Check out the article I wrote recently for the new health and fitness website, www.mynewvita.com
Another great resource for health and fitness advice and workouts you should add to your favourites!
why i don't do sit ups...
Before I became a personal trainer, sit-ups were a regular staple of my training routine. If I can feel the burn in my abs then it must be doing something good for me, right? Not necessarily! If you’re no stranger to training then you’ll be familiar with the term “neutral spine”, a cue you’ll hear personal trainers use when coaching. Neutral spine refers to the 3 natural curves of the spine, cervical, thoracic and lumbar. When a neutral spine is maintained this allows for the least amount of stress to be placed on the body’s tissues, which is why it’s so important to maintain this posture when carrying heavy loads and doing any kind of movement.
So what does this have to do with sit-ups you ask? Neutral spine is important no matter what position you are in. When we perform a typical sit up, (lets say lying flat with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, arms crossed over the chest or hands behind the head), each time we bring the upper back off the floor and chest towards the knees, the lumbar spine will flex putting increased pressure on the intervertebral discs. If you think of these discs between the vertebrae as jam donuts, each time the spine flexes, the jam gets squeezed to the back of the disc and with time this action can weaken the disc membrane and may eventually bulge out, causing problems with surrounding tissues.
In that case, to train the abdominals effectively it’s important to understand how they work and what their purpose is. Professor Stuart McGill, a leading authority on lower back pain, explains that the abdominal muscles are designed to provide stability to the spine and to stop movement through stiffening. Bearing that in mind he also claims that having a flexible spine goes against back health and that the key to an injury free spine is muscular endurance.
A buzzword amongst many PTs and Physio Therapists where ab training is concerned is “TA activation”. The TA or transversus abdominis, a deep layer abdominal muscle which wraps around from the lower back to the front of the lower ribs and pelvis which helps with spinal stability and breathing. Many fitness professionals claim that this muscle can be activated consciously by drawing in the lower belly when performing exercise to support the spine and that a back injury can lead to this muscle losing its ability to function effectively. Paul Chek, a leading expert in the field of corrective exercise, uses a simple test to see if the TA is working as it should. Tie a piece of string around the waist at the level of the belly button. Bend over to reach for the toes, if the string loosens then according to the test the TA is activating and firing as it should, if the string tightens, then the rectus abdominis or the outer “6 pack” abs are compensating and activated instead.
However like many subjects in the health and fitness world, the importance of TA activation is debatable! Others argue that this muscle works purely on an unconscious level and so we have no choice in the matter of it firing or not. Stuart McGill suggests that the action of drawing in the lower belly can be problematic and that bracing and stiffening the trunk muscles will have a greater effect on protecting the spine overall. Physical therapist and strength coach, Gray Cook talks about training movement patterns rather than isolating individual muscles for an optimal core. He suggests that revisiting simple, primal movement patterns like rolling and crawling create a foundation for effective core functioning and performance.
Considering this information, why not try some of these alternatives as part of your training:
Basic plank hold:
If you haven’t heard of planking then where have you been lately?! This is very simple to do and can be adjusted to suit anyone’s ability level.
So what does this have to do with sit-ups you ask? Neutral spine is important no matter what position you are in. When we perform a typical sit up, (lets say lying flat with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, arms crossed over the chest or hands behind the head), each time we bring the upper back off the floor and chest towards the knees, the lumbar spine will flex putting increased pressure on the intervertebral discs. If you think of these discs between the vertebrae as jam donuts, each time the spine flexes, the jam gets squeezed to the back of the disc and with time this action can weaken the disc membrane and may eventually bulge out, causing problems with surrounding tissues.
In that case, to train the abdominals effectively it’s important to understand how they work and what their purpose is. Professor Stuart McGill, a leading authority on lower back pain, explains that the abdominal muscles are designed to provide stability to the spine and to stop movement through stiffening. Bearing that in mind he also claims that having a flexible spine goes against back health and that the key to an injury free spine is muscular endurance.
A buzzword amongst many PTs and Physio Therapists where ab training is concerned is “TA activation”. The TA or transversus abdominis, a deep layer abdominal muscle which wraps around from the lower back to the front of the lower ribs and pelvis which helps with spinal stability and breathing. Many fitness professionals claim that this muscle can be activated consciously by drawing in the lower belly when performing exercise to support the spine and that a back injury can lead to this muscle losing its ability to function effectively. Paul Chek, a leading expert in the field of corrective exercise, uses a simple test to see if the TA is working as it should. Tie a piece of string around the waist at the level of the belly button. Bend over to reach for the toes, if the string loosens then according to the test the TA is activating and firing as it should, if the string tightens, then the rectus abdominis or the outer “6 pack” abs are compensating and activated instead.
