The next step
Having learned to recruit the TA muscles correctly in various positions, which can take anything from one session to one month or more, it is time to move onto simple core stability exercises. These exercises may also involve the oblique muscles, other lumbar muscles and gluteals to assist the TA in maintaining the lumbar spine in a stable neutral position.
Lying leg lift stabilisation
1)Lying on your back with your knees bent
2)Ensure your back is in neutral
3)Place your hands on your hips for biofeedback
4)Breathe in and relax
5)Breathe out and, as you do so, perform the abdominal hollowing or zipping-up action
6)Once you have established some TA tension, slowly slide your left leg out along the floor until it is straight and then slide it back
7)Your back should not have moved, and your pelvis should not have tilted as you performed this action
8)If your back or pelvis moved, you did not achieve the correct stability
Repeat for the other side 10 times each leg
9)Variations include the same exercise with knee lifts up and knee drops out to the side. Again, the aim is to retain a stable lumbar spine in the neutral position as the legs move.
The waiter's bow
1)Stand up with good posture, knees soft, lumbar spine in neutral, head up and shoulders back and relaxed
2)Breathe in and relax
3)Breathe out and as you do so perform the abdominal hollowing action
4)Keeping the tension, slowly lean forward from the hips 20° and stop, like a waiter's bow, keeping your back completely straight and long as you lean
5)Hold the lean position for 10 seconds - you will feel your TA and MF supporting you if you hold the correct position
6)Keeping the tension and the alignment, slowly return to your start position
Repeat 10 times
7)These exercises are two examples of learning how to keep the spine in neutral, using slow and controlled static contractions of the trunk stabiliser muscles.
Notice how technique is vital and the aim is to build up the time you are able to maintain good stability.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Importance of Core Stability of Core Stability continued
Core-stability training begins with learning to contract the muscles effectively as this has been identified as key to the lumbar-support mechanism. To perform the contraction, you must perform the "abdominal hollowing" technique with the spine in the neutral position.
To do this uses the following guidelines:
1) Start by lying on your back with knees bent
2) Your lumbar spine should be neither arched up nor flattened against the floor, but aligned normally with a small gap between the floor and your back. This is the "neutral" lumbar position you should learn to achieve.
3)Breathe in deeply and relax all your stomach muscles
4)Breathe out and, as you do so, draw your lower abdomen inwards as if your belly button is going back towards the floor.
5)Hold the contraction for 10 seconds and stay relaxed, allowing yourself to breathe in and out as you hold the tension in your lower stomach area
Repeat 5-10 times
It is vital that you perform this abdominal hollowing exercise correctly otherwise you will not recruit the muscles required effectively.
The basics
Bear in mind the following points:
1)Visualise the deep abdominal muscles as a corset that wraps round the abdomen
2)Place one hand above the umbilicus (belly button) and one below
3)Slowly draw in the lower abdomen, below the umbilicus, without drawing in the upper abdomen
4)Hold the contraction whilst breathing normally
5)Aim for a 10 second contraction, repeating it 10 times
6)Do not let the whole stomach tense up or your upper abdominals bulge outwards, as this means you have cheated by using the large rectus abdominus muscle (the six-pack) instead of the transverse abdominal (TA) muscles
7)Do not brace your TA muscle too hard; just a gentle contraction is enough. Remember it's endurance not max strength your are trying to improve
8)Do not tilt your pelvis nor flatten your back, as this means you have lost the neutral position you are trying to learn to stabilise
9)Do not hold your breath, as this means you are not relaxed. You must learn to breathe normally and maintain the contraction of TA.
10)Use your fingers for biofeedback on either side of your lower abdomen (below the umbilicus) to feel the tension in the TA muscle.
Once you have mastered the abdominal hollowing lying on your back, practice it lying on your front, four-point kneeling, sitting and standing. In each position, get your lumbar spine into neutral before you perform the hollowing movement.
More on Core Stability to come.
To do this uses the following guidelines:
1) Start by lying on your back with knees bent
2) Your lumbar spine should be neither arched up nor flattened against the floor, but aligned normally with a small gap between the floor and your back. This is the "neutral" lumbar position you should learn to achieve.
3)Breathe in deeply and relax all your stomach muscles
4)Breathe out and, as you do so, draw your lower abdomen inwards as if your belly button is going back towards the floor.
