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Condition the core; unleash the potential.
Serious athletes train for results—results that make them winners on the field, pitch, course, or court. And the key to getting those results, to improving performance in any sport and at any level, is no secret. A strong, well-conditioned core is the lynchpin to athletic success.
In Conditioning to the Core, strength and conditioning coaches Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor deliver the definitive guide to training the torso. Inside, you’ll learn these concepts:
- The core’s central role in originating and transferring strength and power, two requirements for superior performance
- The energy systems, the strength and power foundations, and the movement mechanics for any sport
- Over 300 of the most effective exercises for strength, stability, and power
- The way to design a comprehensive program based on athlete assessment and analysis, followed by several sport-specific sample programs for reference
Detailed photo sequences and expert instruction ensure you’re performing each exercise safely and efficiently. Color-coded stability, strength, and power training exercises, programs, and assessments provide all the tools for achieving high-performance goals. You will quickly identify and organize each component that addresses your needs, your sport, and your high-performance goals.
If you are serious about performance, Conditioning to the Core will help you get serious results. Whether you’re an athlete, trainer, or coach, this guide should be the centerpiece of your sport training program.
PART I Core Benefits
Chapter 1. Key Sports Performance Factor
Chapter 2. Anatomical Lynchpin
Chapter 3. Injury PreventerReduction
Chapter 4. Strength and Power Source
Chapter 5 Exercise Selection and Training Considerations
PART II Core Stabilization Training
Chapter 6. Anti-Eextension Exercises
Chapter 7. Anti-Rotation Exercises
Chapter 8. Scapulothoracic Exercises
Chapter 9. Lumbo-Ppelvic Hip Exercises
PART III Core Strength Training
Chapter 10. Anti-Eextension Exercises
Chapter 11. Anti-Rrotation Exercises
Chapter 12. Scapulothoracic Exercises
Chapter 12. Lumbo-Ppelvic Hip Exercises
Chapter 14. Total Core Exercises
PART IV Core Power Training
Chapter 15. Anti-Eextension Exercises
Chapter 16. Anti-Rotation Exercises
Chapter 17. Lumbo-Ppelvic Hip Exercises
PART V Core Testing and Program Design
Chapter 18. Core Assessment Tools
Chapter 18. Complete Core Program
Chapter 20. Advanced Core Programs
Chapter 21. Sport-Specific
Greg Brittenham served as assistant coach for player development and team conditioning with the New York Knicks for 20 years before taking on the position of director of athletic performance for men's and women's basketball at Wake Forest University before the 2011-12 season. He was also the director of the Center for Athletic Performance at the National Institute for Fitness and Sport. In addition to NBA players, he has advised and trained athletes in the NFL and Major League Baseball and world champions in Olympic sports such as gymnastics and cycling.
Brittenham’s training regimens for improving overall athletic ability have made him a popular speaker and demonstrator at clinics and conferences worldwide. He authored Complete Conditioning for Basketball (Human Kinetics, 1995) and coauthored Stronger Abs and Back (Human Kinetics, 1997) with his father, Dean Brittenham, a pioneer in the field of strength and conditioning.
Daniel Taylor, MS, PES, CSCS is the head strength and conditioning coach at Siena College and oversees those efforts for all 18 Division I varsity programs at the college, as varied as water polo and lacrosse. He has trained athletes who have advanced to the professional level in soccer, lacrosse, baseball, and basketball. Taylor was part of Siena men's basketball's historic 3 championships in a row (2008-2010) that led to two first round wins in the NCAA tournament (2008 and 2009).
Taylor previously worked with men's and women's basketball at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York and with the New York Knicks Training Camps. He has been a speaker at numerous clinics and workshops in the northeast geared to high school through college level athletes. Originally from North Yorkshire, England, he now resides in Scotia, New York.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
Hang Cyclinghttp://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/126/E5582_0642P_1201_ebook_Main.jpg
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
Hang Cyclinghttp://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/126/E5582_0642P_1201_ebook_Main.jpg
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
Hang Cyclinghttp://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/126/E5582_0642P_1201_ebook_Main.jpg
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Double-Leg Windshield Wiper
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Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift to a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling. The shins (lower leg) are very near the bar (this is elbow flexion dependent).
- In a controlled manner, lower (drop) the legs to one side. Stop the downward movement no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5).
- Reverse the action and lift the legs back to the start position. Either stop at the inverted pike start position to regain control or simply continue directly into lowering the legs to the opposite side.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions.
Considerations
- Avoid the chicken head. Do not extend the head and neck in opposition to scapular retraction. Yes, this is a hard exercise. But lifting your chin toward the bar does nothing to assist with the intended movement and could cause a cervical spine impingement.
