When a lot of people train, they focus purely on the larger muscle groups, or the muscles they can see in the mirror. Can you relate to this? Only training the larger muscles, or the muscles you can see in the mirror, is holding you back from performing at a higher level, and feeling your best!
Here are 5 important muscles you are probably not training (or not training enough). Don’t worry, you are not alone!
See part 1 and part 2 of this feature.
#1) Hip Internal Rotation Holds
This exercise improves hip internal rotation. Many people neglect training their hip internal rotators.
Coaching Tips:
- Sit on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Bring one leg so it is ahead of you, and bend your knee to about a 45-90 degree angle. For the duration of the exercise, keep this leg in this position, and flat on the floor.
- On the other side, bring your leg behind you, and bend it to about a 45-90 degree angle.
- Place your hands so they are on the outsides of your thigh of the front leg, and rest your hands on the floor.
- While keeping your knee of the back leg on the floor, use your hip muscles and lift your foot/lower leg off the floor.
- Hold for 2-5 seconds. Lower to the starting position with control.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#2) Lateral Squats
This exercise strengthens the adductors, quadriceps, and glutes, and improves mobility. Many people neglect training their adductor muscles.
Coaching Tips:
- Adopt your preferred foot width. Your feet will likely be much farther apart than your regular squat stance.
- Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- On the squatting foot, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the set. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- Hold a weight in your preferred position. You may also use a band. Keep your arms rigid, and pretend you are trying to crush something in your armpits. This will help keep your arms and the weight(s) from swinging.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
- Now travel diagonally and perform a lateral squat.
- Once you hit your end range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), press away from the floor with your planted leg and return to the top/starting position.
- Imagine a horizontal line is drawn on the floor between your two feet. The entire time, your body should travel horizontally on this line. You can also imagine a wall is directly in front of and behind you. Do not let your body travel forward or back and strike the wall.
- Aim to do most of the work with your squatting leg, versus pushing off with your extending leg.
- When you are performing the squats, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your legs. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.
- Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#3) Tall Kneeling Roller Serratus Slides + Band Resistance
This exercise strengthens the serratus anterior muscle, improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and overhead mobility.
As I talk about a lot, the serratus anterior is a key muscle that is overlooked by countless people! The serratus upwardly rotates, protracts, and posteriorly tilts the shoulder blades. If you struggle to get your arms into an overhead position, the serratus anterior might be the culprit!
The focus here should be on activation and awareness, so keep the resistance light!
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a tall kneeling position, and so your body is relatively close to a wall. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- While keeping your forearms in a vertical position, and while pressing into the roller, lightly press your wrists out against the band. Maintain this forearm position for the duration of the exercise, and do not allow the band to lose resistance.
- At the beginning of each rep, press your body away from the roller. When you do you should feel your shoulder blades protract. Think about spreading your shoulder blades apart, and moving them around your ribcage.
- Now slide the roller up the wall, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
- Do not move the roller up the wall by hyperextending your lower back and flaring your ribcage, or excessively shrugging your shoulders (a slight amount of shrugging is ok). Your torso and hips should remain square to the wall.
- Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move and should spread apart from your spine, move away from your opposite hip, and around your ribcage as you extend your arms and slide the roller up the wall.
- Once you hit your end range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), perform the reverse movements and return the roller to the starting position.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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#4) Multidirectional Taps For Scapula From Plank
Many people neglect training the muscles that control the movement of the shoulder blades. This “plank” improves lumbo-pelvic stability (think core stability), shoulder and scapular controlled mobility (on the side that is moving), and stability (on the side that is planted).
Coaching Tips:
- Place a resistance band around your wrists, and lightly press your wrists out against the band. There should be resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise.
- Get into a plank position. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to feet.
- Your shoulders should be above your hands. Spread your fingers, and pretend you are suctioning or screwing your hand and fingers to the floor.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes.
- Now perform controlled taps in multiple directions.
- Pay attention to your non-working/supporting side. Push away from the floor and protract your shoulder blade (move it away from your spine and around your ribcage). Do not mindlessly hang out.
- For the duration of the exercise, your body should remain in a straight line from your head to heels. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, weight to shift from foot to foot, or hips to pike or collapse.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#5) Single Leg Slider RDL’s
Many people neglect training their hamstrings. This is one of my go-to hip hinging variations.
This exercise is fantastic if doing single leg deadlifts is a goal of yours. Even if you have no desire to do single leg deadlifts, this exercise is a great posterior chain strengthener.
Coaching Tips:
- Adopt your preferred stance. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- On the planted side, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- On the supporting leg, rest your forefoot on a towel or slider. Keep your knee fully extended, and close to the midline of your body. Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise. Contract your glutes and quadriceps on this side.
- Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits.
- For the duration of the exercise, your arms/weights should not travel ahead of your body. Your arm should slide down the side of your front/working leg, and the other arm should remain in line with this front leg.
- Pretend you are painting the side of your front leg with the weight, and that you are crushing oranges in your armpits. If you are using a single weight, the weight should slide down the front of your leg/shin.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
- Now hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall.
- As you are performing the hinge, simultaneously slide the foot of the supporting side backwards. Aim to use as little assistance from this leg as possible. Keep this leg close to the midline of your body.
- When you are hinging, pretend you are “pulling” your body back/down with your posterior chain muscles. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.
- Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position. Many people make this mistake.
- When you reach your full range, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the top/starting position. Use a range where you can maintain proper form.
- Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knee.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Get STRONG hip flexors, improve your mobility and athleticism! Getting your hip flexors STRONGER might be the missing link to helping you function, perform, and feel better in the gym, with your running, your sport, and even in your daily life. For “experienced beginners” to advanced trainees, and also coaches. Great for home AND gym workouts!
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