Move of the Week - Lateral Step Lunge to Lateral Step Slam - 7/25

The Lateral Step Lunge to Lateral Step Slam is one of those moves that looks so complicated at first glance, but in reality you have broken these moves down in the gym already.

This week we are going to be putting the emphasis on the core and how we are moving through our thoracic spine. The thoracic spine is the mid back area where we get most of our mobility through the spine allowing us to bend, twist, and flex back and forth. Without this piece of mobility we are more likely to hurt our lower back, and lose range of motion throughout our whole body. This impacts everything from how we sit and stand, our overall posture, and how we walk and move in everyday life.
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A big part of this movement is one that you already know! The lateral step ball slam is one that we've worked on in the gym a lot. As you already know through your practice, in this movement the emphasis is creating length through your lats as you raise the ball over head, and contracting through your oblique as you slam the ball to the floor. In this movement we will add on to this familiar movement by putting our focus on using our core muscles to pull us into the lateral step and into the thoracic rotation over the front leg of our lunge before returning to our starting position through a 2nd lateral step and the all too familiar slam.

Breaking this move down into steps will be important for understanding the full sequence and what is happening in our body and where. Remember that all of these moves are foundational moves that you have worked on before and we will be working on adding them all together. Its a great full body exercise that also gives your brain and body a great workout.

Keys to Success:

1. Set up on your split stance lunge first (hardest part: the set up, being mindful of your foot position)
2. Focus on your core being the main mover
3. Take it slow and remember to break it down
4. Trust yourself and where your body wants to go
5. Have fun!