DAY 4 - STRENGTH - LOWER BODY
Let's talk about the proper form for SQUATS
Hinge your hips: booty back, head forward, spine straight!
Sit your behind back enough to load the heels of your feet with the majority of your weight, but you don't have to lift your toes of the ground - they help with balance!
Keep your lats engaged AND your abdominals tight so that your rib cage isn't puffing out.
When you stand up, tuck your pelvis into a neutral position [no arching or rounding of your lower back].
When you stand up, be sure you're standing upright. If you stay leaning slightly forward, 1st off, you haven't tucked your pelvis into a neutral position & 2nd, that could cause tension in your lower back.
And the proper form for LATERAL LUNGES
I love these because they're efficient! We're getting so much accomplished with a single movement:
They work the inner AND outer thigh, along with the booty of your bent leg
They challenge your core stability [because it’s hard AF to keep your posture in check when you’re moving sideways - “laterally” - AND each side of your body is doing all kinds of different stuff hahaha!]
They also stretch the inner thigh of your straight leg.
Here’s what you need to do in order to make sure you’re loading your muscles & not your joints/back so that you’re building strength instead of creating tension that could cause you pain:
The foot that steps side is the knee that bends - the other leg stays completely straight.
As you step side, hinge your hips: booty back, head forward, spine straight!
If you hinge your hips correctly, your upper back shouldn’t round over, nor should your shoulders collapse down in front of your chest.
Pull your rib cage inward - avoid letting it “puff out” excessively - to properly engage your core.
Load the heel of the foot that you stepped on - to properly engage the booty.
If your knee is poking forward excessively/you feel the majority of your weight shifting into the front of your foot, stick your butt back farther!! Don't be afraid to let your chest face slightly downward in order to do this. So long as your spine is straight you're good!
Drive through the heel of your foot [of the knee that’s bent], to initiate standing back up again. Push with power & move with enough speed to give you the momentum to move that foot back beside the other & stand all the way upright again.
Now let's talk about the 2nd half of the workout
Sumo Squats: work your legs & booty with an emphasis on your inner & outer thighs [adductors & abductors]. Start standing with your feet wide & toes turned out. As you squat down, press your knees open wide so that you feel your hips working. As you stand up, act as if you were trying to glide your legs together like Michael Jackson!! Just don’t actually let your feet move - LOL! The intention is to feel your inner thighs engage as much as possible!
Sumo Squat Hold + Pivots to Lunge: builds endurance in your legs while improving core & hip stability. Always keep your rib cage compressed toward your spine & lower abdominals pulled tight so that your pelvis stays neutral & your lower back doesn’t arch - especially when you pivot to your lunges. When you drop your knee down to a lunge, be sure to twist your whole torso to face that direction. Your shoulders & pelvis should always move together! ALSO! Whichever knee drops down when you lunge - squeeze that butt cheek nice & tight ;-) That’s another way to ensure that you’re keeping your hip stable & posture in check!
That's it! Now let's just do it!