However like many subjects in the health and fitness world, the importance of TA activation is debatable! Others argue that this muscle works purely on an unconscious level and so we have no choice in the matter of it firing or not. Stuart McGill suggests that the action of drawing in the lower belly can be problematic and that bracing and stiffening the trunk muscles will have a greater effect on protecting the spine overall. Physical therapist and strength coach, Gray Cook talks about training movement patterns rather than isolating individual muscles for an optimal core. He suggests that revisiting simple, primal movement patterns like rolling and crawling create a foundation for effective core functioning and performance.
Considering this information, why not try some of these alternatives as part of your training:
Basic plank hold:
If you haven’t heard of planking then where have you been lately?! This is very simple to do and can be adjusted to suit anyone’s ability level.
• For a basic plank hold, place your forearms on the floor, make sure elbows are below the shoulders.
• Extend your legs and push from the knees so that your weight is supported through the shoulders and toes.
• Brace and hold the abs, bum and thighs. Don’t let the hips sag down or the head hang down, you should be making a straight line from the ankle trough your hips to the top of your head.
• Start with short holds of 10 seconds and repeat several times. Eventually you can increase the time up to a 1 minute hold and beyond.
When you get good at this there are hundreds of variations you can try.
Curl up:
This is a modified sit up that Stuart McGill and Gray Cook teach which is good for training you to maintain neutral spine in a lying position.
• Extend your legs and push from the knees so that your weight is supported through the shoulders and toes.
• Brace and hold the abs, bum and thighs. Don’t let the hips sag down or the head hang down, you should be making a straight line from the ankle trough your hips to the top of your head.
• Start with short holds of 10 seconds and repeat several times. Eventually you can increase the time up to a 1 minute hold and beyond.
When you get good at this there are hundreds of variations you can try.
Curl up:
This is a modified sit up that Stuart McGill and Gray Cook teach which is good for training you to maintain neutral spine in a lying position.
• Lie flat and extend one leg out straight, bending the other leg and place the foot flat on the floor.
• Place your hands under your lower back for support and to make sure it doesn’t flatten to the floor.
• Lift the head and shoulders off the floor (don’t push the head forwards) and lift elbows, you should only lift a few inches off the floor.
• Hold for a few seconds, feeling the stiffness through the abs.
• As you lift, make sure to maintain the slight arch in the lower back, you know if you’re doing this correctly because there should be no pressure on your hands. If you feel your back pressing into your hands then lower and start again.
• Do several reps making sure to switch the bent leg to keep it even.
Pallof press:
This is a great exercise for spinal stability and trains the core muscles to resist rotational forces. This can be done with a cable machine or a resistance band.
• Place your hands under your lower back for support and to make sure it doesn’t flatten to the floor.
• Lift the head and shoulders off the floor (don’t push the head forwards) and lift elbows, you should only lift a few inches off the floor.
• Hold for a few seconds, feeling the stiffness through the abs.
• As you lift, make sure to maintain the slight arch in the lower back, you know if you’re doing this correctly because there should be no pressure on your hands. If you feel your back pressing into your hands then lower and start again.
• Do several reps making sure to switch the bent leg to keep it even.
Pallof press:
This is a great exercise for spinal stability and trains the core muscles to resist rotational forces. This can be done with a cable machine or a resistance band.
• Take the cable or resistance band handle and take a few steps away so that the weight is suspended or there is enough resistance on the band to challenge you.
• Stand sideways on to the weight stack or band, take the feet hip width apart, slightly bend the knees, keep a neutral spine by pushing the hips back slightly, keep the torso upright and look straight ahead. Hold the handle just below chest level, keeping the elbows tucked in.
• Keeping the abs braced, extend the arms out in front and resist the pull of the cable or band, don’t allow yourself to twist. Bend the elbows and bring the handle back to the start position.
• Perform 10-15 reps on each side in a steady and controlled manner.
You will also get a good abdominal workout performing squats, deadlifts, pull ups, push ups, shoulder presses, sprints, hand stands, climbing, farmers walks, crawling, etc. I could go on but this should give you the idea that we are always using our core muscles, so just remember to brace!
References:
Paul Chek:
http://chekinstitute.ideafit.com/files/user_upload/53340.pdf
Stuart McGill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr2xlwXwrWA
Gray Cook:
http://graycook.com/?p=137
• Stand sideways on to the weight stack or band, take the feet hip width apart, slightly bend the knees, keep a neutral spine by pushing the hips back slightly, keep the torso upright and look straight ahead. Hold the handle just below chest level, keeping the elbows tucked in.
• Keeping the abs braced, extend the arms out in front and resist the pull of the cable or band, don’t allow yourself to twist. Bend the elbows and bring the handle back to the start position.
• Perform 10-15 reps on each side in a steady and controlled manner.
You will also get a good abdominal workout performing squats, deadlifts, pull ups, push ups, shoulder presses, sprints, hand stands, climbing, farmers walks, crawling, etc. I could go on but this should give you the idea that we are always using our core muscles, so just remember to brace!
References:
Paul Chek:
http://chekinstitute.ideafit.com/files/user_upload/53340.pdf
Stuart McGill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr2xlwXwrWA
Gray Cook:
http://graycook.com/?p=137