The Anti-Rotation Movement

There are several forms of core training techniques to help improve your core strength and power. What many overlook is the importance of stability when it comes to maximizing rotational power production from the core. Which would you prefer…firing your cannon from a canoe or a battleship? I think we all know the answer to that question. Whether you are simply training for injury prevention or you play tennis, softball/baseball, golf or bowl, listen up!

Planks and Side Planks are popular exercises to help build core stability, with gravity being the external force the abdominals and obliques must fight against. Once the exerciser feels they can properly stabilize their spine and pelvis, they will often matriculate to the horizontal chop or diagonal chop and lift. Pump the breaks right there! Why not work on stabilizing the spine and pelvis with external forces in the horizontal and diagonal rotation movement patterns in mind first? When you stop and think about how the body is an alternating sequence of stability and mobility and we zone in on the hip (mobility), lumbo-pelvic (stability) and thoracic spine (mobility), the core needs to be a stabilizing force to help create the power we all seek.

Here are a few of my favorite exercises that focus on Anti Rotational Core Stability Training. The idea is to activate your core muscles to prevent your body from rotating (giving in) to the external resistance/forces. Feel free to google video or you tube these exercises for video footage. Fire your glutes! Fire your core!

1. Single Arm Plank with Shoulder Taps
2. Quadruped
3. One Leg Romanian Deadlift
4. Tall Kneeling Cable Push and Pull
5. Half Kneeling Cable Chop without Rotation
6. Half Kneeling Cable Lift without Rotation
7. Renegade Row
8. TRX Single Arm Row
9. Band or Cable Anti Rotational Walkouts
10. Landmines

Who said we have to be laying on a mat to perform core exercise?!  Give the above exercises a try (2-4 sets of 10 reps with a challenging weight is a good place to start ) to make your core battleship stable and strong.  Good day and good training!