3 Things you NEED to know about core training...

Often times we read things and get so excited about them that we forget where we are reading them. We forget that Men's Health needs to ultimately sell magazines to stay in business. So they are going to print things that people like.

I used to subscribe to Men's Health. But then I started noticing a lot of similar articles popping up and also a lot of filler and fluff.

In each issue they do have a few well put together articles. Many having to do with grooming, sex and then of course getting ripped in 15 minutes a day. In fact I remember one issue had what was called the "Ripped in the Shower." It consisted of stretching your chest, some body weight squats, calf stretching and some isometrics for the biceps and triceps.

One of the guys that Men's Health looks to for information on back fitness is Dr. Stuart McGill. We at Pair & Marotta Physical Therapy also look to him (and a few others) when we want to see what the newest research in back health is saying.

Dr. McGill has a book out titled "Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance." I've been using the information provided in it with clients and patients for a little over a year now and the results are amazing!

So here are 3 things that we've gotten from "Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance":

1. You have to control the spine before you can hope to unleash its ability. Too many coaches are busy doing exercises that create motion at the lower spine instead of teaching athletes how to control the spine. Without control, power is useless!
2. The spine is not meant to bend and twist. Yes it can bend and twist. But look at its anatomy and you see that the joints of the spine are not like any other joint in the body. They are not a ball and socket, not a hinge, not a saddle, and not condylar. If anything it is a gliding joint. However the muscles connecting each joint are very intricate and stiff. The spine is there as a center stabilizing column for the rest of the body to move around, rather than itself moving in all directions.
3. Shoulder and knee injuries are highly correlated with poor spine health and stability. We see a lot of baseball pitchers who have shoulder injuries and basketball players who have knee injuries and time and time again the same trend is seen: poor postural control and stabilization. As I stated in the point above the spine is meant to be stable. If the spine is not stable then the arms and legs have nothing to anchor too. If there is nothing to anchor too its like hitching your horse to a log lying on the ground: sure its attached, but there is not security/stability.

Lucky for the baseball and softball coaches here in Bakersfield, Pair & Marotta Peak Performance is hosting a 2-hour workshop titled "On-Field Core Training for Baseball/Softball" where we will discuss how to implement a core training program into your practices. The workshop will demonstrate field tests to use, core training sequencing and ultimately power training for the core using just a baseball bat and a partner.

This is a free workshop that will take place on Saturday January 22nd from 10am-noon at our Peak Performance facility at 5337 Truxtun Ave. 

For more information or to register contact Aaron@pairmarotta.com