Weighted Side Pancake Twist
The Weighted Side Pancake Twist is a great mobility drill to strengthen and stretch the oblique muscles. It is important that the athlete has already developed sufficient groin mobility. If not, go back to a bent hurdler variation.
- Type Of Exercise: Mobility
- Muscles: Hips, Hamstrings, Abdominals, Shoulders, Trapezius
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Equipment: Dumbbell, Yoga Block
Weighted Side Pancake Twist
- Start sitting upright in a seated straddle on the floor with straight knees.
- Extend a light weight overhead, shrug your shoulders to your ears, and lock your elbows.
- Leading with the weight, lean to your side over your left leg.
- Keep your torso facing forward and shoulders fully open (biceps behind your ears).
- Lower down until you feel a strong stretch in your right oblique.
- Stretch your torso long across your leg rather than hunching; try to get your bottom shoulder to your knee.
- Also be sure keep both glutes in contact with the floor throughout.
- Now twist your torso 90-degrees so that you are facing your left leg (not forward) and pause momentarily before twisting back to the side pancake position.
- Alternate between the side and face down pancake positions for reps.
- Stay low, extend long across your leg, and keep the weight fully extended throughout the set.
- Switch sides and perform an equal number of pancake twists over your right leg.
- Exercise: Weighted Side Pancake
- Type of Exercise: Flexibility
- Muscles: Hips, Hamstrings, Abdominals, Shoulders, Trapezius
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Equipment: Dumbbell, Yoga Block
- Exercise: Weighted Pancake Side to Side
- Type of Exercise: Mobility
- Muscles: Hips, Hamstrings, Abdominals, Shoulders, Trapezius
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Equipment: Dumbbell, Yoga Block
