Lower Body Warm Up: Band Routine

Continuing with the previous post on our warm up, I have included some pics and vids of example our band warm up. Here is the schedule of our tasks on this day:
Roll-out/Tennis Ball
Hurdle Mobility- Lateral

Kneeling Psoas
We always incorporate a stretch for the hip flexor complex in hope to get better recruitment of the posterior musculature in the following activation drills.

"Squeeze glute, lean toward knee, Look at hand"

Wall V Stretch
This stretch is great to get a quality stretch of the adductors to really help open up the hips before a lower body session.

"Squeeze glutes, keep toes dorsi-flexed and pointed toward you"

After these stretches we get them set up in lines and give them a band for the specific band warm-up. These exercises are done in a controlled yet higher paced routine.

Straight Leg Lateral Walk x5 ea


"Legs straight, toes forward. Don't Sway"

Straight Leg Forward/Backward x5 ea


"Keep tension on band, don't lean forward"

Monster Walk Forward/Backward x5 ea


"Chest Up, Heel to toe, keep knees out"

Leg External Rotation x10


"Toes forward, Bring back slow, squeeze glutes to pull band!!"

Tall Marching x5 ea


"Stomach tight, Don't Bend at the waist, stay tall"

Dot Drill 4-6 movements 15-20 sec
Plyos
Movement Drills

One of the first comments I got from an athlete after doing this quick and simple routine was "Wow, My legs feel so...Free!" It is not uncommon to see the athletes moving their legs throughout the new found range of motion after activating many dormant muscles. Most of these movements are geared toward activation/strengthening of the glutes and psoas, essential muscles to help stabilize the athlete under loads during a lower body day.

As a promised earlier I have example videos and photos of the specific exercises we do in our Stick Routine. This is the the routine that takes place after our hurdle mobility prior to lower body days. Things to remember on day 1. Make sure you teach them proper position so that they know every time you cue them to get into position what it is. Use your resources to obtain the materials needed. We have PVC, Broomsticks, and cut up poll vaulting poles from the track team. Also use this time to take note of obvious movement patterns or stiff areas that may need attention too. If you notice that a majority of the athletes are having trouble keeping there heels down, maybe some extra ankle mobility work is needed and so forth. Also, if you are running a large group get an athlete with knowledgeable understanding of the drills to lead the counting and reps so that everyone is at the same pace.

ARM PLACEMENT: Place stick across head and place hands so that elbows are at a 90 degree angle. Press overhead with arms straight.



OH Squat w/ band around knees-2x15 sec hold in hole

(My Glutes Are Screaming Right Now!!)

T-Spine Rotations- 1x10 each

"Chest Out, Stomach/Glute tight, Knee Straight"

OH Squat w/ 1 sec pause in hole- X10

"Knees out, Arms straight, Spread floor w/ feet"

1 Legged Good Morning- X10

"Maintain neutral spine, Back leg straight"

OH Lunge W/ Alt Twist- X10 each

"Squeeze glute, knee straight, stomach tight"

Monster Walk- 5 Forward 5 Backward

"Big steps, Heel to Toe, Chest Out"

This is a stretch that we will perform on a box prior to this routine. It really frees up the hips and allows them to get into position much easier. We just set up plyo boxes for after the hurdle routine.

Lunge w/ Ext Rotation- 1x30sec each

"Stay tall, Back Leg Straight"

From here we go to ladder drills and then on to multi-directional speed drills. With the Hurdles, Stick Routine, and Movement Drills, it will take 12-15 minutes. We encourage our athletes to move through all the drills quickly yet under control. This routine does a great job at hitting the wide variety of movements, activation, and stretching that is required to get our athletes prepared for increased performances.