Rotation is an essential part of any athletic or general strength and conditioning programme. These exercises will help your rotational capacity and be a great addition to your core exercise.
All the movement patterns that the core musculature can create are an important part of developing a strong and robust core. But the anti-rotation movement pattern is often the most overlooked by most traditional gym goes. Yes it’s not likely going to have a huge impact on your aesthetics, but will make you strong and stable.
Anti-rotation exercises like the suitcase hold or the single arm farmers march are an excellent way to work the entire body in unison whilst also putting emphasis on the transverse abdominals and lumber spine. If these are done correctly you’ll be able to feel your lumbar spine (lower back) stabilising the weight.
This increased stability and core strength is crucial for sport performance, especially for contact sports where players are being pulled in all directions. Rugby players and American football players need to be strong in these movement patterns to not only perform well but also mitigate injuries. Anti-Rotation exercises can certainly be considered a function core exercise that will be highly beneficial for athletes.
The increased stability in the core musculature is very important for performing movements in the weight room, movements like hex bar deadlifts, front squats and power cleans are all very effective at improving performance. If emphasis is put on the core musculature in conjunction with these they can both be beneficial to each other, creating a virtuous cycle of improving, all of which will improve performance on the field.
Complete 3 rounds
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This resource was written by Sean Klein. Sean Richard Klein has thousands of hours of coaching experience and a BSc in Sports Science with Management from Loughborough University. He owns a gym in Bayonne France, CrossFit Essor, which runs group classes and a Personal training studio.