Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

This warm-up technique looks a bit nuts but it's fantastic for getting the entire lower body (and some of the upper body!) warmed up for the work to come. As well, it's incredibly good for activating your nervous system, specifically the "cross-connections" between the two sides of your brain.

 



 


 

The development of brain cross-connections is what happens early in life with movements like crawling and walking.

 

Moving the limbs across the centerline of the body like this can help "wake up" the nervous system and improve coordination and activation.

This pattern is going to primarily target the muscles of your lower body, using the upper body to get the cross-connection activation.

The first time you do this exercise, start LIGHT and go SLOW...it takes some practice and coordination to get good at it and go faster.

I really like this one for bringing up body temperature, getting lubrication into the joints and waking up the brain in preparation for the workout.

 

 

Here's what this cross-connection warm-up looks like...

 

I'm using a 25 lb kettlebell for this. I recommend using a kettlebell over dumbbells because the handle is going to make it MUCH easier to transfer the weight from hand to hand.

You're going to be going back and forth between a forward-stepping lunge and a reverse lunge.

At the bottom of each step, you'll transfer the kettlebell under your lead leg to the other side hand. Definitely watch the video for this as still pictures don't really convey the pattern as well.

Basically, passing the kettlebell from side to side while stepping forward and backward is a complex task that brings in both sides of brain and requires coordination between the two sides of your brain.

 

Outside-In Passing

Start with the kettlebell in your left hand. You're going to step forward with your left leg. You want the weight to be on the OUTSIDE of your lead leg to start.

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Step forward and pass the kettlebell from your left hand to your right hand, under your leg.

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Now push back up.

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Continue the movement all the way back into a reverse lunge. Pass the kettlebell from your right hand back to your left hand, under your right leg.

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Then come back up and repeat the cycle.

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Here's what it looks like from the front, with the left leg leading.

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Once you've done 30 to 40 seconds with that leg leading, switch to the other leg.

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

From the front...

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

Lower Body Cross-Connection Warm-Up For Pre-Workout Nervous System Activation

 

Inside-Out Passing

The demo above shows bringing the kettlebell from the outside of the lead to the inside.

You CAN absolutely go the other direction as well. I didn't demo that but it's essentially the same idea, only passing the kettlebell in the other direction.

You can try both to see which feels more natural to you, or do both to hit a greater variety of movements.

I like to pair this with a Cross-Connection Warm-Up for the upper body (which looks even weirder, but is also incredibly effective!)...

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