Twist and Resist: The Importance of Rotational and Anti Rotational Movements For A Strong Core
Mariah May, CSCS
Our core plays a pivotal part in almost everything we do, from simple things like grabbing objects off the floor to max effort lifts and everything in between. But how do we develop a strong and stable core that is able to move and work so diversely?
What is our “core”, and what does it do?
Before we dive into how to improve your core, it is important to understand what it is and what it does. Our core is much more than just abs; it comprises all the muscles that make up the trunk of our body. These muscles allow our spine to flex, extend, rotate, and help us resist the forces that come from those motions. Our core muscles can be categorized into four groups: back extensors, abdominals, lateral trunk, and hip muscles.
Oftentimes, when we think of doing core exercises, we envision some variation of a crunch. While the crunch and similar movements work our core through spine flexion, focusing solely on flexion doesn't develop the core to its full potential. In addition to flexion, we want to train the core through rotational and anti-rotational movements.
Rotational Exercises: What are they?
As the name suggests, rotational exercises involve twisting the trunk. Examples of these movements include russian twists, woodchops, landmine twists, and rotational medicine ball slams. These movements move the body through the transverse plane (side to side).
Benefits
Injury prevention: Rotational exercises strengthen not only the abdominals but also our lower backs via our back extensors and hips. By training these two muscle groups to be able to rotate you are increasing their strength which can help prevent low back from injury.
Sports: The ability to dynamically rotate is essential in sports such as golf, skiing, tennis, basketball, snowboarding, etc. Training with rotational movements helps increase rotational power output that is used in many of these sports.
Improved mobility: Moving the hips and back through the transverse plane increases their range of motion which can assist mobility when doing other movements.
Anti-Rotational: What is it?
Every movement has an opposite — think; flexion and extension, eccentric and concentric, push and pull. The opposite to rotational exercises is anti-rotational, meaning we do not allow rotation in the movement. Examples include Pallof hold/press, high plank shoulder taps, and most asymmetrically loaded movements.
Benefits
Core stability: Resisting rotation is essential for unilaterally weighted movements. It allows us to maintain proper alignment during these exercises. Some examples of this type of exercise include single arm farmers carry and single arm split squat. To correctly perform these movements you need to be able to stay upright.
Injury prevention: Resisting rotational forces helps maintain correct body alignment, preventing unwanted twisting that could lead to injury.
Incorporating These Into Your Routine
If you find that you attend classes often throughout the week, chances are you're already doing at least one of these types of exercises during class, especially on Wednesdays, our stamina day. You can also perform some of these exercises at home. Here are examples for each category:
Rotational:
Russian twists
Floor wipers
Standing or lying bicycles
Anti-Rotational:
Plank reach-outs
Plank Shoulder taps
Pallof Presses
Takeaways
Rotational and anti-rotational movements are essential for having a well-rounded, functional core. Whether you are an outdoors enthusiast, an athlete, or just trying to keep your body performing at its best, our bodies are meant to articulate in several ways and resist those movements, our core is no different. So if you're not getting any of these movements in your routine try them at home! Regardless of your lifestyle, everyone can benefit from being able to twist and resist.