Rectus Abdominis Continued

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

Several months back, I discussed the general anatomical attachments of the Rectus Abdominis. Today I’d like to dig a little deeper into the actions, or better yet what it does when there is no action in this anterior abdominal muscle.

I also wrote a piece on Upper Cross Syndrome detailing its effect on posture and relative tension.

In order to properly continue in discussing the Rectus, let me also briefly touch on Lower Cross Syndrome. The same concepts of short and long muscles apply here only it applies to the hips. So when you have a crossing pattern of weak and a crossing pattern of strong muscles in this region, you will develop a constant anterior pelvic tilt causing a chain reaction of muscle issues.

LCS

 

 

Because the Rectus attaches on both the hips (pubis bone and pubic symphasis) and the ribs (xiphoid process and cartilage of ribs 5-7), we can then determine that an inhibited Rectus Abdominis will allow for the ribs to flare and the pelvis to tilt anteriorly. Both of these results help catalyze what is known as the open scissors. This is a combination of both a rib flare and lower cross syndrome. It should be noted that although the presence of a rib flare does not guarantee the existence of upper cross syndrome, it is highly likely that the individual with open scissors will have both syndromes.

Because of this, many athletes will make a conscious effort to single out the Rectus and focus on strengthening it to lessen the open scissors. While this is a good idea in theory, the primary action of the Rectus is not work alone and its certainly not designed for sit ups and crunches. What should be done instead is allow for your abdominal muscles to work together and create core stability. A proper plank is a great way to activate your entire core while emphasizing the Rectus Abdominis. The Rectus is an anti-extension muscle (meaning it works to prevent your lumbar spine from going into extension), so squeeze your glutes and allow for that pelvis to tilt posteriorly to a more neutral position. It should also be realized that your breathing pattern will likely have the greatest effect on your ability to correct these postural issues. Plain and simple, if you cannot breather properly, restoring posture will border on impossible.

 

PHOTO COURTESY OF:

http://slstrength.com/2013/01/02/upper-cross-syndrome-explained/

Filed Under: Anatomy, Injury Prevention, Performance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Irradiation

March 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

As sports medicine programs continue to develop concepts such as Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization and Postural Restoration, we as strength coaches will continue to develop the concepts that we teach on the gym floor. Classic exercise techniques preach muscle isolation, hypertrophy and isolated strength but as new strategies arise, we see that performance training should be based around movement training involving many different muscles. For example, if I want to train a baseball player to hit with more force, I’m not going to isolate his training to isolated movements such as a medicine ball side pass (no rotation) or lateral lunges. If I’m going to properly train this movement, I need to realize that this movement is a collection of muscular contractions that need to work in sync to cause this movement. Therefore, in order to train these movements, I need to ensure that when the hitter calls upon this movement, he will be able to use them correctly to generate the most efficient force possible.

Irradiation refers to the fact that one muscle has an effect on many muscles up their respective chain (superficial back line, etc.). A quick example is  how hamstring tension can be decreased with some release techniques on your plantar fascia on the bottom of your foot. Irradiation can be positive or negative. If I have an anteriorly tilted pelvis, my irradiation superior and inferior of this point will prove negative and the rest of the muscles in the chain will have to adopt compensation patterns to make up for the dysfunction. Conversely, if my pelvis is aligned properly, it will have a positive irradiating effect (although that’s not to say another muscle in the chain won’t be having a negative irradiating effect).

Filed Under: Anatomy, Articles, Injury Prevention, Performance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Upper Cross Syndrome Explained

January 2, 2013 By 1 Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

Upper Cross Syndrome is a postural dysfunction in the shoulder region. Signs of UCS included shoulders being rolled forward, shoulder shrugging during exercise and extension of the neck causing the head to be pushed in front of the body.

Upper Cross Syndrome is essentially an imbalance of muscular tension that is fairly common among the general population. Muscles such as the Pectoralis Major, Pectoralis Minor, and Upper Trapezius muscles will have a higher relative tension than muscles such as Lower Trapezius, Deep Neck Flexors, Rhomboids and Serratus Anterior.

