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Many people think of the bench press as an upper body exercise, but the legs play a huge role when trying to increase power output. To access that power you need to have the appropriate mobility to reach into those positions that allow you to generate tension and strength. This lack of mobility was brought to my attention this week and I`m here to share just a couple of my initial movements I am doing to improve.

1. Soft tissue works for the TFL. The TFL is a muscle that flexes and internally rotates the hip. When this muscle gets tight it makes it more difficult to extend and slightly externally rotate the hip which we need to do on the bench press. Just a few minutes the move around using a lacrosse ball.

2. The couch stretch on the wall. Now my opposite knee is on the floor because I lack mobility through my rectus femoris. Later in the clip I move the foot forward which increases the tension of the stretch. Remember to keep the glute active to maintain as much hip extension as possible.

3. Anterior hip mobilization with monster band. Once again try to keep the glute engaged. I play around with position here moving out to the side to work my right hip into extension and abduction. I even throw in a little external rotation at the end to get some end ranges.

4. Finally after these movements I get on the bench and work at getting into the target position. I`m using my hands on the rack to brace myself for when I push into the floor. Here I`m thinking about trying to drive my knees out, squeeze my glutes, and push up the bench hard for a few seconds before relaxing. The goal is to get as deep into the combination of extension, abduction, and ER as possible with my hips.

There will be more added in my program over the coming weeks and these are only a sample of some different options. Hip extension is important in many physical activities and even for our daily lives. Always assess your deficits and work on them regularly! Let us know if you have any questions!

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Lifting weights is more important than many people think! Many times we think of resistance training as being something you only do if you want to be strong or muscular. While that is never going to be a bad thing, lifting weights has many other benefits! One of the biggest being a reduction in ALL CAUSE MORTALITY! To put it simply, resistance training reduces the risk of dying. This includes cancer and diabetes.

You also do not need to go to the gym everyday for hours at a time. Lifting for as little as 60 minutes a week can show great improvement. That means two 30 minute sessions hitting all of the major muscle groups per week. If you don`t know where to start, physical therapy can be a great place to help you get going!

Reference:
Sawan SA, Nunes EA, Lim C, McKendry J, Phillips SM. The health benefits of resistance exercise: beyond hypertrophy and big weights. Exercise Sport Mov. 2023;1(1).

🏷️ #neilkingpt #neilkingclarkston #physicaltherapy #PT #rehab #lifting #weights #strengthtraining