Gravity Fx Fitness

Here are three simple exercises to help improve your posture and protect your back at the same time.

The first exercise is the bird dog, which has three different components.  The first is the hip extension, which will work the lumbar erectors (low back), glutes and hamstrings.  Start on your hands and knees, then extend your hip backwards until your thigh is parallel to the floor, keeping the knee slightly bent.  Pause at the top and slowly lower your leg and repeat for 10-15 reps.

Try to keep your natural (neutral) spine position during the exercise, meaning, don’t let your lower back arch too much.  Keep your neck in a neutral position as well, not tucking your chin or looking up, picking a spot on the floor directly under your eyes to look at throughout.

The second part involves lifting the opposite arm while maintaining the same position (both knees on the ground).  Point your thumb up as you lift your straight arm towards the ceiling, pausing at the top for a second or two.  You should feel this in the muscles between your shoulderblade and the spine (rhomboids, middle and lower trapezius).

The third part of the exercise is simultaneously lifting the leg with the opposite arm.  Pause at the top for a second or two, keeping your neck from lifting up and not arching your back in the process.  You would alternate arms and legs with each repetition, unless you have a scoliosis and are strengthening a specific portion of your spine.

You can do this for approximately 10 reps if holding the top position for a two count before lowering.  Then you might hold the top position for 5-10 seconds as you get stronger, gradually working towards 1 minute or more of total holding time (6 reps of 10 seconds).

The first few sessions you might not do the third part of the exercise, instead, focusing on the individual arm and leg lifts.  Focus on doing this in a slow and controlled manner, paying great attention to your technique.

The one arm dumbbell row is a staple exercise for developing your upper and mid-back muscles.  There are two ways to perform this.  The standard is by using a neutral grip and pulling the dumbbell upwards from a straight arm position, keeping your elbow close to your ribcage, similar to starting a lawn mower.

This version emphasizes the lats while the version shown above has a pronated grip, which shifts the focus to the muscles between the spine and scapula (rhomboids, middle traps) and also your posterior shoulder.  Your upper arm should be approximately 90 degrees from your torso, leading with the elbow and keeping your wrists straight throughout the exercise.

Raise and lower the dumbbell in a controlled manner without using excessive momentum.  At the top of the movement you should feel the contraction in the inner portion of your shoulderblade.  10-12 repetitions should be fine, completing 3 sets.

The third exercise is the kneeling band row/pull.  This is a hybrid exercise, combining a rowing exercise with a lat pulldown.  Kneel on one leg, keeping a straight line from your knee to your head (assuming natural spine curves).  Pull the band or tubing down at an angle, finishing with your hand beside your ribs and your elbow slightly  behind you.

Keep your neck in a natural curve and finish by pulling down and back, not letting your shoulder elevate towards your ear, meaning, contract the muscles forcefully, holding this end position for a second before letting the band go slowly back to the starting position.

While appearing to be fairly simple, these exercises will help keep your back strong and stable.  See your doctor first if you have a history of pain or injury.  Some people may need some mobility work for the thoracic spine before trying these exercises.  Working on your diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing first is also a good idea.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Here are some simple exercises to use as part of your warm up or to help improve your posture.  The first two can be done with only bodyweight and can be done standing or lying face down.

You can use this to help stretch the front of the shoulders and “activate” or turn on the rotator cuff and posterior shoulder, as well as the upper back.  The TRX is a great training tool and also great for reinforcing posture and strengthening the upper and mid back.

A great compliment to these exercises is using Indian clubs for increased flexibility and coordination involving the upper body.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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The TRX suspension trainer is a great tool for golf fitness. One description of this piece is “all core all the time,” which makes it ideal for golf training.

It allows you to develop strength and flexibility while focusing on the abs, back, and hips.  You can work on golf specific flexibility and strengthen the upper and mid back – areas which are important for posture and shoulder health.

In the video you will see how it can help your game.  Its portability is another nice feature, enabling you to take it outside in good weather.

In the video with the Titleist Performance Institute, you will also notice the Power Plate vibration platform.  This is another valuable tool for golf fitness.  I think sandbags would also complete the overall effect, helping develop total body power.

For more info on the TRX, click here.

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I’ll share some “shoulder savers” with those of you over 35, like me.  This is especially helpful for those who spend all day sitting at a desk and then go for a round of golf after work or on the weekends.

Cyclists are also prone to posture issues, due to the amount of time spent leaning forward, so if you also spend your work day seated, make sure to strengthen your upper back.

I’ve done damage to both of my shoulders in the past and have worked on plenty of shoulder injuries, so these tips might help.

Rowing exercises strengthen your posterior shoulders and the area between your shoulderblades.  Both of these areas need to be strong if you want healthy shoulders.

When your shoulders are rounded forward, it puts unnecessary stress on them.  A neutral position  makes your movements more efficient, whether you are throwing a golf disc (frisbee, to some) or swinging the clubs.

Besides reducing your risk of rotator cuff injury, you’ll likely see improvement in your distance.  If you’re like me, you might be interested in passing for a few years younger.  Improving your posture and upper back strength sure doesn’t hurt your appearance any.

Increased stability with your shoulderblades can also increase the range of motion in your upper arm – something that often plagues older golfers.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Did you know that some common exercises done in the weight room can put your shoulder at increased risk of injury? Let’s take a look.

Not long ago I spoke with a gentleman of about 65 who felt something “go” in his shoulder while doing a lat pulldown behind his head.

Having dealt with injuries to both shoulders and having worked on plenty of aching shoulders, I feel like I have a good background to draw from on this one.

