[GolfFitPro]

 

So in the last post, I went over why I don't think it's a great idea to do sit-ups and crunches anymore.

I have continued to do the core stabilization exercises that I have done in the past, i.e. planks, side planks, bridges and quadruped exercises, but I have cut out my bicycle crunches, stick crunches and med ball sit-ups (which weren't a huge part of my program anyway). 

What I have replaced them with is:

• Advanced Plank Positions
  
  
• Stability Ball Roll-outs
  
  
• Core Rows
  
  
• Medicine Ball Slams
  
  
• Standing Barbell Anti-rotation exercises
  
  
• Turkish Get Ups
  

Today, I will show the Advanced Plank Positions and Stability Ball Roll-outs.

3 point Planks

Lie face down with your forearms on the floor, keep your elbows under your shoulders.  Come up off the ground, support yourself with your forearms and toes, forming a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Engage your pelvic floor muscles (hold your pee in) and brace your abs (as if someone was going to punch you in the stomach)

Make sure you do not have your butt too high in the air or that it doesn't sag down, keep the straight line and MAKE SURE YOU KEEP BREATHING!



After you can do the prone plank for 1 minute, you can start to add movement of the arms and legs in a stabilizing position.  The first progression is to move your elbow back toward your hips, maintaining the straight line, and not moving the rest of your body. Pause for 1 second and go back to regular plank position.  Alternate arms.

To make it harder, you can extend your arm out forward in a diagonal position.  In Over the Top, Part 3, I went over a similar move on the knees and in push up position.

Here is a great plank progression that I first learned from Coach Robert dos Remedios in Men's Health Power Training. It's called the Plank Walkup.

The key to this exercise is NO TORSO MOVEMENT.  A good feedback mechanism is a foam roll or water bottle on your lumbar spine.  It will help you to remember to keep the torso still.

Start out in the standard plank position explained above.

Leading with your left arm, go into a push up position

Pause for 3 seconds at the top, and go back down leading with the left arm

Into the starting plank position and hold for 3 seconds.

For the next rep, lead with the right arm going up and coming down.

Stability Ball Roll-outs

This is totally influenced by Coach Boyle, and it really works the anterior core. You will definitely feel it in your abs. This can be tougher than it looks so start out with the basic progressions. If your back is hurting during this exercise, you need to take a step back.

Start with the stability ball very close to you and your hands up top. 

Keeping a straight line from knees to shoulders, start to roll the ball out.

Roll out into a plank position with your elbows on the ball, again, maintaining the straight line from knees to shoulders.

To come back, push off with your elbows and hands, being careful not to lead with your butt.

End in the starting position.

A good cue (from Physical Therapist Gray Cook) is to try to "stay tall" through your spine throughout the movement.

Some progressions to this:

• Start with the ball farther away and your hands lower
  
  
• Elevate your knees on an Airex pad or use a smaller ball
  
  
• Use the Ab-wheel (don't start with this!)
  
  
• Use a slide board
  

Next time, I will go over Core Rows and Medicine Ball Slams.

http://fitnessforbet...f_with_fitness/

[sirvinim]

Cool info. I'm looking forward to part 3.

[Top Dog]

Good exercises. You say that sit ups can reinforce a poor posture. How is this? Abs help to suppport the lower back so should reinforce a good posture,right?

[GolfFitPro]

Hey Top Dog,

First, the main reason I am taking sit ups and crunches out of my programs is for back health. Looking at McGill's research from his book "Low Back Disorders", it just makes complete sense to me

As far as posture goes, check out the picture in the first post of Alex doing a crunch just to get a better visual of what I mean.




Think about the sit-up/crunch: the isolated contraction of the abs, putting you in that C-Posture position as opposed to working core stabilization and strengthening the abs with exercises like the Planks and Stability Ball Rollouts where we never really lose that good posture position. Again, these exercises just make more sense for me.

I think more of the problem is that we have a sedentary lifestyle and things like constant sitting, driving, commuting, working on the computer (too many forums!), and blackberry texting just put us in this position of shortened hip flexors, abdominals, chest and biceps- all contributing to forward head lean and hunched shoulders (Janda's Upper Crossed Syndrome). Then we go to the gym and sit on machines and work our "mirror muscles" (chest, abs and biceps), making the problem worse.

I wouldn't recommend stationary bike's either for people with desk jobs, same idea. Think about the position you are in when you are riding the bike. When I do have my clients ride, I make sure they stretch hip flexors and chest right after.

