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In welcomed news, Australia is easing its restrictions allowing us to get moving outside, and we have the best quick-fire workout to get you back in momentum. In a new series, we’ve brought on a collective of powerhouse experts to bring the burn to your very own home. Limited if not, zero equipment required – and if you’re following on from overseas, you can complete these from your lounge room.
I know I am definitely not alone in saying, I MISS SPORT. It has certainly been a challenge training and working out at home, as I am preparing for Olympic selection for next year and hopefully for the upcoming WNBA season. But it is so important for all of us, no matter what your sport, to make sure we are staying active and looking after our bodies. It is not only beneficial for our physical health, but for our mental health too!
Spending more time at home, I’ve been mixing up my basketball specific routines with other workouts to spice things up and to keep me motivated so I’m in top shape for upcoming competitions. One type of workout I have been focusing on while staying home is activation. I typically get my activation workouts in first thing when I wake up in the mornings and I use them to warm up before any intense training.
We all know it’s important to stretch before a workout, but activation is also important particularly for injury prevention. This session is one of my favourites to start the day and focuses on activating the fundamental muscles used for most of our major motions. It should take you around 15-20 minutes. The major areas of focus are glutes and core, while also incorporating stretching to warm up the muscles. Follow along with the below video for my top tips for each movement.
I often complement this warm up with more intense training sessions on the Nike Training Club (NTC) app, which has over 185 free Nike Master Trainer workouts for all levels and goals! And if you enjoy this workout, definitely try the Activation Station training on NTC to get yourself fired up before your next training session.
Activation Workout With Alanna Smith
Stretches:
Hold each movement for 30 seconds:
– Kneeling quadriceps stretch
– Pigeon stretch or figure four
– Kneeling adductor stretch
First set (1x round):
– X10 cat cow
– X10 bird dog
– X10 glute squeeze lift
Second set (2x rounds):
– 20 sec shoulder squeeze or back plank
– 20 sec plank
– X10 hip lift
For more from Alanna, visit her Instagram here. And download the Nike Training Club app here.
For runners, check out Nike Head Running Coach, Lydia O’Donnell’s home workout here.
Tile image: Donald Page/Getty Images
