So I have to assume that for many people reading my site today one of two things is happening:

1.  You’re recovering from the chocolate and/or peanut butter fudge* induced insulin coma you put yourself into yesterday. Was that 11th piece of fudge really necessary?

Yes, yes it was….;o)

Or

2.  You’re covertly folding the hideous homemade “whatever it is” you received as a present – along with a few pair of the 47 pairs of socks you received – and placing them into the “donate” pile for the Salvation Army.

Don’t worry, I won’t judge.

In any case it’s my hope that everyone reading had a joyous and wonderful few days spending time with their families and loved ones.

I for one had an amazing few days off.  On Christmas Eve Lisa and I headed to the local gym near our apartment and killllled it in preparation for our meal later that night at Fogo de Chao.  Here’s a picture Lisa took of me kneeling on the front steps of the restaurant before we walked in.  I’m classy like that.

I won’t go into all the details of Christmas Day, but suffice it to say Lisa and I were like two giddy kids on Christmas morning. At a little past 6 AM (which, technically, is the time we get up anyways on a normal day) the conversation went like this:

Lisa: Pssst, are you awake?

Me: Yeah.

Lisa: OMG, I want to open my stocking.

Me:  NINTENDO 64!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, Lisa and I are both in our mid to late 30s, and yes, we were both excited to get up at the crack of dawn and see what Santa brought us.

And not for nothing, the coolest (and funniest) present I got was a Wampa Claw ice-scraper!

For those not geeky enough to know what a Wampa is:  1) I feel sorry for you. and 2) I suggest you watch The Empire Strikes Back. Gosh!!!!

As is the case every year……..it goes by way too fast.  It’s back to reality today.

I figured I’d ease my way back into my normal routine today and introduce a new exercise that you may or may not be doing.

Rocked Back Adductor Stretch w/ Extension-Rotation

Who Did I Steal It From:  Eric Cressey, actually.  He came into the facility a few days ago and mentioned to all of us how he was “toying around” with a few things the day prior – this is what Eric does in his free time – and he came up with this doozy.

What Does It Do: It kills a few birds with one stone.  For starters it bears a close resemblance to the regular ol’ quadruped extension-rotation, but with this variation we’re able to work on adductor length.

Of note, in the rocked back position, we take the lower back out of the equation so-to-speak, which makes it less likely someone can compensate through that area.

And, of course, this is also an excellent drill that works on thoracic mobility.

Key Coaching Cues:  I think this one is pretty self explanatory – it’s not like we’re trying to cure cancer or solve an advanced algorithm or anything.

Simply kneel down, brace your abs, try not to place yourself in too much extension and then rotate on one side following your hand with your eyes.

I will say, though, that for those who do tend to live in a little more extension it may be more beneficial to kneel down onto the forearms to help flatten out the back a bit more (I actually demonstrate this in the video).

This drill is more or less something I’d include as part of a warm-up, but it can just as easily be included as a filler in between sets of deadlifts or squats or nunchuck training.  I tend to stick to sets of 5-6 repetitions per side.

Give it a try today and let me know what you think!