MUSCLE ACTIVATION / TOTAL BODY

Muscle Activation exercises are designed to engage the specific muscles which are targeted that day during your training and temporarily improve the connection between the brain and the muscles. Improving muscle activation can allow for stronger contractions, better performance, and cleaner technique, resulting in safer and more effective training. Typically, these exercises are stationary by nature and specific to Total Body, Upper Body or Lower Body movement patterns.

HIP HINGE: Stick Behind Back

A hip hinge is a movement where you drive your hips backwards, which lowers your chest, while keeping your spine in a neutral position and your knees slightly bent. This movement engages the posterior chain muscles (glutes, hamstrings, and lower back) and is a crucial component of exercises like squats, deadlifts, and kettlebell swings.

• Begin with a dowel held with both hands along your back. The lower hand will be placed thumb up. The upper hand will be placed thumb down.
• The dowel should always maintain contact with your head upper back and hips.
• Brace the trunk forcefully with the lower back and hips at neutral position with the upper back flattened as much as possible.
• Bend the knees slightly as you hinge at the hips
• Drive your hips back at a controlled speed.
• Maintain balance through your whole foot or shift slightly more to the heels, keeping the whole foot in contact with the floor.
• Don’t allow your back to soften as you change direction at the bottom to stand. Maintaining a rigid trunk is the primary focus of this exercise.
• The emphasis here is to learn to maintain neutral spine while properly hinging at the hips instead of leaning forward through the upper and lower back.