If you feel like your performance could improve, check out these five exercises that can help improve your performance.
I hope you are having a great week.
I have some more great suggestions from Eric Cressey.
Below you will find five exercises to help improve your performance.
The exercises below will help you move and complete your exercises better if you are not an athlete.
Could you give them a go?
Rick Kaselj, MS
Here are 5 Exercises to Help Improve Your Performance:
1. Pull-Back Butt-kick to Overhead Lunge Walk
For the Pull-Back Butt-Kick to Overhead Lunge Walk, we will get a couple of different exercises that give us a good bang for our buck.
Pull-Back Butt-kick to Overhead Lunge Walk
CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.
Pull-Back Butt-kick to Overhead Lunge Walk
Mike is going to start with a Pull-Back Butt-Kick. You will notice that his femur stays up and down, and his core stays neutral. He is not arching his back and avoiding that forward head posture. He is going to take that same leg out in front, stable core, no extension, good long strides to get some good stretch of his hip flexors in the back, and his scapula comes up on the rib cage.
Now he is going to stand up, go to the other leg, do a little quad stretch and little hip flexor stretch at the same time, take a long stride, and stretch the hip flexor on that back leg working his way through this.
2. Lateral Lunge with Band Overhead Reach
We are making a Lateral Lunge with Band Overhead Reach. This is a great way to integrate anterior core control and is a bit of a rotary stability exercise because the band pulls you back. It is also a great way to integrate scapular stability as you go through this.
Lateral Lunge with Band Overhead Reach
CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.
Keith here will set up with a half reach; the band wrapped a little bit lower than his waist at the rack. He is going to stride out and make a lateral lunge. He gets into that position with a good stretch in his adductor on his trailing leg and a neutral spine, so his anterior core is engaged. His neck is packed. He will reach up overhead slowly and resist that extension in the hands that the overhead position is creating.
Lateral Lunge with Band Overhead Reach
If you watch from the side position, you will notice that he is integrating a little bit of a shrug to help him get that full scapular upper rotation up overhead without substituting the forward head posture to create that position.
Lateral Lunge with Band Overhead Reach (side view)
You can either do it as individual reps where you lunge out and create it or stay out of that end range position as the hands go up overhead.
3. Dumbbell Reverse Lunge to 1 Leg RDL
The Dumbbell Reverse Lunge to 1 Leg RDL is an exercise that can make you pretty sore, but it is also an exercise that you will not need a lot of weight for.
Dumbbell Reverse Lunge to 1 Leg RDL
CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.
Even just working with some 30-35 pounds, if you are a really strong guy, that first week can make a big difference until you improve the move-in quality and master it before loading it up.
Dumbbell Reverse Lunge to 1 Leg RDL
He is doing a regular reverse lunge, stepping right back with a nice long stride as he pulls through that heel and stands tall. Then he will go right into a 1-leg RDL on that same side. He keeps that head in a pretty neutral posture; he doesn’t round his back. Stand up nice and tall, and that foot that goes back is working like a counterbalance. Those weights don’t get way out front; they stay close to his body. We will go with one more rep. He steps back, pulls through that heel, stands tall, then sits back into that hip, has a good counterbalance, and then stands tall.
4. Anterior-Loaded Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat
For the Anterior-Loaded Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat, I don’t care if you want to use the cross face or a clean grip – pick whichever is appropriate for you. We will have some information on that in the resources section.
Anterior-Loaded Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat
CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.
You can look at two things with respect to setting your foot on the bench.
2 Ways of Setting Your Foot on the Bench
You could go directly to the bench. Another option is just to set up a half roller or a rolled towel so you can stay in a better position. That works well for people who may not have great plantar flexion capabilities. Attach it with a band, or just have a partner to hold it.
Mike’s going to go directly off the bench.
Anterior-Loaded Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat
You will notice he is in a nice straight line from the head down to the hips. He will sit back into that right hip while getting a good stretch on the right side in front of his hip. Weight is predominantly through the mid-foot and a little on the heel. He is not up on his toes, so it is a good mix of quad-dominant and hip-dominant exercises.
Correct Position
As he gets to that bottom position, you will notice that his knees are just short of being in a vertical shin position, so I think that is a pretty good spot for him. We could go longer if we wanted to, but I think this is a good place for him. He is getting great hip mobility. He is getting some good single-leg strength as we go through it.
One thing you may want to consider doing is marking your spot on the floor. Sometimes we get into a little bit of trouble as we try to set up, and we are blind because of the front squat grip. So find that spot on the floor and then set your foot so you can repeat your positioning from set to set.
5. One Arm Bottoms-up Kettlebell Waiter’s Walk
We will do a One Arm Bottoms Up Kettlebell Waiter’s Walk that can help improve your performance. With this one, ensure the grip is steady, and the elbow remains directly underneath that neutral wrist. You are going for a walk with that kettlebell all the way up overhead with the bottom up.
One Arm Bottoms Up Kettlebell Waiter’s Walk
CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.
Keith is going to set it up. Make sure you engage that anterior core, and there is no arching pattern.
One Arm Bottoms Up Kettlebell Waiter’s Walk
You may have to shrug up to get there for someone who sits low on your shoulders. With someone who is rounded over, you may need to posterior tilt that shoulder blade to get to the right position. So you know he is not side-bending. He is just going for a walk and not letting that forward head posture kick in. He uses that left hand to monitor his rib position and ensure his anterior core is engaged to prevent too much extension.
Check out the Bodyweight Blender program here for your equipment-free workout to lose weight and tone your body!
