Your hips don’t lie.
It’s not just a catchy song. Shakira actually wasn’t joking. Your hips are the “prime movers” in any traveling movement your body makes daily.
Run, walk, jump, or squat?
Your hips are doing most of the work. Or at least they should be.
Your hips are the body’s center of gravity and the foundation for the spine and upper body. Therefore, where the hips go the rest of the body will follow. Daily life can often lead to dysfunctions in movement. For example, frequently sitting for extended periods of time can lead to many different compensation strategies as the musculature of the hips learns to ‘turn off’ over time and will not ‘turn back on’ when needed to walk, run or jump.
Activation Exercises, like Band Walks, are designed to strength the glutes, which are by far the largest and strongest group of muscles in your body. The glutes also contribute to stabilization of the pelvis. So strengthening them is extremely important for restoring bio mechanics and optimizing your body’s overall mobility. Bottom line, when the body can use proper bio mechanics, it will move more efficiency.
how to perform the Band Walk Exercise
Set-Up:
- Place tubing or a band (tied in a knot) above your knees.
- Spread your feet wider than your hips ensuring that there is an efficient amount of tension on the band. Make sure to maintain tension at all times.
- Bend your knees slightly and move into a half-squat position to activate the gluteus medius.
- Keep your feet in line with your shoulders and face forward with your body weight evenly distributed over both feet.
- Maintaining the half-squat position, shift your weight over one leg and take a step sideways with the other leg. Continue this motion, sideways, for 8 to 10 reps
- Keep your hips level during the movement. Try not to bounce up and down or sway side to side.
- Slowly shift your weight and switch legs, repeating same amount of reps on new side.
You should feel a slight burning in your glutes throughout the movement as the muscle activates. However, if this sensation becomes sharp or you experience a shooting pain outside of the muscles working, stop immediately. Then call Dr. Menke of Realign Chiropractic Redefined at (480) 393-9600.