Popular Yoga, Pilates and Core exercises that are DANGEROUS!!!

[TheFitnessstudent]

Big fan of your exercises Nick; thanks a lot for the posts. But going back to the safety of this exercise, it seems mighty similar to the thoracic exercise which you encourage. How is this different from the thoracic spine rotation exercise?

[KerynLundgrenPilates]

As a Professional Pilates Instructor and Movement Coach I think this is a great video and thank you for posting a clear explanation as to why this exercise is not an optimal "core" exercise and in fact, can cause harm to the very area people are trying to stabilize. My Pilates training specifically omitted this exercise for the very reason you mention and I think a lot of Pilates training programs are, in fact, becoming more sophisticated and knowledgeable as to how the body truly functions.

[fitspirit]

Thank you for this! The version with the straight legs causes my SI joints to make popping sounds- so for me, the extra "mobility" is coming at the SI joint. I have always hated this exercise for that reason. I would be so interested in seeing you critique some yoga poses such as the triangle, reverse triangle and warrior poses as well.

[ProstigeWorldwide]

thanks alot. i do these like everyday in my dynamic warm up looks like i wont be anymore. lol

[SCROGY]

I would like to see real evidence that doing this with adequate warm up AND in a slow controlled manner is actually harmful. Maybe rotating slightly less....say to 45 degrees (angle of side of the legs to the floor) rather than to the floor would be better.

[PerformanceU]

Quotes from Shirley Sarhmann's - Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes.

"The overall range of lumbar rotation is ... approximately 13 degrees. The rotation between each segment from T10 — L5 is 2 degrees. The greatest rotational range is between L5 — S1... The T-spine, not lumbar spine, should be the site of greatest amount of rotation of the trunk... rotational exercises should occurring in the area of the chest." (Sahramnn pg. 61-62)

Also, see my comments earlier posts

[SCROGY]

But you said that the twisting disipates up the spine, meaning that the other vertebrate ALSO rotate to some degree. I don't see a problem here if an adequate warm up is done. Also many sports rely or result in/on twisting of the spine, so practicing it in a proper controlled manner would seem to lessen the chance of an injury. In fact in my sport, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, twisting of the spine is VERY common, in fact it happens just about every time you do BJJ.

[PerformanceU]

This is true! I personally train a team of MMA fighters both Pro and Amateur. However, because it happens during BII doesn't mean its safe to train with on a regular basis. It simply means its a necessary evil of the sport. Keep in mind that getting kicked in your head or choked is a necessary part of the sport as well. That doesn't mean they are safe.

Thanks for your comments!

N

[ajlammiman]

I'm not sure if I agree with you there. Or rather I agree with you that you should never rotate from the lumbar spine but if that exercise is used correctly (the shoulders should remain grounded at all times and not lift up as you demonstrate) then the rotation is at the thoracic spine and not the lumbar.

[PerformanceU]

With all do respect, think about what you said for a moment...

If the shoulders stay flat on the floor, it actually creates MORE lumbar rotation because your hips move further away from your shoulders. If your shoulders turned at the same rate as your hips, you wouldn't be rotating the spine at all.

Understand?

Coach N

[PerformanceU]

To quote world famous Physical Therapist, Shirley Sarhmann -

"Rotation of the lumbar spine is more dangerous than beneficial and rotation of the pelvis and lower extremities to one side while the trunk remain stable or is rotated to the other side is particularly dangerous." (Sahrmann, pg. 72)