Sara Sigmundsdóttir’s Favourite Mobility Drills with Resistance Bands

Sara Sigmundsdóttir´s first Crossfit competion was a surprise–even to her. A good friend encouraged her to register and with no background in Crossfit she said „Yes!“ Sara took second place in that contest. It’s no surprise that she got hooked on it and today, Sara is ranked second place in Europe for the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Open (just behind Annie Thorisdottir) and is poised to set a few PR’s at the Regional in Copenhagen.

We caught up with Sara during her preparation for the Regionals to talk with her about mobility and injury prevention.  

„Crossfit requires extraordinary mobility to improve efficiency while lifting heavy weights,“ says Sara. „When you are working overhead movements or need to catch a heavy clean, it is important that you have good shoulder mobility.“

SARA´s TIP: A daily dose of mobility work should be included as part of a strategic warm up. It can also be a full session on recovery days. This may help to prevent injuries and to improve performance.

She likes resistance bands because they are portable and can be anchored to just about anything. Sara uses SKLZ Pro Bands in light (yellow) or medium (red) and Mini Bands.

Shoulder Mobility 1

1. Standing, hold Pro Band at chest height (palms down) with arms shoulder-width apart.
2. Keep arms straight and retract your shoulder blades toward each other while keeping tension in the Pro Band.
3. Bend the elbows and move arms backward to bring the Pro Band to touch your chest.
4. Return arms to straightened position, re-grip Pro Band with palms facing up and repeat the movement.

Shoulder Mobility 2

1. Standing, hold Pro Band overhead, just behind the ears, with straight arms and hands facing up (snatch position).
2. Lower the band toward your traps while pressing your lats together.
3. Hold for up to 10 seconds.
4. Return the band to overhead with control.

Looking for more shoulder work? Check out 3 more exercises that were created by SKLZ for Baseball athletes.

Hips and glutes are prime movers for many lifts and gymnastic movements. Get them fired up with Mini Bands.

Hip Mobility 1

1. Place a Red Mini Band above the knees and a Yellow Mini Band around the ankles.
2. Lower into a squat sitting hips back and down while pressing knees out.
3. Return to standing and repeat.

Hip Mobility 2

1. Standing, place a Red Mini Band above the knees
2. Lower hips back and down into a squat position while pressing knees away from eachother
3. Keep one leg stationary and rotate the other knee in and then back out
4. Repeat other side

SARA´s TIP: Practice each drill for 5 to 7 repetitions on both sides. If the movement feels easy, add reps or a stronger band.

Sara´s training involves a lot of physical prep. But how does she get her mind right before approaching the bar? Watch and see:

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