I feel like I’ve been running around like a bat out of hell this week, and really wish there was someway to stretch 24 hours into 25. For starters, after hitting a few deadlines – and subsequently asking for an extension with my tail between my legs……twice – I finally submitted my next Livestrong.com article. Internet high fives all around to Adam Bornstein for being a very, very, very, VERY understanding editor.
Similarily, I’ve been working on a few things for Men’s (and Women’s) Health which is always pretty cool. And, of course, I’ll be starting my next T-nation.com article shortly. I’m still kinda up in the air on what I want to write about, though. I can either do something on squats and all the different variations we use at the facility (disuss their efficacy, what they target, who to use them with, how they make you a sexual tyrannosaurus, etc); or, I can write another rant type piece similar to THIS.
Decisions, decisions.
Either way, my goal is to have that written in the next week or two (or three). Likewise, I can’t discuss how busy I am without mentioning Cressey Performance. It’s been an AWESOME summer to say the least. All told, we had kids from all over the place (Hawaii, Colorado, Virginia, Florida, Middle Earth) come in and train with us all summer, and it’s been great to see everyone’s hard work pay off, and to watch many of them make profound progress in a few short months.
I’m not going to lie, though. I’m definitely going to enjoy the down time at the facility for the next few weeks before all the pro guys start making their way back to Boston.
And if that wasn’t enough, Lisa has been jamming my weekends with things like Home Depot, Pottery Barn, and other things that are equally as likely to make me hate life. I can’t seem to catch a break.
Oh, hey babe. I didn’t realize you were standing there. Have I ever told you how much I love y…………..hey, what’s with the taser gun? Why are you turning it on? What tha…………..AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Okay, okay, lets go to Target!!!!!!
Enough with the pity party, and lets get to today’s exercise you should be doing.
What Is It: While I had every intention of calling this exercise “hip and ankle mobility thingamabobber,” the exercise below is actually called Band Hip Internal/External Rotation with Ankle Mobilization.
See? Who wants to write that long of an exercise title in their programs? Hip/Ankle Thingamabobber is just as baller.
Who Did I Steal It From: strength coach, Joe Bonyai
What Does It Do: For many trainees out there, hip AND ankle mobility is definitely an issue, and something that wrecks havoc up and down the entire kinetic chain. While there are a plethora of dedicated hip and ankle mobility drills out there, I like this one because it kills two birds with one stone
Coaching Cues: Using a mini-band, wrap one end around a power or squat rack (or any pole for that matter), and then wrap ther other end around your knee. Making sure to keep tension in the band, simply, rotate THROUGH THE HIP into internal rotation, and then back with external rotation – making sure to resist the tension of the band throughout (hello glute medius!!!!.
Once back at the starting position, push your knee forward over your middle toe to work in a little ankle dorsiflexion. Repeat the same process for 8-10 repetitiions and then perform the same sequence on the opposite leg.
I’d prefer to use this as part of a general warm-up, but certainly feel free to use this as a “filler” exercise between sets of heavy squats or deadlifts, too.
Okay, I’m done. Continue on with your life and be awesome.
