Bilateral Trunk Hip Extensions
This exercise provided courtesy of Billy Polson, founder and co-owner of DIAKADI Body training gym, voted best personal training gym in San Francisco by CitySearch in 2006.
Benefits
Too many of us only work the front of the body, leading to imbalances and injury. Here, the entire back complex has its day.
Muscles Worked
Shoulders, Back, Glutes
Starting Position
Lie face-down on the floor with your hands in a T (or, "stick 'em up") position: elbows and armpits at right angles and palms down.
Exercise
- Raise your legs up off the floor, then also bring your arms and chest off the floor, just high enough that your nipples are off the ground. You should have a slight shoulder-blade retraction. Keep your elbows and armpits at right angles and slowly externally rotate your shoulder joints so that your elbows slightly drop and your hands rise. It is very important that your neck stay in line with your spine without lifting your chin to look forward. Throughout the exercise, feel for your legs, shoulders or chest to drop, and pull them back up and into position.
- Your goal is to hold this position for a total of three minutes, but may take breaks. So, if you have to take a 10-second break in the middle, you will add that time at the end.
