You can do it put your back into it...butt like literally though!
How to:
1. From back to basics, lift hips
2. Press ground away and anchor shoulders
3. Sink hands and feet into ground
4. Circular breathing
Don't do:
1. Arch lower back and drop tailbone
2. Press ground into neck and clench
3. Lock elbows and tighten breath
4. Shallow effort in the hind end
Our glutes have the power to keep us strong and support symmetrical mobility. This is the pose we will remain stabilized as we lift from our core with our legs. Our legs work to press up and lower down with control, which activates the muscles in the glute and hips. Using our hips to lift away from our feet, not just lifting from the knees or ankles, we test the strength and mobility of the back of our legs and glutes. This active pose causes our core to remain awake and aware during the repetitions of our leg coming up and down. This exercise requires a lot of coordination along with a good isolation for 'hind end' strength. The more we practice it, the more stabilized our pelvis and lower back will be, which is what we use in the saddle the most.
Ride and Apply:
When we ride, leg activation and isolation is so important. The more we can articulate control from the top of our hips to the bottom of our pinky toe, the better and more clear our cues will be. This allows our body to have a heightened awareness of working from the inside out as well. Sometimes when we correct a movement in a horse, or try to set him up in a frame, we can jerk him around with out intentionally meaning to. But if we are able to sit stable, balanced and wait as we ask in cue, with a little pressure climbing to a more concentrated pressure, we are giving the horse more opportunity to respond with his dignity still intact. We never want to wrestle a horse into a frame, or aggressively correct a wrong move because it disintegrates his trust in us and makes him confused.
Try it:
If you have a mirror to do this near, to evaluate that your lower back does not retaliate against you. It seems like this exercise is a bit silly and almost easy, but if you are doing it right it should burn the buns. The stronger our hind end, the less likely it will be that our pelvis is unsupported and torquing our lower back. Make sure that your pelvic bone, belly button, and xyphoid process are in a straight line, working as a team. You can do 10 lifts, or pretend to be pulling on a very stubborn pair of wranglers. Do one leg at a time, and hold for about 10 seconds and see if you can feel the glute activating. Then go back to doing 10 more lifts with both feet on the ground. This might also be a good opportunity to take tape to the tummy to see where your alignment is at.
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