Kettlebell Most efficient mobility / posture routine?
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apa
Level 5 Valued Member
Flexible Steel and StrongFirst: Announcing a Partnership | StrongFirst
Introduction to flexible steel might be up your alley.
Introduction to flexible steel might be up your alley.
Abdul-Rasheed
Level 6 Valued Member
offwidth
Level 10 Valued Member
Like the others have said... you really need look no further than Flexible Steel or Super Joints, especially if you want to 'stay in the family' so to speak. If you want to look a little further afield then OS resets is an option.
Of course there are also other options such as Yoga, Qigong, and Tai-Chi.
Dayz
Level 8 Valued Member
Yes! I think this is what I'll use. Goblet, arm bar, lunge stretch, good morning, pull over, tactical frog etc.
It looks like a great mobility and flexibility routine, but how does this routine / the movements improve and or affect posture?
Awesome! Something I can easily do at work twice a day. Thanks!
Glen
Level 6 Valued Member
Posture is a dynamic concept and any flexibility work can help improve it - if your current posture is being eroded by inflexibility.
Posture can have many variances and many different reasons for being outside of the defined ideal (this is a debated topic currently whether there is an ideal)
Dayz
Level 8 Valued Member
Thanks, great reply. The strong flexibility program seems to involve weighted stretching - arm bars, goblet squats, good mornings with a kettlebell. Is it safe to say this means it isn't just stretching in the traditionalsense? And that it would have a more powerful affect on posture by providing control through motion (via strength), rather that just merely increasing ones end range of motion/flexibility?
guardian7
Level 6 Valued Member
This is what I draw from.
- The principles and total routine in Flexible Steel as a base. If you want to keep it simple just stop here. There is some very satisfying loaded stretching.
- The concepts and methodology of stretching in Super Joints/ Relax into stretch, which is the basis for Flexible Steel but there is more detail.
- The idea of focusing on rotating the joints in CARS controlled Articular Rotations (lots on youtube). Flexible Steel has a lot of this already.
- The concept of long stretches in Yin Yoga and Relax into stretch. The idea that your stretching should be mainly a separate session and not a warmup and that long stretches teach your body to resist the stretch reflex. I stretch before going to bed.
- Pausing to pry in the goblet squat position, hip bridge, and halos from S&S is a good warmup even if you are not doing a full S&S session.
- OS rolling and head nods. I combine rolling between reps of getups, which works great.
- Just sit and hang out in the deep squat position as long as you can once a day until you can sit in an "Asian squat" position.
- The Trifecta from Convict Conditioning 3. Really good progressions unlike most regular mobility routines. The philosophy is on building the strength to stretch. This is another option for a minimal program of three moves.
As others have mentioned, just going with Flexible Steel would be where I would start and would be enough.
- The principles and total routine in Flexible Steel as a base. If you want to keep it simple just stop here. There is some very satisfying loaded stretching.
- The concepts and methodology of stretching in Super Joints/ Relax into stretch, which is the basis for Flexible Steel but there is more detail.
- The idea of focusing on rotating the joints in CARS controlled Articular Rotations (lots on youtube). Flexible Steel has a lot of this already.
- The concept of long stretches in Yin Yoga and Relax into stretch. The idea that your stretching should be mainly a separate session and not a warmup and that long stretches teach your body to resist the stretch reflex. I stretch before going to bed.
- Pausing to pry in the goblet squat position, hip bridge, and halos from S&S is a good warmup even if you are not doing a full S&S session.
- OS rolling and head nods. I combine rolling between reps of getups, which works great.
- Just sit and hang out in the deep squat position as long as you can once a day until you can sit in an "Asian squat" position.
- The Trifecta from Convict Conditioning 3. Really good progressions unlike most regular mobility routines. The philosophy is on building the strength to stretch. This is another option for a minimal program of three moves.
As others have mentioned, just going with Flexible Steel would be where I would start and would be enough.
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George Locke
Level 2 Valued Member
I was having trouble figuring out what "OS" stood for, but I figured it out. posting this link to the "OS reset" for other noobies like myself Simple Daily Reset Restoration Plan | Original Strength
guardian7
Level 6 Valued Member
These days people often distinguish between mobility and flexibility. Mobility is the ability to move under control within a specific range of motion. For example, how far can you raise your leg when standing up or lying down. This is part of the FMS screen. Flexibility is seen as how far can you extend that limb in a supported position or in a position where you could not hold it or load it for long. You can work on your flexibility until part of it becomes your mobility as you gain control over that range of motion. So, yes, weighted stretching can be very effective within a certain range that you are capable of supporting. You would not want to put a kettlebell on your foot in a maximally stretched and extended position in comparison. Some trainers even state that flexibility is not that important but daily mobility exercises are to maintain your quality of movement within a range that you are capable of rather than attempting only to extend that range.
It is kind of complicated but I finally understood it one day from a Taekwondo instructors post. He said many people think they are not flexible enough to high kick. In fact, most people are not strong enough to lift their leg under control in that range of motion. Try just lifting your leg and holding it as high as you can and you can see what he meant. In short, they don't have the mobility: strength and motor control within a certain range of motion.
Im out
Level 5 Valued Member
Key movement wont get you there.
