66 summer 2019
ANTI-FLEXION
The act of resisting spinal
flexion (folding forward)A rounded back during
lifting is the source of many
a herniated disk, and in
order to prevent a chronic
back injury, you need to be
able to resist excessive trunk
flexion. If this musculature
— particularly the erector
spinae — is weak, you may
suffer during daily activities
such as picking weeds or
bending over to pet your
dog and will be more
susceptible to injury even
during passive activities
such as sitting for extended
periods of time.
Back extensions and
deadlifts engage a ton of
muscles in your posterior
chain — inside and out —
and require proper skeletal
alignment for optimal
muscular engagement and
lumbar protection. Training
in anti-flexion primarily
targets the more susceptible
spinal erectors while
also hitting your deeper
transverse abdominis for
spinal stabilization.Traditional ab training focuses on flexion movements such as crunches. However, your
abdominal musculature is actually more complex than the simple six-pack. Multiple overlapping
abdominal layers work in concert to help you twist, bend and stabilize in every direction and
make physical activity possible. But your abs also have another function — resisting unwanted or
excessive movement. This “anti-”movement occurs when your core musculature is contracted
to hold your body in a singular plane, direction or motion, stabilizing your spine and pelvis to
maintain a neutral position while being acted upon by outside forces.
Training your core using anti-movements is important from a performance standpoint
because it improves your ability to transfer energy and force between your upper and
lower body by remaining stiff and stable. This translates to greater explosiveness, improved
efficiency, faster reaction times and increased speed. Additionally, anti-training helps prevent
imbalance injuries, which happen when you’re able to create more force than you can resist.
And since you engage your transverse abdominis — also known as the “corset” muscle — in
nearly all anti-exercises, you incrementally shrink your waistline over time.
ANTI-BODY
ANTI-EXTENSION
The act of resisting spinal
extension (bending backward)Can you do a perfect
push-up with a board-
straight spine? Most people
cannot, and this is because
of an overextension of your
spine, or a sway back.
Anti-extension moves do
require a contraction of
your rectus abdominis, but
its contribution is minimal,
forcing the transverse
abdominis to do the
majority of the heavy lifting.
Because of this 360-degree
strengthening action, you’ll
get stronger at handling
overhead loads such as with
a snatch or an overhead
squat while also helping
streamline your freestyle
stroke in the pool and
tossing your kids around
without pain or strain.
Training your core in
anti-extension with moves
such as the crawling plank
and banded dead bug
will fortify this position,
ultimately protecting your
spine while improving your
training results.ANTI-ROTATION
The act of resisting spinal/trunk
rotation (twisting side to side)Incorporating medicine-ball
twists, cable rotations and
even windshield wipers into
your workouts actively trains
your obliques and core to
contract and shorten, but
resisting a twisting force
is a next-level activity.
Anti-rotation comes into
play when you’re carrying
something bulky or awkward
or if someone shoves you and
you try to recover. Building
anti-rotational prowess
drastically raises your
ability to resist injury in any
number of athletic and life
activities, including sudden
or unexpected changes of
direction, trips and falls.
The Palloff press and
medicine-ball twist-to-hold
combine dynamic movement
with postural fortitude to
heavily tax your internal and
external obliques as well as
the transverse abdominis.ANTI-LATERAL FLEXION
The act of resisting lateral
flexion (bending side to side)If you’ve ever hefted a
5-gallon water bucket across
the yard, you’ve done an
anti-lateral flexion exercise.
When you carry things
unilaterally — with a load on
one side — your obliques shift
into high gear and contract
hard on the unweighted side
to prevent the weighted side
from collapsing. It also can
help with quick side-to-side
and agility movements such
as trail running to keep your
torso and spine steady. Most
people also have a stronger
side, and anti-lateral flexion
exercises can help balance
this out, helping prevent injury
while improving results.
The rack carry or an offset
weighted movement such as
the kneel-to-stand overhead
hold works your internal and
external obliques, improving
your ability to get all those
groceries into the house in a
single trip.M
odel:V
anessaSerio/^Top:^M
arika/^
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B
et
hanyWoodTHERE ARE FOUR BASIC ANTI-ACTIONS TO KNOW: