Single Leg Cross-Over Reach
By Charles Dao
Charles Dao of Evolution Fitness Elite Sports Science is a part of one of the most progressive training centers in the country. He partnered with John Louch and Matt Neel to create a training facility that could cater specifically to athletes (more specifically, action-sports athletes). With riders such as Josh Hill, Jay Marmont, Josh Hansen, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, and Ronnie Faisst already on the list of professional motorcycle riders who train there, Evolution Fitness in Murietta, California, is quickly becoming the premier facility to train in Southern California’s motocross hotbed.
In a regular addition to Racer X’s Virtual Trainer, Charles will break down exercises in sequence to show some of the things he is doing with the stars of the sport. These are all things that can be done in most gyms and will improve your fitness dramatically. So far we have covered the
Jab-and-Pull
, the
Walking-Lunge-with-Rotation
,
the Stationary Rows on Bosu Ball
, and the
Medicine Ball Hip Toss on Stationary Bike
. This month's
featured exercise is the Single Leg Cross-Over Reach.
|
The exercise that we are executing today is called the single leg cross-over reach. The purpose behind this movement is to work on your single leg dominance as well as your proprioceptiveness, or balance. You start off with a dumbbell in your right hand and point that hand towards the ceiling as high as you can [1]. Your opposite hand is going to be pointed at the ground. Since you have your right hand up, you will hold your right leg up and plant on your left leg. Start off with your shoulders back and your chest up and go into a squat; bend at the knee and stick your butt out [2]. Make sure you’re not breaking at the hips. With your right hand you are going to cross the opposite side of the leg until you touch the ground [3]. As you come back up, press through your heel and tighten your glutes [4]. Retract until you are pointing at the ceiling again [5]. Be sure to focus on tightening everything on your posterior side; your hamstrings, quads, butt and back as you retract.
You obviously want to switch and do the opposite side the same way. Two to three sets is preferable with an average of 15-20 reps. A ten to fifteen pound dumbbell is the most weight you want to use.
To increase difficulty you can create an unstable environment by standing on either a Dyno disk, a foam pad or a Bosu ball. It will really work on your balance but it is a more advanced exercise that way.
That's it for now. Until next time, good luck with your training and, as always, VT can be reached anytime at
crytset@comcast.net
. In addition, be sure and check out the Racer X Virtual Trainer
archive section
, your complete one-stop information zone for motocross fitness.
