“Roll the belt buckle to the chin..”

“Push the bottom rib into the abs….”

I say those about 50 times a day.

Why?

It’s all about the Open Scissor position.

It’s no good.

But its the default for lots of people.

Instead of using the “core” to brace against the forces, this default makes you Instagram famous uses the lumbar spine and pelvis, driving into each other, to buttress forces.

In a perfect world we want a neutral scissor position.

The neutral scissor is just the “Pillar” or “Cylinder” position, nothing new.

Core Control:

You don’t want excessive lumbar movement, flexion (rounding) or arching (extension).

We need to be able to put the “core” in the correct position and keep it there while the extremities move around it.

Think of it this way:

The core is the transducer of force transfer.

It’s the bridge.

Either from the ground through the upper extremities or from the upper extremities though the ground.

If the core can’t transmit the forces transmitted to it, the spine shudders and you’re basically fucked bad things happen.

Dead Bugs:

Are cool and all, and really good for people who instantly default into lumbar flexion or extension.

But they’re kinda remedial pretty quickly.

So you gotta add weight (once you master them unweighted).

Plate Resisted Dead Bug:

Key Points:

Low back pressed into the floor

Bottom rib on the abs and hips rolled into posterior pelvic tilt.

Keep the distance/ angle whatever between the bottom rib and the hip the same through the movement.

Arms as long as possible through the movement.

Tension on the lats the whole time. Reach and PULL with the lats (lats are core too).

Never bring the knees too far forward (flex the hip) and unload the “bottom” of the movement.

NEVER OVERREACH AND LOSE TENSION. 

These are about maintaining the position, and that means the tension through the whole movement.

That also means Smooth Counts.