MindfulMover on Hamstring/Posterior Chain Flexibility

These are the exercises that MindfulMover seems to like for improving Hamstring/Posterior Chain Flexibility

Jefferson Curl

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#MobilityMondayMM: Jefferson Curls . Jefferson Curls are an 80/20 stretch. You get a LOT of benefits for a little bit of work. You stretch out your hamstrings, hips, lower back, and improve your spinal mobility ALL in one movement. That means it serves as loaded stretching, spinal mobility and relaxation (especially after heavy squats and deadlifts) and injury prevention all in one . And while it isn’t the BEST stretch for the posterior chain, it’s a great start. Many people will get all the posterior chain mobility they need from just Jefferson Curls and the ones who need more will have a solid base of mobility before they move into more advanced tools . To perform it, just grab a bar or stick with weight, relax your head, and allow your spine to curl one vertebrae at a time. Focus on mobilizing each one. At the bottom, reverse the movement and come back up the same way you went down. One vertebrae at a time . Progressions for this are a normal Jefferson Curl first . Next is a Snatch Grip Jefferson Curl . Next is an elevated Jefferson Curl with a normal grip . Last would be an elevated Jefferson Curl with a Snatch Grip! Move to the next progression when you have reached full mobility in the current one . How much weight should you use? Just enough to get lower than you could without it. Keep it light! . Try the Jefferson Curl progressions and get on the Mobility and Prehab gain train!

A post shared by Martina & Philip Chubb (@the_mindful_mover) on Oct 22, 2018 at 4:46pm PDT

Romanian Deadlift and Hanging Leg Raise

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#FlexibilityFridayMM: Pairing Loaded and Active . We don’t believe that you NEED to spend entire sessions DEDICATED to mobility work. In fact, depending on your goals, you may be able to get all the mobility training you need from simply performing full range of motion strength training. And not just normal mobility either. Active and usable mobility too! How? . Certain movements in strength training put you into a “Loaded Stretch”. This is where you get stretched WHILE under the weight of an external object or your own body weight. A perfect example of this is a Romanian Deadlift (RDL). When you perform RDLs, the load of the weight stretches your hamstrings at the bottom of each rep. Over time, your mobility increases! . A great movement to use along with the RDL is the Hanging Leg Lift (HLL). The reason is that the HLL will stretch your hamstrings in an ACTIVE way. Your hip flexors will pull your hamstrings into the stretch and help you develop your compression and active mobility! . Now you are getting stretched AND teaching your body to actively use that range AND making strength gains. Now THAT is working smarter, not harder. Why add more mobility work if you don’t have to? You can get it from your strength! . Give this pair a try and get on the strength AND mobility Gain Train! And tag a friend who can afford to save some time on mobility work by strength training a little smarter!

A post shared by Martina & Philip Chubb (@the_mindful_mover) on Jan 10, 2019 at 8:30am PST