The Pike Pulse is one of my favourite exercises to work on to improve the flexibility, mobility and strength in the hips. This in turn will lead to a huge improvement in the ability to compress your core.
Core compression is the ability to lift your legs up towards your torso using your legs and abdominal strength. By moving like this you’re also effectively stretching your posterior chain. The ability to compress your core is crucial for many bodyweight exercises such as L-Sits, V-Sits, Toes to Bar, Skin the Cats, and Press Handstand. It’s also more often than not a weak point for the majority of people.
These 3 variations of Pike Pulses, from easier to harder, should help to improve the above mentioned exercises and any others that require legs against torso type of flexibility.
Elevated Single Leg Pike Pulses
A good place to start. You can make this variation easier or harder by changing the height of block you are using. Keep your thigh tucked tight into your chest and the working leg locked out. If you struggle hovering your foot over the block, remove it and just go with your foot lifting off the floor.
Single Leg Up ’n’ Over Pike Pulses
The next variation to turn to. Again you can make this easier or harder by changing the height of the block you are using. Same rules apply as with the previous variation, but make sure your heel is travelling directly over the block and you’re not cheating by sitting further away.
Double Leg Up ‘n’ Over Pike Pulses
The next level up once you’ve mastered the previous two variations. Unlike the first two exercises this time you want to make sure you point your toes. Without a leg to hug to stop you leaning back you have to focus on resisting the temptation to cheat. Try no too press with your hands/fingers. Focus on lifting through your core.
Always make sure that you avoid the common mistakes that most people make during this exercise.
Leaning the torso backwards
Lifting the hands of the floor
Both these mistakes are trying to negate the likely poor flexibility in the hamstrings and a weakness in your hip strength. It’s a tough exercise but start with the first variation, and once you have mastered that move onto the next. You should find both of these single leg variations infinitely easier than lifting both legs at the same time.
The more flexible and mobile your hips and hamstrings are the higher the block(s) you will be able to use will be. But, there is also nothing wrong with scaling the exercises back completely by removing the blocks altogether, it may be that your current range of motion dictates this.
If you don’t have the range of motion necessary to complete the movement because your flexibility is limiting you, then you need to stretch the area causing the issue - 99% of the time this will be your hamstrings.
DO YOUR THIGHS BURN LIKE CRAZY DURING CORE COMPRESSION TYPE MOVEMENTS?
If they do it’s likely due to a lack of flexibility and strength.
The muscles on the front of your legs (quads and hip flexors) have to work super hard to keep the legs up with flexion at the hips. If the antagonistic muscles, in this case the hamstrings, are tight, they will be working close to their end range of motion, essentially acting like the brakes have been slammed on. A clear sign of this is if you can’t keep your legs straight and the knees locked when performing the pike pulses, or other compression based exercises such as L-Sits.
You may think you have strong hip flexors. You may believe your hamstring flexibility is pretty good. But are they strong in a position where maximum hip flexion is required? Probably not!
“Tightness and weakness often go hand in hand. Don’t neglect one for the other!”
If you’re struggling with L-Sits, V-Sits, or the more insta-impressive exercises like Skin the Cats and Press Handstands, working on your compression ability with these Pike Pulses should see all these movements improve, and make the trickier more attainable.