This is Your Quick Training Tip, a chance to learn how to work smarter in just a few moments so you can get right to your workout.
When you think about the exercises you do in your workouts, most of them can be categorized into a handful of actions: hinge, squat, lunge, push, pull, and carry. Those are the “essential six” movement patterns performed in training and everyday life. The “cross crawl” is another important one, and if you have the bear crawl in your routine, you’re already on top of it. There’s one more movement pattern that few people practice intentionally, but which is fundamental to many athletic skills, including running and jumping (not to mention Olympic lifting): the triple extension.
“Triple extension” might sound like a complicated gymnastics maneuver, but the mechanics of it are quite simple. The term refers to the simultaneous extension (i.e., opening) of three lower body joints: the hips, knees, and ankles.
Whenever you push off the ground powerfully enough for at least your heels to leave terra firma, you triple extend. That includes such actions as running, sprinting, and jumping, as well as explosive moves such as the dumbbell snatch and Olympic lifts such as the clean and jerk. Indeed, the acts of accelerating forward and exploding upward depend entirely on this key movement pattern, which is why including exercises that feature it in your training program can help you become more powerful both in the gym and beyond.
Men’s Health
Your move: If your weekly routine isn’t already infused with plyometric exercises—especially those that focus on the lower body—make that change to include more of the moves. But also make a point to include Olympic lifts and other explosive barbell movements such as the snatch and the power clean into your workouts.
If you’re nervous about heaving a barbell overhead, don’t sweat it—there are plenty of modifications you can do to build up the necessary explosiveness and technical know-how. And as you do, you’ll notice that the strength and power you develop pays dividends in just about every other exercise you perform.
Trevor Thieme C.S.C.S.
Trevor Thieme is a Los Angeles-based writer and strength coach, and a former fitness editor at Men’s Health.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io