Tag: perturbation training

The Myth of Core Stability

Today’s Thursday Throwback takes us back to 2010, when a controversial article questioning the benefits of “core stability” training was published. The post discusses what core stability really means, and the most effective progression we’ve found to not only minimize injury risk, but also to improve performance in athletic settings.

We still use variations of the exercises presented in the videos below. They’re incredibly challenging, which our guys really enjoy. Give them a shot the next time you’re in the gym with a partner.

Enjoy!

The Myth of Core Stability

Few people would argue that core training is an integral part of an athletic development training program. Aesthetic benefits aside, core training is widely accepted as improving:

  1. Lumbar stability and therefore reducing risk and/or symptoms of low back pain
  2. Force transfer between the lower and upper body, which improves power in just about every athletic movement (kicking a soccer ball, swinging a bat, lacrosse and hockey shooting, fighting off defenders in every contact sport)
  3. Stability of the pelvis to allow for more efficient lower body movements, such as rapidly changing direction

Because of the core’s importance in both maximizing performance and minimizing injury risk, core stabilization concepts are one of the underlying foundations of all of our training programs at Endeavor. If you’ve been following my site for a while you know that I do my best to actively seek out new information to better design programs to help our athletes. Last week I came across a draft of an article from Eyal Lederman, a professor in London, titled “The Myth of Core Stability.” I’m always intrigued by articles that argue against the norm as these are usually the most eye opening.

Lederman argued that the evidence in support of core stability training to back pain is pretty limited. He notes that strength may not be the issue since some of the major core muscles are minimally active during activities of daily living. As a quick background, muscles become “active” when the body sends an electrical signal to the muscle to contract. For study purposes, the signal is often “normalized” to a maximal value for that muscle (MVC). When we talk about these “maximal” values, we need to keep in mind that maximum activation is highly dependent upon the length of the muscle and direction of the movement, but I won’t bore you with all the underlying neuroscience.

The article cites research demonstrating that walking necessitates average values of:

  • 2% MVC from the rectus abdominis (the six pack muscle)
  • 5% MVC from the external obliques

Further research is cited painting the picture that normal activities (even some with external loads added) require minimal trunk muscle activity (between 1-5% MVC).

The underlying tone of the article was that core stability training is foolish and scientifically unsupported. I bring up this article because many times these things work their way to your eyes and ears through the media with headlines like “Core Training Is Not Important” as some staff writer attempts to create an interesting story with out-of-context research. Within an athletic context, there are a few things worth keeping in mind:

  • The article cites trunk activity during walking and standing, not hockey-relevant movements like skating, changing directions, shooting, taking hits, etc.
  • The article is put within the frame of solving back pain, not optimizing performance
  • The article largely ignores evidence of active people with back pain resolving symptoms by putting a greater focus on improving their posture and core stability
  • Like many academics, this article systematically (although using flawed logic) dismisses many commonly held beliefs about core training, but fails to offer any alternative

At Endeavor Sports Performance, our core training system functions to integrate appropriate mobility and stability of the pelvis and spine into athletic movements. We follow a basic progression of:

  1. Reinforce core stability in static positions (front planks, side planks, glute bridges, anti-rotation belly press isoholds, etc.)
  2. Increase challenge to static core stability by adding a dynamic component (chop and lift variations, plank and bridge “marches”, rollouts, tight rotations, 2-Way Bunkie side planks, dynamic anti-rotation belly press’, etc.)
  3. Maximize unexpected dynamic stiffness through perturbation training (Split stance belly press with perturbation, overhead stability ball perturbation, squat with overhead stability ball perturbation, split squat with overhead stability ball perturbation, stability ball front plank with perturbation, side plank with perturbation, etc.)

While I think most people are at least loosely familiar with the first two steps of this progression, few athletes have been exposed to perturbation training. I strongly believe this type of training will drastically increase in popularity over the next several years. Check out videos of a couple of the more advanced progressions of perturbation training  below. Have you ever seen anything like this?

