There are a lot of different ways to improve flexibility and mobility, and one I think gets overlooked is moving through your fascial lines and the different fascial patterns in your body. I have a couple of books I really enjoy on this subject. One, an oldie but a goodie, is Anatomy Trains by Thomas Myers. If you really, really want to dive into how fascia works, its electrical and chemical principles, and really anything you’d want to know about fascia, this is a great one to dive into.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I use a lot of myofascial stretching and more specific segmental stretches. Focusing on an individual muscle or muscle group, or even a specific portion of the muscle, can be extremely beneficial, and I use that approach with my clients all the time.
These five dynamic moves take almost the opposite approach. They loosen up your whole body while challenging your balance and coordination.
Why Go Global Instead
Instead of getting really specific, we’re going to go global. We’re going to use athletic, dynamic movements that take us through larger fascial patterns and connect different areas of the body together.
Think about how you actually move when you walk, run, reach, rotate, throw, jump, really anything in dynamic movement or sports. Movement is happening across multiple joints and through multiple areas of the body all at the same time. That’s what I want to explore with these exercises.
As we move through these larger patterns, we’re working on flexibility and mobility. We’re also asking the body to control that mobility while we move and shift our center of gravity as we change positions. That’s what I really like about these exercises. They’re a great way to work on mobility while challenging balance and coordination.
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Use Them as Your Warm-Up
Because we’re continuously moving, we’re also getting our heart rate up a little bit. I particularly like using these moves as part of the warm-up, because we’re progressively preparing the body for movement while exploring these larger ranges of fascial patterns.
You don’t need to force any of these positions. Start with the range you have, keep the movement controlled, and allow your range to gradually open up as you get warm.
Walkouts
The walkout is exercise number one in my dynamic warm-up. On the way down, you articulate your spine one vertebra at a time. On the way back, you work to get your heels down and keep your legs as straight as you can.
How to Do It:
- Get yourself set and tuck your chin.
- Roll down through each vertebra until you find the floor.
- Walk your hands forward.
- From there, get your heels down as soon as you can.
- Keep your legs as straight as you can as you walk your feet to your hands.
- Simply roll up.
- When you run out of space or complete your reps, come backward: roll down, find the floor, step your legs back, walk your hands back toward your feet and roll up.
Avoid These Mistakes:
- Don’t drop straight down. Tuck your chin and roll down through each vertebra.
- Don’t leave your heels hanging. Get them down as soon as you can.
- Don’t force the range. Start with what you have and let it open up.
Sets and Reps: 5 to 8 reps forward, then 5 to 8 backward. One to two sets is usually enough.
Form Tip: Keep your legs as straight as you can as you walk your feet to your hands.
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Walkout With Crossover Leg
This is the same as the walkout, but this time you kick a leg through and drop your elbow toward the floor. It adds a crossover pattern to the roll-down and walkout.
How to Do It:
- Roll down from your head, working your way down and articulating the spine.
- Walk your hands out.
- Kick one leg through, bend your ankle back and try to drop your elbow down to the floor.
- Return, then reach the other leg through and drop your elbow to the floor.
- Return, walk your feet up to your hands and roll yourself up.
- To come backward, roll down, find the ground and step back. Kick your leg through, keep your leg straight and your elbow straight, and drop the other side to the floor.
- Switch sides, again keeping your arm straight and your legs straight as you drop down.
- Bring your leg back under you, heels down, and walk your way up to the start position.
Avoid These Mistakes:
- Keep your leg straight as you kick it through.
- Keep your supporting arm straight.
- Bend your ankle back as the leg comes through.
- Get your heels down before you walk your way up.
Sets and Reps: 5 to 8 reps per leg forward, then the same backward. Do one to two sets in each direction.
Walking Archer
The walking archer puts three things into one step: you pull your heel toward your butt, reach the opposite arm to the ceiling and lean back slightly. Then you move straight into the next rep.
How to Do It:
- Get yourself set with good posture: ear, shoulder, hip and ankle in line.
- Take a step with your right foot.
- Grab your left ankle and bring your heel toward your butt.
- Reach your left arm to the ceiling.
- Lean back just a little.
- As you come out, step into the next rep. Grab the opposite side, reach your right arm up and add a little bit of extension.
- After your forward reps, do the same thing moving backward.
Avoid These Mistakes:
- Don’t start sloppy. Line up your ear, shoulder, hip and ankle before the first step.
- Don’t overdo the lean. Lean back just a little.
- Don’t stop between reps. Step down right into the next one.
Sets and Reps: 5 to 8 reps in each direction, one to two sets.
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Walking Glute Stretch
With one hand on your foot and the other gently pressing on your knee, you get a glute stretch with every step.
How to Do It:
- Start with good posture.
- Take a step and pick up your front leg.
- Use one hand to grab your foot and the other hand to gently push down on the top of your knee.
- Go right into the next step: grab, stretch and step again.
- After your forward reps, do the same thing moving backward until you’ve completed all your reps.
Avoid These Mistakes:
- Don’t press hard on the knee. Push down gently.
- Don’t skip the setup. Start every set with good posture.
Sets and Reps: 5 to 8 reps forward, 5 to 8 backward.
The post Stop Stretching One Muscle at a Time. These 5 Moves Work Your Whole Body appeared first on Eat This Not That.
