these, huh?
Well it’s called the GLUTE BRIDGE for a reason…Not because these other muscles should be working, but because your GLUTES should be powering the move.
So if you’re feeling these other muscles engaging and taking over for your glutes, you not only aren’t reaping the benefits of the glute bridge, so may need to change your form, but you’ve also got some compensations you may need to address that could lead to injury!
And if you’re now thinking…”Well I just really don’t feel anything. And I don’t feel my glutes at all so I probably just need to do something HARDER…”
You’re also wrong.
Yes, as we advance, we want to add weights and harder variations to keep challenging our muscles so we get results.
BUT…No matter how advanced you are, heck actually even the MORE advanced an exerciser you are, the MORE you should be able to contract your glutes during a basic bodyweight bridge.
Now note I didn’t say it should necessarily be “hard” to do as an advanced exerciser, but you should be able to contract your glutes to create a burn even with just your own bodyweight no matter how much you lift.
Because it all comes down to the mind-body connection.
If you can’t recruit the muscles correctly with your own bodyweight, there is a good chance you won’t recruit the right muscles as you add more and more load or try harder and harder variations.
And if you aren’t using the right muscles?
Well that is when you risk overloading muscles that can’t handle the load, which can lead to INJURY.
That is why I wanted to share a few quick tips and coaching cues hat I use with my clients so they can get those glutes activated and firing.
Because the basic glute bridge is a must-do activation move. It can help activate the glutes and improve your hip extension so you can run faster and lift more.
BUT it must be done correctly so your glutes actually engage!
So if you’re not feeling those glutes working, try these 4 tips to improve your bridging.
Bridging Tip #1: Mind Your Set Up!
Many people when they go to bridge up just lie on their back and lift their butt off the ground. They pay no attention to foot positioning or what muscles they are using to drive up.
But by paying attention to how you are driving up and the positioning of your feet, you can make sure your glutes are working and other muscles, like your hamstrings, aren’t compensating.
A great way to start to set up is to lie on your back and place your feet flat on the ground just beyond your fingertips when your arms are straight down by your sides. If your feet get too far away from your butt, you are more likely to use your hamstrings.
You also want to make sure your feet are flat on the ground. You’ll sometimes see images of people up on their toes during bridges, but talk about a way to make it more challenging to engage your glutes. Actually, if you struggle to engage your glutes, think about driving more through your HEELS as you bridge up.
Then, once you have this positioning, bend your elbows and drive them into the ground. You want to think about driving your elbows down into the ground and then even drive through your upper back as you bridge up. This will help prevent you from feeling bridges in your upper traps and neck. It can also help you make sure your glutes are working and you aren’t again making your hamstrings the prime movers.
And then when you bridge up, driving your heels and upper back into the ground, think about driving your knees forward over your toes.
Don’t lift your heels to try and do this. Or adjust your feet in closer (adjusting your feet in closer may actually make you start to feel the bridge in your quads if your hips are tight). Your knees will not actually go over your toes!
The point is by thinking about driving your knees toward your toes, you won’t drive yourself backward onto your shoulders. You will also make sure to evenly drive through your upper back. This will help focus on the glutes and make sure your hamstrings and traps don’t get overloaded.
Then make sure your feet are even and about hip-width apart. You don’t want your knees falling open or caving in. You CAN do a close-stance glute bridge or a wide-stance glute bridge but you need to still make sure your ankles, knees and hips are in the proper alignment. If they aren’t in alignment, you are going to perpetuate poor movement patterns.
This proper set up can also help you unlock tight hips by forcing your glutes to create hip extension as you bridge up. It will also prevent your quads from taking over, which if they do start trying to work, won’t help you open up tight hip flexors.
Part of this set up also needs to be learning to engage your abs, which can be done using a posterior pelvic tilt!
Bridging Tip #2: Tilt It Up Aka Stop Trying To Use Your Back To Get Up Higher!
One of the things that happens most often is that, in an attempt to bridge up HIGHER, people arch and use their lower back. And then they just push and ignore the fact that all they feel is their lower back.
Why does this happen? Why aren’t your glutes firing like they should be and you are instead loading your low back?
Because when we are focused on simply bridging up higher to replicate a movement, instead of focusing more on the muscles that should be working, our bodies recruit whatever muscles are easily available to meet our demands.
We will demand mobility out of an area that really shouldn’t be providing that mobility. And we will overuse muscles that aren’t meant to handle the load. Because our body takes the path of least resistance to do the movements that we ask of it.
And this process of compensation often happens because our hips are tight and our glutes, and even our abs, are underactive.
That is why it is key to do bridges correctly so you can improve your hip extension AND activate your glutes and abs. And the key to doing this is the posterior pelvic tilt!
