Key points:
- We want the muscles at the backs of our legs to be able to move through their full range and be strong.
- Lots of sitting and wearing heels (most trainers have a small heel) means many of us have tight calves.
- Sitting slouched all the time – so on our tailbones rather than our sitting bones, also gets our hamstrings used to being in a shortened position. Slouching some of the time is fine! It’s just we often habitually do always the same position!
- Learning how to do a good hip hinge (a bit like a deadlift without the weights) will help build up the strength and length of the posterior chain – the glutes and the backs of the legs, so that you’ll automatically use those muscles for heavy lifting rather than bulging or bearing down.
Key points:
- Feet hip distance apart.
- Your shoulders, rib cage, and pelvis are one unit and move as one.
- Think about moving your frontal hip bones towards the floor or if it suits your imagination better think about moving your sit bones up the wall behind you. You can even do this with your bottom on the wall.
- Hinge forwards and then stop before your back starts to round.
- Press through your heels and think about coming up to stand but don’t – the as if. Feel the backs of your legs and your glutes engage.
- Then maintaining that feeling of engagement or resistance, press through your heels and slowly come up to stand.
- Repeat trying to maintain that feeling of resistance as you hinge forward and then come back up.