Monkey Pickers - a hanging compound movement

Ok here's goes a move that's as fun as it can be challenging.

Inspired by my daily walks through the zoo here in Hong Kong where I get to see the large numbers of buff-cheeked Gibbons moving with a grace that we humans rarely achieve. Primates will hang from a tree or a branch and reach down and pick up something off the floor to inspect it or pass it on to another member of their tribe in a way that I thought... really they're pulling off an inverted compound movement. Only they do it because they're hardwired to do it and thus they do it instinctually. We humans however need to work a bit harder to achieve anything near the same level of gracefulness and agility.

So... despite the difference in anatomy and musculature between us and our simian cousins... the result is today's movement. Monkey Pickers. Challenging core strength and grip strength. Continuous movement and conscious breathing are a big part of these drills. So important to work on every component of the moves to achieve a fluid and graceful conditioning movement. Give them a go!

IGNITE SC - double helix

Here's an excellent compound movement that I want to share with you. It has a lot in common with a woodchopper movement... but you get to go more vertical. The internal rotation of the knee in the picking phase of the movement massively loads the supporting leg and glute. A good range of rotational motion through the entire torso is key to making the most of this powerful movement.

It's important to start out at body weight and understand the movement before you progress to even light weight. It's a very dynamic rotation movement. Also notice the rotation on the balls of the feet to facilitate the turn through the hips and the driving with the quads and the glutes.