Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

Exercise of the Week: Quadruped Thoracic Spine Rotation

October 29, 2013 · by Garrett McLaughlin

| Article written on October 29th, 2015 at 6:30pm | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

The thoracic spine is composed of 12 vertebrae and is often a site of tightness and restriction. With the help of gravity, computers, and long hours driving, we become pulled into a rounded back and forward slumped shoulder posture that can have very negative effects on our joints. With restriction and lack of proper motion in the thoracic spine, other joints in the body have to pick up the slack to accomplish everyday activities. Areas which need to move more to compensate for tightness in the t-spine are: the lumbar spine, cervical spine, and shoulder. That is why in previous posts I posed the question of where is the actual problem if you have low back pain. Yes, your lower back hurts, but is the problem itself actually because it is injured or because the thoracic spine is immobile causing excess stress on the area. With an immobile thoracic spine, the lumbar spine has to compensate and go through a greater range of motion even when the low back is intended to have limited motion and act as a series of stable joints.

l_FI050106FTTIM004 Purpose of exercise:

Mobilize thoracic spine in extension and rotation

Improve posture and ability to raise arms overhead

Steps to properly execute the exercise:

1. Set-up in the quadruped position (hands under the shoulders, knees under the hips)

2. Place hand behind the head or neck

3. Life elbow and rotate spine as high as you can, look at the elbow as you get into the highest position

4. Lower and repeat

Note:

This exercise is most beneficial when added into your warm-up or before starting your exercise routine. It will greatly assist in overhead lifting such as shoulder pressing.

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

Exercise of the Week: Landmine Rainbow

October 4, 2013 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Let’s take a closer at the Landmine Rainbow core stability exercise. For those of you who aren’t familiar with what the landmine is, it’s a barbell that slides into a sleeve so it becomes locked into a stable, pivoting point. I know many members at the BAC are unaware of this piece of equipment which is located on the new Synrgy 360 unit and also the squat racks. The rainbow is a great core stability exercise where the goal is to keep the spine from moving. Core stability is maintaining a stable and unmoving spine with some type of movement at the extremities, in this case the arms.

Muscles Worked:

Core-Muscles-450x250

Quadratus Lumborm (lower back)
Obliques
Transverse Abdominis
Rectus Abdominis (abs)

Steps to Execute Exercise Properly:

With the end of the landmine up to the chest, assume a slight squat position
Fully extend the arms in front of the body and draw the belly button in
Lower the barbell to one side of the body while maintaining the spine in a vertical position
Only allow the shoulders to move but NO rotation or tilting from the trunk
Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions

Note:

Keep the top arm straight as the barbell moves to the side of the body. The body arm is allowed to bend at the elbow to help support the weight of the barbell.

Garrett McLaughlin is an athletic trainer, personal trainer, and certified active release techniques provider. He is passionate about creating safe, and effective fitness and rehabilitation programs for the general population and athletes. ‘Like‘ Garrett’s Facebook page to stay up-to-date on related health, fitness, and nutrition information.

Exercise of the Week: Hip Lift Progression

September 20, 2013 · by Garrett McLaughlin

| Article written on September 20th, 2015 at 6:30pm | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

Hip lifts are very important and valuable exercises that can very easily be done incorrectly. The posterior chain, the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, are often a neglected area when you at look at most resistance training programs. Adding hip lifts into your routine is a great way to stress these muscles and work on a commonly weak area. When you look at many people with lower back pain, a main area for improvement is the ability to extend the hip without the lumbar spine extending. I don’t know how often I see gym-goers performing exercises which focus on the hips, but the back is doing all the work, this is a big problem! Repetitive movements at the end-range of lumbar flexion and extension can be detrimental to the lumbar spine. If done incorrectly while hyperextending the low back, it causes compression of the interspinous ligament. Repetitive or prolonged compression of this ligament can actually lead to instability.

Below are a series of hip lifts in the best order to complete them from a function standpoint. The first exercise, the cook hip lift, is actually more challenging than the regular hip lift but it promotes proper hip extension with a neutral lumbar spine. Once the body learns to use the hip while sparing the low back, the other hip lifts may be implemented and completed not only effectively, but safely. Start with the cook hip lift and add these exercises into your resistance training program. Check out the videos below for a demonstration of each hip lift variation. Don’t forget to keep the low back neutral, squeeze the glutes, and keep all the weight through the heels. Enjoy!

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

Exercise of the Week: Supine Ball Curls

August 27, 2013 · by Garrett McLaughlin

The exercise for this week is the supine ball curl, which is a great posterior chain movement. Before attempting the ball curl it is essential to learn and master the hip lift and cook hip lift. We want to emphasize proper hip extension with no movement at the lumbar spine which can prove difficult once you elevate the feet onto a stability ball.

Muscles Worked:

Quadratus Lumborm (lower back)
Gluteus Maximums (butt)
Hamstrings (posterior thigh)
Gastrocnemius (calf)

Steps to Execute Exercise Properly:

Lay on your back with feet elevated on stability ball
Dig the heels into the ball and lift hips into the air (remember to raise hips but not arch lower back)
While keeping the hips up, pull the ball towards the body and slowly lower away using hamstring
Repeat for desired repetitions

Note:

The hand placement for this exercise will play a huge role as the wider the arms, the easier it will be. Start with the arms straight out to the side (shoulders at 90 degrees), once mastered move the arms by your side, and finally hold the arms in the air in front of the body (no support). Below you’ll find a video to demonstrate this exercise properly.

Exercise of the Week: X-Pulldown

August 8, 2013 · by Garrett McLaughlin

The x-pulldown is a great vertical pulling movement which works the muscles of the back including the lats, teres major, rhomboids, and lower trapezius. This is a great variation of the lat pulldown and will build you up towards pull-ups. Set-up by kneeling on the ground and fully extending the hips. Maintain this position as you execute the upper body movement with a cable column. Grab the opposite handle so your arms create an X. Before moving the cables at all, squeeze the shoulder blades back and down and try maintaining this posture throughout the exercise. In the up position the palms should be facing forward, and as you pull the handles down and across, end with the palms facing the shoulders. This adds a small rotational component at the forearms and shoulders. The back needs to be stressed in not only a horizontal pulling action such as rows, but vertical pulling as well. That’s where the x-pulldown comes in!

(The following video is in the 1/2 kneeling position, not tall kneeling like explained above)

Exercise of the Week: Pallof Press

July 28, 2013 · by Garrett McLaughlin

This exercise named after Physical Therapist John Pallof, has become one of my favorite core exercises. Why I feel this exercise has such value is because it can be done in several positions depending on your dysfunction. Whether you are standing, 1/2 kneeling, or tall kneeling, this exercise can also be used as a movement test to detect any left/right asymmetries. As I wrote previously in other posts, the core is more than just abdominals. The Pallof Press calls upon the entire core (lumbo-pelvic hip complex) to execute properly. The hips are key stabilizers in this exercise as well, which you will feel once you add some weight and hold the lower body static. Are you having problems creating stability in the lunge position, try half kneeling. Or maybe stability is an issue during squatting or deadlifting, than the tall kneeling/standing position fits you best. Remember the more joints you need to stabilize, the more difficult the exercise. That is why in most situations I have my clients start in the tall kneeling position and progress from there once it has been mastered. Make sure before you add weight that you are able to hold a perfect starting position with a tall posture and stationary lower body. Once you add weight and lock the hips in place, the resistance on the cable is going to want to pull the trunk into rotation. If the core is holding strong, we can prevent these forces and hold static. Here are a few videos to demonstrate.