Kick Your Abs: Basics, Round 2
December 7, 2007 by Mark
Written by Mark Mian of AlterCenter
Core/Abdominal training is the foundation of martial arts fitness, period. As mentioned in the first Kick Your Abs post, complete core training means exercising both core movers and “inner” core stabilizers. The first post gave you a program to train all your movers for Muaythai. This month’s KYA gives you a basic-but-vital program to build strong core stability for superior balance, speed, mobility, and power.
How to Handle Yourself
“The Core” of the body usually refers to the complex of muscles in and around your midsection: 4 abdominal muscles others around your back and spine. For you, as an athlete, “core” should also refer to the core of your conditioning program.
A strong core is the basis for explosive power, superior speed & agility. Not to mention protection against impacts and back strain. Sound like a lot of benefits? It’s your core, dammit: it’s brings everything together. No matter how strong your arms and legs are in the gym, they’ll only be effective in Muaythai if your core can handle them.
Why? The short answer is simply that these muscles connect everything to your center of mass (aka center of gravity): the balance point of your body’s total bulk. Consider this logic: if you wanted to efficiently move a large object, you would focus on pushing its center of mass. In your own body, your core muscles tightly pull everything together to your center of mass. This connects all your other muscles to a stable source to push from, pull to, and be grounded by.
Core Stabilizers: Inside-Out Ab Training
Even your core has a core. The deepest muscles in your midsection are your spinal stabilizers. They balance your center when you hit, miss, dodge and get smashed. These muscles are made to hold – not mov. They need a different kind of training than your six-pack. As you might guess, that training involves holding positions and stabilizing against external forces.
Thai fighters are renowned for their incredible balance. While theirs comes naturally by practicing Muaythai 6-8hrs every day from a young age, we must rapidly increase ours with concentrated exercises.
There are literally zillions (a scientific term) of exercises to challenge and develop these muscles. Yoga strengthens stabilizers (though does little for movers – hence the skinny yogis who can balance in any position). Pilates is an entire system for developing precision performance from core strength. The preferred exercise of modern dancers and ballerinas, it’s the secret weapon of increasingly many pro athletes — like the superfast Olympic gold-medalist boxer Andre Ward (here’s an early pro fight of his), NBA star Jason Kidd, and even Tiger Woods. If you can take classes at your gym, try it for at least 6 weeks. It will pay off.
The 3 exercises below will give you a solid foundation that will enhance the performance of all the parts and whole of your body.
Core Stability Exercises: Build a Bridge and Get Over It
Three “bridge” or “plank” exercises for 3-D stability. All you do is assume the position and hold it while tightly sucking in your gut (to activate your “inner” transverse abs, which work like the arch of a bridge to brace your spine against buckling). Everyone seems to hate these exercises: they put you into an uncomfortable position and keep you there. There’s not much more you can do about it other than breathe peacefully (learn from the yogis, yo). So, these exercises require and build strong determination, mental focus, and breathing. Breathe, dammit — breathe. I can’t say it enough: BREATHE! Don’t stop, don’t rush, don’t hold… breathe naturally, calmly, peacefully. “Sabai.”
The only way to make this training easy is to adopt the mind of a warrior: do what must be done — love what makes you stronger.
Instructions
1. Do these at the end of your workout (after other core stuff too). Better yet, do them on alternate days from your dynamic (mover) core exercises. Do them 3-4 times/week for 6-8 weeks.
2. Do only one set of each – all you need is one single extended effort. When a stabilizer fatigues, it’s done for awhile. If you continue to stress it, it will go into spasm and potentially damage your joints. The beauty of core stability training is that it’s short and sweet. More is not better. Period.
3. Use a timer to meet the day’s time-goal. Start at 30-45 seconds for each position. Add 10-15 seconds to your goal time every 3-4 workouts. Your ultimate goal is 3 minutes for each one! Our champion, Neungsiam “the Rock” Samphusri is up to 2:30 balancing with perfect form on basketballs on the first exercise. Whatdoyougot?
4. Mentally, do not fight it by counting down the seconds to relief. Clear your mind and forget about time. Keep re-clearing it by focusing on deep controlled breathing, holding your position without fidgeting or fussing. Your mind is your enemy during these.
The Exercises
A. Plank
• Back, Hips & Knees straight – stop when you can’t.
