Core Training for Smart Folks
by Mike Robertson


Bodybuilders and Powerlifters Unite
A few weekends ago, I had the privilege of presenting a full-day seminar
on how posture relates to performance at the Poliquin Performance Center
in Chicago. I was glad to learn that not only were people more cognizant
of how important posture was, but that posture actually played a significant
role in the performance of their lifts.
On the other hand, I also learned that quite a few people are so focused
on one topic that they've totally missed the boat on others!
For example, T-Nation has published a couple of articles of mine about the
benefits of glute activation work. However, the other half of the equation
is getting your abdominals brutally strong. This is where most everyone
seems to fall off the proverbial wagon. The goal of glute activation work
isn't just getting the glutes firing; it's actually fixingthe
postural flaws that cause lack of glute firing, most notably excessive lordosis
of the lumbar spine and anterior pelvic tilt (APT).
Now, I'm constantly judged on two different ideals: Those of powerlifters
and those of bodybuilders. For the powerlifters, you're never quite strong
enough. For the bodybuilders, you're never quite lean enough or never
quite big enough. But what if I told you I can help you improve the appearance
of your mid-section while simultaneously improving the performance of your
lifts? Sounds pretty cool, eh?
Let's look into the functional anatomy to see what I've come up
with...


Functional Anatomy
When we discuss the abdominals, we're essentially discussing four muscle
groups: the rectus abdominus, external obliques, internal obliques, and transverse
abdominus. Each has specific individual roles, but let's keep things
brutally simple here:

Rectus abdominus – Trunk flexion, posterior
tilting of pelvis

External obliques – Contralateral rotation (unilateral),
ipsilateral side bending, trunk flexion or posterior tilting of pelvis
(bilateral)

Internal obliques – Ipsilateral rotation, ipsilateral
side bending, trunk flexion

Transverse abdominus – Abdominal
"hollowing"

Our current line of thinking when examining the ab muscles is geared toward
producing motion (e.g. rectus abdominus contraction leads to trunk flexion).
However, Sahrmann states in her book, Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement
Impairment Syndromes, that a significant role of the lower rectus abdominus
and external obliques is actually preventing motion, or promoting
stability of the lumbo-pelvic region.
So, while many of you are focusing the majority of your ab training on trunk
flexion movements (e.g. crunches), you should be working on the opposite
movement: posterior tilting of the pelvis. This allows us to function from
a more efficient position biomechanically.
So now that we know the functional anatomy, we need to critically examine
how most athletes are performing their ab work. I bet that quite a few of
you are still doing a few sets of bent-knee crunches and calling it a day!
Simply put, if you have a traditional bodybuilding or powerlifting posture
(APT/excessive lumbar lordosis), you need to get cracking on strengthening
your external obliques and lower rectus abdominus.


The Revenge of Paul Chek?
Now, I know that some of you are going to think I've fallen off the
wagon and gone all Chek-style on you, but let's examine what's
really going on.
First off, we're not talking about simple abdominal hollowing; what
we want here is posterior tilting of the pelvis. The transverse abdominus
(TVA) hollows; the external obliques and lower rectus produce posterior tilt.
Yes, it's true whenever you perform one you get the other to some extent,
but there's a difference. Just keep the end goal in mind: improved posture
and better performance.
As well, I'm in no way telling you to practice these movements under
load (squatting, deadlifting, etc.)! The goal is to improve your static posture
so that you produce better movement. Sucking in before you squat or deadlift
not only puts you at an increased risk for injury, but is fundamentally wrong.
Why would you want to correct static posture in a dynamic movement? It makes
much more sense to approach it the other way, e.g. fix the static posture
and then allow dynamic movement to occur naturally.


