The Iron Cross is basically a more dynamic version of the hip cross
over. Therefore, based on what I just told you, it should be obvious
why it's a Warmup Don't.
The Iron Cross is actually the most poorly designed and dysfunctional
movement on my hit list. This movement not only requires excessive lumbar
rotation, but also adds a small element of lateral flexion to the mix,
as a byproduct of lifting the leg toward the opposite hand. Any qualified
physical therapist will tell you that combining spinal lateral flexion
with rotation, especially under load, will put you on the fast track
to disc injury.
This is mentioned by Gregory S. Kolt and Lynn Snyder-Mackler in their
book Physical Therapies in Sport and Exercise (2003):
"The mechanism of back injury in athletes is normally the same as
in the general population (i.e. prolonged and or repeated spinal flexion,
flexion and rotation under load)." (p. 250)
In the book Fact and Fallacies of Fitness(2003), Mel Siff also
makes this point very clear:
"The combination of lateral bending and rotation constitutes one
of the most dangerous maneuvers for the lumbar spine." (p. 89)
Siff than continues to make a very important point and explain why rotary
training exercises are much safer and more functional when performed
in an upright position.
"A certain degree of compressive preloading locks the facet assembly
of the spine and makes it more resistant to torsion. This is the reason
why trunk rotation without vertical compression may cause disc injury,
whereas the same movement performed with compression is significantly
safer." (p. 89)
My spider-sense tells me that someone out there are saying, "Oh, come
on now, Nick. Surely the exercises you've described in Warm Up Don'ts
1 to 4 can't possibly create enough force to cause any significant
pain or dysfunction." Well, bubba, just feast your eyes on the study
below, and you'll see why this line of thinking is about as wrong as
Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit.

It's just wrong, dude.

A research study took thirty-eight normal healthy young subjects
(14 males, 24 females) with mean ages of 23 years (males) and 21 years
(females), performed 36 functional rotational tasks of the trunk. The
subject's lower extremities were stabilized in a stabilizing platform,
allowing the entire motion of flexion-rotation and extension-rotation
to take place in the trunk. Of these tasks, 18 were isometric and the
other 18 were isokinetic.

The isometric tasks consisted of flexion-rotation and extension rotation
from a 20, 40 and 60 flexed trunk in 20, 40 and 60 of axial rotation.
The isokinetic activity consisted of flexion-rotation and extension-rotation
from upright and flexed postures respectively in 20, 40 and 60 rotation
planes at 15, 30 and 60 /s angular velocities.

The results revealed that the males were significantly stronger than
females and isometric activities produced significantly greater torque
compared to isokinetic efforts. The degree of trunk flexion was not
significant; the angle of rotation, although significant, had only
a small effect. The 60 trunk rotation was significantly different from
20 and 40 of trunk rotation.

(Kumar S.; Narayan Y.; Zedka M., Strength in combined motions of
rotation and flexion/ extension in normal young adults,
Ergonomics Volume 41, Number 6, 1 June 1998, pp. 835-852, Taylor
& Frances Ltd.)
Pay particular attention to the concluding statement:

"Based on the results and analysis, it is suggested that the motion
involved rather than the torque may have a consequential effect in
the precipitation of back injuries."
This statement clearly explains that dysfunction can be created just
by moving the spine in a non-functional manner regardless of load. So,
as in the theme of this article, it's imperative that we do our research
and choose our exercises wisely.

Make wise choices, or you'll end up looking like a horse's ass.





Warmup Don't #5: The Leg Cradle

Also known as the "I just dropped a friggin' weight on my foot" movement.
The leg cradle is used by many sports coaches to develop mobility in
the hip rotators by mainly stretching the piriformis. It's basically
a standing variation of the traditional supine piriformis stretch.

The supine piriformis stretch.
This is another one of those movements that I haven't used much because
I've never really liked it. I feel that it's a hard movement to coach
and thought that it created unnecessary torque on the knee joint. Regardless,
I kept giving the leg cradle a chance and used it on occasion. Finally,
however, I decided to eliminate it entirely from our program while attending
a physical therapy workshop. It was called Diagnosis of Mechanical
Dysfunction and Stability Retraining of the Hip, and taught by Mark
Comerford.
During the workshop, Comerford thoroughly explained why stretching the
piriformis from any position (standing, sitting, supine, etc.) with the
hip externally rotated and abducted (as in the leg cradle) will actually
do more to stretch the posterior lateral hip capsule than the piriformis
muscle.
According to Comerford, consistently stretching the hip capsule in most
cases is a bad thing because it can develop uncontrolled motion (i.e.
instability). This type of instability can eventually lead to a number
of hip dysfunctions such as hip impingement syndrome.

