Daily Warm Up for Max Mobility

Does it sometimes scare you, the way you move when you get out of bed in the morning? Life makes you humble, movement makes it better (in my opinion).

Warming up for your workout or life, this Mobility Monday, on a Tuesday focuses on moving in three different directions, or planes of motion. Although on the surface we appear to move front to back. Our bodies are actually rotating our legs, our hips, and our spines as we move. Before you start to get an Exorcist picture in your head, let me rephrase that by saying our bodies are rotating ever so slightly that we don’t notice.

Certain joints like the hips, shoulders, and ankles can operate in all three planes of motion. Those planes of motion are; front to back, side to side, and transverse, or rotation. It is important to train them or use them that way, otherwise, one muscle or a set of muscles becomes dominant. When that happens, the other muscles compensate and generally, we become cranky cause our body rebels. Now if you are a hunter or gatherer, you can move on, as most of these imbalances come from our sedentary lifestyle. Just a note: Remember, muscles do not work in isolation. Everything works together. Let’s get this movement started! and cue the music! Here’s what’s on the agenda…

Front to back stretch – thank you very much
UPS or low to high – with a slight squat
Clock steps with arm movement – or alone

Front to Back Stretch

Starting with the right foot in front, bring the toe up, heal down and hinge back.
Swinging both arms behind you. The back needs to be straight, you can lengthen back towards the tailbone.
Then swing your arms to the front and rock on that front foot towards the toe and stretch the front of your body.
Make sure you are breathing throughout the movement.
8-10 swings on both sides.

UPS or Low to High with Rotation

Start this movement with legs hip-width apart. Pretend you have a package in front of you by your knees. Squat down and pick up the package and place it on the top shelf to the side of you. There is a slight rotation of your hip so that the belly button is going the same direction as you are facing.
Reverse movement. Bring package back down and repeat.
This movement is done with body weight alone. So, remember to stabilize through the shoulders as you reach up.
8-10 repetitions or until you feel comfortable.

Clock lunge with arm movement

This is a very simple leg movement you can do that can become lunges, and with the addition of weights can be very challenging, and effective.
But first, let’s just step forward with the right leg to 12 o’clock and back, then step to 3 and back, then to 6 and back.
Repeat 3-5 times on both sides.
As you become more confident you can step diagonally to 2 and 10.
For the second set of steps add an arm pattern. For instance, you can rotate your arms across the body as you step with the right leg.
Bring the arms out as if giving a hug, when stepping to the side, and…
Bring them up and over your head as you step back.