DDP Yoga Diamond Dozen: Road Warrior 1 and 2

DDPY Road Warrior

Oh, what a rush!

It’s time to talk about a staple in nearly any yoga system: Warrior 1 and Warrior 2.

The difference in DDP Yoga is that Dallas renamed them to be Road Warrior 1 and Road Warrior 2 in honor of one of the greatest tag teams in pro wrestling history, the Road Warriors.

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However, the name is about the only thing this pose has in common with the legendary Hawk and Animal.

Let’s take a look at how to do Road Warrior 1 and 2 in DDP Yoga.

How To Do Road Warrior 1

Road Warrior 1 looks similar to Supported Lunge, except it has a few key differences.

First, make sure your forward knee is directly over your foot. Then, and this is where it differs, flatten your back foot to the ground and turn it to the side while straightening your back leg. I like to tell people the feet should be very similar to an L stance in taekwondo.

(I should note here that Road Warrior lunge would be a poor choice if you had to save your life, so please make sure you’re using it for a stretch and not for self-defense.)

Your hips should be forward.

Inhale, and lift your hands up toward the sky. Roll your shoulders back and imagine you are grabbing a ball above your head.

How To Do Road Warrior 2

Keeping your feet planted, exhale and use dynamic resistance to drop your arms so that they are at shoulder level. Turn your torso toward whatever direction your back foot is pointed toward. For example, if your right leg is forward and your left leg is back, your right arm will be forward, your left arm will be back, and your torso will have turned to your left. Keep looking forward.

What Body Parts Are Working During Road Warrior 1 and 2

The Road Warriors (again, the poses and not the tag team) work your:

  1. Hip flexors
  2. Quadriceps (thighs)
  3. Feet
  4. Shoulders
  5. Back
  6. Forearms
  7. Hands

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Your Turn!

Come try the Road Warriors with me! You’ll be feeling so good afterwards that you’ll be ready to team up with me to give someone the Doomsday Device!

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Well, maybe not. Either way, come try these and all the other moves in the DDPY Diamond Dozen with me at one of my DDPYoga classes.

Photo by Katee Lue on Unsplash