Funky Bodyweight Exercise — The Spinal Wave

One of the things we love about bodyweight training is the ease with which we can add layers of skill, timing and coordination to our workouts. There are so many dimensions to what you can do with nothing but your own bodyweight!

A few weeks ago we looked at the handstand push up, but with a twist. We added a skill dimension to the movement by starting from Crow position. If you missed that article, you can check it out here -> Handstand Push Up.

Today we’re looking at another movement that begins in Crow. It’s called the Spinal Wave. It’s a movement I picked up a few years ago from Scott Sonnon, and I was immediately drawn to the smooth application of complex mechanics that goes into doing it well.

Take a look…

Here’s the quick and dirty lowdown of what goes into the Spinal Wave:

• Create “float” for a soft landing
• Send your feet over your head to help create that “float”
• Fire your glutes to send your feet over your head
• Resist with arm strength and slowly lower into the wave
• Bring your chest to the mat gradually for a soft landing
• Turn your face to the side
• Guys – roll across one hip or the other (don’t roll over the centre for obvious reasons!)
• Gals – use your arm strength to help guide you past your chest

There you have it. The Spinal Wave is a brilliant mix of strength and skill. Give it a try. You’ll develop new levels of control over your movement. And hey, it’s just really fun once you get the hang of it.

Let us know how you get on in the comments!