Are your muscles strong? Here are 5 kettlebell exercises to keep your body strong

Dynamic hamstring stretch

According to research, stretching only a specific part of the body can actually lead to worse muscle strength in that part. If your hamstrings are so tight that they have little mobility, it is very important to stretch them before exercising. We can use proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) to contract/relax muscles.

When stretching your hamstring muscles, you can ask a trainer to assist you. First, lie on your back and lift one of your feet. The coach will support the back of your calf with one hand or shoulder. At the beginning, we let our calves push downward, and the coach uses force to counteract it; then, when we begin to relax our muscles, the coach slowly raises our calves little by little. Repeat this step several times depending on your physical condition or needs.

◎Holding squat:

The held squat is very simple and very helpful in correcting incorrect squat posture. First, hold the kettlebell by its handles and raise it to chest height. Using the kettlebell as a counterweight, slowly lower yourself into a squat position, with the tips of your elbows touching the vastus lateralis (part of the quadriceps, located at the front of the thigh, which straightens the knee).

Maintain this position for five to ten seconds, while slowly opening your elbows outward and returning to the starting position. There are two ways to return to the starting position. The first is to place the kettlebell directly on the ground and then stand up, or, if you are physically fit, you can squat back to the standing position.

Hip flexor stretch and hip bridge

Many lower body problems are related to tight hip flexors (the front of your butt) and weak gluteal muscles. Because we use our gluteal muscles to sit on a chair every day, and our hip joints remain bent all the time, which accumulates over a long period of time and causes discomfort and tension in the body.

Here, I recommend two ways to stretch your hip flexors. The first is called the Thomas test, which is also used to detect tightness in the hip flexors. First, lie on your back on the massage chair with your sacrum (located in the center of the pelvis where the spine is attached) close to the edge of the massage chair. Keeping your sacrum level, bend your hips and hold your knees together with your hands, pulling them toward your chest. You can then release one leg. If the free leg does not drop down and the thigh and calf remain parallel to the ground, it means that the hip flexors are tight. Both feet should be tested.

The second way is to stretch the hip flexors in a kneeling position. First, kneel on one foot with your thigh perpendicular to the ground; then place the other foot on the ground with your thigh parallel to the ground. Continue in this position and slowly move forward, tightening your gluteal muscles; however, your back should remain straight, maintaining a tall posture. To increase the intensity of the stretch, you can press the heel of your kneeling foot against a wall or elevate it with a box.

After stretching your hip flexors, try a set of single-leg hip bridges to see if the range of motion changes and reassess your hip flexor activity and hip strength. If you find that you are having trouble with squats and lunges during your initial assessment, using these two stretches can be effective in improving your performance.

◎ Shoulder extension – Cross fixation with exercise partners

Lie flat on the ground, raise one hand forward and raise the other hand flat on the ground above your head. Grab the coach's hand with your raised hand, and ask the coach to guide you to slowly turn over, with your hips still on the ground and your head resting on the other arm. While the coach was pulling his hands, he slowly applied tension to his shoulders. Be especially careful not to let your shoulders hunch toward your ears. This movement also stretches the thoracic spine, pectoralis muscles, and anterior deltoids.

◎ Stretch against the wall

Stand up straight with your back and heels against a wall. Relax your shoulders, bend your elbows, and raise your hands in a surrender position, allowing your elbows and wrists to move up the wall as close as possible, making it look like you are lifting something. The key to this movement is to keep your arms and wrists touching the wall throughout the movement. In addition to stretching the pectoral muscles, this exercise also works the muscles behind the shoulders that are responsible for maintaining posture, including the rotator cuff and lower trapezius muscles.

Conclusion

Proper fitness assessment and preparatory movement procedures can help maintain a person's health. In addition, they can help people exercise in a safe and effective manner. In addition, it should be noted that if any imbalance or weaknesses are found during the process, adjustments need to be made or issues addressed.

This article is from Dashi Culture's "Palm Gym"