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Go Sideline-to-Sideline in Less Time by Improving Lateral Quickness

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Go Sideline-to-Sideline in Less Time by Improving Lateral Quickness “Lateral quickness” sounds like a skill that’s exclusive to professional athletes. After all, most of us mere mortals are just trying to balance a healthy mix of cardio, strength training, and mobility work. Who has the time for specialized training? But, athlete or not, lateral quickness is relevant to your ability to move efficiently, and it’s not all that difficult or time-consuming to incorporate lateral quickness exercises into your current routine. Plus, isn’t it kind of fun to work out like a pro? What Is Lateral Quickness? Lateral quickness is the ability to move your body from side to side quickly. It’s less about speed — accelerating in one direction — and more about being able to move left to right and rapidly change directions while maintaining balance and control of your body. Why Is Lateral Quickness Important? It improves sports performance Depending on the sport, lateral quickness can mean the difference between a win or a loss. “Many sports require athletes to change direction quickly in a side-to-side manner. This could be a shortstop fielding a ground ball hit up the middle, a running back avoiding a linebacker who is trying to make a tackle, or a tennis player moving to the opposite sideline to return a shot,” explains Dr. Jordan Duncan, DC, owner of Silverdale Sport & Spine in Silverdale, Washington. It’s an often-neglected movement pattern Beyond the court or playing field, lateral quickness can also have an impact on how you move in your everyday life. “You don’t have to play a sport. Avoiding someone on a sidewalk, navigating a busy concourse at the airport — we need to be able to have that ability to step to the side to get out of the way,” says Pete McCall, C.S.C.S., master trainer and host of the All About Fitness podcast. Yet, side-to-side movement is often absent from a typical fitness routine. Common physical activities like running, cycling, rowing, and even biceps curls all occur along the sagittal plane (moving the body in a forward and backward motion). This training deficit can make us vulnerable, explains Duncan. “We are often injured in areas where we lack strength, coordination, and mobility,” he says. “Many of us are able to walk and run pretty well but struggle when moving side-to-side. Training with movements in the lateral plane, even progressing to quick movements, can be beneficial for muscle and joint health, as well as overall conditioning.” 5 Exercises to Improve Lateral Quickness To improve lateral quickness, you must train in a side-to-side movement pattern. Both Duncan and McCall recommend a combination of speed drills and plyometric training. “By doing this, you will strengthen type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers and enhance the efficiency of the nervous system,” Duncan says. “This will lead to better speed and force of lower extremity muscle contraction, resulting in improved lateral quickness.” Lateral quickness isn’t the only benefit to doing these movements. Incorporating speed drills into your routine is an excellent way to shake up your cardio workouts, and exercises like skater jumps and banded lateral walks will strengthen the muscles of the glutes, hips, and legs. 1. Lateral shuffle Set up a pair of cones 5 to 10 yards apart. Alternatively, pick fixed markers, like telephone poles or lamp posts. Stand inside the left cone with your feet hip-width apart, your elbows bent, and hands in front of your chest. Keeping your back flat and abs engaged, bend your knees, push your hips back, and lower your body into a quarter-squat. Keeping your chest lifted, quickly step your right foot to the right, push off with the left foot, and then return to your original stance (feet hip-width apart). Repeat the movement, shuffling to the right until you reach the other cone. Immediately reverse the movement and shuffle back to the first cone. 2. Lateral band walk Loop a small resistance band around your legs just above your ankles or knees and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, creating tension on the band. Keeping your back flat and abs engaged, bend your knees, push your hips back, and lower your body into a quarter-squat, shifting your weight toward your heels. Maintain the squat and tension on the band as you step your right foot to the right, followed by the left foot. Continue to sidestep to the right for the specified number of steps, then reverse the movement and return to the starting position. 3. Side jump over mini hurdle With your feet together, stand next to a mini hurdle or an object of similar size. Jump sideways over the hurdle, then immediately jump back to the starting position. Continue to jump back and forth over the hurdle, spending as little time on the ground as possible. 4. Skater jump From a standing position, shift your weight onto your left leg, bending your left knee to lower your hips a few inches while raising your right foot off the ground. Bound to your right by pushing off with your left leg. Land softly on your right leg, allowing your left leg to cross behind you and your arms to swing across your body in the same direction. Pause, and then repeat the movement, this time pushing off with your right leg and landing on your left leg. Continue jumping back and forth. 5. Jumping rope, skier variation Hold the rope with your elbows bent, palms facing up, and wrists roughly at waist height. Your wrists should be a few inches away from the sides of your body. Start with the rope behind your heels, and spin the rope up and over your head. (Once you’ve built up momentum, you should be able to continue spinning the rope by moving your wrists with minimal elbow and shoulder movement.) Keep a slight bend in your knees, stay on your toes, and jump a couple of inches off the ground and to the right. On the next swing, jump to the left. Continue alternating sides with

