First off, sorry for the delay in getting this blog post out. I’m actually in the process of starting to move into my new apartment this week, and to say it’s been a bit of a nuisance would be an understatement. Of course, I have yet to start packing- then again, I don’t have much to pack since my ex-girlfriend got rid of all my vintage t-shirts and movie quality Chewbacca mask when we originally moved in together. Dammit!
Moreover, I was dreading the call I had to make to the electric and cable companies this morning to get all of those things squared away. Thankfully it was relatively hassle free, and I didn’t feel the sudden urge to want to watch a Dane Cook special and/or commit sepuku on myself. Tough call on which is worse.
Secondly, I hope everyone had an awesome Memorial Day weekend. I’d really like to give a heartfelt “thank you” to all of the servicemen/women who (past or present) have put their lives in danger to protect and serve us, and this great country. Additionally, least we forget the other reason we celebrate this monumental holiday: sun’s out, guns out baby!!!!
Lastly, each week at Cressey Performance we write down a general dynamic warm-up on one of our dry erase boards for our athletes/clients to follow. While there are definitely times where we prefer to write a more personalized warm-up for certain individuals dealing with specific injuries/musculoskeletal disorders/postural issues, etc- oftentimes it’s not practical. As such, by changing up the general warm-up on a weekly basis, everyone gets exposure to a multitude of different exercises- as well as break some of the monotony of doing the same things over and over again.
That being said, one of my favorite dynamic exercises to include is the side lying windmill:
Who Did I Steal it From: I “think” I originally saw this one on Andrew Heffernan’s blog a while back
What Does it Do: We actually get a lot of “bang for our training buck” with this particular exercise in that we’re working on glenohumeral external rotation/mobility, thoracic extension, as well as eliciting a great pec stretch. All in all, this is a superb exercise for those who spend a great part of their day hunched in front of a computer.
Key Coaching Cues: Ideally, you would want to place a med ball or even a foam roller underneath the knee to “save” the lumbar spine; but other than that, I think the video is pretty self explanatory. With your hip flexed to 90 degrees, you essentially want to “glide” your hand across your chest and then follow it with your eyes as you extend to the opposite side. Try to shoot for 1-2 sets of 6-8 reps before each training session.
