Workout Wednesday with Firefighter Tim: Simple stretches to help you keep your fitness resolutions
He’s baaack! After recovering from a shoulder surgery, Firefighter Tim is back in our studios to show us how easy functional mobility movements can help keep you from getting injured. This way, he says, you can keep those New year resolutions all year!!
The stretches are simple, easy and functional movements that you can do at your house and even the office. Some of these will help keep you flexible and ready to go. Some, like learning the correct hip movements, may help keep you from hurting your back.
Here are descriptions of a few of the movements.
Lying core twist: Start by laying on your left side. Place one right hand behind your head and have your elbow pointed forward. Bend your right knee at a right angle across a foam roller. Now rotate that elbow toward the ceiling while turning your head and spine with it. While you do this let your core expand and stretch, and keep your knee and hip turned down.
Reaching lunge and stretch: Step into a deep lunge and keep the torso upright pressing your hips forward opening up your hips and stretching your hip flexors. You can also add in variations: raising one arm on the same side, switching to the opposite side, and raising both arms. (If you want to hold a broom stick while you perform this, you can to help keep both arms parallel). Really focus on opening up your core and letting everything stretch.
Hip Hinge: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed in-line. With your knees, drive your weight through the center of your feet, push your hips back towards the wall and hinge forward at the hips. Bend forward at the hips until your torso is midway between vertical and parallel to the floor. As you return to standing you contract you glutes. Push your hips forward and upward slowing returning to upright.
Kneeling hip hinge: you can perform the same movement as the hip hinge except you will be kneeling on a foam roller.
Follow Tim on Twitter: @firemantimcfd