Upper Cross Syndrome

UCS is typically caused by people who train their chest more than their back. So if you grew up doing push-ups without doing exercise like inverted rows, you are a prime candidate for UCS. Other factors such as sleeping posture, sitting at a desk without proper posture for extended periods of time and poor exercise form are all contributing factors to the development of UCS.

These muscular imbalances cause some additional kyphosis of the spine as well as an array of problems resulting from poor posture.

One thing that I have noticed in my time training professional athletes is that most guys are Upper Trap dominant, meaning that when it comes time to retract the scapula, the shoulder blade uses an upward glide because their Lower and Middle Traps aren’t strong enough. This, of course, leads to UCS, so one way to help correct this syndrome is to strengthen the Lower and Middle Traps.

Trapezius

Another way to correct this postural issue is to create a chest to back exercise ratio that favors your posterior (back) side. I would recommend at least 1:3. This will allow for your posterior chain to gain ground on your chest muscles thus pulling your shoulders back to the proper position. Along the same lines, we want to make sure that we stretch the tight muscles to release tension and increase length. We also need to make sure we create enough Thoracic Spine mobility.

Lastly, it’s important to incorporate soft tissue work into the treatment program. For this particular region, using a lacrosse ball or a baseball work the best. Make sure you emphasize the Upper Trap and Pectorals during your myofascial release.

Upper Cross Syndrome is very common and should be treated in order to avoid future injury as a result of poor posture.

IMAGES COURTESY OF:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KVPq1Qq-sEA/ThHWQEZg3pI/AAAAAAAAAB0/CwWepGbC5ZQ/s400/Trapezius.jpg

http://www.empowher.com/files/ebsco/images/si1544.jpg

http://erikdalton.com/images/upper-crossed-syndrome.jpg

Filed Under: Anatomy, Articles, Injury Prevention, Performance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Exercise Selection and Intensity for Targeting the Scapula

October 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

When assessing athlete’s movement patterns, scapular mobility, especially in baseball, is critical to the health of the athlete. In today’s world, we see athletes who are upper trapezius dominant. We see athletes with protracted scaps and we see athletes with a number of dysfunctions in their shoulders. As strength and conditioning coaches, we must develop ways to correct the impairments. For protracted shoulders we may assign soft tissue work to the pecs and extra pull exercises and for upper trap dominant athletes we need to strengthen the lower and middle traps.

In the Volume 26 of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, a study is published examining the proper intensities to use when targeting certain scapular muscles. For example, if we are looking to gain lower trap strength, according to the study, we may prescribe a prone abduction regimen with a high intensity.

In the study, seven exercises were measured. The shoulder press, one arm row, push-up plus, press up, prone abduction, prone flexion and a ring fallout.

The muscles studied in this examination were Serratus Anterior as well as the Upper, Middle and Lower Trapezius.

Maximum Serratus activity was recorded during high intensity push-up pluses and high and low intensity shoulder presses.

The most Upper Trap activity was measured during high intensity shoulder press and high intensity prone abduction.

Lower Trap was most targeted during high intensities of prone abduction and low intensities of the press-up.

Finally the Middle Trap was most active during a high intensity one arm row; however the drop off to the low intensity row was minimal.

A lot of times, as strength coaches, we are limited in the time we can work with our athletes, so it is imperative to select the most effective and efficient exercises in order to get the most out of our sessions.

SOURCE: Andersen, Chrisoffer H., Zebis, Mette K., Saervoll, Charlotte, Sundstrup, Emil, Jakobsen, Markus D., Sjogaard, Gisela, Andersen, Lars L., “Scapular Muscle Activity From Selected Strengthening Exercises Performed At Low and High Intensities.”, The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Volume 26, Number 9, September 2012

Filed Under: Injury Prevention, Performance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Relative Hamstring Tension

August 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

As a follow up to my article IMPROVING SQUAT DEPTH, I thought I should mention the concept of relative hamstring tension. In “Improving Squat Depth,” I talk about the importance of the hamstring in increasing your depth. The tension in the hamstring can draw the pelvis into a posterior tilt thus initiating squatting technical failure.

