Schedule of CrossFit Athlete Journals:
Mondays – Ingrid Kantola
Wednesdays – Travis Holley
Sundays – Michael Winchester
Travis Holley – Athlete Journal 5/16/12
(Read Travis’s Bio here)
I recently posted a challenge on my site, strictlystrengthproject.com, designed to help lifters – at all levels – increase their strength numbers using a very simple tool, with minimal time investment, so I wanted to share it here on Breaking Muscle, too.
The Band Walk Challenge, as I outline in the video below, is extremely simple, but will have a huge impact on ALL of your lifts. In fact, I’ve already received word from one of my subscribers that after doing the lateral band walks as I prescribe before a lifting session, he was shocked to find how it “woke up” his posterior chain, and allowed him to PR his 3-rep max back squat by 40lbs!
This shit is potent! I’m telling you right now, if you take the challenge full on, I guarantee you will be BUSTIN’ through old PRs. Watch this video for my explanation of the movement, the technique, and the challenge details:
So, there it is! Pretty simple, right? Scooping up some of these bands and investing a little bit of time each day will definitely be worth it when you crush your old personal records.
To quickly review:
- Buy your bands
- The duration of the Band Walk Challenge is one month. Keep a workout log, detailing your lifts and progress during this time.
- Perform a minimum of 3 sets of 20 steps to the right and 20 steps back to the left EVERY DAY!
- Maintain an athletic position (quarter squat) with toes pointed in and knees driven out as you take your steps.
- Rest as needed, but you must maintain toes IN! This will target the glute medius, which will strengthen your hip stability – allowing you to perform lifts more efficiently and powerfully. Feel the BURN in the “back pocket” and enjoy!