Are you a gymnastic skill seeker who struggles to maintain the hollow body shape in movements like push-ups, chin-ups, handstands, back and front levers?
We often hear coaches telling their clients to "contract your core", "brace your abdominals", or "get tight."
What do these cues actually mean?
Do we breathe in?
Do we breathe out?
Do we crush walnuts between out but cheeks?
How do we increase our midline tension and stop our lower back arching in gymnastic movements that require a tight hollow body shape?
The most critical movement its………
The pelvic tilt.
Specifically, we're talking about a posterior pelvic tilt (PPT) in movements that require us to maintain a tight hollow body shape.
One way we can demonstrate “the tilt” is in a kneeling position.
We put our hands on our hip bones and practice tilting the pelvis into an anterior pelvic tilt (APT) and a posterior pelvic tilt (PPT).
In a kneeling position, can you tilt the pelvis forward and backwards?
Imagine the pelvis is a bowl of water, and you're trying to tip the water out the front of the bowl (APT) and then the back of the bowl (PPT).
When we create a PPT, we tuck our tailbone between our legs and contract the glute muscles.
When the glutes contract, so do the abdominals; they work together to establish midline tension.
When we create APT, the glutes and the abdominals lengthen which switches these muscles off in movements like push-ups.
To increase "core stability" or "midline tension" in movements requiring a tight hollow body shape, we need to focus on the position of the pelvis.
We're looking for a strong PPT.
Most gymnastic skill seekers have never heard of APT or PPT. Hence, they have very little awareness of how to tilt the pelvis.
How do we teach this awareness?
The first movement I like to use is the yoga cat cow.
We start in a quadrupedal position, with the shoulders stacked above the hands and the hips stacked above the knees. We then focus on moving the pelvis from APT to PPT.
Can you create a PPT and an APT in the Yoga Cat Cow?
Being able to tilt the pelvis helps to build an awareness of how the pelvis tilts. In the Yoga Cat Cow. It's easy because there's not much load being put through the midline in the quadrupedal position.
To progress, we can move to the top of the push or front leaning rest (FLR). In the FLR, we must push the heels of the feet together, and I will explain why in a minute.
In the FLR, can you tilt the pelvis from APT to PPT?
When you move into PPT, can you push the heels of the feet together?
The FLR challenges our "core strength" more than the Yoga Cat Cow because the lever length is longer, and we need more midline stability to maintain the hollow body shape.
We can increase the intensity by changing the torso angle and moving to a forearm plank. Again, focus on pushing the heels of the feet together.
Can you move from APT to PPT in the forearm plank?
Can you feel how contracting the glutes also causes the abdominals to contract?
Why push the heels of the feet together?
When performing movements like push-ups, planks, hollow body chin-ups, or anything that requires us to maintain that hollow body shape, I always tell my clients to push the heels of their feet together.
I do this because it helps them create more midline tension.
To demonstrate, we can use a simple example. Stand up with your feet apart, and I think about that posterior pelvic tilt. Tuck the pelvis under and contract your glutes as hard as possible. Note this contraction and how strong it feels.
Now, bring the feet together, and I do the same thing. Set a strong PPT by contracting the glutes and pushing the heels of the feet together as hard as possible. Note how this contraction feels stronger than the first one.
Pushing the heels of the feet together allows us to create a stronger glute contraction, generating more tension through our abdominals and increasing midline tension.
Give that little test a try and see how you go.
These are just a few of the progressions I like to use with my clients to help teach them how to position the pelvis for maximum performance in different movements.
This helps them build the core strength they need for push-ups and hollow body chin-ups. It also gives them an awareness of what they must do in a handstand to create that PPT to accomplish a nice straight handstand.
UNLOCK YOUR FIRST CHIN-UP
Are you ready to build strength, increase flexibility and unlock gymnastics skills that you never thought possible?
So give it a try.
If you’re an adult gymnastic skill seeker looking to build the strength to unlock gymnastics skills like push-ups and chin-ups, check out the TSTM Skill-based programs
They’ve been designed to help you progressively build the strength to successfully pump out both movements like push-ups, chin-ups, L-sits, shoulder stands, pull-ups, dips and more.
It’s time to stop doing push-ups on your knees and using a band for chin-ups.
When you’re ready to level up your gymnastics skills, you’ll want to check out BBWS.