- For this exercise - and any exercise in this book, for that matter - your strength and comfort level should determine range of motion of movement. With this specific exercise, the wiper action might simply be a few inches (or centimeters) left and right of vertical. As strength and confidence improve, greater distances can be attempted. Always use a spotter to help with control and mechanics. Never try to progress to a more difficult exercise until you have mastered the antecedent exercises.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Windshield Wiper Abduction and Adduction
Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the inverted pike start position, lower the right leg to the right. Stop the downward movement of the right leg no lower than parallel to the ground (see consideration 5 of the primary exercise).
- Lower the left leg to the right leg.
- Return both legs to the start position.
- Repeat the action to the opposite (left) side.
- Steps 2 through 5 equal one repetition.
Note
Try these abduction and adduction variations:
- Both legs to right side; left leg up; right leg up; both legs to left side; right leg up; left leg up. Continue.
- Legs are spread (abducted). Drop legs to left; return to neutral; spread and drop both abducted legs to right.
- Abduct and drop right leg to right; drop left leg to right; return left leg to neutral; return right leg to neutral (inverted pike start position).
- Flutter-kick both legs to right; abduct and return left leg up; adduct and return right leg up; both legs are now back in inverted pike start position. Repeat to the opposite side.
Hanging Inverted Pike
Up and Twist (Pole Vaulter)
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Modifications
- The setup, posture, and considerations are identical to the Hanging Inverted Pike, Double-Leg Windshield Wiper.
- From the start position, contract the flexors and lift the hips along with the straight legs toward the ceiling (make sure you have ceiling height clearance). Simultaneously contract the rotators (oblique musculature) and twist to the left. For those of you who have ever pole vaulted, the action is similar to "shooting" prior to piking over the bar.
- In a controlled manner, slowly lower back to the start position; repeat on the opposite side.
- Steps 2 and 3 equal one repetition.
Note
A good precursor to this exercise is to eliminate the twist action and perform the movement by simply lifting the straight legs up toward the ceiling from the inverted pike start position. Remember that all grip positions and elbow flexion options apply for this and all other hanging drills.
Hang Cyclinghttp://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/126/E5582_0642P_1201_ebook_Main.jpg
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip (or place your arms in the slings as shown). Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed 90 degrees or less (see consideration 2). Both legs will hang straight toward floor with the feet dorsiflexed.
- Maintain a neutral pelvic tilt throughout the exercise. Controlling anterior and posterior pelvic tilt helps eliminate swinging, which interferes with the effectiveness of the exercise and compromises the structural integrity of the lower lumbar.
- Lift the right knee toward the chest (at least as high as the upper thigh), parallel to the floor. Extend the right foot out and around slightly - not a full foreleg reach but just enough to resemble a slight leg cycle action.
- As the right leg starts its downward motion, simultaneously lift the left knee toward the chest.
- The right leg and foot will move past the neutral hanging start position to a point slightly behind the body's vertical line. That is, the right hip will extend slightly. Again, mimic the leg cycle of a running stride.
- Continue this alternating leg cycle action for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To increase difficulty or simply add variety, try the exercise in an inverted position: leg cycling with legs pointed toward the ceiling.
Hang Giant Walk
Movements
- Grasp a sturdy chin-up bar with an underhand grip. Lift into a position in which the elbows are flexed to 90 degrees or less.
- Lift the legs from a straight hang to an inverted position. The knees are locked and the feet and straight legs point toward the ceiling.
- Simultaneously drop the left leg perpendicular to the floor while the right leg returns to the start position.
- Steps 3 and 4 equal one repetition.
- Perform for a predetermined number of repetitions or length of time.
Considerations
To decrease difficulty or simply add variety, start the exercise with the legs hanging straight down and alternate bringing each leg up to parallel.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
A Cyclical Program for Core Efficiency
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport.
A stable, strong, and powerful core lasts a lifetime. Core efficiency is not a passing fad or something that needs to be trained only while actively involved in sport. Core efficiency is an essential part of a weekly routine that will enhance your daily quality of life for years to come. With this in mind, we have developed a core program that is functionally cyclical - and without a conclusion. After establishing a starting point through the assessment protocols in chapter 18, the workouts begin at a predetermined point, but as you move steadily through each phase, you will never reach an end point. In fact, given the space limitations, hundreds of possible core exercises have been intentionally omitted from this text. Not to worry: Even if you burn through all of the drills presented in the previous chapters, the concepts and guidelines described in these following pages will certainly apply to your program design regardless of the source of the exercises you choose to incorporate. Exercise selection, load, reps, sets, temporal considerations, intensity, duration, and frequency can all be manipulated in a progressively challenging system - forever.
