Brian Schiff’s Blog

Long lever abdominal exercises are popular. However, they also pose a risk for the lumbar spine given the relatively poor abdominal strength/control and lever arm created by momentum and the iliopsoas muscle. The stress on the lumbar spine is high as the leg (s) come back down due to reverse muscle action via the attachment of the iliopsoas on the lower lumbar spine. As a result, this can cause a sizable shear force on the spine.

I counsel patients and athletes with prior history of disc pathology to be very careful with any long lever or ballistic abdominal exercises with straight legs as the physics may present higher risk than reward and create excess strain on the spine. While a single workout may not cause harm, there can be a gradual repetitive overload that creates weakness or harm to the disc and/or spine. This exercise from my Functionally Fit column promotes strength and core or pillar stability through resisting excessive spinal extension.

Improving rotational strength and stability in the torso, shoulders and hips is important for injury prevention and performance. The ability to resist and control rotational loads can reduce stress on the body during transverse plane activities and deceleration during sport. This exercise will demonstrate how to train rotational stability in an unstable manner using water with the Aktiv AQUA Bag. The video below is my latest online column for PFP Magazine.

The water provides an unstable training environment that is effective for beginners and advanced users. You can read the entire online column by clicking here.

Bridging is a fundamental exercise to promote hamstring and glute strength. In addition to hip strength, I look for opportunities to enhance anti-rotation/pelvic stability with many bridging progressions due to the weakness and asymmetries I see in my clinic. It will also facilitate hip dissociation.

The stability ball provides an element of instability that can further challenge hip and pillar stability. This exercise is big bang for your buck exercise that can be used in rehab and training circles. Check out the video below that is part of my ‘Functionally Fit’ column for PFP Magazine.

Click here to read the entire column.

One of the bigger issues I see with athletes who have shoulder dysfunction is upper trap dominance. The upper trap needs to work in concert with he lower trap and serratus anterior for optimal shoulder function. However, in many cases, it tends to dominate the action during elevation.

I recently evaluated a professional baseball player who presented with upper trap dominance. In standing, his right scapula was elevated and slightly protracted. In many cases, you will see scapular infera in the dominant side of a thrower, but that was not the case with him. During active elevation, you could see excessive upper trap firing/activation compared to his left side. This can lead to altered glenohumeral mechanics and compression/irritation of the rotator cuff with repetitive throwing.

Performing low trap raises (the standard ‘Y’ exercise) and serratus anterior work is a no-brianer when you see something like this in order to activate the lower trapezius. But, I also like to focus on getting the client to pull the shoulder blades down and back if you will. Below is one of my favorite exercises I recently featured in PFP magazine to address this issue:

In addition, I like to use shoulder snow angels as well. Click here to see how to perform that exercise. Together, these two movements can really help eliminate upper trap dominance in your clients.

I find that many patients and clients lack dynamic shoulder and pillar stability. Assessing this with tall plank arm taps or tall plank Y reaches can tell you a lot about one’s ability to stabilize and resist gravity in single arm support. In light of the insufficiencies I see, I prefer to use exercises that encourage integrated shoulder, torso and hip stability.

Improving shoulder and torso stability is important for overhead athletes, wrestlers, MMA competitors as well as those with any shoulder instability. This exercise is a great way to build dynamic stability and postural stability.

Click here to read my entire online column for PFP Magazine on this exercise including progressions and regressions. I think you will find this movement both challenging and rewarding for you or your clients.