Windshield Wiper to Press Up

The Exercise:⠀ Windshield Wiper Press Up⠀

Most athletes spend a lot of time training and playing strictly within the sagittal plane, especially all the endurance athletes out there! Running and cycling are sagittal plane movements, and athletes log a lot of miles within this forward/backward plane. ⠀ ⠀ This can lead to overuse injuries and muscle imbalances. You might also notice particular patterns of tightness from placing so much repetitive volume on the body in isolated movement patterns. That’s why it’s important to spend our strength and conditioning training bringing the body back into balance for optimal function. ⠀ ⠀ Tight hips? Try incorporating this movement into your active dynamic warm-up or integrate it into your recovery days. Get the body moving in different planes and different patterns to keep your tissues mobile! Take this slowly and make sure you’re on a softer surface or wearing pants/leggings to add some cushion to the knees! ⠀ ⠀ For the setup: feet should be flexed to 90 degrees, knees flexed at 90 degrees, and feet places slightly outside shoulder-width. When one knee drops down, it should be right next to the foot of the opposite leg. Press up and make sure you achieve full hip extension, maintain a tall position!⠀

⠀ Start with 1-2 sets of 10 reps (5/side).⠀