Book Review: Stability, Sport, and Performance Movement
Posted Aug 09 2010 4:29pm
I am reading through a new book by Joanne Elphinston, " Stability, Sport, and Performance Movement ". First, let me say that this is easily the best book I've read all year. It more like a textbook with its very thorough coverage and over 300 pages.
The book contains a functional movement screen, and then a number of chapters on corrective exercises. One of the main themes is how people have lost strength in the deep stabilizer muscles. The first set of corrective exercises is focused on activating and using these muscles. But these muscles are not activated via exercises like crunches or bracing. It's more along the lines of the "inner corset" that Esther Gokhale talks about.
Here's a sample of what I'm talking about if you want to try an exercise. Lay down on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Put a hand on your abdominals. Then lift up one leg. If your abdominals pop up into your hand, then you are using your rectus abdominal muscle to stabilize and this is an incorrect pattern. Instead, you should be using the deep stabilizers (the transversus).
When I first tried this exercise, my abs popped up. Then I checked my toddler and the abs did not pop up. (Children seem to have very strong deep stabilizers). This helps verify to me that using the deep stabilizers is the correct way to perform this movement.
Anyways, there are tons of great things in this book, and I will do some followup posts on the material. I highly recommend this book.
I am reading through a new book by Joanne Elphinston, " Stability, Sport, and Performance Movement ". First, let me say that this is easily the best book I've read all year. It more like a textbook with its very thorough coverage and over 300 pages.
The book contains a functional movement screen, and then a number of chapters on corrective exercises. One of the main themes is how people have lost strength in the deep stabilizer muscles. The first set of corrective exercises is focused on activating and using these muscles. But these muscles are not activated via exercises like crunches or bracing. It's more along the lines of the "inner corset" that Esther Gokhale talks about.
Here's a sample of what I'm talking about if you want to try an exercise. Lay down on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Put a hand on your abdominals. Then lift up one leg. If your abdominals pop up into your hand, then you are using your rectus abdominal muscle to stabilize and this is an incorrect pattern. Instead, you should be using the deep stabilizers (the transversus).
When I first tried this exercise, my abs popped up. Then I checked my toddler and the abs did not pop up. (Children seem to have very strong deep stabilizers). This helps verify to me that using the deep stabilizers is the correct way to perform this movement.
Anyways, there are tons of great things in this book, and I will do some followup posts on the material. I highly recommend this book.