A Cyclical Program
The concept of a cyclical program might seem strange and is perhaps unfamiliar or uncomfortable for some. The truth is, you will never really be able to fully exhaust your ability or variable options during each phase. As you move through the stability phase and become more efficient at controlling your body, you will see improvements both physically and posturally, and also from a performance perspective. After four to six weeks and a successful follow-up retest, you will begin the strength portion of the training regimen. Although some stability-based components appear in these exercises, they are designed primarily to improve the overall strength of the musculoskeletal system. As you progress through the four to six weeks of this strength-focused phase, you will recognize improvement in several areas. Next, you move on to the power phase, in which the focus is almost entirely based on developing, commanding, and using speed.
Upon completion of these initial three phases, you will then cycle back to a stability phase. Since the training focus over the past two to three months shifted in each of the successive phases, returning to stabilization will ensure continued maintenance of this critically important dynamic functional quality. As you start to organize your second round through all of the phases (beginning with stability-based training), it is important to add variety with regard to the above-mentioned variables (exercise selection, reps, sets, intensity, etc.). This will ensure progressive adaptation. An example might be shifting from straightforward, ground-based elbow plank activities, which you will have mastered during your first stability sequence, to progressively more challenging exercises such as a stability ball elbow plank or other unstable and asymmetrical stabilization choices. Remember, this same conceptual protocol will be applied through the strength and power phases as well. Pay close attention when selecting exercises. For example, if you were overly challenged with a simple ground-based elbow plank, it would not be prudent to select a highly challenging unstable drill for the second go-around. As you become more and more familiar with the exercises in the book you will become adept at choosing those drills with a similar intensity. Not only does the body adapt more readily to drill variety, but it will also avert boredom.
In each of the exercise chapters (6 through 17), there are logical progressions in addition to judicious regressions to aid you in this adaptive process. You can choose to follow the exercises as outlined in this book, or as your understanding of the program concepts and confidence with the methodology expands, you can select additional exercises, including some we have not presented in this book.
Understanding the Program Phases
View the phases that follow as a spectrum of progressiveness: proximal to distal, slow to fast, stable to unstable, load absent to load present. In other words, move from low classification to highly concentrated intensities. The program phases will be systematic and developmentally efficient. Variables that will be manipulated include exercise selection, body positioning, load considerations, planes of movement, intensity, frequency, and duration. Progression will be predicated on previous successes (primarily with exercise performance accuracy) and periodic testing. Finally, the phases follow a global functioning perspective with regard to the entire muscle contraction continuum (force reduction, isometric and force production). Regardless of the exercise selection, unloaded or loaded, stable or unstable, or any other variable you add, always retain proper fundamental mechanics.
The foundation is the least aesthetically appealing aspect of a house, but the structure above would not be functionally achievable without the substructure's sturdiness. Likewise, because of the less than dynamic nature of the majority of the activities, stability training is sometimes viewed as the least exciting of the three program phases. Most athletes find it more stimulating and innately fulfilling to do exercises that require movement, increasing loads, or the slamming of a medicine ball onto the ground. This is why even fitness enthusiasts and seasoned professionals alike tend to neglect training for stability and opt instead for the more sexy movement-oriented drills. Many people, especially those just starting a core program, plunge directly into the strength phase of their training - directed by any combination of individual comfort level, irrational misinformation from ill-intentioned physiotherapists, or nefarious product promises that ultimately do not live up to their claims. As we have stated repeatedly, working strength before stability is reckless and often leads to developmental setbacks and heightened injury potential.
Interestingly, many individuals never advance to the power-training phase, choosing instead to work only strength. It is true that power training should not be taken lightly, and that the body must be well prepared before attempting it. But the hard work involved in the previous phases, stability and strength, will sufficiently lay the groundwork for progressing to power. Do not let the explosive nature of the power drills deter you. Instead, view them as a necessary and essential piece of the complete core puzzle. As we age, our power levels diminish, and as we move into our later years, the deficiency of explosive vigor can detrimentally affect our quality of life. Power is relative to the individual, and can have far-different motivations - compare three-time Olympic and world champion weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who wants to dominate his competition, with an elderly person who, when necessary, wants to get out of the way of an oncoming bus. Although it should be respected and earned, power training can be fun, and it is essential for success in the athletic world.
So that you clearly understand their purposes within the program philosophy and why each component is synergistically essential to the successful outcome of the total design, we will now review all three phases - stability, strength, and power - with additional detail. The level of importance for each phase is moment specific. You have undoubtedly heard the adage, "Live in the moment." For our purposes, the importance of the moment is the demarcated progression of advancing from stability to strength and from strength to power, and then repeating the cycle as development dictates.
