Cross crawl exercises with Indian clubs
Open style club swinging with moderate weight clubs is known to improve upper body strength. I wondered if it was possible to extend the movements to exercise the rest of the body as well. I have found that combining cross crawl and Indian club movements results in exercises that are very beneficial to the obliques and intercostal muscles, and to a lesser extent, the abdominals, glutes, and leg muscles.
Cross crawl movements are movements like crawling, climbing, walking, skipping, marching and running where your opposite limbs move and work together in a coordinated manner. Indian clubs complement cross crawl movements very well. Indian clubs accentuate and reinforce the natural swinging motion of your arms when doing cross crawl exercises. Start off all exercises by swinging the clubs, and keeping the legs still. This is shown in the first two pictures illustrating each exercise. Once the clubs are swinging in a comfortable rhythm, gradually introduce the leg movement. Tip #1: To maintain your balance, look at the horizon or a distant fixed object. If you look at your feet or your arms or the clubs, you will feel less secure. Tip #2: Short and fast clubs work better than long and slow clubs. If the club is too slow, the legs will have completed their movement while the arms are halfway through theirs. Tip #3: The exercises can be made more intense by getting off your foot and up on to your toes. The momentum of small clubs helps you to maintain your balance. Big clubs have the opposite effect. If Buzz Lightyear had to see this, he would say, “That’s not swinging, that’s falling with style!” |
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