I find it rather funny, unfortunate even, that people don't seem to focus on rotation when they plan their workouts. Whether it's a YouTube workout my daughter is following online, a boot camp class I take with my husband, or even some TikTokker demoing a workout, I almost never see rotation incorporated. WHY?!
We need a good range of motion and rotation for almost every part of our bodies to function well.
Neck ✅
Shoulders ✅
Hips ✅
Ankles ✅
Not only that, but pretty much every movement we need to get through the day requires us to rotate effectively:
Check a blind spot ✅
Grab something from overhead ✅
Pick up a child ✅
Walk ✅
If you've already picked up your copy of Own Your Wellness, you know that rotation is one of the four key elements of your strength training. In fact, I try to build most of my workouts to include a push, rotation, isometric, and pull. Stringing 4 exercises that fit into those categories together into a circuit will give you a great workout every time.
But no workout is complete without some rotation
Two of my favorite rotational exercises are variations of a chopping movement and a lower body twist.
Woodchop
What I love about this movement is that we are getting rotation in all your joints from the ground up: the ankles, hips, and shoulders!
Core Twist
Here, the shoulders stay stationary, and the core stabilizes the legs, rotating to the side.
If you'd like to see some examples of workouts I've put together using all 4 basic movements, make sure to find the hidden URL in OWN YOUR WELLNESS. (Hint: it's on the bottom of page 145). There are also some fun examples in this recent news interview I did with David Lam at NTD News.
If you need help finding ways to incorporate some rotational movement into your routine, you know where to find me!
Yours in health,
DD
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