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Barbell SLDL to Barbell DL strength

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I wish some of you came with English subtitles.....:eek::D;)

That sounds like a great substitution. Because nobody likes the hip bridge ;), and seems to me like that would accomplish the same objective of firing up the glutes, while also giving some good accessory work. The only thing you might be missing then is a bit of a hip flexor stretch... Might consider adding that in by getting in a lunge position and tilt the pelvis back (like it's a bowl, and you want to tip the bowl back to pour water out of it) to feel a stretch in the hip flexor of the vertical thigh.
 
I like to have my senior students practice elevated SLDL's with different variations
Some will regress to picking up two bells, stabilizing on one foot and putting the bells down with two feet. The next progression is pick up with two feet and sit down with one foot. Top progression would be pick up with one and set down with one all elevated to their needs. Eventually, I decrease the elevation.

I find it is very helpful for students who are struggling to stand in the TGU.
 
@Anna C, I am not sure I read this correctly either time I have read this, so I will ask. In the bolded text below, you are suggesting to tilt the pelvis backwards? As in, pull up on the glutes? Or, am I missing something? I ask, because I also am not fond of the hip bridges, and while the SLDL sounds far more productive, I am interested as well in your suggestion. I just am not sure I understand your instruction.

That sounds like a great substitution. Because nobody likes the hip bridge ;), and seems to me like that would accomplish the same objective of firing up the glutes, while also giving some good accessory work. The only thing you might be missing then is a bit of a hip flexor stretch... Might consider adding that in by getting in a lunge position and tilt the pelvis back (like it's a bowl, and you want to tip the bowl back to pour water out of it) to feel a stretch in the hip flexor of the vertical thigh.
 
you are suggesting to tilt the pelvis backwards? As in, pull up on the glutes?

Yes. Let's say we're stretching the left hip flexor. The right knee is forward in a lunge position and the left knee is under you. First make sure you are in a good lunge position (mirror helps here) -- your torso is truly tall and vertical over the left knee and you are not leaning forward. If you feel a stretch in this position - and you may - then that is enough. But if you don't feel the hip left hip flexor stretching at all, slightly engage the glutes and abs to tuck the pelvis, which will slightly tip it back. Just enough to feel the stretch.

And, as with all stretches, BREATHE.... hold 10-20 seconds, do 2-3 on each side.

Any additional opinions from others on this? If so, please chime in...
 
Yes. Let's say we're stretching the left hip flexor. The right knee is forward in a lunge position and the left knee is under you. First make sure you are in a good lunge position (mirror helps here) -- your torso is truly tall and vertical over the left knee and you are not leaning forward. If you feel a stretch in this position - and you may - then that is enough. But if you don't feel the hip left hip flexor stretching at all, slightly engage the glutes and abs to tuck the pelvis, which will slightly tip it back. Just enough to feel the stretch.

And, as with all stretches, BREATHE.... hold 10-20 seconds, do 2-3 on each side.

Any additional opinions from others on this? If so, please chime in...

I find pelvis tilting technique works best if you pre-tilt the pelvis in the half kneeling position, BEFORE putting any tension on the hip flexor by trying to sink into the lunge (which doesn't contradict @Anna C's description, but I just wanted to emphasize this point).

Additional tips:
You can use a contract/relax technique with this stretch. Squeeze the glutes, drive the front heel and the back knee (and toes) down into the ground, as if you are trying to scissor your legs together right through the ground. Stay tense, breathing behind the shield, then exhale and relax deeper into the lunge.

Finally, putting the hand on the down knee side on the top/side of the front knee and keeping your arm straight can help keep/remind you to keep your torso upright and not lean forward. Be careful not to pry yourself into lumbar hyperextension. This technique was taught in the RKC when Pavel was still there, but I don't know if it's a current SF teaching.
 
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Good points, @Steve W.

And a good clarification -- in my description, there is actually no lunging forward. You keep the legs at 90 degrees and stay upright. So the stretch comes entirely from the tip of the pelvis.

But it is also valid to lean/lunge forward from there, and this can help. I agree that the keeping the pre-tilt of the pelvis is important. In fact, what many people do when they are trying to stretch the hip flexors is lunge/lean forward without this pre-tilt, which is actually not very effective at all.
 
@Anna C Put a band around a low anchor and face toward it. Put the other end around the glute of the down knee. Step away from the anchor, to add tension to the band, and into the lunge position, and use all your other previous cues. The band really helps pull the hips through.

You can hit the quad also by putting the foot of the down knee up onto an bench or box. Like a Bulgarian Split Squat stance.

I also like to pack the shoulders, and raise the arm on the down knee side overhead, and side bent away from the down knee. You can also do broomstick dislocates, and in he crook of the arms behind the back, like in your shoulder packing video. Also, twist from side to side, holding on each side.

The band also works for the Spider-Man Lunge Stretch, one of my favourite deep squat stretches. If the Couch Stretch is available to you it is a lot of bang for the buck. It's a real catch all for the lower body.
 
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@Anna C Put a band around a low anchor and face toward it. Put the other end around the glute of the down knee. Step away from the anchor, to add tension to the band, and into the lunge position, and use all your other previous cues. The band really helps pull the hips through.

You can hit the quad also by putting the foot of the down knee up onto an bench or box. Like a Bulgarian Split Squat stance.

