Four exercises cool and unusual new bodyweight exercises in Jen's video today! The thing about cool and unusual is always: How does this fit into my program? I'm going to go over some coolness points for all of them, and then explain how they fit into what you're doing now.
As far as coolness points I'm going to focus mostly on one: The Shin Box.
The Shin Box an awesome hip mobility drill. I've started people with just the swivel from one side to the other. If you're really tight, then lean into the stretch for 20 seconds on each side, before going the other way. It's similar to a half pigeon stretch, but with a dynamic switch back and forth.
If you feel comfortable with the switch, then do it the way that Jen demonstrates in the video. And then she makes a really cool point:
1.) To progress it for strength, you can load it with a heavier kettlebell
2.) To progress it for mobility, use a lighter kettlebell (workout towards bodyweight – no counterbalance at all)
I first saw the Shin Box at the first ever RKC Level 2 Certification, which was a "Combat Applications Specialist" Course. Nate Morrison taught it as part of a standing up with no hands series (I think it was so you could keep both hands on your gun!)
So a further progression is shin box, to lunge, to standing up. It's really, really fun. If you want to add the lunge, look at the picture above, from there she'd turn her hips towards her right, put her weight on her right knee, and then bring her left leg all the way around on to her left foot, so she's 1/2 kneeling on her left foot and her right knee, facing away from the camera. Then stand up.
But that's just for fun. The great hip mobility and stability part of the move is all in the he shin box part in the video. It's definitely worth putting into your warm ups for squats, lunges, and hip hinges.
The Push Planks in the video are a really amazing dynamic pressing and core exercise. Really cool, really fun.
These will help your other pushup strength, will help with yoga postures, and even set you up for other cool transitional pushup and plank moves. Basically, it's everything you want in a cool bodyweight variation.
You can definitely use these for your pushing movements, or if you're already a super badass, you could use these as a cool dynmaic warmup before your pushing/pressing movements.
The Skater Squats are a huge favorite squat of mine. I really barely use Pistols anymore, except with clients that are so advanced that they are telling me Skater Squats are super easy (which is very rare).
I actually don't care if you have a forward lean, more Airborne Lunge style, or if you're more upright Skater Squat style. I like them both for different reasons: One is more knee extension, the other is more hip extension… tell me you don't love you some hip and knee extension both!
I like to progress people from split squats, to rear-foot-elevated split squats, to skater squats.
The Mountain Climber Sprawls are a really cool dynamic hip flexor stretch. Just make sure to keep the back leg straight so you get the stretch.
It's cool to get the hip flexor stretch and then immediately apply that flexiblity to the bodyweight squat – flex your butt and tuck your tailbone under at the top.
Going back and forth between a stretch and an position you use (the top of the squat here is the top of a kettlebell swing, the top of a deadlift, it's the base for a military press, it shows up over and over).
So that's four more really great moves from Jen and Lift Weights Faster, check them out: Four Bodyweight Moves that Should Be Part of Every Routine
by Josh Hillis
Leave a Reply