Hawaii From Home: Strength Workout #1
Kick off your strength work with this mobility-focused workout from Erin Carson.
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No balanced triathlon program is complete without some strength and conditioning work and preparing for the Hawaii From Home virtual triathlon is no exception.
This workout, which you can follow demonstrations of in this short 50-second video here (see trailer), is a very short and straightforward session that will help get your body primed and moving well for all the miles ahead of you as you prepare to take on a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and marathon run over the week of Oct. 5 – Oct. 11.
The session should take no more than 15 minutes (so absolutely no excuses!) and is designed to help tissue release, mobility, and activation. It will help enhance movement in multiple planes of movement and activate essential muscles so your training begins to feel easier. You will need a foam roller. By taking time to do a session like this before your workout you may find the session is just a little easier to complete. It will also set you up to recover better by ensuring optimal movement patterns and decreasing tightness from prior training sessions. It’s a great go-to workout to do first thing in the morning.
Hawaii From Home: Strength Workout #1
Foam Roller
- Lower Leg – each side 20 sec.
- Hips – each side 2 x 20 sec.
- T-Spine (upper back) – move three times up/down the spine, 1-2 inches at a time
Half Kneeling Hip Openers
(first exercise shown in video)
- Half Kneeling Decompression Breathing – 2 x 5 BIG breaths on each knee
- Half Kneeling Hip Opener #1 – 2 x 20 sec. (one set on each knee)
- Half Kneeling Hip Opener #2 with rotation – 2 x 10 reps each side
Matrix Lunge Series (second exercise shown in video at 0:19)
- Lateral Step – 2 x 20 sec. Each side
- Transverse Step – 2 x 20 sec. Each side
High Plank Slow Mountain Climbers (third exercise shown in video at 0:29)
5 reps each side
Glute Activation
Double Leg Bridges with Foam Roller – 6 strong reps to activate glutes
Erin Carson is a strength and conditioning coach with more than 30 years experience in the field. She is head coach for ECFIT and provides strength training programs for endurance athletes of all ages and abilities.