Exercise of the Week #7

Exercise of the Week #7

Extended Lateral

There are a lot of great moves I like to use in Warm-ups. Feet Wide Glides, Standing Lunges. Extended Lateral is one I like to use in many different routines. Warm-ups, weight training routines as a great neutralizer, running efficiency routines. It has several great benefits to it that make it a very versatile move. 

To do the exercise, start by placing your feet out much wider than your hips, then turn your right leg out to the side facing away from the left side of your body. Now bend your right knee as you lower your right hand down towards your right ankle. Place your left arm up in the air and slowly rotate your torso so you try to point your chest up towards the ceiling. Try to hold it for 30-60 seconds. Another option is to do the active form of the exercise where once in the final position, you lower your left hand down to your right ankle and then back up keeping your left arm straight.

This is a move that accomplishes several key components of a Warm-up, Spine rotation, Hamstring Flexibility, Hip Flexor Flexibility, and even muscular activation throughout several of the directions in your the body. 

I recently asked the group in my training philosophy class to design a warm-up using only 3 exercises. It had to accomplish all the goals of a proper warm-up and I was so proud of them when they figures out to use this as one of the 3 moves. If you have never tried it go for it. It grows on you the better you get at it.