Picture a long line of dominos, standing tall and carefully lined up, ready to fall once the first one is pushed. When you tip the first one over, the second falls, then the third, one by one, in order, until the chain of energy transfer ends with the final domino. ☝🏼➡️✌🏼➡️🤟🏼
Our physical movement patterns should follow a similar sequence of energy transfer.
When performing a golf swing 🏌🏾♂️ or throwing a ball ⛹🏻♀️, we generate power at our hips, then allow that energy to flow down our extremities to power the swing of the golf club or project the ball from our hand. Our hands and arms are not where that “oomph” is born. Whilst our arms might be strong, our legs and core are definitely stronger!
Energy should flow from large muscle groups to small muscle groups.
Unfortunately, this system is not foolproof. We can – and often do – perform our physical movements less efficiently, which both fails to properly transfer energy as well as compromises our form and can lead to injury.
On a thruster, if we start pushing the weight with our arms BEFORE our hips have opened, we are breaking the chain of energy transfer. Arms will carry too much of the load, and power generated from the hips is lost.
On a power clean, if we start pulling the weight with our arms BEFORE our hips have opened, we are breaking the chain of energy transfer. Arms will carry too much of the load, form is compromised, and power generated from the hips is lost.
☝🏼 Open your hips FIRST. Let your legs do the work!
✌🏼 THEN, your arms can push or pull to finish the movement.
The goal is to move as efficiently as possible. Moving efficiently means:
💥 More power
💪🏽 More strength
🤕 Less injuries
Who doesn’t want some of that?!?