Thursday, September 10, 2009

Chin ups w/Swiss ball

I learned this little trick from reading Alwyn Cosgroves material. The swiss ball forces you to keep your glutes/hamstrings contracted. This help stabilizes your spine. If this makes your chin ups easier it may point to a need for stronger lower abs. Either way, it teaches full body tension. Always a good thing when your lifting.

4 comments:

meeksreward said...

I went to try this at the gym, and am now wondering how you managed to get set up without a partner to place the ball for you. Haha, I couldn't really figure out how to do it right away and figured I was better just getting my reps in. If I'm just being dumb, please let me know.

On a total aside, I was wondering how you felt about abdominal vacuum exercises? I have worked out and been a trainer for many many years and have clearly defined abs. However, do to a combo of overtraining of the rectus and anterior pelvic tilt, I have a distended abdomen. I have been working feverishly for the last many months on strengthening my posterior chain and increasing thoracic mobility and have managed to do so quite successfully. However, I still have a rather distended abdomen. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jason Ross said...

I would like to strengthen your pelvic floor and also make sure your breathing patterns are normal, by that I mean, abdominal breaths so the diaphragm is moving freely and not adhered to your psoas or ql. Check your hip flexor length and make sure that is normal, if they are short that will increase your lumbar lordosis and magnify your distended belly.

meeksreward said...

Thanks for the response. Have been steadily working to lengthen hip flexors for the last 3 months with definite progress. Perhaps you could elaborate on this though, "I would like to strengthen your pelvic floor and also make sure your breathing patterns are normal, by that I mean, abdominal breaths so the diaphragm is moving freely and not adhered to your psoas or ql."

How do i strengthen the pelvic floor? (kegel exercises?) how do i check for adhesion to the psoas or ql? fix it?

Thanks!

Robert

Jason Ross said...

Kegel exercise are a start, min 60 seconds should be able to be held easily, should be able to talk. Then when you can do that, move on to holding the kegel while being able to perform like abdominal work. Like hold a kegel while doing a very light palloff press.

First check your breathing, do a workout that gets you sucking air, are your shoulders going up and down, instead of your belly going in and out? If so, your breathing dysfunctionally, if not your probably good.

If you are a "shoulder breather" chance are you do have some adhesions in the diaphragm/psoas from under use. For that I would have to say, find a soft tissue practitioner to get some releases done. Thats a tricky one.