Back in 1991, I injured my left shoulder while doing lat pulldowns behind my head.  During my set, I suddenly realized that my left arm was out at a slight angle, while my other arm was still pulling straight down.

A year and a half later, after some ups and downs with that shoulder, I found myself in an orthopedic surgeons’ office, where he told me what I already knew – that I probably had a partially dislocated shoulder and a partial tear in my rotator cuff.  He said I could have surgery or quit lifting weights.

I later discovered that poor posture contributed to my problems by placing them in an inefficient position. Did pulldowns behind my head contribute to this injury?  Most definitely. However, it wasn’t the sole problem.

After that point, I started doing some reading on shoulder injuries and came across some interesting information.  One study done in 1993 by a group of medical doctors, looked at 20 patients with shoulder pain and instability who lifted weights.  It was determined that certain exercises put the shoulder in what they termed the “at-risk position.”

This position occurs when the upper arm is 90 degrees away from the torso with the elbow also bent at 90 degrees and behind the head, such as in the lat pulldown done behind the head.  Other exercises in this category included the military press behind the head and chest flyes on a machine that places the bent elbows in a 90 degree position with the palms facing forward.

Ten of these patients studied had to have surgery and the other ten were able to complete conservative exercises for the shoulder.  Eight of those who didn’t require surgery went back to lifting weights and by avoiding this at-risk position, had no more problems.  One of these patients, however, avoided the advice to skip these exercises and the pain came back.  After rest and modifying the exercises, he was able to lift without pain.

In the last 15 years or so I have worked in and worked out in many different facilities in many different cities.  In probably 90% of the time I saw people doing the behind the head pulldown, they finished this exercise bent forward, usually by doing a crunch to help finish the exercise.

Now its bad enough for your shoulders by doing them sitting straight upright.  But the crunch just adds to the stress your shoulders receive, along with killing your posture.  The solution is simple – sit perfectly upright and pull the bar straight down in front of your head.

You work the same muscles that way.  Then you can change the muscles affected by altering your grip and you can also lean back at a slight angle and pull down to your chest.  You get all the benefits at a much lower risk of injury. If you are over 35, like I am, you need to weigh the risk versus the rewards.  You can still work out intensely, but be a little smarter.

And by the way, the average age of the twenty patients in the study – 28.  I was a little younger than this when I injured my shoulder.  Also, at least a third of the guys I’ve talked to in various gyms, who have lifted fairly intensely for several years, have some degree of problems with one or both shoulders.  Sounds like a need for some prevention.

An exercise that could also potentially cause harm is the barbell upright row with a very narrow grip, so that the hands are almost touching.  This places the shoulder into extreme internal rotation so that at the top of the movement, where the elbows are above the chin, you run the risk of impingeing the shoulder, irritating some of the tendons as they rub against other shoulder structures.  This information comes from the book “The 7 Minute Rotator Cuff Solution.”

If you want to do this exercise, I would modify it by moving your hands farther apart so they are about shoulder width.  When doing pec flyes with either dumbbells or on a machine, just make sure not to go too far with your stretch.  Don’t let your hands go farther than your body.  If using a machine, use one that puts your hands at the same level as your shoulder, that you grip with your hands.

In closing, I would recommend doing plenty of work to strengthen the muscles surrounding the scapula and to make sure that you balance out the amount of pushing and pulling you do.  For every press, do an equal amount of rows and pulls.  And make sure to watch your posture while lifting to help prevent rotator cuff injuries.

Brian Morgan

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Not long ago, I attended a seminar with a top spine researcher. This doctor of spine biomechanics, Dr. Stuart McGill, has a lab where he does research on what causes low back pain.

He has people coming from all over the world to see if he can help them with their pain. Often, these people have been to several doctors prior to this, with few results.

In this lecture on spine stability, he brought up some interesting facts on exercise and back pain.

Have you been told that you should do your situps with your knees bent to take pressure off your back? Doesn’t make much difference. In fact, most people shouldn’t be doing situps at all!

Seems that several soldiers are coming back from Iraq with back problems. What is one of their physical training tests? Timed situps – how many can you do in a minute or two.

What is the problem? Simple, this is not what your abs (stomach) were meant to do. It creates an imbalance between the muscles on the front and back of the body.

Your abs are meant to help stabilize your spine and you need to train them to do that. Herniated discs can be a result of this repeated flexion (bending). So obviously, if you have had problems with your low back, you would want to avoid doing situps and crunches.

Another point was having adequate mobility. Some times your back hurts because certain areas such as your hips and pelvis lack proper flexibility.  Your hips need to be both flexible and strong at the same time.  A lack of flexibility in the hips can cause your lumbar spine to rotate too much.

And oh yes, posture! Poor posture places unnecessary stress on the joints, as your muscles are fighting against gravity, working harder than they need to. Good posture places you in a more mechanically efficient position.

While he didn’t go into too much detail on flexibility and mobility, you should already know my philosophy – we each need a proper blend of mobility and stability – the ability to be flexible and strong at the same time. The researcher believes that your lumbar spine (low back) isn’t meant to be flexible, but stable.

One other interesting note, he said that back strength doesn’t necessarily prevent you from having back issues. The endurance of the muscles surrounding and stabilizing the spine is more important.

A good exercise to strengthen your abdominal wall is the front plank.  “Brace” your abs as you hold this position for 10-30 seconds without letting your stomach sag towards the floor.  You can do the modified version from your knees to make this exercise easier.

Get moving!

Brian

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