What we didn’t cover is what we are trying to accomplish by stretching the hamstring and rectus abdominis. This is where relative tension comes into play. We have to measure the relative tension of the hamstrings and rectus abdominis with the relative tension of the lumbar back extensors. As long as the tension is greater in the extensors, then the pelvis will be able to remain in anterior tilt, but once the relative tension shifts then the lumbar extension turns into flexion and the pelvis tilts posteriorly.

So when we stretch the hamstrings and rectus abdominis for the purpose of improving squat depth and performance, our true goal is to increase the range of motion in which the back extensors remain at a higher tension than that of the hamstrings and rectus abdominis.

We can also improve the back extensors capacity to maintain spinal and pelvic alignment by practicing exercises such as the superman hold.

Filed Under: Injury Prevention Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Improving Squat Depth

July 19, 2012 By 2 Comments

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

One of the cues coaches look for when coaching a squat is the pelvic alignment. When squatting, we are taught to tighten your back and try and maintain an anterior tilt of the pelvis. Once the athlete can longer maintain this form, then they have reached their maximum squat depth.

If we want to keep the pelvis in anterior tilt, we must think about what muscles are pulling the pelvis posteriorly. The muscles of the posterior thigh musculature will be the primary pullers here. The hamstrings, specifically the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus, pull the pelvis down from behind the leg. The tighter these muscles are, the quicker in the squatting movement the pelvis will lose its anterior tilt. Thus we must decrease the tension in the muscle in order to increase your squat depth.

It’s also important to recognize the rectus abdominis role pulling the pelvis posteriorly. The rectus abdominis, which is essentially your six-pack, is often overlooked in this process due to its anterior bodily location. However the inferior attachment of this muscle is on the bottom of the pelvis so when this particular muscle is tight, it pulls the pelvis from the bottom and into posterior tilt.

Now we know from my article “Hamstrings and Back Problems are KINECTed” what the tilt of your pelvis can have on the health of your back, so we also know why it’s so important to maintain a proper pelvic tilt throughout the squatting motion. If your technically efficient squat depth is not deep enough, we need to work on the muscle flexibility of these muscles.

PNF Stretching is a great option for increasing flexibility in the hamstrings but can be difficult for the rectus abdominis. Read about PNF Stretching HERE. For your six-pack, some prone press ups will work well. Livestrong.com has few more for you HERE.

  • THE PICTURE DISPLAYS LEBRON JAMES PULLING HIMSELF INTO POSTERIOR TILT (AS WELL AS SOME GOOD T-SPINE FLEXION) WHILE TYING HIS SHOES

SOURCE: http://solacenmt.blogspot.com/2010/11/pelvic-tilt-and-its-effect-on-lower.html

Filed Under: Injury Prevention Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PNF Stretching

July 18, 2012 By 1 Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, or PNF Stretching, is regarded as the quickest avenue to increased muscle flexibility.

Interestingly, according to Charlie Weingroff DPT, PNF Stretching is not really stretching. Muscle tension comes from your brain and this flexibility technique is designed to tell your brain to stop creating muscular tension at the normal end range of motion, thus creating more flexibility.

PNF can be done with a partner but with a little help, can be done alone as well. I like to use a stretching rope in order to practice this technique on my own.

There are a couple of different PNF techniques. First, we have the Hold-Relax Technique. This process starts with a passive stretch. An example of a passive stretch would be to hook the stretching rope around your foot, like on your back and perform a straight leg raise while keeping the other leg flat on the floor. In the Weingroff video on PNF, he discusses the importance of maintaining pelvic neutrality. It’s important to keep the other leg flat by keeping the knee down, keeping a non-rotated foot and not letting your leg rotate externally. All of these “cheats” will produce excessive slack in your hip, giving you a greater, yet false range of motion in the hamstring. Maintaining pelvic neutrality is easier when done with a partner.

