shanmonster | Floorwork Quad-Strengthening Exercise #1

sageincave inspired me to write up this post.

I plan on listing a few exercises/drills calculated to improve your strength and fluidity for floorwork. Here's the first:

Caveat: If this move hurts your knees, do not do it. Not all exercises are for everyone, so listen to your body.

Warm up thoroughly, making sure your knees, ankles, and hips are well-lubricated. Run, skip, shimmy, whatever. Just don't do this "cold."

Begin in a kneeling position--not sitting on your legs, but completely upright, like you're standing on your knees. Don't have your weight on the kneecap itself, so adjust to find your comfort spot.

Engage your abs, keeping them "on" (this will protect your back). Keep your torso in line with your legs, and incline backwards (keeping aligned, the whole time). Once you go back a few inches, hold your position for a couple of counts, then go back to upright.

Each time you go back, go a little further, and hold.

This'll burn like the dickens! That's the lactic acid and your muscles screaming, dear God in heaven, why are you making me do this? The answer is this: to make them stronger.

Stretch out every time you need to, and go right back into it. The further back you go, the more muscles you'll feel working. When you're very far back, you'll need to engage your glutes, especially on the push back to upright.

Here are your levels of difficulty:

1. Easiest. Fold your arms across your chest.
2. Harder. Support the back of your head with your arms (sit-up style hands)
3. Very Hard. Extend your arms over your head.
4. Insanely HARD. Extend your arms over your head and hold weights.

If you practice this every other day for ten minutes or so, it won't take very long at all before your legs are strong....

More exercises coming up as I get time to write 'em down....