In an effort shamelessly stolen from James Clear, on Thursdays I will be dropping a post containing 3 things to check out, 2 personal thoughts, and 1 challenge, all on the topics of health, wellness, and fitness.
3 Things to Check Out
Flexibility and mobility have long been important to me, and back bridges are one of the biggest bang-for-your-buck things you can do. Krysta Stryker’s tutorial is a really good one, but you can find videos and articles all over the internet.
Bridges of all kinds put us into the opposite of our normal posture, with our hips and knees bent from the chair we’re sitting in, arms in front of us and the computer, phone, book, or steering wheel, and head cocked downward to look at what we’re doing. The bridge unfolds that position, bringing mobility to the upper back, shoulders, and hips.
I’m reading The Align Method (affiliate link) and the first of the five daily movements - Floor Sitting - covers all the whys and hows of spending time on the ground. This aligns strongly with Tony Riddle’s methods (I mentioned him two weeks ago).
A lot of people talk about standing desks in this new world of working from home all the time, but not many folks talk about floor desks. If posture, flexibility, and health are your reasons for consider a standing desk, you might want to look into ways that you can work from the floor too.
Alan Thrall has a good video on sandbag training that I’ve been thinking about. When it comes to low-tech training gear, sandbags are number one on my list. They’re cheap and can be used in all sorts of ways. Plus they have better carry over to real-world strength due to their wobbly, unstable nature.
I while back I had bought a 150lb Ludus Imperium sandbag (affiliate link). I’ve been using it for carries and shoulder throws in my back yard as part of my weekly Foundation training. Sandbags are one of the most versatile tools for external load and are worth looking into.
2 Personal Thoughts
As it’s getting colder here, my mind keeps moving toward the inevitable spending of less time outdoors. And while I have plenty of exercise equipment in my basement, I expect a lot of my outdoor training is going to have to hit pause too. I guess it’s time to figure out how to safely sprint on the treadmill, eh?
I live in a country where, regardless of our election outcome, nearly half the population have announced their support of racism and hate. Some people will need allies and defenders, not only in verbal and emotional arenas, but physical as well. For some of you reading this, this can be external motivation to get big and strong. (Cue gifs from The Iron Giant).
1 Challenge
Over the next week, try to total up an hour of time spent sitting or kneeling on the floor in various positions. Don’t use back support, but you can use your hands, elbows, and cushions as needed.