Implications on Physique and Performance
Why do the exercises I've outlined below? I'll give you three reasons:

1) Improved recruitment
This is probably the most overlooked aspect of proper core training. While
everyone has been caught up in simply activating the glutes, they're
only fighting half the battle. I'm not telling you to stop the glute activation/strengthening
work, but why not strengthen the lower abs/external obliques as well?
The goal here is to decrease the anterior pelvic tilt/lordosis in static
posture so that when you take that posture into dynamic movement, you get
better glute activation. Better glute activation very simply means more weight
when you squat or deadlift. Whether you're a powerlifter, bodybuilder, or
just an average Joe who wants a better physique, those things alone should
convince you to try out some of these exercises.

2) Improved physique
I don't know about you, but since I work out, I feel like I should
be rewarded with a physique that makes me look like I work out. Regardless,
when you start to develop that APT/excessive lordosis posture, you get the
appearance of having a bigger
"gut" than you should.
Therapists trained in Rolfing call this a "spilling"
of your guts or organs, or "shortening the core." While other weight
trainers understand that this is a functional thing that allows more weight
to be moved, to the lay public it flat-out looks like you have a fat stomach!
Simply put, training the external obliques and lower RA will not only strengthen
your abs, but give you a more aesthetically pleasing look to boot.

3) Decreased risk of injury
A huge lordosis and/or APT can lead to a myriad of injuries: low back pain,
pulled hammies, anterior knee pain, etc. This very simple aspect of your
training can go a long way to preventing these injuries.


The Test
Many of you may be thinking, "My lower abs and obliques are super strong.
I don't need this program!"
Okay, tough guy, time to put your money where your mouth is. Take this one
simple test. If you pass with flying colors, I won't harp on you any
more about proper core training. But, if you fail miserably (which I'm
betting you will), you have to give some of these exercises a solid go. Fair
enough?
The leg lowering test is probably the single best test of lower abdominal
and external oblique function when it comes to stability. Here's what
I want you to do:
Lie on the ground (ideally with your shoes off) and fold your arms in front
of your body in the "genie" position. Flex the knees and hips to
90 degrees, and then roll your legs up in the air and straighten them (extend
the knees) so your legs are perpendicular to your upper body.

Leg Lowering Test
Posteriorly tilt the pelvis and flatten your spine to the ground. While
holding this posteriorly tilted position, slowly lower your legs and feet
with a tempo that allows them to reach the ground after 10 seconds. If you
feel any rounding whatsoever (your low back starts to arch or come off the
ground), that's the cutoff point of the test.
You may want to videotape it or have someone give you feedback to see the
angle at which your back arches or comes off the ground. Simply put, if you
can't do this with your shoes off, you need to do some serious work!
If you passed this version, try again with your shoes on and record your
ending position.
I've put quite a few people through this test, and even some of the
buff guys and athletes I've trained fail miserably. It's not a
natural movement for most, and most definitely something that needs to be
trained if we're to achieve optimal function.
Now, if you didn't do so hot, don't think I'm going to leave
you hanging. Start off with the basic exercises I've outlined below
and slowly work your way through the progressions. Your body will thank you!


Lower Rectus Exercises

The Dead Bug Series
While I'm sure you want to know the most difficult exercises possible,
humor me by starting off with the most basic of exercises and building your
way up to the most difficult ones, okay? If you need any incentive, remember
how the leg lowering test just kicked your ass!
The first exercise is the dead bug. There are four variations, but I'm
only going to describe the first one. Once you figure that out, the pictures
below should explain the subtle variations that follow.
To perform the dead bug, start by lying on your back with your knees bent
and feet flat on the floor. Instead of simply hollowing the stomach, think
about posteriorly tilting your pelvis by activating the lower rectus abdominus
and external obliques. (It may help to place your fingertips on your obliques
to get them to fire.)
While maintaining the flat back/posterior tilt position, extend one leg
out until it hovers just above the ground, then return to the starting position.
Alternate legs for the necessary number of reps.
Now, believe it or not, some of you won't even be able to perform this
first movement correctly! If so, follow the same steps, but instead of taking
your leg/foot down toward the ground, just lower the foot to the point where
you feel like your back is going to come off the ground, then return to the
starting position. As you get stronger, you'll be able to improve your
range of motion (ROM).

Dead Bug 1