Fine-Tuning your Ab Routine

In a previous article, I noted how the range of motion of crunches is not conducive to building a strong core. Crunches will only effectively engage the rectus abdominal muscles, while some of the surrounding important core musculature is not addressed. Ultimately, it is a basic exercises that serves little purpose for individuals with more than a few of strength training experiences.

The biggest problem in many "ab" routines that I see people do is that there's no progressive overload. People will do the same handful of exercises for the same number of sets and repetitions every session, week after week. Now, imagine you did that with a back squat, or with any other movement: what if you just squatted 135 pounds for 5 sets of 5 repetitions on every leg day? You might make a little bit of progress for a week or two, but eventually you're not going to continue to make gains. Your legs won't get any bigger or stronger. The same is true for the abdominal muscles. If you're just doing 3 sets of 15 crunches, 3 sets of 20 Russian twists, etc., then guess what? Your core isn't going to get any stronger either. I watch many people do the same core exercises day in and day out, and they aren't continuing to adapt.

There are four ways to create progressive overload for strength training:

1. Increase the number of repetitions. If you've been sticking with 3x10 leg lifts, for example, try to do 3x15 next week. This is one way to add volume.
2. Increase the number of sets. Additionally, you can add in more sets to increase total training volume.
3. Increase the amount of time. This is specific to isometric movements like the plank, hollow hold, side plank, etc. Try to increase the length of the hold by 10-15 seconds per week.
4. Add load. I like to add weighted ab exercises into my programs, once the client has demonstrated competency in the non-weighted variation. Examples of exercises include weighted hanging knee raises, weighted planks, weighted sit-ups, cable chops, and weighted leg lifts.
5. Change the exercises. Get creative. There are so many exercises out there that allow you to continue to progress. Constantly challenge yourself. I constantly post new exercise ideas on my Instagram page, such as those in the above links, so always be on the lookout for new ideas. Just when you think you have abs of steel, you find a new exercise variation to humble yourself once again.

If  you're going through the same routine multiple times per week, you may still "feel a burn," but you're not necessarily going to achieve the desired result of a rock solid core. Instead, here are my suggestions for improving your core training. Core training has to be progressed in the same way that you would continue to periodize the big strength movements. Think outside of the box and don't get complacent with your ab routine!

Is there Such a Thing as "Too Much" Mobility?

If you Google "mobility," you can find pages upon pages of articles about how to improve your mobility at any given joint. Thoracic mobility, shoulder mobility, ankle mobility, and the like are central themes on fitness blogs all over the internet (mine included). As a trainer, it satisfies me to see so many lifters and colleagues prioritizing the improvement in range of motion. Too much of a good thing can become detrimental, though. Having excessive mobility can be just as injurious as being tight and immobile.

These arrows above represent the stability-mobility continuum. Those who have tissue restrictions have a ton of stability, which those with a plethora of mobility lack. Some individuals, like gymnasts and dancers, fall into the class of "hypermobility." Essentially, they have ligament and tendon laxity, which means that their range of motion exceeds what is common or necessary for most people. This is more common in females than in males, but can be present in both genders.

Genetics and anatomy are going to be the two biggest indicators of where one falls on this continuum. There are, however, ways to improve this. Obviously, despite being born with tight shoulders, it's still possible to loosen up your tissues and become more supple. Conversely, those with joint laxity can do more in the way of strengthening stabilizing muscles in order to become more stable.

In some ways, stretching for someone who is hypermobile could be akin to an athlete with a stress fracture going for a 15 mile run. We want our muscles to flex and extend seamlessly, but hyperextension can be dangerous. Strength coach Eric Cressey notes, "Instead [of stretching them], these individuals need to work on building stability within the ROM they already have with quality strength training."

As an example, let's use the shoulder joint. The shoulders are already the most mobile joint, as they can move through a full 360°. With these great movement demands come tremendous risk, though. While the shoulders are very mobile, they're also one of the most frequently injured areas. A hypermobile client might have an overhead position that resembles that of the woman in the photo on the right. Not only is her lumbar spine in hyperextension, but her shoulder flexion goes well behind her center of mass. Certainly, this position is not ideal for supporting load, as it puts the shoulder girdle under tremendous stress. Now, if this client were to stretch her shoulders before a session, she's just going to further force herself into a precarious position, and she increases her risk of injury. 

We never want to enforce excess movement in a joint. Each sport and activity places different demands on the joints and tissues, so the goal is to establish enough range of motion for your given sport. No more, no less. A baseball pitcher requires more external rotation at the elbow than the average person needs. Swimmers need flexible shoulders to move freely through the water. Ultimately, you have to find the optimal amount of mobility that will allow you to achieve the necessary positions of what you do. In my case, I was blessed with natural flexibility, so I spend very little time doing accessory mobility work. 

There's no need to spend time forcing an end range that you don't need, and it may even be counterproductive. Choose your mobility work wisely, picking exercises that apply to the areas with which you need the most help. The movement requirements of an athlete of one sport aren't going to be the same for another. Some sports benefit from decreased mobility, while others require extreme bendiness: find the optimal area for you on the stability-mobility continuum!