The most important phase is always the one you are presently in. Progressing through the program is dependent upon mastery of the exercises at the previous phase. If you maintain a singular focus on one specific phase, or for that matter, one specific exercise, to the exclusion of the others, the probable results will be inefficient movement patterns and methodological deficiencies. Thus the crucial aspect of the program is the collective completion of each phase in its entirety. Along the way, and as you cycle through the phases again and again, you will always freshly appreciate your improved athleticism on the court, on the field, or in the backyard.
Stability Phase
Stability is one of the most important yet sadly misunderstood elements necessary for both heightened athletic performance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most of us have heard the statistics from the massive quantities of research on the topic: 80 percent of us will suffer debilitating back pain at some point during our adult lives. Some 16 million adults - 8 percent of all adults - experience persistent or chronic back pain, and as a result are limited in certain everyday activities.
As we have emphasized though, the back is often the most neglected part of the core-training continuum. Stability training is an essential foundation for every other part of athletic success. It is inaccurately burdened with the identity of static positions sustained for extended periods of time, which, while indeed an element of stability, does not fully represent its dynamic functionality within a comprehensive athletic context. Prominent physical therapist Charlie Weingroff provides us with an insightful perspective of stability, defining it as "the ability of a joint system to maintain position in the presence of change." With this acumen strongly influencing our philosophy, the following program will both statically and actively challenge the deep stabilizers typically associated with osteoarticular equilibrium to maintain postural alignment and dynamic postural efficiency during functional movement patterns. If we can accomplish this challenging task and then link it to strength and power, we will have laid the groundwork for a championship contender.
Take a look at the corresponding stability guidelines. As with the other program phases, stability training covers a four- to six-week cycle. The core musculature generally tends to be slow-twitch, which dictates the suggested repetition range. In addition, some movements are classified as total-body or complex exercises. Thus there might be as many as six or seven movement variations within the same exercise. We will identify these exercises on a drill-by-drill basis with a suggested repetition range specific to that particular complex. To keep the training session progressing smoothly and to maintain athlete productivity and focus, the various core regions should be executed in a circuit procedure. This system of training is sometimes called supersetting , in which one drill moves directly into the next with no rest interval. The prescribed rest interval will follow each cycle. However, if you ever need to rest in order to ensure proper technique with subsequent exercises, then by all means, rest. Never sacrifice mechanics for any reason; if a brief rest is necessary to maintain accuracy, then rest is warranted.
Stability Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Strength Phase
As we discussed in chapter 18, on completion of the stability phase, there will be a retest before the strength phase begins. Once you pass the testing you are now ready to move into the strength phase.
We can increase the level of difficulty of an exercise in many ways. Simply increasing the proprioceptive requirement by using a multisensory environment makes a relatively simple drill more complicated. Shifting the drill from stable to unstable, adding perturbation techniques, tossing a ball to the athlete while in a challenging posture, or any other type of multimodal manipulation is often more substantially valuable than increasing external load. Thus, in this phase, the progressive distinction of increasing intensity might range from discreetly manipulating the weight of the body or as demanding as moving against an external load such as a cable weight stack column.
Refer to the corresponding strength guidelines. The repetition range will be lower than in the stability phase, whereas the time for isometric-based (static) exercises will again be predicated on individual capability, as screened through the tests in chapter 18. When selecting appropriate load, use good critical judgment; additional weight should challenge the exercise but not impair overall form. In other words, never sacrifice technique or postural control for additional reps, sets, or supplemental load. As with the other two phases, the strength phase is performed in circuit fashion of three to four rotations with minimal breaks between each. Safety considerations regarding precise technique always apply.
Strength Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Within the strength exercises, you will find a group labeled "total core." These complex exercises aggressively challenge each of the areas outlined throughout the text. Although all our exercises are globally focused, some will suggest an anatomical emphasis. These exercises will be apparent and are necessary for establishing a global foundation and, ultimately, performance efficiency. The total-core exercises are far more inclusive in nature. Outside of their physical impact, doing these exercises is useful for many reasons; for the more advanced athlete, they can be included in a typical circuit.
Because of its large blood supply in the region, the core repairs rapidly, lending to quick recovery. Thus when you have suitably prepared yourself through training in the stability phase and have passed the retests, advancing into the strength phases with a focus on higher volume training (from either sets, reps, or duration or a combination or all three) is warranted. Also, in some cases you can pair a total-core exercise with an anatomical region that might need emphasis. An example would be pairing the Turkish Get-Up (see chapter 14) with Prone YTA movement (chapter 12).
Many people are short on time. When necessary (while not ideal), you can use one or more total-core exercises for an entire core workout. If you do this, you will need to do multiple sets. Doing three or four sets of one total-core exercise is not enough to effect positive adaptive change. Upward of six sets would certainly be apt.
