Wheelbarrow

wheelbarrow video

3-POINT SET-UP:

1. Hands on your (front platform / carriage facing the back)

2. Knees on your (carriage / platform)

3. Hips down in a plank position

Body Part • Direction • Action Verb:

• Straight arms PUSH your carriage back [insert tempo count]

• Straight arms PULL your carriage in [insert tempo count]

Range of Motion:

• As far as you can go WITHOUT letting your shoulders shrug!

 Kinetic Checkpoints:

HEAD:
❌ Look up or down
❌ Forward head position

✅ Neutral neck - ears in line with your shoulders
NOTE: This is not something clients can usually assess for themselves. It is your role as instructor/coach to help them find neutral neck and spine.

SHOULDERS:
❌ Shrug your shoulders or let them rise as you push the carriage away
❌ Overly rounded upper back (thoracic spine) or scapular protraction

✅ Maintain neutral shoulder blade position
✅ Move your arms without moving your shoulders

HIPS:
❌ Excessive anterior (arched back) or posterior (tucked under) pelvic tilt
❌ Piking your hips or moving them at any point during the exercise

✅ Maintain neutral pelvis and lumbar spine throughout the entire movement

KNEES:
❌ Focus on pushing the carriage out or pulling the carriage in with your knees

✅ Inner thighs active
✅ Shins pressing into the carriage/platform

HANDS/FEET:
❌ Flexed wrists
❌ Too much bodyweight in the upper body

✅ Find a neutral grip on the sides of the platform/carriage or using the various cut outs
✅ Evenly distributed bodyweight throughout the movement

Talking Points:

• This exercise is the same as body saw except on your hands instead of your elbows

• To help stabilize your shoulder, gently rotate your biceps forward but don’t force it!

• The MAIN GOAL of this exercise is to hinge from your shoulders without letting your shoulders shrug

• Other than your arms, your body is frozen in a plank position