Latest Stretching Post

[Eric3237]

You'll have to describe the difference to me of these windshield wipers and torso twists.

There is a yoga pose sometimes called "windshield wipers" that is bascially a stretch and I think that is fine. I'm not a big yoga fan but it's an ok stretch. But the windshield wipers where your feet are in the air and you rotate so that the legs go all the way to the ground on each side....this is a stupid and excessive exercise and it definitely is using too much rotational range of motion in the lumbar spine.

Excercises like this are called "transverse plane" movements. The transverse plane is like the line that would be created if someone were to chop you in half with a sword. So these movements are anything where the top half of your body is moving in a different direction that the bottom half.

If you look at the way your body moves naturally you will never see an everday or sport movement where the lower half twists around at the lumbar spine while the T-spine stays stationary. Although the lumbar spine has and can support some rotational movement, and it's necessary, it is limited and doing these type of exercises can definitely cause injury as well as instability. During different circumstances the lumbar spine is even less able to tolerate rotation such as in flexion.

When you look at your big barbell exercises and your "primal" movements, most of your core activity is aimed at PREVENTING transverse and frontal plane movement, not promoting it. Squats, deadlifts, single leg stuff like step ups, sprinting, you name it the muscles are contracting isometrically to prevent this type of movement. It looks stationary but you don't see all the stuff that is going on....

The lumbar spine has a little bit of rotation but really the name of the game there tends to be stability. The thoracic and cervical spine has more mobility. Just look at how you turn around to look behind you or say, how your body works when your back up your car. Most of the twisting is done at the T-spine and neck with just a little bit at the lumbar spine. This is how it naturally works. Doing exercises that mimick a completly unnatural motion just doesn't make sense.

If you take russian twist this is the opposite. Where you rotate at the throracic spine and you are only going to get a bit at the lumbar region. This is a good alternative to what you are doing. Also cable wood chops. Similar. There are versions of windshields where you hang from a bar and the lower back stays pretty much the same while you twist around the upper body.

A little bit of light rotational stretching at the lumbar spine I think is probably ok to maintain some suppleness. If you do a movement with the feet in the air, it is ok but you want to use a very limited range of motion, just a little bit to each side.

But I cannot stress enough this idea of stabibility. I do a lot of static back extensions. This is where I use the glutes to get me up via hip extension only (no lumbar flexion) while keeping a tight lodortic set and I hold myself there in the top position. What I noticed right off the bat is that as much effort was being spent keeping my body from twisting to one side as it was from going down in the sagital plane. All the twisting exercises in the world wouldn't do me as much good as this kind of thing...but when it comes to rotation you probalby need more work at the T-spine. As well as more flexion-extension at the T-spine along with more hip mobility. This is the healthy combination.

[marv]

Cool thanks Eric. Good read. I will be more carefull in the future. Only very light stretching in the lumbar region. The Torso twists I was doing are standing and dynamic. I can now see it was very silly.
The Windshield wipers I am talking about are either done with knees bent or legs fully extended. The legs are rotated from side to side while lying on your back.

Thanks MaRvO.

[Eric3237]

I found a compilation of useful tests for shoulders which I added to that post. Can definitely help pin down some problems...even ones you didn't know you had.

I'll add more when I find it....I don't want to add a hodgepodge of bits and pieces like I've had to use for years.

Just click on the same link above if you want to see.

[_Wolf_]

ive been viewing some of the exercises. nice sorry i didnt post earlier...just caught my attention

[Eric3237]

http://turbulencetraining.blogspot.c...es-part-1.html

http://turbulencetraining.blogspot.c...es-part-2.html

Two part shoulder interview with Bill Hartman.


And..

Bench Press and your Screwed Up Shoulders

Also see this post from injuries sticky:

http://www.bodybuilding.net/46399-67-post.html