3 Reasons Why Your Poor Mobility is Holding You Back

So many lifters are willing to complain ad nauseam about their lack of mobility, but very few of those people are willing to get up and fix it. Most individuals would prefer to deadlift heavy and get their heart rates up than spend about 10-15 minutes addressing their muscular imbalances and chronically tight areas.

What those people might not realize, is that their lack of mobility is actually sabotaging their progress. Instead, they'd rather just cut to the chase and dive face first into their workouts. They see the value in heavy lifting and pushing hard, but they neglect the accessory mobility work. It's easy to ignore, because the immediate pay-off might be minimal. They release a tight muscle once or twice, and don't make any lasting changes. Like strength training, though, consistency is the key. Doing a handful of stretches, some self-massage, and corrective exercises every few days will go a long way. Not only will you feel more loosey-goosey, but you may even PR your lifts just from adding some more range of motion to your joints!

If your overhead squat looks like that of the guy on the right, this article is about you.

Hopefully, this post will help knock some common sense into you and remind you to pay more attention to the corrective exercises. Here are three major reasons why your limited range of motion is holding you back from getting stronger:

1. You can't get into the right positions. Movements like the front squat require a considerable range of motion. If your latissimus dorsi and pectoralis minors are tight, you won't be able to achieve an ideal position in the lift. No matter how many times a coach may say "elbows up," you just can't get them any higher. Your mobility is going to hinder your progress, because if you cannot keep your torso upright, then you won't be able to support a significant amount of weight in that position. I have met plenty of people who have ample strength, but stagnate on the clean, because their chest drops every time they catch the barbell. Their legs can support the weight without a problem, but their shoulders aren't having it. If these people did some work on the areas in question (pecs and lats), they would, undoubtedly, get an immediate PR on their cleans.
2. Your potential for force production is limited. A muscle has to lengthen before a contraction. A length-tension of a relationship of a muscle explains that a muscle can produce an optimal amount of force at a certain length. For example, if you were to pick up a heavy book, you wouldn't do so with a fully extended elbow. Instead, you would probably bend your elbows a bit. Now, this continuum of ideal length is a balance. If someone is too flexible, force production will be limited, and the opposite is also true. If you are inflexible, the muscles are constantly partially contracted. Take a look at the diagram below of a muscle cross-section. The top model (a) cannot produce enough force because there is too much of an overlap, whereas option (c) can't produce optimal force because there's no overlap at all. Option (b) is just right: a little bit of overlap so that the muscles are at their ideal length for force production. So, if your hamstrings are "tight" you won't be able to produce true power on a sprint or a vertical jump, for example.
   
3. Muscles are not firing in the proper sequence. If you're tight, you're more than likely compensating in ways you don't even realize. For example, if your ankle mobility needs some help, chances are, you're using the muscles on the medial portion of your leg (hip adductors) way too much, while the lateral muscles (abductors, gluteus medius, tensor fascia latae) aren't working enough. Every time you squat, lunge, or sprint, your mechanics are altered. Because your muscles are not in symbioses, this could mean a slower 400 meter time or a weaker back squat. Once the kinetic chain works as it is supposed to, your mechanics are more efficient and you might find that previously challenging movements are a bit easier!

Bodyworker Thomas Myers notes, "organismic movement and stretching – yoga‬, pilates, training‬, manual therapy – can help cells to their proper tension environment by relieving pressure or strain, and this results in better functioning all over." It's great to work hard and get stronger, but it's also important to give your muscles some love and alleviate tension in the body.

Ultimately, if you find that your performance has plateaued, perhaps it is time to finally work on improving your tin man status of mobility and join the supple side.

Don't Use Machines, Become One

"The human body is a machine which winds its own springs."

-Julien Offray

You've taken the first step and bought yourself a gym membership. Now you think to yourself, "okay, what the heck do I do with all of this equipment??" Some of the machines in there look like Medieval torture devices. It's easy to lose yourself in the rows of fancy gadgets in there, but in reality, all you need to achieve your fitness goals is your own bodyweight and some free weights.

Regardless on your fitness goals (increase in strength, increase in size, fat loss, etc.), I recommend you avoid the weight machines at all costs. (Okay, if you REALLY want to use the cardio machines, fine. That's a little bit different.)

Here's why:

1. Stability- Try something for me: stand on one leg and try to balance yourself for as long as you can. Now try to balance yourself while you're laying on a leg press machine. It is quite obvious that you do not need to create any stability for yourself when you're in a fixed or seated position predetermined by a machine. Your smaller stabilizing muscles, which I continually talk about, turn off when you use a machine, simply because they don't need to fire. There's a reason why you can leg press 2-3 times what you can back squat. Our bodies only like to use muscles that are absolutely necessary in an effort to conserve energy, so it will stop firing any muscles that don't need to fire. Those ever-important glutes that I wrote about will most likely not fire on a leg press they way they will on a squat or a lunge, just as those shoulder stabilizers won't fire on a chest press or a lateral shoulder raise machine.
2. Range of motion- No matter what the exercise, it is important to use a full range of motion for each repetition. When we are strapped into a machine, the machine chooses our range of motion for us, and rarely does it take you through the full range of those muscles in any given movement.
3. Joint stress- Certain machines can place tremendous stress on your joints and connective tissues. For example, the leg extension machine stresses the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the other ligaments and tendons that hold your kneecap in place. Open chain exercises (isolations) can irritate those tissues more than closed chain (compound) exercises.
4. Functionality- The word "functional" is thrown around a lot. Here, I use "functional" to relate to the transfer to our day-to-day movement patterns. How will machines or open chain exercises carry over to your ability to play sports, pick up your kids, or go run a 5k? It won't. However, a deadlift has a direct transfer to picking up heavy furniture, and a squat has a direct transfer to standing up from your desk chair correctly. Using machines will train your body to adapt to isolating one muscle at a time, and of course we never want that! We want to train movement, not muscles!