Power Phase
The power phase will begin after successfully testing to determine readiness. The important element in this phase is speed of movement, so the weight you select must reflect your ability to control the load quickly. Too heavy will equal too slow a movement and will provide minimal benefit. Of course the weight you select should never control you.
Refer to the corresponding power guidelines. Adhering to the previous guideline parameters, the rep range for the power phase is again lower than in the stability and strength phases. No exercises outlined in the power section involve static movement isometrics, so programming time will not be an issue. The entire power set moves in a circuit of three or four cycles, with 60-second breaks.
Power Phase Guidelines
Note: Drill selection can remain constant or can vary from session to session or even set to set.
Note that at this stage there are no prescribed scapulothoracic exercises. Explosively drawing back your shoulder blades in an isolated fashion is generally not a good idea, primarily because it puts many of the supporting structures of the shoulder girdle at risk. Additionally, during many of the power exercises, the scapulothoracic musculature plays a key role in an integrated fashion and thus requires no additional stress.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Training for Stabilization, Strength, and Power
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency.
The muscular structures of the abdominal and back regions play a dominant role in postural control, lumbar stabilization, and proprioception (what we call total body balance). As we have said, a well-functioning core can help reduce the risk and severity of injury and promote greater efficiency. Precise movements such as lifting a baby from a crib or throwing a dart would not be possible without effective involvement of the core musculature. Tasks that demand synchronous strength, such as standing in strict military posture for an extended time or maintaining balance while exiting a ski lift, similarly require core involvement. In addition, power-based tasks such as sprinting, swinging a golf club, or dunking a basketball would be impossible without a stable core.
You might ask how the core is involved in throwing a dart. The answer is that we must use the deep stabilizers to isometrically and dynamically sustain the kinetic chain during energetic movements within all three planes of motion. More simply stated, stabilization provides a strong foundation through which an action (such as throwing a dart) can occur most efficiently, powerfully, and accurately. Action is never plane-specific. That is, even though your movement is taking place in one plane, the other two planes must be stabilized for the action to be successful. How accurate can a dart-throw be from a core foundation as wobbly as a cube of Jell-O? Force reduction, stabilization, and force production within all planes of movement is the template for training the entire kinetic chain. In training, as we have stated before, stability is trained before strength, and strength is trained before power.
A stable core is no doubt important to everyday activities, but for optimal athletic performance stabilizing the core is imperative. Eastern philosophers have been preaching core stability for thousands of years. Trunk and torso stabilization techniques are as much a daily ritual for them as are eating and sleeping. The view is that you enhance your quality of life through maximizing efficiency of physical function. Eastern martial artists routinely focus the greatest percentage of their training time on the development of the "Hara" (the core), the physical center of being.
Relaxation of the muscles promoted by a strong core allows for greater freedom of movement, better control of power within a movement, less extraneous movement, and most important, the conservation of energy through efficient movement. Controlled body movement is also a prerequisite for accuracyof skill. The power developed in the core must eventually travel through the musculoskeletal system to the more precision-oriented distal musculature of the extremities. Only after achieving this ability to channel energy can you begin to realize your tremendous physical potential - and it all starts with the core.
Characteristics of Good Balance
Balance is the result of correct body alignment and fully functioning sensory mechanisms. The proper synergism between the core and the legs, arms, feet, hands, and head is essential to achieving correct body alignment.
From an athletic perspective, someone who is standing and is balanced (in an athletic stance) typically demonstrates the following:
- The knees are flexed rather than straight, creating a slightly lower center of mass.
- The base of support is comfortably wide, with feet parallel.
- Body weight is slightly forward of the midpoint of the foot.
- The center of mass is dynamic; that is, the athlete continually uses rapid yet controlled motion to respond to sudden changes of direction.
The ability to accurately adjust to changes in your position or to an unstable equilibrium and to sense your limitations in the constant battle against gravity indicates accomplished balance. Most great athletes possess such balance without even realizing it.
Dynamic Balance
Maintaining balance and stability is a dynamic process. With no conscious effort, your body's muscular system is continually contracting and relaxing in order to sustain sitting, standing, walking, running, or any other posture. Your body is continually trying to achieve a state of equilibrium. Several mechanisms within the body continually process information in an effort to attain this state. Two of the more athletically relevant sources of feedback include the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear and proprioceptors within the muscles and joints.
- The vestibular apparatus relays information to the central nervous system concerning the body's spatial awareness, including any deviations from the vertical position.
- Proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ, sense the magnitude and speed of a stretched muscle and changes in joint angles.
