A Move You Should Do MONDAY – Woodchoppers

This week’s move helps you get hip to the shoulder. Let’s learn how to do woodchoppers:

Stand on one leg and kickstand your other leg behind you for balance
Hold a weight in the opposite hand and start with it pressed overhead
Lower the weight to the outside of the opposite knee as you squat down. Make sure to keep your head and chest up
Return to the upright position
Perform 10-12 repetitions

Why does this matter?

With everyday movements, the biggest muscle of your body (the gluteus maximus) assists smaller muscles of your body. The small muscles are prone to injury when the gluteus maximus is not activated in a coordinated fashion.

The muscles of the posterior shoulder, including the external rotators of the rotator cuff, and the wrist and finger extensor muscles on the lateral elbow are designed to work in concert with the opposite gluteus maximus. That means when one of these muscles is loaded the gluteus maximus should also be eccentrically loaded. A lack of gluteal activation often results in overload to the smaller muscles.

So give the woodchoppers a try. Remember to keep most of your weight on the front leg. Your shoulder, elbow and low back will thank you.

Because nobody has time to be in pain.

Until next time…