MUSCLE ACTIVATION / LOWER 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.

OPEN HIP SERIES

The Open Hips Series is a short series of exercises, performed in sequence without pause, designed to prepare the athlete of open hip movement patterns during our lateral acceleration speed training sessions. This series is very effective in both lengthening and strengthening hip adductors and abductors.

Open Hip Series: Plie’ Squats

• Begin from a proper athletic stance. Start with your heels slightly wider than your shoulders and both feet turned out 90°
• Brace the trunk forcefully with the lower back in neutral position and upper back flattened as much as possible. Maintain this athletic posture throughout the exercise.
• From here, squat until your hips are slightly below your knees.
• Ideally your thighs should be in line with your feet throughout the squat. This will be difficult to do in the beginning.
• Groin Flexibility due to weak and short external hip rotators will be addressed here
• Perform 10 reps under control.
• You may extend your arms straight out in front of your to be used as a counterbalance throughout the exercise