![]() ![]() If you have tight hip flexors be sure that your low back is not excessively arched and your shoulders are not sitting behind your hips, If this is the case you are sitting in an anterior pelvic tilt (which is not ideal). Your thorax (rib region) should be stacked over your pelvis and your pelvis should be neutral.Take some time to set up your half kneeling position, especially if you have tight hip flexors.Due to the required thoracopelvic positioning, this exercise can help to improve hip flexor length (both rectus femoris and the psoas group) coupled with better activation of your core (if done properly). This exercise has all the benefits of a pullover plus the added bonus benefits the ½ kneeling stance has to offer. I like to prescribe 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps for this exercise and keep the weight light (under 15 pounds for most). Pause in your end position for 2-3 seconds (most people will feel a stretch in their lats here). Your back and ribs should stay flat against the floor and you should not feel any discomfort in your neck or shoulders (limit range accordingly if you are).Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell straight above your body, inhale through your nose, take a deep breath in, exhale and simultaneously reach your arms back overhead as far as you can without losing form.This is the easiest variation to learn and will teach you how to keep your ribs sets (read this if you don’t know how to keep your ribs set) while reaching your arms overhead. Here are three variations that I like – listed in a suggested sequence of progression. Pullovers also help to target and strengthen that muscle, which is an essential stabilizer of your scapulae. After around 130 degrees of shoulder flexion your serratus anterior becomes more active. Pullovers also allow for an eccentric contraction of your lats while they are in a lengthened position so many will also experience an improvement in their lat length and ability to reach their arms overhead (aka shoulder flexion). When done correctly, pullovers require you to maintain a strong set of your ribcage – which helps to strengthen your diaphragm and internal obliques, and makes for a great anti-extension core exercise.
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