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9 Bench Ab Exercises That Will Light Up Your Core

9 Bench Ab Exercises That Will Light Up Your Core Weight benches are good for more than just chest presses and seated biceps curls. If you want to add some spice to your go-to abs circuit or (literally) elevate your at-home core routine, try a bench ab workout. Brett Durney, a certified personal trainer and co-founder of Fitness Lab, explains that utilizing a bench during a core workout offers a variety of benefits. “By using a bench, you get a good level of stability and can, therefore, focus on using load to build strength,” he says. “You don’t have to spend time and energy focusing on balance and stability.” Working out on an elevated surface also opens you up to a broader range of motion. If your bench is adjustable, you can increase the intensity of some exercises by setting the bench at an angle. “For example, declined bench abdominal crunches are an excellent exercise,” Durney says. Ready to build your own bench ab workout? Check out the list of core exercises below to discover the best moves for you. 1. Reverse Crunch Lie face-up on a flat bench with your feet lifted and knees bent 90 degrees. (Your thighs should be perpendicular to the bench, your shins parallel.) Lift your arms overhead and grip the underside of the bench. Keeping your neck neutral and upper body anchored to the bench, contract your abdominal muscles to bring your knees to your chest. Slowly return to the starting position. 2. Iron Cross Crunch Lie face-up on a flat bench with your knees bent and your feet hip-distance apart on the bench. Extend your arms out to the sides. This is the starting position. Keeping your lower back pressed into the bench, contract your abdominal muscles to lift your shoulders and upper back off the bench, and bring your ribs closer to your hips. Squeeze your abs at the top of the movement, and then return to the starting position. 3. Copenhagen Side Plank Lie on the ground on your side, perpendicular to a flat bench with your feet facing the bench. Place the inner side of your top foot on top of the bench and lift up into a side forearm plank: forearm on the floor, shoulder stacked over elbow, and hips lifted so your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Lift your bottom leg so it hovers above the ground. To modify, allow the bottom foot to rest on the ground. Hold for the specified amount of time, then repeat the exercise on the opposite side. 4. Decline Mountain Climber Place your hands on the ground and the balls of your feet on top of a flat bench and assume a push-up position: feet together, core braced, body straight from head to heels, hands in line with and slightly wider than your shoulders. Lift your right foot off the bench and draw your right knee to your chest, keeping your back flat, your butt down, and the rest of your body stationary. Return your right foot to the starting position, and immediately repeat with the opposite leg. Continue alternating legs, performing equal reps on both sides. 5. Jackknife Sit sideways on a flat bench. Place your hands behind your hips and grab the underside of the bench for support. Maintaining a neutral spine, lean back and extend your legs in front of you, lifting them off the ground. Contract your abdominal muscles to simultaneously draw your chest and knees up and together, creating a V shape with your torso and legs. (To increase the difficulty level, keep your legs straight.) Pause, then lean back as you lower and extend your legs in front of you. 6. Leg Raise Lie face-up on a flat bench and allow your legs to hang off the front of the bench. Grip the sides of the bench with your hands for support. Draw your legs together and lift them to bench level. This is the starting position. Keeping your legs straight and back pressed against the bench, contract your abdominal muscles to lift your legs so that they’re perpendicular to the bench. With control, lower your legs to the starting position. 7. Weighted Straight-Leg Crunch Lie face-up on a flat bench with your legs straight, and your arms extended overhead, holding a dumbbell, medicine ball or weight plate with both hands. This is the starting position. Keeping your lower back pressed into the bench, engage your abs to bring your legs and arms straight toward the ceiling, lifting your shoulders and upper back slightly off the bench. Slowly lower your arms and legs to return to the starting position. 8. Flutter Kicks Sit on the end of a flat bench and, maintaining a neutral spine, lean back. Grab the edges of the bench with both hands for support. Contract your abdominal muscles and lift both legs to bench level. Keep both legs straight as you alternately lift each foot in a fluttering motion. Complete an equal number of reps with each leg. 9. Bicycle Crunch Lie face-up on a bench with your feet flat on the bench. Place your fingertips behind your head and lift your shoulder blades off the bench with your elbows pointed outward. This is the starting position. Maintaining a neutral neck, bring your left knee toward your chest, and rotate your torso to bring your right elbow toward your left knee as you straighten your right leg. Reverse the motion by rotating your torso to the right and drawing your right knee toward your chest and your left elbow toward your right knee, as you straighten your left leg. Continue alternating sides, performing equal reps on each. The post 9 Bench Ab Exercises That Will Light Up Your Core appeared first on BODi. Weight benches are good for more than just chest presses and seated biceps curls. If you want to add some spice to your go-to abs circuit or (literally) elevate your at-home core routine, try a bench ab workout. Brett