• Stomach & Chin pulled in tight • Shoulders wide
• Elevate feet & straighten arms when you can do 2-3mins
• Optional: Do 10-20 “shoulder pushups” at start, then hold
B. Reverse Plank
• Back, Hips, Knee & Elbows Straight
• Hips & Chin tucked in • Chest lifted & Shoulders wide
• Optional: Bend knees 90º, to form a “table”
Warning: Stop if you arms/hand tingle in your arms/hands
C. Side Plank (both sides)
• Feet, Hips & Elbow in straight line
• Knees, Hips, Back & Upper Arm straight
• Hands directly over/under shoulders
• Optional: “Stand” on your bent elbow instead of straight arm
Conclusion
I know: they don’t look very exciting or special. Sorry. But they efficiently do the job of strengthening internal muscles that don’t get nailed by regular situps, leg lifts, and twists. But it’s just 4-6ish minutes per workout to boost everything else…
Hope it helps.
*wai*
“Your mind is your enemy during these.”
Your mind is your enemy during these.
That is so true for me!!! If I set up a time or rep limit, like 30 pushups say, the last 5 feel like they’re taking forever. But then if I set up a rep limit of 60, I get past 30 like it was nothing but start slowing down again around 55. Self-pity, that’s what I think it is :P
What about hanging leg raises? Being a static exercise, do they stabilize anything? I know a lot of gymnasts perform them and, of course they have very powerful cores.
Very good post on explaining these static exercises. I think that many people don’t know the effects one gets from staying so still!
Ian
Hanging leg raises (HLR) are an excellent advanced mover exercise for Muaythai — but since you are moving during them instead of holding a single position, they are not specifically a stabilizer exercise.
Most people can only lift up their legs during HRLs. But, because their transverse abs (the internal stabilizers) aren’t strong enough, they can’t curl up their hips at the top of the motion. As a result, they end up working their hip flexors at ton without really getting into their abs (hip flexors bend the hips while abs round the back). This ends up making their back and hips tighter over time. Your low-back shouldn’t ever feel sore when doing them.
Since HLRs are counter-productive if done wrong, I generally don’t teach them until the athlete can do 2mins on the Plank AND is also strong doing leg raises on their back and elevated leg raises on their elbows (ie, with the hip curl-up).
*wai*
Thank you for this short and effective exercise.
Nicely explained. Thanks.
I’ve always done HLRs in a static fashion though; I would just keep my legs and back straight and at a 90 deg. angle and hold.
But sometimes I do a moving version; keeping my legs and back straight, I raise my legs up as high as I can, ideally getting my ankles to my shoulders ,and then back down and repeat. Is this the kind of HLRs that you were referring to?
They seem to be much harder for me if I have just burned out on pull-ups. I’m thinking I’m doing something wrong, like maybe using back muscles such as the lats to help stabilize during the movement.
Also, I’m horrible at sit ups, yet I can perform other ab/core exercises with ease. My lower back just always gives out before I feel any sort of work or fatigue on my abs.
I’m curious of your thoughts on this, if you don’t mind me taking advantage of your expertise.
My theory is that it’s because of the over-curvature of my spine in my lower back which I think might be from carrying 35lb backpacks with the straps set real low when I was a kid.
Ian (and everyone)
I see – I guess I would have called your static version of the exercise a “hanging leg hold” or something, since “raising” is not the exercise itself. So, I was referring to the version where you hang from a bar and raise your hips and legs upwards, trying to do the whole motion from your core and not your hip-joint. In any case, I can’t recommend doing your version (see below).
The issues you described relate to a common problem. Let me try to explain it by answering your questions:
1) HLR Burnout from Pullups: During pullups, your lats are responsible for pulling your elbows to your hips (thereby lifting you up), and also for stabilizing your shoulder blades along with the Serratus Anterior — a jagged-looking muscle that inserts diagonally into your ribs along the tops of your obliques. Fatigue in the Serratus will definitely challenge your ability to correctly perform the moving HLRs. The first Plank exercise will help strengthen the Serratus – especially if you do the mini-shoulder pushups first. In general, though, I’d say take a break between the Pullups exercises if you’re trying to increase your strength on the moving HLRs. Weakness in the Serratus is a primary underlying cause for the chronic shoulder problems fighters get from punching.
2. While the static Hanging Leg Hold you’re doing will challenge your core stabilizers, it puts a huge amount of stress on your hip flexors – the muscles that bend your hips by raising your knees. In other words, it’s making your hip flexors hold a fully contracted position against resistance (your legs & gravity) for an extended period — something you never do in Muaythai.
