The wrist bend stretches the wrist and forearm muscles. This exercise can be performed seated or standing. Tight forearm muscles can lead to pain and discomfort in the wrists. The wrist bend stretch should be included in your daily routine or after a hard upper body pulling workout.
The bear crawl provides both strength and conditioning benefits. The bear crawl strengthens the upper and lower-body. The bear crawl can be performed for distance to build anaerobic endurance. Agility, coordination, and speed are improved with the bear crawl.
Lunge touchdown and thrust alternating legs is a great full-body conditioning exercise. This exercise can be used to strengthen the hips, shoulders, torso and arms. The lunge touchdown integrates upper and lower body movement which transfers well to sport and life. This exercise can be performed slowly for emphasis on muscular development or faster to develop the neuromuscular system.
The overhead squat is a great exercise that stretches and strengthens at the same time. In addition to strengthening your body it also teaches your upper and lower body to work together. For most people just using a broom stick of piece of pvc pipe will be challenging. AS your flexibility and strength improves you can add weight. I truly believe the overhead squat is one of the toughest exercises.
The push Jerk is an efficient way to press a lot of weight. It forces the upper and lower body to work together and is very challenging for the core musculature. Flexibility may be a limiting factor for many people. If that is the case then work on your flexibility and you may be more successful with the Split Jerk.
The Split Jerk is the preferred overhead movement for many Olympic lifters. It teaches you to move very fast and with precision, two attributes that are crucial in all sports. Most athletes, except Olympic Lifters, will want to practices the split jerk on both sides.
The squat jump increases power in the hips and legs. The squat jump also increased power in the torso, shoulders, and arms. This exercise delivers a full-body workout with no equipment. The squat jump can be used to train for sport-specific strength or for total body conditioning.
The squat thruster strengthens the legs, hips, torso, shoulders, and arms. The squat thrust also develops and strengthens basic motor patterns. The squat thruster delivers both strength and conditioning benefits. Squat thrusters are an explosive (ballistic) movement that burn calories, strengthens the entire body and improves the cardiovascular system.
Squat thruster with rotation strengthens the legs, hips, thighs, torso, shoulders, and arms. This exercise delivers both strength and conditioning benefits. Dumbbells can be used to provide additional resistance. The rotation makes this exercise a good choice for anyone desiring real-world fitness. The squat thruster with rotation transfers well to sport and life.
The wood chop strengthens the legs, hips, torso, arms and shoulders. This bodyweight exercise increases cardiovascular conditioning and develops and strengthens basic motor patterns. Use a dumbbell or medicine ball to increase the effectiveness and burn more calories.
The A-Skip is as a dynamic warm-up and is good for teaching running mechanics. No equipment is needed so it can be done by almost anyone, anywhere. You might find this exercise in the speed, agility, and quickness portion of a well balanced strength and conditioning program. The A-Skip is a good way to prepare your body for more demanding plyometric exercises, such as the A-Bound.
The back pedal exercise is a good dynamic warm-up for agility drills or running. This exercise can also be used to improve sports performance for football, soccer and hockey. Make sure you find an open space to run backwards and know what is behind you. Try to increase you foot speed without breaking your mechanics. This can also be used as a cool down exercise to balance out development between the quads and hamstrings.
The backward run is used for dynamic warm-up and agility. It differs from the back pedal by the length of the strides. Your arm motion should be the same as forward running. The elbows should be approximately 90 degrees and the hands should be relaxed. Pump the shoulders as you run backwards. You can use this as a conditioning exercise by performing many sets with little rest. Make sure you have open space behind you free of obstructions and hazards.
The hip abduction exercise performed with a resistance band around the ankle develops strength around the glute muscles. You will feel the exercise “burn” deep inside the hip muscles. The exercise can be performed with or without the resistance band. Adding the band places more demand on the muscles and triggers more strength development. Perform this exercise after back squats or lunges for complete lower-body development.
Hip extension performed with a resistance band while standing strengthens the glute muscles. This exercise can be performed at home or at the gym. When the band is fully stretched, be sure to hold the contraction for a few seconds. This will ensure you focus on feeling the glute work through the entire range of motion. Release the band slowly to keep resistance on the glute.
Hip flexion performed with the band while standing strengthens the hip flexors. These muscles help move your thigh toward your abdominals. It’s important to develop both extension and flexion at the hip joint to prevent injuries and imbalances. Keep your knee locked and our toes pointed up toward your shins as you raise your leg. This will keep the tension on the hip joint and not on the thigh. This exercise can be performed at home or at the gym.
The box thrust develops power in the lower body. The goal is to quickly and explosively push off the box, gaining maximum vertical height. Block with the arms to gain additional height, land soft and repeat for the recommended number of repetitions. The box thrust is considered an intermediate to advanced move and should be performed after the lower body has been strengthened with back squats, leg presses or lunges.
The bent-over hip extension performed on a bench targets the glutes, hamstrings and improves core stability and balance. This is a highly challenging exercise and should be performed with resistance only after the basic variation has been mastered. You may perform this exercise on the floor and progress to the bench.
