Hanging Knee Raises

By:           Jackie Wright

The hanging knee raise is an excellent nose to toes core exercise.  While not for everyone (i.e. those with serious shoulder issues may not be able to comfortably perform this exercise due to the body weight load on the shoulder girdle and subsequent require stabilization), this exercise requires significant stabilization which is achieved by engaging the entire nose to toes core (i.e. packing the scapula down, compressing the abdomen, engaging the gluteus maximus, stabilizing the pelvis pulling the pelvic floor upward), which is why we chose it for one of our core standards in our exercise library.  Rather than moving the torso into flexion/extension/rotation/lateral flexion, you are stabilizing and flexing the hips changing the center of gravity and load.  

Perform 1-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions, two-three non-consecutive days/week.  To add variety, you may draw the knees on a diagonal (think rib cage to top of pelvis), engaging the obliques.

Hanging Knee Raises - slings at Hoist - place the low plyo box under the horizontal bar at the Hoist, then place the slings onto the horizontal bar at the Hoist.  Stand on the box and place the underside of the upper arms into the slings, holding onto the narrow segment of the sling right beneath the carabineers.  Step off of the box and allow the body to suspend pushing the box out of the way. Then, compressing the abdomen, engaging the hip flexors (anterior hip), draw the knees up toward the hip joint to approximately 90 degrees of hip flexion.  Return to the fully suspended lower body positon and repeat.  There is no swinging to gain height, do not go above hip height as this may strain the lumbar spine and adds no value to the exercise.  If you begin to slip down, reposition as this may strain the shoulder joint.  *Trains the entire nose to toes core as stabilizers; however, the hip flexors are the primary mover.
 

Warm-Up Fundamentals
By:           Jackie Wright

Including a proper warm-up prior to performance of your exercise program may have a profound positive impact on the program outcomes. 

The body requires time to increase heart rate, blood volume, and improve the viscosity of the synovial fluid which exists in many of the joints allowing for freedom of movement and just as important, laying the foundation for the workout with both the mind and body on board. This includes the benefit of the rehearsal effect which allows you to “rehearse” the movement patterns you will be performing during the exertional phase of the program, leading to improved efficiency, effectiveness and safety of those movements. Therefore, the content of an effective warm-up will be highlighted for different types of sports and programs so that you may make a concerted effort to integrate effective warm-up segments into your program regularly. *Regarding warm-up duration:  this will be dependent upon the program demands and the individual’s physical needs; however, 5-20 minutes is the general rule of thumb.  As always, prior to beginning any exercise program, please consult your physician.

#1             The warm-up for the majority of exercise and conditioning programs should be performed dynamically.  Your goal is to increase your body temperature, get the blood moving, joints lubricated and consequently, this is more likely to take place if the body is actually moving through space and time.  For example, if you are a coach of a sport’s team, you will want to design a warm-up that will thoroughly address all of the movement patterns your athletes will be expected to perform during their training session.  Large, general body movement patterns such as large stride walks across the room/court/field, knee up walking, arms overhead and swinging, lunges, squats, lateral, zig/zag easy shuttle runs, and across all three movement planes, sagittal, frontal and transverse, so that the entire body, 360 degrees is warmed up and ready to exert. 

#2             If you are going to lift heavy loads, then a dynamic warm-up which includes light load and body weight simulating the movement patterns that you will be performing might be recommended.  Olympic lifts such as the squat/snatch/clean/jerk are all possible with little or no load to emphasize the motor patterns and allow the body to prepare for the heavier loads.  Remember, you must master the foundational movement pattern prior to adding external load, power or impact.  If the foundational movement pattern is not well established, there is little chance that the loaded version will be safe or effective.

#3             In contrast, if you are going to walk, run, cycle, row, climb, step or jump during your program, a dynamic warm-up at a lower intensity level where you are performing these skills, would be suggested.  And, if the terrain you intend to train on is varied, then your warm-up should reflect those variations as well, just at a lower intensity level to allow for preparation.  Particularly in choreographed programs such as step interval or kickboxing, the warm-up would include the lower intensity skills, drills and combinations that will be expected during the program.  As mentioned previously, the rehearsal effect really empowers you to master the foundational choreography so that when the music tempo increases, the complexity of the skills and drills advances, everyone is ready to perform optimally.