Outrun a hippo? Seriously?
When you think hippo, you probably think the huge, gray mammal that seems to slowly put one gigantic foot in front of the other meandering over to its next meal. Oh no, no, no, my friend… Hippos can move, and they can move really fast when they really want to! You can probably easily pass a tortoise, but perhaps outrunning a cheetah is currently out of reach. So let's set our sights on the hippo! While you are working through your injury, keep that in the back of your mind.
So… what's it gonna take for you to be able to outrun a hippo? You've been with us long enough to know that we are all about FULL-BODY FITNESS. We don't take a day and concentrate solely on a single body part… there's no "leg day" at our gym. Similarly, although you might equate running with working your legs, we know that the best runners develop their core and upper bodies as well as their legs.
In fact, that's precisely what we want you to concentrate on: your legs, your core, and your upper body (essentially your entire body). We've made it easy for you by coming up with a few things you can do almost every day to make sure that you're feeling ripped and ready to bounce back from that injury! (If your injury prevents you from doing one or more of these exercises, skip them and do the ones that you can accomplish safely.)
Leg Power - Lunge and Squat
Let's start with working out the foundation of every compound movement - legs. Without strongly developed legs, all other movements suffer!
Lunge
One of the greatest movements that we can do to help prevent injury is the lunge. We love it because the lunge helps us build strength in a uniform fashion and work to identify any weaknesses we may have. While you may have completed the lunge many times, let's take a few moments to review the makings of the PERFECT lunge. To execute a picture perfect lunge, make sure that your knee does not drift in front of your toe and make sure your knees are at 90-degree angles when you are in the bottom position. Simple!
Squat
In our box, you've probably done thousands of squats: front squats, back squats, air squats, a squat here, a squat there! While at home, you'll probably have to stick with the air squat. Remember that as you descend into your squat, you'll want to push your hips back first, and keep three points of contact in your foot (big toe, little toe, and heel). A little too easy for you? Try pausing in the bottom for 3-5 seconds, then exploding upwards!
Tight Core - Plank and Superman
The core of our bodies can often be overlooked when training, but remember that without a strong core, your arms and legs can never reach their full potential! Your coaches have probably recited over and over again, "Squeeze your butt and tighten your abs!" Guess what? There's a reason for that!
Plank
The plank hold will certainly work to strengthen those abdominal muscles. In the push-up position, focus on maintaining a straight line from your shoulders to your heels. Give yourself a goal time (30, 60, 90 seconds) and work to keep the position until your time is up! If you get tired of your long hold, think about those stampeding hippos!
Superman
If you work one side of your body, you've got to work the opposite side as well! While the plank works on your stomach muscles, the superman will work on your back muscles. While lying on your stomach, raise your chest and thighs off the ground and pause in this "flying" position. Be sure not to flop, which occurs when athletes fling their arms and legs into the air and let them fall back down. Your Superman should be a controlled movement!
Beach Body - Push-Up and Inverted Row
Who doesn't want a beach body? Even with an injury, we still want to look good! Of course, our arms and backs do a lot of pushing and pulling, and therefore it is in our best interest to build a rock solid foundation for these parts of our bodies!
Push-Up
The push-up is very similar to the plank hold. Again, you need to make sure your body is keeping a straight line - no flopping around like a seal! Your butt and hips should not be any higher or any lower than your shoulders. If you need to make the push-up more difficult, try moving your hands closer together or completing hand-release push-ups, which relieves the tension in the bottom of the push-up.
Inverted Row
Out of all of these movements, the inverted row might be the most difficult to set up at home, but put your thinking cap on and figure out a bar that will be steady. The inverted row is just the opposite of the push-up, so instead of pushing, you're pulling yourself up in the same type of movement. Be careful with this one - look at your set-up and think about the worst-case scenario - we don't need you injured any more than you already are!
If you're on board with these movements, check out this WOD and see what you can do!
"The Hippo WOD"
3 Rounds:
Air Squat - 1x10
Lunge - 1x10
Plank - 1x30 Seconds
Superman - 1x10
Push-Up - 1x10
Inverted Row - 1x10
Keep up with your training, and soon you'll be completely recovered from your injury AND you'll be able to outrun a hippo!
Let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to having you back with us!
