If you want to boost total-body power,\u00a0strengthen your backside, or combine cardio with weights, the dumbbell skier swing belongs in your fitness toolbox.<\/p>\n
Recruiting your body\u2019s\u00a0fast-twitch muscle fibers, the dumbbell skier swing is an awesome way to train the almighty hip hinge, one of the body\u2019s most important movement patterns, says\u00a0Erica Suter, C.S.C.S., a Baltimore-based strength and conditioning specialist.<\/p>\n
As opposed to bending the spine during forward folds, the hip hinge emphasizes hip flexion and shifts resistance from the smaller muscles of the back to the stronger muscles of the legs, hips, and glutes.<\/p>\n
Over time, adopting this movement pattern can spare your back acute and repetitive-stress pain and\/or injury.<\/p>\n
Depending on your goals, Suter recommends performing the dumbbell skier swing at the beginning of your workout or saving it as a\u00a0metabolic\u00a0finisher.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt expends a ton of energy, so you\u2019ll often want to perform it immediately after a good warm-up, when you\u2019re fresh and form won\u2019t falter\u201d she says. \u201cOr, you can also perform it at the end of a workout when you\u2019re fatigued and want to use it as a conditioning tool to see what you\u2019re made of.\u201d<\/p>\n