Spinal Flexion & Mixed Martial Arts

Q:
One of your recent posts about crunches said, “Can you think of anything in sport that emulates a crunch"? I know that you are a BJJ/MMA coach and practitioner, so wouldn’t you say that BJJ requires an athlete to constantly be in a flexed spinal position, especially in the guard position? I would think that you would know firsthand that ground fighting puts you in many odd and awkward positions? I train MMA and place many crunching variations in my strength program. I believe these help me in my training.

A:
Good question. But I think it is a bit too easy to say that because something happens in sport, we should train it. You should actually look at it from the opposite point of view. “There are many things that happen in sport that we should NOT train for". In MMA, we get kicked in the head and knocked out…..we don’t train that. In BJJ, we sometimes get our arms popped from an armbar……..we don’t train that. In football, 300 lb lineman blind side you at a ridiculous speed………we don’t train that. And in life, car accidents happen…….I hope no one trains for that!

I actually look at the whole spinal flexion thing, in regards to combat sports as “pattern overload”. Constantly repeating movements is a very common way to produce an injury. Because we are in flexed posture so often, I choose not to repetitively flex my athletes spines. Based on research, I cannot see how that can keep an athlete healthy long term. I am not anti-flexion. I am anti-repetitive flexion, loaded flexion, flexion with back pain present and any other time that flexion poses a risk.

Far too many people have not read Stuart McGill’s research. Do yourself a favor and read it yesterday.

DN

10 Random Thoughts

1. Its amazing that so many trainers and coaches don’t asses their clients and athletes. Assuming, is a HUGE mistake!! Get educated at the Function Movement Screen so that your clients get what they deserve.

2. Get off machines….better yet get your clients off machines. This is red handed robbery! People need to move through real ranges of motion not sit and exercise through fixed ranges of motion.

3. My wife and I like Hawaii better than Oregon.

4. Lunges are an advanced exercise. Beginners shouldn’t touch them.

5. People still do body-part training………I swear, I know, I thought it wasn’t true either!! Monday: Chest – Tuesday: Back – Wednesday: Legs – Thursday: Arms – Friday: Shoulders – Saturday: Toes & Eye lids. SCARY!! Dinosaurs aren’t extinct!!

6. Deadlifts rock!! That’s read “Deadlifts done right, rock!!”

7. Foam roll before you stretch. Decrease tissue density before you increase tissue length.

8. Valgus knees are sometimes not a hip issue. Don’t just look at the hip. Your body could be trying to put the big toe on the ground.

9. Wear shoes less. Go barefoot more.

10. Want to thrash your knees? Do leg extensions.

DN

Crunches are bad for you??

Q: I read that too much flexion of the spine is bad for you. Is this true? And if so, does this mean crunches and sit-ups are bad too?

A: According to Stuart McGill (the leading spine researcher in the world), absolutely. First let me tell you something about Stuart. When Stuart talks, you listen. I had the pleasure of meeting Stuart last weekend and that’s exactly what I did. I sat in awe and listened to the smartest human being I have sat (I was actually standing) in front of.

Here is the thing, research shows us that repeated flexion is bad. Not just bad, but it will eventually herniate a disc. If you look at how often the majority of people are in a flexed position, be it sitting at a computer, driving, or watching tv, it doesn’t even make sense to perform things like crunches, sit ups and forward flexed stretches. Our core is meant to keep our spine in a safe and stable position. Think “movement preventer”,not “movement producer”.

And its not just the general population that should avoid repetitive flexion. Athletes need to focus more on core stability and McGill says, “Sparing the Spine”. Ask yourself this, “Can you think of anything in sport that emulates a crunch?” Click here for alternatives to crunches.

And don’t just take my word for it. Check out the research:

1. Repeated flexion of the spine is necessary to cause herniation (Adams and Hutton, 1982). In fact, herniation of the disc seems impossible without full flexion.

2. Thousands of cycles of flexion are needed (Gordon et al., 1991 ; King, 1993 ;Callaghan and McGill, 2001) to herniate a healthy disc.

3. Prolonged sitting exacerbates the risk (Videman et al., 1990; Wilder et al, 1988).

4. Flexing forward with some lateral bend to the right will most likely result in a bulge, posterior lateral to the left in the disc.

5. It appears that repeated twisting causes the annulus to slowly delaminate

*Ultimate Back Fitness And Performance third edition, Stuart McGill, PhD

DN

Viewer Discretion is Advised

Videos like this remind me that myself and others have not made much of an impact on the world of fitness.......Enjoy the laughs!!
DN

Your Big Rocks

I got this story from Mike Boyle. Mike is a Strength and Conditioning coach I look up to and respect very much. Visit his site at strengthcoach.com

"When things in your life seem almost to much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...and the beer. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls ( your big rocks, what you
fundamentally believe). He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, …"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. "Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand." One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

DN