These sensors provide input necessary to make immediate and essential adjustments in balance. A good example of your receptors at work is that disturbing feeling of just beginning to nod off, only to be abruptly jerked back to reality. For example, while sitting in the film room listening to an unbearably boring lecture on postural assessments and realizing that you can never possibly get back these wasted four hours of your life, you begin to doze off and your head starts to drop forward. The muscle spindles in the back of your neck sense the stretch placed on the neck musculature and quickly make a correction by firing those same muscles and returning your head to upright position. From a stabilization, balance, and postural standpoint, refining your proprioceptor sensors enhances athletic performance and reduces injury risk.
The Importance of Good Posture
Poor posture affects not only balance but all other athletic performance variables. Keep in mind that force is more effectively transferred through a straight line. Obviously, there are natural curvatures throughout the body, but generally speaking, you should strive for proper body alignment between segments - particularly during the push or explosive phase of a movement. A person with poor posture lacks that straight line.
The preferred path of force transfer is through the skeletal system. Poor posture, however, causes detours in the force transfer because the smaller and weaker muscles outside the core must act as the force conduit. Much wasted energy results, and subsequent and usually more severe breakdowns are inevitable. Poor posture leads to countless mechanical and structural problems, some of which we touched on in chapter 3.
Training for Strength
We can break strength down into two categories: muscular strength and muscular endurance. In its strictest sense, muscular strength is the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate against resistance in a single effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to exert force for a sustained time, such as when running, raking leaves, or hitting hundreds of forehands over the course of a tennis match. From an athletic perspective, both muscular strength and muscular endurance are critical for
- performance enhancement,
- functional stabilization and dynamic postural control of the spine, and
- efficient biomechanical movement throughout the kinetic chain.
Most people think of strength in terms of how much can I lift? In fact, strength - and specifically core strength - is an integral protective mechanism that helps eliminate postural distortions that can lead to ineffective neuromuscular proficiency. Low strength levels at any point within the kinetic chain place the athlete at risk for compensation issues that can elicit extra stresses placed on the contractile and noncontractile tissues, which will adversely affect functional movement patterns and place the athlete at greater risk of injury. Conversely, strong muscles provide efficient dynamic stabilization, decrease the risk of serial distortion patterns, and transmit forces to the bones, acting as levers and resulting in precise and effectual movement.
Unfortunately, most coaches and athletes view strength in its absolute sense - the greater weight that can be lifted translates to heightened performance on the court or field. Strength is but one component within a complex system of a multisensory sport performance. Without stabilization, strength cannot be fully developed. Without strength, stabilization - or the lack thereof - will decrease performance and expose the weak link in the kinetic chain. Without both stability and strength and the refined neuromuscular efficiency associated with the systematic functioning of their relationship, athletes cannot hope to fully develop their power potential.
If you are new to strength training, we encourage you to take the same approach to training for strength as for the global development of all physiological processes. As we have mentioned, enhanced motor skill development evolved following a proximal-to-distal progression. Your strength training should follow a similar course, with emphasis on developing core strength before implementing extremity exercises. Once you have established a foundation of strength, you can then focus on the quality of technique and execution over quantity (with regard to load and repetitions). Quality is nearly impossible without the proper foundation from which to execute the activity. In addition, once foundational core development has been established, you can begin to focus on sport specific - related movements without risking deleterious technical inaccuracies.
Training for Power
Assimilating stability and strength is an important part of developing your center of power. Sport movements, however, typically require explosive, ballistic, and well-coordinated muscular actions. The ability to take strength gained from the weight room and apply it effectively on the playing field is the goal of any performance-enhancement program. Power and strength are not synonymous. As such, the strongest athlete is not necessarily the most powerful athlete. Power conditionally relies on the correlation between strength and speed - thus the clever phrase "speed strength." For athletes to maximize their power gains, they must include a speed component in their training. Simply put, power is a relationship between strength and speed. To this point we have discussed strength, but what exactly is speed? How important is speed? How is speed developed?
Speed can be broadly defined as the elapsed time it takes to move from point A to point B. The distance between point A and point B could be the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the 10 feet from the floor to the basketball rim, or, when at bat, from the "cocked" position to the contact point with the ball. Once you combine speed with strength, the long hours of strength training in the weight room start to pay off, and sport-specific, or functional, strength starts to translate to power. Thus power is the product of force (the weight room) and velocity (the functional application). It should come as no surprise that all of this begins at the core.
Developing Speed
Developing the speed component of power differs dramatically from standard programs designed to enhance strength. Typically, you increase your muscular strength through consistent and progressive overload training (increasing load). Training for enhanced speed can certainly be influenced by regular trips to the weight room; however, the level of change is more often a predisposition of unseen factors. These considerations, along with diligent workouts, determine the ultimate level of speed development. These factors are
- individual genetic characteristics and
- the physiology of the muscular system.
