Stability is everything.
As much as this sentence applies to everything in life, I will speak today of the stability of the so-called midline.
Index
Stability is everything
Having a stable system means allow energy to radiate through the body without loss, from where it is generated (one or more muscles) to the point of the system in contact with a load, with a handle or with the ground.
Think about when you do squats. You may have the strongest quads in the world, but if you have a soft core, most of the energy you generate will be lost in the upward move. This is one of the reasons why a solid core is critical.
However, there are other forms of stability: one of them is that of the midline, that is, of that ideal line which - if you look at yourself in profile - intersects the spine and pelvis. If you are able to keep this line stable, you win.
As in the deadlift: i powerlifter they know that a stable midline reduces the chances of missing a lift… or a accident.
Working on midline stability with the GHD machine
La GHD machine it is a tool that is not always seen in gyms. Mistake, my dear weight room operators: the GHD allows you to perform four basic exercises to work on stability. These exercises are:
- extension of the hips
- back extension
- simultaneous extension of the hips and back
- GHD sit ups
Working on these exercises allows you to get where millions of crunches they won't even get you close: to midline stability.
GHD sit ups: how to do it
Sit on the GHD machine. Lock the ankles between the retainers, while the pelvis goes back from the center of the pad. Slowly let your back drop. Then you come back up, "pulling" with the hip flexors.
Some will tell you that there are no abs at play in this exercise: that it's all back.
No: indeed, it is one of those cases in which the stabilization work it is almost more important than that on the target muscles of the exercise. The abdominals, during the GHD sit up, work like crazy to counteract hip flexion.
This movement can be achieved gradually: the first rep must be done with the assistance of the coach, performing the exercise with a reduced ROM.
Your first series of GHD sit ups must be short (less than 10 reps). Few series should already exhaust you.
Range of motion and volume need to be increased over time.
The same is true if you haven't done the GHD sit up for a long time: start light (ROM and volume) and increase gradually, as you risk not only being exhausted for days, but also getting hurt.
With time you can get to touch the ground with your fingertips. At that point, the force generated by the exercise in the ascending phase will be enormous, given that the entire musculature responsible for hip flexion will be called into question.
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