By using the posterior pelvic tilt, you can engage your abs, prevent hyperextension of your lumbar spine AND get your glutes to power the bridge and hip extension.
To do the posterior pelvic tilt, set up at the bottom of the bridge with your feet flat on the ground and elbows driving down into the ground too.
Feel the space between your low back and the ground? Push that space away so you are tilting your hips and pressing your low back into the ground.
You may feel too like you are drawing your abs in toward your spine.
Keeping the core engaged like this, bridge up. Squeeze your butt and pause. Do not worry about how high you go. Just squeeze the butt as you keep your abs engaged in this way. Then lower down.
You may notice at the top you start to lose the tilt as you just try to drive up higher. This means you are trying to again arch your lower back instead of just extending your hips.
It is key with all of these tips, and with all exercises for that matter, that not only do you pay attention to form, BUT you THINK about the muscles that are working so you can realize if you lose the posterior pelvic tilt and stop using your glutes.
Lower back down and repeat. If you need, reset that posterior pelvic tilt each time. But focus on maintaining that so you CAN’T arch your low back and can only bridge as high as you glutes, and hips for that matter, allow!
Bridging Tip #3: THINK About The Muscles That Should Be Working
As I mentioned above, you have to THINK about the muscles working. Part of contracting your muscles and feeling them work is about establishing the mind-body connection so your mind can more efficiently and effectively recruit the right muscles for the job.
And basic bodyweight activation moves like the bridge are the easiest way to improve your mind-body connection so things work correctly during more compound lifts.
Think about how many times you’ve just gone through the motions of a workout? Or pushed through even when you sort of know the wrong muscle, aka your low back, is working.
You just figure, “Hey gotta get through the workout!”
The problem is…That attitude can lead to injury. AND it can also mean that all these workouts you’re spending “working your glutes” are actually going to waste.
Cause guess what!?!
Your glutes aren’t working!
So during these moves THINK about your glutes driving the movement. That way you can adjust if they aren’t. And by focusing on your glutes working, you can contract them even harder as you pause at the top of the bridge.
Heck…it can even be fun to see how much shakeage you can create by mentally trying to contract harder!
Bridging Tip #4: What If I STILL Don’t Feel My Glutes?!
There is a chance that you will still struggle, even after trying to tweak your form, with activating your glutes. Heck maybe even just one side doesn’t seem to want to engage!
This is where some mobility work, some Foam Rolling and Dynamic Stretching may need to come into play first to loosen those tight muscles so your glutes can engage properly.
Using rolling first can help you relax tight and overexcited muscles, muscles your mind may want to usually recruit first.
Roll your hamstrings (often for people rolling right under the glute helps).
Roll your hips to help loosen tight hips before you bridge. Heck, roll your quads!
Start there. Then do even a dynamic stretch or two, like the Half-Kneeling Hip And Quad Stretch, to start to open up your hips.
THEN try the glute bridge.
Often rolling, stretching THEN activating can help us FEEL the glutes working when they should be!
That process will allow us to restore muscles to their proper length tension relationships so we can get the right muscles working…AKA our GLUTES!
But what if it is only one side?
Well the focus on that tight side and even try some unilateral activation before.
Try a Fire Hydrant or Donkey Kick. Another basic bodyweight moves to focus on that side that isn’t firing.
THEN return to the bilateral move once you’ve established the mind-body connection! (I mention the Fire Hydrant too because sometimes activating the glute medius helps the glute maximus fire better even during moves like the Glute Bridge!)
But NEVER underestimate the importance of the Basic Bodyweight Glute Bridge. And don’t ignore the importance of those other silly looking basic activation moves for your glutes either!
Those moves are what help you prevent injury and get the right muscles working.
These silly, BASIC moves are so important it’s why I created a 28-Day Booty Burner to help my clients get their glutes working the way they should be!
Learn More About Glute Activation And Unlocking Tight Hips –>
This is where unilateral activation comes into play.
So if you’re feeling these other muscles engaging and taking over for your glutes, you not only aren’t reaping the benefits of the glute bridge, so may need to change your form, but you’ve also got some compensations you may need to address that could lead to injury!
A great way to start to set up is to lie on your back and place your feet flat on the ground just beyond your fingertips when your arms are straight down by your sides. If your feet get too far away from your butt, you are more likely to use your hamstrings.
To do the posterior pelvic tilt, set up at the bottom of the bridge with your feet flat on the ground and elbows driving down into the ground too.
THEN return to the bilateral move once you’ve established the mind-body connection! (I mention the Fire Hydrant too because sometimes activating the glute medius helps the glute maximus fire better even during moves like the Glute Bridge!)