Individual Genetic Characteristics and Their Relation to Speed
An athlete's proportional configuration of muscle fiber type (i.e., muscle cell types) has a profound influence on his or her potential for speed. For our purposes here, we will simplify the physiology and discuss two types of muscle fiber: fast-twitch and slow-twitch.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers exert great power but fatigue quickly. The body generates the energy required to contract a fast-twitch fiber anaerobically, or without oxygen. These fibers are best suited for short, explosive actions, such as sprints, Olympic lifting, or volleyball spikes. In contrast, slow-twitch muscle fibers require oxygen for sustained contraction and are thus ideal for endurance activities, such as cross-country skiing, marathon running, or road cycling.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Conversely, the muscles of athletes whose sports require explosive actions tend to contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. Most elite-level athletes gravitate toward sports that are compatible with their genetic makeup (remember that we are simplifying the physiology).
All of us were born with a certain ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers. Even if your muscles are predominantly slow-twitch, however, does not mean you are destined to remain slow. Clearly, you will never become as fast as a cheetah, but you can always become faster than you are right now. You simply learn to maximize what you have inherited.
Muscle Physiology and Its Impact on Speed
Power performance is a consequence of the relationship between muscles and the nervous system. The muscles provide the gas to generate the force, and the nervous system monitors how much gas is needed to execute the task. One way to tap into your vast reservoir of power is to further develop your naturally occurring physiological processes - to "step on the gas." Training the core's neural response mechanisms helps to facilitate this speed component. (Keep in mind that we are not talking about winning a race, necessarily, but, rather, drawing on your vast potential of untapped athleticism.)
The neural adaptation to strength training takes the shape of increased activation of the primary movers, or the agonist muscles. The neural response also includes a heightened involvement of the synergist muscles - the muscles that support the prime movers. Common sense suggests that the opposing torque developed by the coactivation of the antagonist muscles would decrease the net torque intended by the agonists, but on the contrary, it is the antagonist that provides the stability - primarily within the acting joint or joints - necessary to elicit maximum force and, from a power perspective, the rate of that force. Thus for performance to have a chance of success, the agonists (prime movers), synergists (coordinators), and antagonists (stabilizers) must work in concert, and when they do, great things can happen. All of this must occur against a backdrop of sensory feedback in the form of perception and reflexes.
The Stretch Reflex
The speed component of power is directly influenced by a highly trainable attribute called the stretch reflex. Within a bundle of muscle are tiny sensory mechanisms called muscle spindles. These spindles are about the size of a muscle fiber (or cell) and are located in, among, and parallel to the muscle fibers (figure 4.1). A spindle's primary duty is to prevent injury to its associated muscle fibers in situations in which the fibers might be placed on an excessively rapid or overly forceful stretch - well beyond the muscle's tolerance. An extreme stretch such as this can certainly occur as a result of the ballistic nature of many athletic movements.
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Muscle spindles located within the muscle fibers.
However, muscle spindles can also be used to the athlete's advantage to generate a more powerful muscle contraction. For example, during the drop or descent of a jump (the countermovement phase), those muscles that span the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints are placed on a rapid stretch, primarily as a result of gravity and body weight. Because the muscle spindles lie parallel to the muscle fibers, they too experience a rapid stretch. The spindles consequently "sense" the stretch and send a message to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord). In turn, the central nervous system instructs the stretched muscles to contract forcefully, relative to the speed and magnitude of the prestretch. If this sensory mechanism did not exist or for some reason was not functioning, the rapid stretch could possibly exceed the extensibility of the fiber and would most certainly result in an injury to the muscle. The muscle spindle response, subsequently combined with an intended voluntary contraction, can maximize peak force with athletic movements.
Stored Elastic Energy
Another important physiological phenomenon of muscle is the process of stored elastic energy. Think of stretching a rubber band. Imagine that the elasticity of the rubber is similar to the elastic properties of muscle (the fibers and its tendon). As you stretch the rubber band, energy is stored in the elastic properties of the rubber. When you release one end, you release that energy stored. However, there is an essential difference between a rubber band and muscle fiber. With the rubber band, the longer the stretch, the more energy is stored and then released. But with muscle fiber, it is not the magnitude but rather the speed of the eccentric stretch that determines how much energy can be used during the immediate ensuing concentric contraction.
Athletes can take advantage of this inherent elastic quality of the muscle tendon unit. The baseball batter cocking the body with the bat held high just before swinging or the discus thrower snapping (rotating the hips) just prior to release are prime examples of this stretch-shortening cycle. The elastic energy is stored in the active muscles as a result of a rapid prestretch. This physiological process is trainable, and most progressive regimens employ drills and activities designed to enhance it.
