We are finishing our lat week of Joint Health Month focused on the knees.
A lot of the time, our exercises only focus in the knee in it’s most neutral position. In the first video, try this rotation and mobility exercise to find the full range of your knee. Explore how it moves so you can train smarter.
Our knees need the hamstring. Weak hamstring = weak knees. In the second video, try this version of a bridge to target the whole posterior chain system and start supporting those knees.
We are focusing on the shoulder joint this week. The shoulder is a ball and socket joint which means it can move it a large variety of ways. The first movement allows you to explore the full range of the joint. Not only will it help create more movement in the shoulder, it will also show you the places where you could use more motion.
Once you have created all that mobility, add some stability to the shoulder with the 2nd video. Most often, the biggest impact our shoulder’s take is when we reach out when we fall. Try this shoulder press to gain some shoulder strength and stability to keep the joint happy and prepared.
This week, we are focusing on the ankle. A lot of the problems that show up in our feet and our knees, are usually due to the fact that our ankles don’t move correctly. The moves below work on both dorsiflexion (toes towards the shin) and plantar flexion (toes pointed away from shin).
I threw in a bonus exercise for those of you that need some mobility laterally with your ankle movement.
Bonus Exercise!
All month long we are going to be focusing on keeping your joints happy and healthy (and hopefully, creak-free).
This first week, we are working on the lumbar spine. Need some mobility in that area? Try this first exercise to get it moving. Need some stability? Try the second exercise to turn on those low back stabilizers and give your spine some support. Want to have a healthy back? Do both. 😜
Brenna Backe 