Proper Performance Of Mn/pe1>Im (Stiff Leg Windmill)

Hi all,

Can anyone supply a few technical pointers on correct performance of this mobility exercise?

Should the arms be in line?

What is an acceptable depth for purposes of mastery?

Which leg should the bias of the stretch be felt in?

Many thanks,

George.

Your hips are key to this movement. Do not think of starting it as a bend. Push your hip on the weight side and let that start directing the movement. You should be able to get the finger of the down hand to touch the floor. The stretch itself can be felt in various places depending on the individual. I will say that you should NOT feel it in the lower back along your spinal erectors. If you do then it's wrong.

Hi Nic,

Thanks for the response - sounds like I pretty much got it correct.

Is a great mobility exercise for dealing with assymmetry - right leg and left shoulder are the limiting factors for me. Fingers to floor is a good tip, and more realistic for me than reaching through/behind as per the video!

Cheers,

George.

Any guidance on the appropriate amount of weight to use? Since this is mobility I am thinking a modest weight and one that I would not just be able to the prescribed number of reps limited by strength, but rather could do more reps than prescribed if desired.

Any help is appreciated.

Cheers

Ted

Edit: never mind, I found my answer already posted (confused myself with the new nomenclature.

Nic Branson said:

Your hips are key to this movement. Do not think of starting it as a bend. Push your hip on the weight side and let that start directing the movement. You should be able to get the finger of the down hand to touch the floor. The stretch itself can be felt in various places depending on the individual. I will say that you should NOT feel it in the lower back along your spinal erectors. If you do then it's wrong.

Are you not supposed to feel anything at all in the back? I feel it a little on the side off my back and I'm having an hard time getting the stretch in the legs. Sometimes I feel in my hamstrings, other times in the calves, but mostly in my back. 

It should not be in the erectors, as in the along your spine. There could be tension along your sides which is ok. If you feel it along your spine then control your range of motion and really focus on the hips to begin the movement and your glutes to get back up. Don't let your glutes and hamstrings be lazy during these. Really push the hip out to start.

gohei:

Sounds like obliques and quadratus lumborum, which is normal and to be expected. As the weights get heavier, you'll be working everywhere, but, like Nic said, you should not have any particular pressure on the spinal column itself, particularly in the lumbar region. If you do, it means you're bending in the spine, which is not how this is done. The spine is meant to stay very straight during windmills.

I love these movements as my oblique/lateral hip flexibility is HORRIBLE. I can barely reach my hand to my ankle... but I can steadily feel the ROM getting slighter better with each workout day. For a long while I wondered if I was just doing them wrong but Nic's description made me realize it's just my horrible flexiblity lol. Thank you for that.

JamesP said:

... For a long while I wondered if I was just doing them wrong but Nic's description made me realize it's just my horrible flexiblity lol ...

Hopefully more and more people will come to realize and accept that this is their own personal situation as well.  Which of course is the first step towards doing something about it.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Nic Branson said:

It should not be in the erectors, as in the along your spine. There could be tension along your sides which is ok. If you feel it along your spine then control your range of motion and really focus on the hips to begin the movement and your glutes to get back up. Don't let your glutes and hamstrings be lazy during these. Really push the hip out to start.

It's not in my spine thankfully and yes I am really pushing my hips out and keeping my back as straight as possible.

Joshua Naterman said:

gohei:

 

Sounds like obliques and quadratus lumborum, which is normal and to be expected. As the weights get heavier, you'll be working everywhere, but, like Nic said, you should not have any particular pressure on the spinal column itself, particularly in the lumbar region. If you do, it means you're bending in the spine, which is not how this is done. The spine is meant to stay very straight during windmills.

I looked it up and I think you may be right. Good to know it's nothing bad, I'll just have to keep on trucking, maybe try heavier weights and see what happens.

Thanks for the help both Nic and Joshua.

Don't up the weight. If you cannot do it with light weight using a heavier weight to basically force the movement is not the answer. Be patient with it. Give it some time.

Got it!