IF YOUR HIPS ARE MOBILE AND FREE, YOU WILL BE FREE FROM PAIN AND HAVE HIGHER PERFORMANCE!
For years, working with rotary athletes I have found the one issue that inhibits them from optimal performance is their hips.
Same is true for those with lower back issues.
And.. the same is true for middle aged male basketball players, golfers, and tennis players.
My friend (and long time client) Brandon has been dealing with an "abdominal" issue (really a hip issue) that has been inhibiting him from playing the game he loves, Basketball.
Every Wednesday Night a group of high performing pre-seniors arrive at his house to play BALL, giving it everything they have, mentally as if they are in their teens, but with aging bodies that need a lot of work and maintenance to continue play.
These guys range from CEOs to Former Pro Athletes- but they all have one common denominator: Their bodies are aging.
The aging body tends to get TIGHT, LESS MOBILE, LESS FLEXIBLE, with the muscle tissue going from a youthful Filet Mignon to that of less pliable, dried out Beef Jerky.
So what do we do?
If we want to remain physically active, we must make sure we are prepping the body with a routine of daily soft tissue work, mobility/ flexibility work, strengthening, conditioning, and recovery.
Gone are the days where you can just throw on the golf cleats or sneaks and go play. Those days are over.
Now, there is PREP TIME. I feel every day over 30 you must take more time to get ready to play rather than just playing.
Most of the tension people feel comes from their lower extremity/ lower body. Their hips are becoming less mobile by the day due to careers loaded with sitting, increased body weight, and less overall activity that forces more full ranges of motion.
Think about it, if you are spending 50% of your day seated with your arms in front of you on a computer, how lengthened could the tissue and muscle of your body really be?
So here is the plan:
PRE:
1. Heat the body with external heat (hot bath, hot shower)
2. Heat the body with CardioVascular Activity for 20-25min.
3. Use foam rollers and soft tissue tools to relax the tissue
4. Stretch the Hip Flexors, Glutes, and Quads
5. Use a dynamic warm-up to get the body lengthened through movement
6. Participate in your PRE-SPORT Warm-Up that is skill focused ex. shoot around
POST:
1. Stretch the lower body
2. Use a lower body ice bath or swim post sport or activity
3. Finish the day with a hot shower
This formula works for your daily "fitness training" but is even more specific and useful if you are 40+ and engage in tennis, golf, basketball or any adult sports.
This is a MUST and should not be looked at as: IF I GET TO IT.
The more you can be consistent with a PRE and POST formula, the better you you will feel.
Do you have a plan that you use to stay loose?
*Check out my buddy Mike in the video above discussing the hips for Golf Digest
Dana Cavalea
Dana Cavalea is the World Champion Director of Strength and Conditioning & Performance of the New York Yankees.
Currently, he is a High Performance Speaker & Consultant to Pro Athletes, Entrepreneurs, Business Executives, and Workforces on lifestyle strategies to reduce stress, improve work/life integration, and most importantly improve daily performance /outcomes.
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