Let’s talk about that vital first 5 minutes of a workout. Um… Vital?! Well yes, vital! The first 5-10 minutes can make or break (literally) the workout that our clients get.
Think about it this way. Our clients spend most of their day in the seated position. They sit on the way to work, they sit at work, they sit at meal times, they sit watching tv. They sit.. a lot!
This seated position, as we know, affects their posture and how they move – It will alter muscle firing patterns. And this will ultimately affect how they perform in a workout. It’s not the only element, but it’s a major one.
So our clients are really good at… flexion!
The problem with taking them out of this position and taking them into the extension patterns that they need, is that their body has adapted for flexion and has compensated accordingly.
These compensations will have a direct impact on how the body performs during the workout, including: how much neural drive is provided for a movement (strength/power); whether further compensations occur; how much shear force the joints or bones are put under (increase injury) and many other factors.
Taking the time to address movement dysfunction will not only dramatically enhance performance, but will also reduce the risk of injury substantially – especially when included before the workout that we’re about to punish our clients with.
The following video looks at addressing some of the major dysfunctional movement patterns that most clients present with.
In the many hundreds of movement assessments and screens I’ve run my clients through, I can’t remember anyone that didn’t need to improve thoracic spine, shoulder and hip joint mobility (amongst other things). But, if you’re using movement assessments or movement screens then you will have already identified many of your clients’ dysfunctional movement patterns, and I’m sure you’ll see how the movements in this video tie in with that.
The patterns used here are movement-based corrective exercises. Load/unload principles, fascial train concepts, and function relevant to kettlebell training have been incorporated.
This mobility drill has been designed to give you an effective full body 5 minute warmup that will enhance the kettlebell workout.
Enjoy!
Please leave any comments or questions below, I’d love to hear from you.
Ramon David