5)Hold the contraction for 10 seconds and stay relaxed, allowing yourself to breathe in and out as you hold the tension in your lower stomach area
Repeat 5-10 times
It is vital that you perform this abdominal hollowing exercise correctly otherwise you will not recruit the muscles required effectively.
The basics
Bear in mind the following points:
1)Visualise the deep abdominal muscles as a corset that wraps round the abdomen
2)Place one hand above the umbilicus (belly button) and one below
3)Slowly draw in the lower abdomen, below the umbilicus, without drawing in the upper abdomen
4)Hold the contraction whilst breathing normally
5)Aim for a 10 second contraction, repeating it 10 times
6)Do not let the whole stomach tense up or your upper abdominals bulge outwards, as this means you have cheated by using the large rectus abdominus muscle (the six-pack) instead of the transverse abdominal (TA) muscles
7)Do not brace your TA muscle too hard; just a gentle contraction is enough. Remember it's endurance not max strength your are trying to improve
8)Do not tilt your pelvis nor flatten your back, as this means you have lost the neutral position you are trying to learn to stabilise
9)Do not hold your breath, as this means you are not relaxed. You must learn to breathe normally and maintain the contraction of TA.
10)Use your fingers for biofeedback on either side of your lower abdomen (below the umbilicus) to feel the tension in the TA muscle.
Once you have mastered the abdominal hollowing lying on your back, practice it lying on your front, four-point kneeling, sitting and standing. In each position, get your lumbar spine into neutral before you perform the hollowing movement.
More on Core Stability to come.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Importance of Core Stability
The aim of core stability training is to effectively recruit the trunk muscules and then learn to control the position of the lumbar spine during dynamic movements. The information presented on this page is based on an article written by Raphael Brandon that was first published in Peak Performance.
The Muscles
The deep trunk muscles, abdominals, internal obliques, external oblique and the pelvic floor, are the key to the active support of the lumbar spine.
The contraction of these muscles produce forces which stabilise the lumbar spine, and the muscles act directly to resist the forces acting on the lumbar spine.
It is suggested that these muscles predict dynamic forces that may act on the lumbar spine and stabilise the area prior to any movement.
Training
Having identified the key muscles and how they act, the next step is to establish how best to train these muscles. As with any type of strength and conditioning training, the training protocol for improving the function of the deep-trunk muscles must be exact to the task required.
The training must take into account the type of contraction, the muscle fibre type and the anatomical position required. By definition, the deep-trunk muscles act as "stabilisers" and are not involved in producing movements, but instead involve motionless contractions.
Furthermore, they must act as stabilisers continuously throughout everyday activities as well as fitness and sport activities, and so require very good endurance of low-level forces.
These muscles do not need to be very strong, but they must be correctly coordinated and capable of working continuously. In addition, we want these stabiliser muscles to act by holding the lumbar spine in the neutral position, which is the correct alignment of the pelvis that allows for the natural 'S' curve of the spine.
These characteristics underpin the deep-trunk muscle training program to follow soon.
The Muscles
The deep trunk muscles, abdominals, internal obliques, external oblique and the pelvic floor, are the key to the active support of the lumbar spine.
The contraction of these muscles produce forces which stabilise the lumbar spine, and the muscles act directly to resist the forces acting on the lumbar spine.
It is suggested that these muscles predict dynamic forces that may act on the lumbar spine and stabilise the area prior to any movement.
Training
Having identified the key muscles and how they act, the next step is to establish how best to train these muscles. As with any type of strength and conditioning training, the training protocol for improving the function of the deep-trunk muscles must be exact to the task required.
The training must take into account the type of contraction, the muscle fibre type and the anatomical position required. By definition, the deep-trunk muscles act as "stabilisers" and are not involved in producing movements, but instead involve motionless contractions.
Furthermore, they must act as stabilisers continuously throughout everyday activities as well as fitness and sport activities, and so require very good endurance of low-level forces.
These muscles do not need to be very strong, but they must be correctly coordinated and capable of working continuously. In addition, we want these stabiliser muscles to act by holding the lumbar spine in the neutral position, which is the correct alignment of the pelvis that allows for the natural 'S' curve of the spine.
These characteristics underpin the deep-trunk muscle training program to follow soon.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sports Science Site
Sports Science deals with different aspects of your personal preparation. Hydration, style and technique and flexibility and just some of the information that will be posted on this site
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