Mobility Exercise of the Week: Prisoner Lunge Walk with Pec Stretch
Written on August 21, 2013 at 3:31 pm, by Eric Cressey
Those of you who have followed along with my "Exercise of the Week" series probably can tell by now that I'm a fan of "big bang for your buck" exercises. This isn't just limited to multi-joint strength exercises like deadlifts, bench presses, lunges, squats, overhead presses, chin-ups, and rows, though. Rather, it can also apply to mobility exercises because – let's face it – single-joint warm-ups are boring and take too long. Here's one mobility warm-up drill we'll use to improve thoracic mobility and pec length while opening up the hips. Simultaneously, you're training the anterior core to resist excessive lumbar extension (arching at the lower back).
For the throwers out there reading this post, be sure to avoid really cranking those elbows back; chances are you already have plenty of range-of-motion. Just focus more on resisting the excessive arching of the lumbar spine.
Looking for more great mobility drills like this? Check out Assess and Correct: Breaking Barriers to Unlock Performance.
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August 21st, 2013 at 6:44 pm
Love it. will use this from now on.
August 21st, 2013 at 7:09 pm
Thanks Eric,
Wonderful as always
August 22nd, 2013 at 12:38 am
Mean just what I need right now, shot bro
August 22nd, 2013 at 4:28 am
This is an exercise I can definitely use with all of my clients! Thanks for the video!
August 23rd, 2013 at 1:28 pm
EC,
Great way to address posture while performing lunges/squats. Thoughts on using an overhead dowel during lunges to address more thoracic mobility on this exercise, provided anterior core is engaged and pelvic neutral is preserved?
SG
August 23rd, 2013 at 6:48 pm
Scott,
Definitely another great option!
August 24th, 2013 at 11:19 am
Good stuff, as always (even for those of us who hung up our glove 30 years ago). I’ve been working through some extreme deficit issues in my upper left traps (so bad it’s impinged the nerve bundle and caused numbness all the way to may hands). Exercises like this leave no doubt when you’ve got yourself knotted up pretty bad. Cheers.
March 23rd, 2016 at 9:23 am
Agreed!