Move of the Week - Split Stance Quick Step Swing to Row - 8/15

There are so many reasons as to why we practice the split stance walk over and over again day after day. It's because this basic foundational move can be turned into these really complex but fun flows! These types of moves can translate into so many ways of how we move in our every day life even when they seem awkward. The split stance helps us make mind body connections by forcing us to make as many connections through our muscles as possible. It helps us to hold our posture better, become more mobile through our thoracic spine, and make connections in coordination even as simple as walking.

When we learn new sequences like this swing to row it is important to give ourselves grace and be willing to learn. Just like a baby learning to walk and talk, they must mess up, fall down, get back up, and try again and eventually they are connecting steps together and running. This is how you should treat new moves in the gym. Expect to make mistakes, to get frustrated and confused, but know they more you practice the better and easier it will become. The more mind body connections we make the easier time we have making these moves happen faster and more efficiently.

For this movement it is important for us to start in our best split stance, with strong foot work. We are in a walking stride stance and pulling the floor together with our feet, helping us to brace through our legs and make good connection to the floor.

We will set up with our dumbbell in a bicep curl on the same side as our back foot. Staying in our best posture we will swing out in a hinge using our glutes to drive us back while we push thorough our front heel to drive us up out of our hinge like a kettle bell swing. As our hand swings up and comes parallel with the ground we will hop switching our feet and pull the dumbbell into a row with a slight rotation at the same time. This will help us connect to our lat and core to help carry the weight and release any tension on our shoulders.

Quickly pop the dumbbell back out while hopping again to switch our feet in our split stance and returning back into our hinge swing to repeat the movement.

The quicker we are in our footwork and pulling thorough our lat the more we can make this a fun powerful move. The dumbbell should feel weightless in our hand and arm as it comes through the air following the momentum of our movement.

This is a great move to put more action in all of our split stance practice. Making a solid connection to the floor, elevating and focusing on our best posture, while swinging a dumbbell around. Remember each step can be broken down into a simple movement you are already familiar with.

8/15 - Split Stance Quick Step Swing to Row - Movement of the Week Explainer by Allison Hopkins

​Here's your checklist:
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1. Set up into your best split stance: focus on footwork, elevation, posture
2. Power comes from the glutes in the swing
3. The lat and oblique are pulling you into the row
4. Let the momentum carry you through
5. Trust yourself and your abilities! You've got this!