Kettlebells for Mobility
In the society we
live in today it is hard not to have tight and stiff joints. Joints thrive on blood flow and range of
motion so when we sit at desks and in cars for years on end it takes a toll on
our bodies. Also staring at a computer
screen as well as cell phones hunched over all day does us no good as
well. You can reverse the damage you
have done to your body and feel better again but it will take a lot of
work. The 3 areas we are all tight in
the most is our shoulders/lats, hips, and ankles. Here are a few kettlebell exercises that can
help open up those joints and help you regain your lost mobility.
For the shoulders and lats overhead holds can do
wonders. To perform simply hold a
kettlebell overhead make sure the arm is completely straight pointing straight
up at 12 o’clock. For some just getting to
the 12 o’clock position will be a challenge.
Then make sure your shoulder blade is not shrugged up but rather pulled down. Now you can simply perform this hold for time
or go for a walk either scenario is fine.
The goal is to be able to keep increasing the length of time or distance
you hold the kettlebell overhead. So
start light and go for 30 sec to 1 min from keeping gradually adding time in
small increments such as 15 sec. Once
you can hold the kettlebell overhead for 3 minutes then it is time to move on
to a heavier kettlebell. An advanced
version would be holding 2 kettlebells overhead.
For the hips and ankles the goblet squat is a great go to
exercise. To perform hold the kettlebell
out in front of you with arms in elbows down.
Take a good squat stance shoulder width then slightly turn your feet
outwards. From there sit back and push
your knees to the outside. The weight of
the kettlebell should help you get into a lower squat position. At your lowest point in the squat hold for a few
seconds and let your hips stretch and get comfortable in that position stand
back up and repeat. Just like in the
overhead holds start light but not too light as a kettlebell that is too light
for you will not help assist in pulling you down. Start off by doing 5 reps holding for 3 secs
at the bottom from there you could increase the reps until 10 or increase the
secs at the bottom to 5 sec. Once you can
get into a full squat or you feel as if it is getting too easy and aren’t
getting any kind of stretch then go up in weight. Another thing you can do to help open the
hips and work on the ankles as well is while you are at the bottom of the squat
keep one foot flat on the ground with the other foot you will roll your ankle
to the outside edge of your foot. So you
are inverting your foot in so that it looks like a stunt car driving on 2
wheels. Hold that for a few seconds and
then do the same to the other foot stand up and then squat down and repeat
again.
The king of all mobility tests is the overhead squat. One has to have excellent mobility in the shoulder,
hips, and ankles in order to successfully complete this exercise. To perform lift one kettlebell overhead and
squat down without the ankles losing contact with the ground and without the
arm bending at the elbow or breaking forward or to the side. Make sure knees go to the knees go to the
outside and do not cave in. This is one
of those exercises where you take it slow no need to go fast as it won’t help
you with your mobility. Hold for a few
seconds in the bottom of this squat as well as your tight lats will thank you
afterwards. Once you can comfortably do
10 reps try going up to a heavier kettlebell.
Want to get advanced try performing a double overhead squat and you will
quickly find out what all of your limitations are in your body.
Make mobility a daily habit and in time you will have strong
and healthy joints. My advice is take a
few minutes and do one or two sets of these before your next workout. You should notice an improvement in your
pressing or squatting that session.
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