Additionally, the stretch-shortening cycle (muscle spindle response) can help facilitate the recruitment of a greater percentage of muscle to perform a given task. With greater motor unit involvement, the potential for intensified power output is thus more thoroughly exploited. Superior power in the core region directly enhances all athletic movements. Remember that no matter what your current ability, you can improve. Training the speed component is one more weapon in the training arsenal.
Transfer of Power
Without the efficient transfer of your newfound power potential, your core training might as well be focused on beach abs. Thus the number one training objective for every athlete should be to develop an efficient coupling system in which the tremendous power potential of the core can be expressed distally to the extremities, the goal being to functionally transfer this core power through progressively smaller and weaker musculature without a contemporaneous loss of energy. For example, if you were to lock your elbow and wrist and extend your index finger, and then attempt to push your friend, the force generated from the pelvic muscles will efficiently transfer from your core through your straight arm to your fingertip with little energy loss. The resulting push would cause at least minor discomfort, if not knock your friend off balance. If, however, you were to bend one of the joints along the chain, such as your elbow, the force generated by the core would dissipate through the bend in the elbow. The strong muscles of the core would become less effective, and the resulting push might feel like an aggressive tickle.
Today's flaccid approach to athletic development, which is often prescribed by physiotherapists and trainers, alienates us from our individual health and fitness goals, and of more critical concern, our athletic potential. We have become a collective ethos in which coddling and the sedentary methodology concerning athletic development has led to a generation of athletes whose performance is declining. Many athletes will experience some degree of intensified physical and structural breakdown on a regular basis during their career. In contrast, intelligently organized and purposefully executed training regimens that are progressively challenging will help maintain proper, efficient, and synchronous functioning of all body systems. Freedom of movement in harmony with the body's design, without the constraints of poor posture and unresponsive modalities, will help eliminate inferior function, thereby enhancing performance.
You must regain control of your fitness and performance potential. Proactivity, as opposed to passivity, will lead to a greater influence over your stability, strength, and power. Motion will become robustly efficient with a minimum of wasted energy, leading to enhanced control and spectacular performance. This controlled energy enables you to deal better with the physical and emotional stress of competition and to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration with less fatigue - in other words, more productive time competing and less pampering time in the training room.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
Progression 1: Half-Kneeling
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Movements
- Select a medicine ball light enough to be thrown hard but heavy enough to provide resistance.
- One knee is bent and flat on the floor; the other knee is also bent with the foot flat on the floor.
- Hold the ball by the midsection with both hands.
- Keep the hips pointing forward and, rotating through the shoulders, rotate to the down-leg side.
- Raise the ball overhead and slam it down into the open space.
- Control the speed of the recoil; catch the ball at about chest height.
- Rotate back to start position.
- Perform a predetermined number of repetitions, then repeat to the opposite side.
Considerations
- Brace the core throughout the exercise
- Maintain good posture throughout with shoulder blades pulled down and retracted. Do not break form.
- Benefit 23, gravity load, is a bit of a misnomer for this particular drill and the following progressions. In actuality, the rubber medicine ball and its resiliency and therefore the responsive energy stored in the rubber and subsequent horizontal energy released upon contact with the wall act in much the same fashion as vertical gravity load.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 2: Staggered Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation
Progression 3: Lunge Stance
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Modifications
- Set up with the medicine ball at the midsection and the feet staggered one in front of the other. Brace the core, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and come up onto the ball of the back foot.
- The action is identical to the Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Rotation Progression 1.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.
Straight-Arm Plank and Elbow Plank
Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Place the elbows and forearms on a moderately unstable apparatus. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the forearms and elbows on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Feet Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the hands on a moderately unstable apparatus. The hands are positioned directly under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor. Place one foot on a raised platform.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the moderately unstable apparatus and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the raised platform.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Elbow Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Position the elbows and forearms on a stability ball.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the elbows and forearms on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Straight-Arm Plank
Unstable Upper, Single-Leg Hip Extension, Arms Elevated
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Modifications
- Straighten the arms with the hands on a stability ball. Position the hands under the shoulders with the arms perpendicular to the floor (the size of the ball dictates the degree of perpendicularity).
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the hands on the stability ball and the ball of one foot and that foot's toes on the floor.
- Engage the glutes and extend the hip to raise the opposite straight leg off the floor.
- Avoid extension of the lumbar spine.
Note
Try different hand positions for additional control or difficulty. For example, point the fingers forward for greater difficulty, or point the fingers lateral toward the floor for greater control. Always be mindful of joint stability and control; never place a joint or body part in a compromised position (which is unique to the individual) that might lead to injury.
Read more from Conditioning to the Core by Greg Brittenham and Daniel Taylor.