Split Squat IsoHold with Overhead Stability Ball Perturbation

Stability Ball Front Plank with Perturbation

 

Colby Cohen and Jeff Buvinow do a great demonstrating these exercises. The goal is to not move at all or, more realistically, to minimize the displacement and return to “neutral” as quickly as possible. It’s hard to tell from the video, but I’m really “cranking” on them pretty hard. We progress to more vigorous perturbations, but ultimately we want to challenge their stability in multiple directions. In the first video, I’m randomly alternating amongst pushing, pulling, and rotating the ball in a variety of directions. In the second video, I’m somewhat randomly alternating between rotating the hips, rotating the shoulder, and laterally deviating the hips and shoulders. By creating a random variety of stresses, the athlete learns to reflexively generate stiffness.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
OptimizingMovement.com
UltimateHockeyTraining.com
HockeyTransformation.com

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Reactive Core Training Exercises

As a quick note, the extended Extended Holiday Sale for my Optimizing Movement DVDs ends this Saturday (12/14). If you’re interested in grabbing a copy, you can save 20% until Saturday here: Optimizing Movement

In this “Throwback Thursday” segment, I wanted to bring back a few exercises that I think can be extremely effective in challenging core stabilization patterns in athletes as well as a lot of fun. The exercises are what I describe (all the way back in 2008!) as reactive core training exercises. We continue to apply this concept in a variety of ways in our current programs, including with partner perturbations and active arm or leg movements both with and without external resistance. We’ve also used stability balls (or physioballs) in place of medicine balls and have used tall kneeling and half-kneeling positions for the belly press (e.g. Pallof Press) and overhead stabilization patterns shown below.

One more reason why I like these posts (I combined 4 short posts below), is that it mentions the fact that a side plank, in additional to being a lateral core stabilization pattern, is also a great shoulder stabilization exercise. The key here is to not just “sit” in that shoulder, but to actively push yourself away from the ground. When you do this, the muscles around your scapula (shoulder blade) and shoulder engage to help support the position. Since this video was filmed, we’ve also transitioned to having all of our athletes go palm(s) down on front and side plank variations, and typically use a slower perturbation rate than what is displayed here. Enjoy the videos and feel free to post any questions/comments you have below!

Reactive Core Training

Core training receives more publicity than any other aspect of training.  The fact is, even people with a great understanding of how to train the core for its true functions, stability and force transfer, still miss out on one thing.  In many instances, the core functions reactively.  In other words, some movement (sensory input) causes the core muscles to fire (motor output) to produce stability.  While I love planking, those exercises are limited in their ability to train the core to be reactive.

[quicktime]http://kevinneeld.com/videos/Side%20Plank%20Perturbation.mov[/quicktime]
Adding a partner perturbation turns this basic core stabilization exercise into a reactive core (and shoulder!) stabilization exercise.  It also ties in a team dynamic, as your athletes learn to work in pairs or small groups.  The goal is the same as the regular side plank: maintain a neutral position.  The only thing that’s changed is the sensory input.

[quicktime]http://kevinneeld.com/videos/Pallof%20Press%20Perturbation.mov[/quicktime]
Are you noticing a theme here?  These are all the same exercises I’ve shown you before, but with a more advanced external sensory stimulus added.  The greater the challenge to stability, the more carryover to athletics.  I love these exercises for a couple reasons, but mostly because they are so simple to progress.

  1. Start with the Pallof Press Hold (holding in the extended position).
  2. Progress to Pallof Press for reps (extend your arms, then bring them back to your chest, then extend, etc.)
  3. Progress to Pallof Press Hold with perturbation
  4. Progress to Pallof Press with perturbation

Another one of my favorite reactive core training exercises is the overhead medicine ball perturbation.  Same concept as previous exercises: maintain a stiff, stable core in the presence of an external force or perturbation.  Holding the med ball overhead maximizes instability as it raises your center of mass (higher COM=greater instability).  Check it out:

[quicktime]http://kevinneeld.com/videos/Overhead%20MB%20Perturbation.mov[/quicktime]
To maximize the functional carryover, you can combine a couple different core med ball exercises.  For instance, you could pair an overhead floor throw with the overhead med ball perturbation.  Check out the overhead med ball floor throw:

[quicktime]http://kevinneeld.com/videos/Overhead%20MB%20Floor%20Throw.mov[/quicktime]
It would work like this.  You would explosively slam the ball into the ground 3 times.  After the third time, you’d freeze in the start position, with your arms extended overhead, squeezing the ball hard with both hands.  At this point, a partner would provide small perturbations to the ball, and you would try to prevent all movement.  This would continue for 5-10 seconds, then you’d perform 3 more slams, 5-10 more seconds of perturbations, 3 more slams, and 5-10 seconds of perturbations.  That would be the end of one set.

See how it works?  You just combine an explosive upper body/core power exercise with a reactive core stabilization exercise.  Now you’re alternating being explosive and stable.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
OptimizingMovement.com
UltimateHockeyTraining.com

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