I also like to pack the shoulders, and raise the arm on the down knee side overhead, and side bent away from the down knee. You can also do broomstick dislocates, and in he crook of the arms behind the back, like in your shoulder packing video. Also, twist from side to side, holding on each side.

The band also works for the Spider-Man Lunge Stretch, one of my favourite deep squat stretches. If the Couch Stretch is available to you it is a lot of bang for the buck. It's a real catch all for the lower body.

These are all great suggestions. Bands can be used in all kinds of creative ways for mobility drills. Dick Hartzell, the creator of Jump Stretch bands, has a lot of great videos, as does Donnie Thompson. Kelly Starrett does a lot this kind of thing too, but I find his stuff much more hit and miss.

Foundation training has a move similar to what Geoff describes above, where you stand in a lunge position, but with the down knee off the ground, reach overhead with fingers interlaced, palms upward, and lean to the side away from the down leg.

A band around the back of the hips attached to an anchor is also great for prying in the deep squat position (which I believe @Geoff Chafe has mentioned before). Sitting in the deep squat with a band, reaching overhead, and reaching back to one side and then the other are great ways to mobilize the thoracic spine. Works great for the cossack position as well. There's something about the band tension that acts in a different way than holding a counterweight or stationary object to balance.
 
Let's also be sure to make a general point here - you can stretch things like hips flexors and hamstrings, if you know what you're doing, without moving very much, e.g., you don't need to touch your toes to stretch your hamstrings. Following all the suggestions above may mean you don't look like you're doing much to stretch your hip flexors, and that's OK.

-S-
 
@Karen Smith, in your opinion, would you recommend adding the SLDL to a basic swing & TGU routine? Or, would you recommend that the lifter wait until they have some experience under their belt?

I think that the SLDL can be added early on, as they can even have great benefit if done "naked". They will teach you a lot about your balance and any sticking points.
 
That works me. My glute medius happens to need hitting and I've been using weenie exercises like clamshells:D

Is there a good way to program the SLDL if I want to focus on it for a while? Could you work it every day like in S&S or ptp?

Yes, begin BW to work balance first and can be done in a GTG fashion while working other programs and then later added into a program with reps/sets 3x week.
 
@Karen Smith, I have been practicing these demon exercises for about 5 or 6 sessions. When would you suggest that I start using a kettlebell in the practice of them? I know I am no where near ready to do so, but I am curious as to when would you recommend to add a kettlebell to them? Oh, and thank you for posting that video on how to perform them, very helpful to me.

Yes, begin BW to work balance first and can be done in a GTG fashion while working other programs and then later added into a program with reps/sets 3x week.
 
I find Anna's stretch with Geoff's band technique stretches my quad more than my hip flexors. It may be because I have been working hard on the kneeling hip flexor stretch consistently 3x a week for the past couple months. The stretch down my quad without lunging forward is quite intense though and I do not feel it at all in my hip flexor.

For the SLDL, I find my hip really wants to open up and have to work hard to keep it closed. I also find I gain some considerable ROM in my hamstrings after a SLDL. I can easily make a fist and put my knuckles on the ground in a toe touch afterwards.

What muscles are tight/weak that cause my hip to open up like that?
 
For the SLDL, I find my hip really wants to open up and have to work hard to keep it closed. I also find I gain some considerable ROM in my hamstrings after a SLDL. I can easily make a fist and put my knuckles on the ground in a toe touch afterwards.

What muscles are tight/weak that cause my hip to open up like that?

I would not assume anything is particularly tight or weak. In my experience, it's more a matter of just establishing the motor pattern of keeping the hip closed. Opening up is the path of least resistance; it's easier so it's the path your body wants to take.

Here's something to try to help keep the hip closed. Use a single KB contralaterally. Hinge on one leg and grab the KB handle. Use the KB as an anchor to pull your hips parallel to the ground, without lifting it. Counterbalance against the weight of the bell by shifting your weight away from the bell.

Tighten up and lift the KB just off the ground and hold it there, focusing on keeping the hip closed. You should feel tension on the outside of the support leg glute. Then lower the KB softly to the ground, maintaining tension. You can do this for singles or consecutive touch and go reps, pausing with the KB just off the ground and maintaining tension as you lower the KB.

When you are comfortable keeping the hip closed, maintaining solid balance and lowering the KB gently under control, you can start increasing the range of motion before lowering, eventually to full range reps.
 
One more cue I use to keep the hips closed is "make a 7."

Imagine the hips are the top of the 7 (you want to keep them horizontal) and the support leg is the upright of the 7. You need to counterbalance the weight of the KB (especially in the contralateral SLDL) so the upright of the 7 needs some diagonal to it. It's a 7, not an upside down L. Thus, "make a 7."
 
A mini band around the knees during SLDL makes me really aware of what the off leg and glute is doing. For me I get some extra glute activation because of the active leg raise needed.

I use mini bands for a variety of drills and exercises. They are a worthy investment.
 
@Karen Smith I practiced SLDL, pistols, OAPU and pull ups for about a month to step away from bells for a few weeks. Full disclosure i was using 2 X 24 bells for my SLDL. It just so happened that at the end of that month, it got cold and snowy and slippery where I live. And in jumped another WTH effect of the SLDL. As I walked over icy spots, I could feel myself weight shifting just like in the SLDL, glutes firing, weight on the front leg each step, no concern about slipping. Under stress your body reverts to its most practiced techniques. I'm heading back to hard style/GS practice but will be keeping SLDL in my practice in some capacity that's for sure.
 
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