3 minutes to improve your hip mobility
Hip mobility is important for all of us. It helps us do everyday moves. It helps us do athletic/sporting moves. It can help protect against dodgy knees and backs and general aches and pains. In short, it lets us move better, move more and move safer.
So here is a quick and easy routine for almost anyone to improve their hip mobility. There are only 4 stretches involved and it only takes 3 minutes, so you don’t have any excuses (you can even do it in the advert breaks of X Factor!)
So here goes…
How to: Do Arm Step Out
Arm Step Out - Good
Name: Arm Step Out.
Also known as: (If you know these by any other name, please leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Belly.
Other muscles used: Shoulders, lats.
Top tips:
How to: Do Reverse Crunch
Reverse Crunch - Good
Name: Reverse crunch.
Also known as: (If you know these by any other name, please leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: belly, sides.
Other muscles used: Hip flexors.
Top tips:
How to: Do Squat Stretch
Squat Stretch - Good
Name: Squat Stretch.
Also known as: (If you know these by any other name, please leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Inner thighs.
Other muscles used: Bum.
Top tips:
How to: Do Hurdle Step Overs
Hurdle Step Over - Good
Name: Hurdle Step Over.
Also known as: (If you know these by any other name, please leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Hip stabilisers, bums, legs.
Other muscles used: Ankle stabilisers.
Top tips:
Happy New Year!
The new year is here, and statistics show that most of us plan to get fitter, stronger or lose weight in 2012. But statistics also show that only a fraction of us will actually succeed. If you are working out your new year resolutions, make sure you don’t fall into any of these exercise and diet pitfalls…
What are Movement Compensations?
Movement compensation on crutches
Since I started to learn Karate when I was 7 years old, I have consciously or subconsciously been trying to improve the way I move. I have learned that if I want to put my body in a certain position, there are loads of different ways I can do it. But I have also learned that some ways are better than others.
Hip mobility and slipping on the ice.
Slipping on ice
When (not “if”) you slip on the ice, your feet are going to shift away from you. If your hips are mobile, you have a greater chance of shifting your support into a position where you might be able to avoid falling.
If your hips aren’t mobile, then you have a greater chance of either ripping some important soft tissue in your groin (ouch!), or planting your face into the floor.
This is why everyone should keep their body moving and strong.
Do you want to get fitter?
Do you want to get stronger?
Follow these 3 golden rules and improve your chances of success…
Which exercise machine burns the most calories?
This is a very common question. The short answer is:
Don't do this you muppet...
I was chatting to someone about their strained back the other day.
***Disclaimer! I’m not any kind of physiotherapist, so I am not any kind of expert in this.***
She had pulled her back picking up a bag from the floor, so she was asking me for some things to strengthen her back so it won’t happen again.
But because I have way too much free time on my hands and am a bit of a nerd, I tried to investigate and understand the problem and come up with a good solution. So I started off with a very important lesson I have learned…
Often, a pulled muscle is not due to a weakness in that particular muscle, but because of a weakness in a totally different muscle.
Why?
How to: Do Cossack Mobility Stretch
Cossack mobility stretch
Name: Cossack mobility stretch
Also known as: (If you know these by any other name, please leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Bum, hamstrings, adductors.
Other muscles used:
Top tips:
Cancer
You may have noticed this story in the news:
Over 40% of cancers due to lifestyle.
If not, click here for the story, and click here for an explanation of the story from the excellent NHS “behind the headlines” website (I love this place, it explains the millions of health related stories you read in the papers and helps you decide which ones you can totally ignore!).
If you want to change your lifestyle for the better, click here to download my very simple guide to help you.
How to: Do Side Leg Swing
Side leg swing - good
Name: Side Leg Swing.
Also known as: (If you know these by any other name, please leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Bum, adductors, abductors.
Other muscles used:
Top tips:
How to: Do Front Leg Swing
Front leg swing - good
Name: Front Leg Swing.
Also known as: (If you know these by any other name, please leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Bum, hamstrings, hip flexors.
Other muscles used:
Top tips:
How to: Do a Reverse Lunge
Backward Lunge - Good
Name: Reverse Lunge
Also known as: Backwards Lunge. (If you know these by any other name, please leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Bum, legs.
Other muscles used:
Top tips:
My ridiculous advent challenge.
Bastards
I get bored easily. I have noticed that unless I have some kind of goal to aim for, or unless I have someone keeping me accountable, I can easily put things off until another time (why do something today if you can put it off until tomorrow?).
How to: Do Bastards
Bastards
Name: Bastards
Also known as: (If you know these by any other name, please leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Legs, chest, shoulders, arms, heart.
Other muscles used: Everything else.
Top tips:
How to: Do Inverted Rows
Inverted Row - Good
Name: Inverted Rows
Also known as: Australian pressups, bodyweight rows (If you know these by any other name, please leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Upper back, arms.
Other muscles used: Lower back, bum.
Top tips:
Do I need a protein drink?
I was asked a common question the other day. A young lad came up to me and asked if he should be having a protein drink like he sees all his friends having. He trains once or twice a week and when I asked, he said he had no specific goals. He seemed the perfect example of the average lad doing recreational exercise for general health.
This was an easy one to answer…