First learn good posture. And it will feel strange and will fatique you at first. Practice it doing static holds. Every day. Multiple times per day. Start wall assisted and eventually you will do it during the day all day long.
Might want to do bar hangs with active shoulders. Maybe even weighted. For 30seconds at least to decompress your spine.
May i recommend doing full bridges (eventually) ? I used the progression from convict conditioning. I sometimes still test if i can do one.
If bar hangs bore you turn them into pull ups.
For the shoulders do arm bars also about 30s per hold. Dont fear increasing intensity. I do 28kg for warm ups and sometimes 32kg (50%bw) many wont agree with me here but i dont care. It really helped my shoulders.
Another very much overlooked aspect is relaxation. Meditation/breathing exercise or simply breath mastery per S&S will play a vital role in this. I got into Muscle Control by Maxick recently. Pribably evrryone on this board would benefit from practicing muscle relaxation. My self included.
I lost my resource on posture exercise but i recalk it to be an american chiropractor. Id sugest looking there. (Chiropractor) Websites can contain really helpful stuffs for free.
First learn good posture. And it will feel strange and will fatique you at first. Practice it doing static holds. Every day. Multiple times per day. Start wall assisted and eventually you will do it during the day all day long.
Might want to do bar hangs with active shoulders. Maybe even weighted. For 30seconds at least to decompress your spine.
May i recommend doing full bridges (eventually) ? I used the progression from convict conditioning. I sometimes still test if i can do one.
If bar hangs bore you turn them into pull ups.
For the shoulders do arm bars also about 30s per hold. Dont fear increasing intensity. I do 28kg for warm ups and sometimes 32kg (50%bw) many wont agree with me here but i dont care. It really helped my shoulders.
Another very much overlooked aspect is relaxation. Meditation/breathing exercise or simply breath mastery per S&S will play a vital role in this. I got into Muscle Control by Maxick recently. Pribably evrryone on this board would benefit from practicing muscle relaxation. My self included.
I lost my resource on posture exercise but i recalk it to be an american chiropractor. Id sugest looking there. (Chiropractor) Websites can contain really helpful stuffs for free.
watchnerd
Level 8 Valued Member
Mobility gains in what ranges of motion?
I could recommend all sorts of stuff that's designed to help mobility for my sport (weightlifting), but it may not be things you care about. Example: shoulder girdle and thoracic mobility necessary for barbell snatches may not matter to you.
Like anything in training -- what are your goals?
watchnerd
Level 8 Valued Member
Farmer's walks and suitcase carries, too.
james_1127
Level 6 Valued Member
I usually warmup with
Foam roll/soft tissue (just general stuff, t-spine, lats, quads, glutes)
OS resets (mainly breathing, neck nods, rocking, and bird dogs ... dont roll too much)
Then halos, prying goblets or hack squats, good mornings, and windmills... all light weight, done in a small circuit 1-2 rounds... that whole warmup sequence usually takes about 10-12min
Cool down with
Deep stretch after the workout with trx or stick mobility stuff
Foam roll/soft tissue (just general stuff, t-spine, lats, quads, glutes)
OS resets (mainly breathing, neck nods, rocking, and bird dogs ... dont roll too much)
Then halos, prying goblets or hack squats, good mornings, and windmills... all light weight, done in a small circuit 1-2 rounds... that whole warmup sequence usually takes about 10-12min
Cool down with
Deep stretch after the workout with trx or stick mobility stuff
Anders
Level 6 Valued Member
Pavel Macek has a protocol that is called Great Gamma Protocol. The way I see it is a combination of yoga and endurance strength. It is intended to be done every day. It stretches a lot of important areas in the body.
Maybe @Pavel Macek could comment on the flexibility potential of the program compared to other programs.
Maybe @Pavel Macek could comment on the flexibility potential of the program compared to other programs.
Well, I do not want to blow m own horn, but that is what I do, and works great. Judging from the reviews, it works great for others as well. Minimalistic routine with multiple benefits.
Please check it out here: GGP: The Great Gama Protocol [ONLINE COURSE] | SIMPLEXSTRONG
Anders
Level 6 Valued Member
I think one important thing you can do is minimize sitting, and get a adjustable desk where you can stand.
If you look at it from the body's perspective it can be quite confusing when you give it to messages in the same day. First you are sitting for many hours where your hips and hamstrings are bent. While doing this you are telling the body to tighten up there so that this "dangerous" position will be as safe as possible. Then afterwards for some minutes or seconds you are putting yourself into different yoga-poses or split-positions and are trying to tell the body to increase its range of motions in these positions. This is why the saying goes that you have never heard about a truck driver who can do splits (but maybe there are ?)
This is at least what I try to do by varying between lying down, sitting and standing when I read, write and work.
If you look at it from the body's perspective it can be quite confusing when you give it to messages in the same day. First you are sitting for many hours where your hips and hamstrings are bent. While doing this you are telling the body to tighten up there so that this "dangerous" position will be as safe as possible. Then afterwards for some minutes or seconds you are putting yourself into different yoga-poses or split-positions and are trying to tell the body to increase its range of motions in these positions. This is why the saying goes that you have never heard about a truck driver who can do splits (but maybe there are ?)
This is at least what I try to do by varying between lying down, sitting and standing when I read, write and work.
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