You can still do these things, it's just that you need to focus on a balanced program. For most ppl, I have an unbalanced program of pulling to pushing(for upper body). So for every push exercise, I have 2 pulls . For example:
Circuit 1
Alternating Chest Press
Front Squat
Standing Band Rows
Hip Flexor Stretch

Circuit 2
Single Leg Deadlift
Pull ups
Chest Stretch

So with golfers, I think it makes even more sense, because posture (especially maintaining it throughout the round)i s so important.

[hbear]

Crunches are just not as functional....
For the most part our bodies are designed to be upright and standing. That being said, how many things can you think of that would require a similar movement mechanic to a "Crunch" from a standing position? Yup, pretty much nothing.

So putting function aside....to dismiss crunches soley due to posture, I don't buy.
Yes the image makes sense, agreed in that position.
HOWEVER the poor posture in the above image is in relationship to the shoulder and scapula more than anything else.
IF a person were to perform the crunch in a position of scapular stability, it would a good exercise again.
So instead of reaching with the arms, set/retract the scapula and pull with the abdominals (yes I know that a hip flexor like iliopsoas is going to fire as well). Why isn't it done, well it makes the exercise MUCH more difficult, and to be honest I don't believe most people have the core stability to perform it properly.
To add, now we are not "isolating" the abs alone....we are using them in conjunction with the rhomboids/erector spinae/multifidus/etc. (back muscles) which makes the exercise more transferable as far as function goes, AND we are introducing a slight movement to challenge these muscle groups in multiple angles of orientation. This is also a good thing.

To me this is no different than doing an exercise like a "seated row" with poor scapular/shoulder position.
I can create an image of somebody who hasn't set/retracted their scapula, hence in a slouched position, doing thier pull exercise and claim that a "seated row" is a poor exercise because it promotes poor posture....
In this above case that would be true....however if the exercise is performed with correct technique my arguement of it promoting poor posture would no longer hold true.

Does that make sense?

[GolfFitPro]

Hbear,
Good points. Absolutely make sense. Like I said, the main reason is for back health.

You're right, the crunch can be performed correctly, and McGill even explains how in the book without it being harmful to the back. But 99% of the ppl out there won't do the crunch right (no matter what product they get on late night informercials or how I coach it), so that's why I also caution against it.

Agreed on the seated rows (and 40 other exercises, chin ups included) as well, but easier to coach the right way with those.

Just makes more sense to me. Thanks, Ant

[dfife]

Shouldn't we be looking to balance the training of abdominals so that transverse abdominus are included in the training with the same focus as the externals? Aren't we setting ourselves up for imbalance by totally a skewing external abdominal training? Isn't the key to maintain a balance in strength training? IE pushing and pulling, lower and upper. Why would this idea of balance be ignored with the abdominal area?

[GolfFitPro]

Dfife, absolutely on the TA activation, it's the first thing I tell my clients (you will see "Engage your pelvic floor muscles (hold your pee in) and brace your abs (as if someone was going to punch you in the stomach) in this post. Activating pelvic floor will turn on TA.

And yes, if you are going to do the abs, it should be balanced out as well. That's the point I was trying make (but didn't) in my response post where I posted the picture and gave 2 sample circuits.

[hbear]

Agreed, TA activation is key, so is balance with the back erectors/etc.

TA's are the body's "girdle" so they should fire almost all the time, however most people have lost the ability to control it properly.
So work on them is a must (think kegel exercises).

[GolfFitPro]

Yes, Kegel's are the way to go. But most men have no idea what you are talking about that when you say it! I tell them to hold their pee in, then they get it.

[mr_golfhead]

what's your opinion on the one hundreds from the pilates exercises?

[titleistnutter]

squats and deadlifts ae the best 'core' exercises there are. Painful, but when yo lift heavy you abs are really put to work. Situps are useless- possibly the worst ab exercise

[GolfFitPro]

Agreed. There is a high Torso EMG during the back squat, and even higher when it is made explosive. Build the foundation of mobility, stability and strength, then get into the explosive movements (plyometrics, med ball throws, etc) and it will really give you a potentially powerful swing.

It means nothing if you are not working on your swing though.

[Freddy300]

Are those wheels safe to use? I have one and use it from my knees. Using it from your toes stretched out requires real fitness.

I think situps can cause problems and lots of stress/damage.

How safe are leg lifts in a captain's chair?