When hip flexors are over-worked/held/jerked — and/or kept short for a long time (ie, while sitting in a chair, or doing this exercise) — they adapt by becoming tight and shortened.
When hip flexors get really tight, they pull the front of your hips downwards (and thus your tailbone upwards & back) when you stand up. This causes your lower back to excessively arch (and belly & lower ribs to protrude), to keep your torso and head upright.
The result of chronic hip flexor tightness is a decrease of muscle tone in your abs (particularly the inner transverse abs), leading to “hyper-lordosis” (over-arching) of your lower spine — which can squish the soft discs between your vertebrae and cause lower back and outer thigh nerve pain (“sciatica”).
While strong and explosive hip flexors are important in muaythai, tight/short/held ones are not. In short, I’d stay away from that 90º “hanging leg hold” and use the Plank instead. Otherwise, you should stretch the front of your hips (eg, in a lunge position) for a few minutes after doing them.
The Plank similarly challenges the same core stabilizers, but with your hips in an extended (and not bent) position. This allows your hip flexors to stay long and balanced, and keep your spine aligned.
If you want to make the Plank “heavier”, you can put a weightlifting plate on your back. Start with 5lbs and see if you ca maintain your time. Move up slowly, keeping your back slightly rounded — never arched.
When you can’t stop your back from arching in the Plank, it’s time to call it a day.
Hope all that made sense. I’ll likely write a posting on posture, spine alignment and pain sometime soon.
*wai*
Thank you very much Mark. This has all been extremely insightful to me.
I’ll stay away from the HLHs (hanging leg holds).
That was interesting about the serratus anterior. I seem to have really flexible shoulder blades (I can lick my elbow) and I’ve always wondered how that might affect punching ability.
I know your not a chiropractor, but based on what you said, there is a good chance that I’ve accumulated minor hyper-lordosis. I don’t think it’s a serious case and I haven’t been feeling the nerve pain that you described, but my lower spine does arch more than it’s supposed to. I can lie flat on the ground, for instance, and nearly slide my forearm under my lower back and stick out the other side.
I eagerly await your post on posture, but would you have any kind of recommended exercise for me to work on that would help re-align my lower spine or improve the posture in that area?
i wouldn’t mind learning a bit about hip stuff, how to keep them loose and how to make them stronger.
Ian
It wouldn’t hurt to see a chiro if you’ve got a good one (get recommendations first). But, a chiro will mostly attend to your skeleton. It sounds to me that your problem is muscular – so massage therapy, stretching, and stability training is probably the better treatment.
1] Try doing the Plank exercises regularly — be sure to keep your tail tucked and back from arching during them. As always, the best way to support a “neutral spine” is keeping your abs pulled in (which means breathing will have occur more through your ribs, chest and upper back).
2] Stretch your hips and lower back daily. Holding a deep lunge position with a straight upright spine will stretch your hip flexors – just don’t stretch to the point of any discomfort or they will get tighter. For your lower back, lie on your back and hug your knees to you chest (to round your spine) and hold it for a minute while breathing deeply. Stretch these before and after workouts, as well as in the morning and evening – just 5minutes each time.
Since you and the legendary Anonymous, above, are asking, I’ll also post an article on stretching for Muaythai soon.
*wai*
Great stuff, thanks again for contributing all of this!
Mark,
is it ok to train this core stabilizer exercise simultaneously with core exercises described in Kick Your Abs: Basics, Round 1: http://www.mymuaythai.com/archives/the-core-monster/
Or is better to train them separately?
e.g.: one exercise for cca. 5 weeks and then switching to another.
I have no problem combining these two exercises though.
Thank you!
Great article, I’ve been rehabbing my back for the last six months. I slipped a disc doing sprawls. If I would have spent some real time working on my core that wouldn’t have happened. I’m going to incorporate some of you exercises in my work out. Thanks.
Gusnark
I generally recommend doing these static ab exercises on alternate days from the dynamic ones.
If you combine static ab exercises above with other abdominal stuff, do them last in the workout. Always do static/isometric abs as the last workout in the day.
Thanks Mark and I wish you happy new year!
Hey, Mark!
Great stuff!
I have been trying to follow your recommende program, dynamic og static ab exercises on alternating days.
The dynamic ones are great, but I’m having some trouble with the static ones.
I can do about 2 min in the Plank position, but during exercises 2 and 3 my shoulders give out before my abs.
What should I do?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Simon