After the passive stretch, the Hold-Relax Technique calls for a few seconds of relaxation followed by an isometric contraction against the passive stretch. This means that, in the case of the hamstring passive stretch explained above, you should be pushing your leg downwards against the force of the rope or partner’s hand. Your force should be equal to the force produced by your partner or rope thus creating no movement also known as an isometric contraction. This is performed for approximately ten seconds.

A second two to three second relax ensues which is then followed by a final passive stretch. This final passive stretch takes advantage of the new, increased range of motion that was just developed in the stretched muscle. Ten seconds is also recommended for this passive stretch.

Make sure you give yourself a minimum of twenty seconds of recovery before performing PNF on the same muscle group. However, according to an HFLTA study, performing multiple rounds of PNF on one group is no more effective than one round.

A second PNF technique is the Hold-Relax-Contract Technique. This starts like the aforementioned technique with a passive stretch followed by an isometric contraction. This time, the Hold-Relax-Contract technique calls for an antagonist contraction and held for about ten seconds. This is made easier by reciprocal inhibition. Reciprocal inhibition is when an antagonist contracts, the agonist is generally forced to relax.

To understand the meaning of an antagonist we must first define an agonist. An agonist is the primary mover in an action. In a bicep curl, the agonist is the bicep and in a triceps pull down the agonist is the triceps. The antagonists however are the muscles that provide resistance to the movement. So in the same examples, the triceps antagonize the bicep curl and the biceps do the same to a triceps pull down.

The final point to the Hold-Relax-Contract Technique is that it does not have a final passive stretch. Because of this, this PNF strategy is among the safer strategies.

SOURCES:

http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_4.html#SEC30

http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_2.html#SEC18

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17052131

Filed Under: Injury Prevention Tagged With: , , , ,

Shoulder Sulcus Sign

July 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

Shoulder sulcus is a sign of laxity in your shoulder. This video explains how to test for a shoulder sulcus sign.

If the sulcus sign is positive, meaning the the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) is indeed loose, you will be able to see an indentation form on their shoulder when performing this test.

From an injury standpoint, this laxity will certainly put you at greater risk of injury. This sulcus sign could be a result of previous injury or gradual wear and tear but it is important to tighten up the ligaments to decrease the laxity. The shoulder already has enough trouble stabalizing with a shallow fossa (socket) and large range of motion.

From a baseball standpoint, increased shoulder laxity can improve your throwing velocity but at the cost of higher injury risk. You can’t throw if you are not on the field so it is more important to tighten up that joint for a more efficient and less dangerous range of motion.

If your shoulder is demonstrating a positive sulcus sign there are some exercises you can do to help. Simple internal (keep your elbow tight to your body) and external rotation exercises, flexion exercises (pushups, front raises), rows, lat pull-downs and scapular mobility exercises.

For a reminder on basic shoulder movement patters, check out my article on the Biomechanics of Baseball Pitching.

SOURCES:

Sawyer PT, Chris, “Rehab of the Unstable Shoulder,” http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.childrensmercy.org%2FContent%2FuploadedFiles%2FDepartments%2FGraduate_Medical_Education%2FCME%2FRehabilitation%2520of%2520the%2520Unstable%2520Shoulder.pptx&ei=lBb3T4KGKcnc0QGlhOX4Bg&usg=AFQjCNG7Szx801P5CS2vNPjbP7-5vL2u6g&sig2=bMJSuLEGBc9zFB3uB2UEmg

“All About Shoulder Dislocation,” http://www.ori.org.au/bonejoint/shoulder/diagnosis.htm

“Sulcus Sign,” http://videos.rehabstudents.com/sulcus-sign/

Filed Under: Injury Prevention Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Preventing Injury with Yoga

June 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

Pick up a dumbbell, start with your arms fully extended and attempt a bicep curl. Now, instead of starting with your arms extended, start the arm at a ninety degree angle. The curl is certainly easier when starting with the modified start position. This is because at the end of any given range of motion, the muscle is at its weakest.

