Posted on

Foundational Coaching: Installment 5 – Discovering the Posterior Pelvic Tilt

When coaching many athletes and clients throughout the years, various off-seasons, in-seasons, along with various injuries and movement capacities (that is, whether or not someone understands how to move when given a simple cue) I have come to appreciate that not everyone understands what may be going when it comes to their own bodies. Intellectually, they might understand how to do certain movements, but it is as if their own body is not listening to what their brain is telling them. There is a large disconnect present.

When talking about extension based issues, decreasing symptoms for lumbar spine issues, or even when improving position during strength training modalities, one common theme is the lack of understanding of what the pelvis should be doing.

Now, intellectually individuals may understand what a posterior pelvic tilt looks like, and may even be able to perform it, but actively owning that position is something that is more difficult to perform.

So, in this case, I have devised how to build context from the ground on up with respect to the posterior pelvic tilt.

Breaking it Down

To improve upon the last blog post in this series, Breathing for Performance, one of the first variables that must be achieved is position. Without owning a specific position, trying to elicit certain actions such as inhalation using the pelvic floor and thoracic diaphragm will be difficult to do.

So what are some action items you can perform before any exercises today?

Goal:
Own the ability to get into and out of anterior pelvic tilt and posterior pelvic tilt (in this case, bilaterally).

Step 1a: If you cannot own these positions, let’s ask the question, “Why?”

Step 1b: Is it soft tissue structures that is limiting your ability to move?

Step 1c: Is it a lack of motoric control that is limiting your ability to move?

Step 1d: Is it bony adaptations (disc herniation, hip pathology, etc.) that is limiting your ability to move?

Step 2: After finding the issues and working on resolving them, aim to own these positions described in the video above.

Think of the obliques as a mesh net of muscles that connects the rib cage to the pelvis.

mesh-net
Source: http://gewa.gsfc.nasa.gov/clubs/SportFishing/2003_Pond_Stocking.html, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=258488
  • If you bring the ends of the net closer to each other, they are more relaxed, and not as stretched.
  • If you bring the ends of the net away from each other, they are on stretch, and will be more difficult to control.

Abdominal Obliquables

Thus, by improving pelvic position, you can improve upon thoracic ribcage and lumbar spine positioning as well for many different exercises, and daily functioning as well.

As always,

Keep it funky.

MAsymbollogo

Posted on

My Favorite Programming Sequences: Installment 1

I’m starting off a new series of exercise programming favorites. This will aim to demonstrate very pragmatic programming choices for how I program for our athletes at Cressey Sports Performance.

In my recent post “So… What Do You Do? Part 2” I explained that I have been recently collecting assessment information in order to see where I am pragmatically with my exercise options.

“There’s an input… and an output.” –Charlie Weingroff

Through the large handful of assessments I’ve had in my disposal at this facility and past ones, there is a large discrepancy of unilateral instability that is often displayed through the midsection. Couple this with lack of range of motion, and we can begin to unravel a sequelae of neurological and systemic degradation.

APT
Lack of “anterior core” stability is coupled with a lack of pelvic control.

Some have called this gluteal amnesia. Following the Joint by Joint Approach will allow us to come to the conclusion that often the “core” will need stability, and the hip will need subsequent mobility.

Whether you are utilizing an active single leg assessment, or you are utilizing a passive test to determine the available range of motion at the hip, it is understood that the glute medius and glute minimus are hip internal rotators, or rather they are recruited when the femur is asked to internally rotate within the hip joint (acetabulum).

These specific muscle groups involve stabilizing the “core” by recruiting obliques, and reducing lumbar erector spinae recruitment patterns.

Prone Hip IR

A1. Single Leg Work

A2. Side Bridge or Side Plank

If our aim is to improve stability in a unilateral fashion, when the femur on the stable leg performs hip flexion, you are receiving an input aimed at improving lateral stability, as Tony Gentilcore put it, and this allows for literally ALL qualities (core stability, hip mobility, and strengthening via single leg training) to be improved upon.

This sequence also allows for the femur to shift into the acetabulum in a more posterior fashion as the lead leg goes into hip flexion (and the opposite is in hip extension) in a reverse lunge, for example.

Goblet Split Squat - Anterior Knee Block

If you don’t have stability of the core, nor do you not have adequate range of motion within the hip joint, what else is a better option than the combination of these two exercises to improve range of motion and quickly stabilizing what you have gained?

Who Is It For?

There aren’t many restrictions when it comes to this exercise sequence. If you have severe pain, probably a good idea to get it checked out, just to be safe. But other than that…

Using this as a “Phase 1” of programming to quite literally “reprogram” propioceptive input to the brain is not the worst thought process.

He doesn’t need to do side bridges in between these lunges.

Troubleshooting

  • Focusing on breathing and rib position, making sure you push *away* from the floor (which will reinforce abdominal control), along with hip positioning (posterior pelvic tilt while sideways) will help reinforce an appropriate position – and ultimately a great deal of awesomeness as displayed above.

This sequence is not meant to replace a lack of mobility found within the hip – however, it can be reinforced by including a posterior hip capsule stretch, which will allow a more relative input to the back of labrum, and by “activating” the glute medius/min, along with external/internal oblique recruitment from the side plank, you will be providing several opportunities for improving movement acquisition or learning.

Not bad for the first search term for “glute mobilization.”

Til next time.

Keep it funky.

MAsymbollogo