Upper Body Agility

First, do you include upper body agility into your routine or at some point during the day?

Think about your answer.

OK, your answer should be, "yes"; but you may not know what to do for upper body agility. Bet...you have done upper body agility since you were a child; you did it through jump roping. Jump roping is a great form of hand-eye coordination, which translates to upper body agility. Is jump roping a functional form of upper body agility? Not really. It is great for the legs in this case. To really hone in on upper body agility, target points are needed.

Agility thrives off target points or, in this case, hand placements.

Basically, the faster your hands can touch a single target the more improved your upper body agility presents itself. But, who cares about including agility into workout routines, right?...Wrong!

1) It is recommended by the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine).

2) It quickens your upper body.

3) You use upper body agility or hand-eye coordination when you drive, especially to prevent a car from steering out of control.

4) Do you cook? One pot at a time or several? If it is Thanksgiving or any other big cooking day or event, then the quickness in your upper body is at full force!

5) Have you ever climbed a ladder? Or, a rock?

6) Have you ever bartended?

7) Are you a professional offensive tackle for your favorite NFL franchise?...Talk about quick hand placement. These guys need this type of drill and more.

8) The list can continue...

But, the bottom line is that upper body agility is used for functional purposes as well as for general fitness. You may not see a lot of individuals perform upper body agility, but it is not in TEEM hiding.

Two quick drills:
1) Start in a push-up position (modified or full) with your hands together. Keeping your hips as stable as possible (that is, without swiveling or rotating), bring your hands wider (about two to two and a half feet wide) and alternate between the narrow and wider widths.  Go as fast as you can!

2) Add a partner. Start with both hands on a wall. Pick a few spots (you can number them) on the wall. Have a partner call out which number or spot to hit. At least, you get to include some lower body action too since it is best to have the spots or target points spread out. It makes you move!

Make it happen,
Derek