In order for a muscle to contract, myofilaments called actin and myosin must connect using cross-bridges within the part of the muscle called the sarcomere. When the muscle is fully contracted, the actin and myosin are too close together to get a maximal amount of connections. Conversely, at the end range of motion, the myofilaments are too far apart to achieve maximal connections. Thus, somewhere in between end range of motion and full contraction is the range for the most cross-bridge connections.

One of the most common ranges for injury to occur is at the end range of motion. In order to better prevent athletes from finding themselves on the disabled list, it’s important to increase strength and the end range of motion.

Traditional weight lifting, assuming proper form is used, strengthens throughout an entire range of motion. Isometric exercises pinpoint one area of the range of motion to strengthen.

Isometric exercises are holds. The athlete locks into one position and holds the position for a given amount of time. Examples are pushup holds, wall sits and pull up holds.

If the strength and conditioning coach properly selects the isometric exercises, he or she can increase the athlete’s strength at the end range of motion and decrease the athlete’s risk of injury at that particular range.

Yoga revolves around “poses,” or positions held for a given period of time. Sound familiar? These poses are isometric exercises. Instituting yoga poses into strength and conditioning program is a great way to help athletes avoid the disabled list.

Filed Under: Injury Prevention Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Hamstrings and Back Problems are KINECTed

June 11, 2012 By 1 Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

Poor hamstring flexibility puts your body at risk and can lead to debilitating back injuries. If the elasticity of the hamstrings is not sufficient, the problem will likely work its way up the kinetic chain, causing more problems and causing vulnerability in your spine.

The kinetic chain is essentially the relationship of various body parts and how they work together to create movement. For example, if you need to bend over and pick something up off of the ground your hamstrings need to be able to stretch. If they are not flexible enough, your body needs to adjust in order to get the object from the floor. Maybe you twist your torso to get closer to the ground, maybe you squat to eliminate the need for hamstring flexibility, or maybe you bend at your back. This final possibility is known as spinal flexion and too much of this will lead to spinal injuries.

Once the hamstrings reach their maximal length, the next thing to change is the pelvis. The pelvis is the bone at your hips and it can tilt in two ways, posteriorly and anteriorly. When lifting off of the ground, you want to maintain an anterior pelvic tilt. This is when the top of the pelvis is tilted forward. This will allow your lumbar spine (the lower section of your spine) to stay in its natural curvature.

The spine has four natural curves. The cervical curvature is at the top of the spine and bends towards the front of your body. The thoracic curvature, at the middle of your back, bends towards your back. Similarly, the lumbar curvature and sacral curvatures bend to the front and back respectively.

If your pelvis creates a posterior pelvic tilt during a lift then it will take your lumbar spine out of its natural form and into spinal flexion. Too much spinal flexion will improperly distribute weight onto your intervertebral discs. When standing, the pressure on your spinal discs equates to 100PSIs. When sitting slouched you create up to 175PSIs of pressure, but when you try to lift a twenty-five pound box off of the ground with too much spinal flexion, you create over 400PSIs of pressure.

This enormous amount of pressure can create injuries such as bulging, ruptured or even degenerative discs. Aside from disc injuries, muscular strains and ligament sprains also increase in possibility when spinal flexion is too great.

A simple test to see if you are at risk for these problems as a result of poor hamstring elasticity would be to stand up, keep your legs straight and touch your toes. Make a mental note of how far down you could go. Then bend down and touch your toes while only hip hinging. Hip hinging is only bending at your hips, or using your hips as a hinge like on a door. While hip hinging, focus on pushing your butt backwards. Most likely, you will not be able to go nearly as far on the hip hinge as you were on the first try. This is because you eliminate the possibility of spinal flexion thus decreasing your total range of motion.

No matter your range of flexibility in your hamstrings, continue to work at its flexibility to maintain and ensure minimal risk of back problems as a result of poor hamstring flexibility.

REFERENCES:

health.rush.edu

http://www.k-state.edu/safety/training/Safe%20Lifting/Safe%20Lifting%20is%20not%20an%20accident-PowerPoint_files/frame.htm

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-spinal-health

Filed Under: Injury Prevention Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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