Hip impingement occurs when the head of the femur (thigh bone) butts
up against the acetabulum (hip socket). In the process, the labrum
(cartilage around the rim of the socket) gets pinched.
It was at that point that I realized something very important. I realized
that both the leg cradle and traditional supine piriformis stretch placed
the hip in virtually the same position as when sitting cross-legged.
What Comerford was teaching us went along with what physical therapists
have been saying for years about limiting cross legged sitting as it
can lead to hip dysfunction. Until then I had just never made the connection.
It was fairly obvious to me at that point that the leg cradle was a Warmup
Don't. Just to put the final nail in the leg cradle's coffin, I found
a research article on hip impingement by Dr. John C. Clohisy that said
something pretty amazing.

"Improved MRI technology has made it possible to study this problem
more closely. As a result, we now know that many people who have no
symptoms have femoroacetabular impingement." (John Clohisy, Clinical
Orthopedics and Related Research Journal September 2007. Vol. 462 Pp.
115-121.)
This is very important to understand because it means that someone can
actually have hip impingement and not even know it. What's just as important
to understand is that the first thing any qualified physical therapist
instructs a patient with hip impingement to do is avoid cross-legged
sitting because it enhances the problem.
So, by performing the leg cradle or the traditional piriformis stretch
(which imposes the same forces as cross legged sitting) you could very
well be promoting a dysfunction. It should be clear to you now that the
leg cradle and the traditional supine piriformis stretch are both poorly
designed movements that should be eliminated from your program.
The question now becomes, "Can I stretch the piriformis muscle without
possibly causing hip dysfunction?" Lucky for you, I have the answer.
Yes, you can, and I'm going to show you how it's done.
To help you better appreciate the rationale behind the stretching protocol
I'm about to show you, you need to understand some basic biomechanics
of the piriformis.

The piriformis muscle.

"In the neutral hip position the force vectors of piriformis action
contribute to hip abduction, extension and lateral (external) rotation.
It might be assumed that the hip must flex, adduct and medially rotate
to stretch piriformis, but this isn't the case. As the hip flexes,
the rotation moment of piriformis changes such that by full hip flexion
it becomes a medial (internal) rotator." (Travell & Simons,
1992)

"The transition point for this change in action is considered to
occur at about 60 degrees of hip flexion." (Kapandji 1970, Lee
1989)
Because the piriformis, like all muscles, functions in all three planes
of motion, it must be stretched in all three planes of motion in order
to be lengthened effectively. If we look at the leg cradle we can clearly
see that the hip being stretched is in flexion, external rotation, and
abduction.
As explained above, the piriformis contributes to hip abduction and
therefore is shortened in that position. This is the reason why the leg
cradle does not stretch the piriformis effectively.
In order to effectively stretch the piriformis as an internal rotator
(above 60 degrees of hip flexion) we need to place the hip into flexion,
external rotation and adduction. You will see this occur in the protocol
below.

Note: the below sequence displays how to stretch the right hip. Reverse
for the left hip.

Step 1: Assume a quadrupedal (all fours) position with your right
ankle crossed over the back of your left knee as shown above.

Step 2: Place your right hand out to the side.

Step 3: Shift your hips and shoulders toward the right until you
feel the stretch.
Be sure to move your pelvis and shoulders together in rhythm while avoiding
any lateral flexion or rotation at the pelvis and/or trunk. This helps
you prevent any substitution patterns (such as lumbar flexion which is
commonly seen in the supine version) and build some awareness of spinal
stability.
This stretch can be performed dynamically by moving the hips back and
forth every one or two seconds, or it can become a static stretch by
holding the position for 20 to 60 seconds or more.
We use this hip stretch as a level one progression in which we have
developed two other, more advanced variations. In our Warm Up Progressions
DVD series, we display the entire progression spectrum for this stretch
and give you many ideas for safer, more functional alternatives to the
Warmup Don'ts listed in this article. In addition, we show many new,
never before seen progressions and variations to other movements.
I'm going to close by sharing something I've been pondering about this
whole piriformis thing:
Given that the piriformis changes its function from an internal rotator
to and external rotator relative to the degree of hip flexion, is it
possible that in order to better improve its function, we might need
to stretch it in two different ways using two different hip positions?
It's definitely something to think about. And like I said, I'm the thinking
man's coach.
Remember what else I said at the introduction: "If it doesn't make scientific sense,
and it defies common sense, then it's probably nonsense." Let's
face it, with all of the new training methods, styles, systems and opinions
out there, it can be difficult to decide what's really good and what's
really good for nothing. Use this little philosophy and the decision
will become much easier.


About the Author

Nick Tumminello, owner of Performance University in Baltimore,
MD, is a highly sought-after expert in the field of human performance
training. A consultant for a number of clubs throughout the nation, Nick's
clients include everyone from MMA fighters to physique competitors. Feel
free to contact him through his website.

Nick is also the developer of the Core Bar, and has released
numerous DVDs including Secrets of Self Joint Mobilization,
Secrets of Self Myofascial Release and Warm-Up Progression Vol
1 & 2, all of which can be purchased online.



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