Salt Bae’s Mobility Exercises Will Either Make You Or Break You

Have you tried the scorpion?

Salt Bae’s Mobility Exercises Will Either Make You Or Break You

Salt Bae has one of the most iconic physiques on the planet. The sodium sprinkling genius has made headlines a number of times over the last year for bizarre breakfasts, a mind-boggling body-fat percentage and completing an abdominal workout so scary even he can’t watch it.

Yesterday he contorted our brains once more with a stretching routine that shows he’s not all about building muscle, but also elongating it. The 37-year-old posted various fifteen-second clips to Instagram, one of which showed him purring like a tiger, whilst being assisted into a scorpion-like pose by a trainer.

Call it bizarre (or, for those less accustomed to putting themselves in such a position, an injury in waiting), but the scorpion stretch (when done the normal way) can be a great way to increase hip and lower back mobility.

Speaking about the scorpion, Boston-based trainer Derek Maxfield told Well & Good, “The scorpion stretch should be done before a workout to warm up and open tight hip flexors and the lower back, and can be done between sets for active recovery. It’s a great starting point for people to stretch with limited mobility. Hip flexors and the lower back are often neglected in exercises and stretches, but are essential for strengthening the core.”

So: how, exactly, do you do the ‘normal’ scorpion? First, lie down on a mat or the ground. In this exercise, only your legs should move. Then: “Make sure to keep your torso down on the ground to limit how far your leg rotates behind the body,” Maxfield told Well & Good. “You don’t want to allow your body to roll over with your leg.”

Next, “Place both arms beside you, fully extended at 90-degrees for additional support, and slowly lift one leg up while allowing your hips to twist with the motion. Hold near the end of the twist for a full stretch,” (Well & Good).

Salt Bae also posted a number of other clips (seen in the video at the top of this page), which show how he keeps himself mobile, including one where he has his trainer push his knees down into his chest, and then out and back.

Finally, he performs a bridge pose – an exercise which works the posterior chain and activates the glutes – but with a twist.

As Sweat! reports, “Having tight hips or underactive glutes can make it hard to engage the correct muscles during a workout, so doing regular activation exercises can help you recruit your glutes correctly while you train.”

Salt Bae, in trademark flamboyant style, gets carried away with his bridging efforts, and uses his head as one of the anchors. While we can’t recommend that innovation to everyone, we can certainly spruik his lust for life and motivation.

There’s your Thursday morning fitness inspiration, sprinkled hot.

Watch Salt Bae’s most gnarly workouts

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