This machine makes me cringe every time I see someone use it!

Although fancy new machines can be enticing, I urge you to step away from the Smith machine and try a back squat (or better yet, a front squat or an overhead squat). Back off of that silly crunch machine and try some hollow rocks or weighted planks. You will save yourself from injury and ultimately build a stronger, more stable body, ready for any task you ask of it! Channel your own inner Terminator and turn your body into a machine.

Why Crunches are a Waste of Time

We've all been guilty of it at one point or another: pounding away hundreds of crunches in hopes of getting a "six pack." The fact of the matter is that many people care about "getting abs" for their aesthetic value rather than focusing on training them for developing stability and core strength. It is called your "core" because that is where every movement initiates. Whether you're squatting, deadlifting or doing an overhead press, it all starts with a tight, strong core. The core muscles allow you to stabilize your hips and shoulders: that is their primary function. Treat these muscles as the gateway to total body strength. You want to see real "core strength?" Look at a gymnast or a pole dancer--they have complete and total control over their centers of gravity. Essentially, developing a strong core means manipulating your center of gravity efficiently and effectively.

Russian Olympic gymnast Alexei Nemov

So why are crunches a waste of time? There are many reasons, but the main reason being that crunches are only really engaging the rectus abdominis muscles (the superficial muscles that can make up a "six pack"). This means that your intrinsic core muscles (like the transverse abdominis), your obliques, and your hip flexors are all left unactivated. To be more efficient and really develop core strength, you must utilize all of the rectus abdominis and activate the hip flexors. The hip flexors will help stabilize your pevis in exercises like the squat or the deadlift. As I mentioned earlier, the CrossFit methodology notes that "[they] train [their] athletes to think of every exercise as an ab exercise." While doing designated core exercises can be beneficial, you must remember to engage your abs in every exercise that you do.

If you're looking for specific "core" excercises, here are a few: v-ups, ab roll-outs, hollow holds, bird dogs, deadbugs, GHD sit-ups, toes-to-bar (or knees-to-elbows), and L-sits on rings or parallettes. For demonstrations of these exercises, refer to YouTube: there are a lot of great demos of each movement on there.

The most important thing to note, however, is that if you really want "6 pack abs," you must, and I repeat, must make sure you follow a healthy diet. Body fat percentage is what really accounts for visibility of muscles. You can't expect to counteract eating a whole pizza by doing 100 v-ups and running a mile; our bodies simply do not work that way.

Range of Motion and Mobility

In athletes and deconditioned clients alike, range of motion restrictions are an ever-prevalent issue. Either the individual is not using a full range of motion in a given exercise because he/she wast taught to perform the movement as such, or he/she has severe mobility restrictions.

If you have the ability to train through a full range of motion and neglect to do so, you are doing yourself a disservice. Movements like the pull-up, squat or push-up are the most frequent examples I see in the gym. Men and women alike bust out a quick and sloppy set of push-ups without their chest touching the ground or their elbows fully extending. By using the full range of motion for these exercises, you are not only stimulating more muscle fibers (and therefore getting stronger), but you are also ingraining proper movement patterns into your brain that will be applied across the board.

Training through a full range of motion is extremely important in both injury prevention and treatment and developing strength to your maximum potential. As the famous Kelly Starett, doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of CrossFit San Francisco, warns us:

"If you have ankle pain, chances are good that your calves are tight and are pulling on your ankle, limiting your range of motion. If you have knee pain, chances are good that your quads, hips, hamstrings and calves (all of the musculature that connects to your knee) are brutally tight. It's no mystery why you have pain: You can't get into the correct positions or move with good form because you're missing key ranges of motion. Mitigating overtensioned systems using mobilization techniques feeds 'slack' to the 'injured' site, reducing localized joint pain by improving the efficiency of the system"

In a nutshell, if you're experiencing pain in any given joint, it's probably because you have some tight muscles and are therefore missing full range of motion in that area.

A good percentage of the people I've met have difficulty getting into a full squat because they lack the proper hip and ankle mobility. Before you can even think about putting a barbell on your back, you have to address your poor squat mechanics.

Fortunately for you all, there are many ways of correcting movement dysfunctions and restrictions in mobility. Tools like a foam roller, lacrosse ball, or bands are all useful tools in getting rid of tightness and other movement restrictions.

For more information on specific exercises to mobilize any given area, check out www.mobilityWOD.com.