AB workout. How not!
Lifting the torso from a lying position with a turn causes three abdominal muscles to contract at once - the straight and two paired ones - the external oblique and internal oblique. However, at the same time, there is a strong tension of other muscles that run deep in the pelvis and are attached directly to the spinal column. This is because the natural function of these muscles is associated with the rise of the hips. Due to the law of feedback, the approach of the torso to the hips when performing lifts becomes the reason for their activation. Moreover, the degree of muscle contraction increases as you tilt forward.
b2ap3_thumbnail_press.take a look at the illustration. It shows that the more tense these muscles are, the greater the reverse bend of the lumbar part of the vertebral column. At the moment of lifting the back from the floor, the compression of the lower intervertebral discs (due to the bending of the lower back) exceeds the compression of the deadlift. And this is in an exercise without weight!
As you know, the spine has natural curves: outward in the area of the shoulder blades and inward in the lumbar region. This 8-shape of the vertebral column is very important. Thanks to it, the main power element of the skeleton retains mobility and elasticity. As a result, the strength of the entire bone frame increases fabulously. Scientists have calculated that the 8-shape of the spine increases the strength capabilities of an athlete in lifting the bar to the chest by 10 times compared to a rigid and straight vertebral column.
The anatomical design of the spine provides a stable relationship between the external and internal bend. An increase in one bend automatically reduces the radius of the other. This means that the more we stoop, the more we deform the lower back. This feature of the spine fatally aggravates the danger of climbs with a turn.
Few athletes pay any attention to their back when performing this exercise. The back should be kept straight, but fatigue makes you round your back more and more, especially since you have to do exceptionally many repetitions in a set on the press. As a result, the dangerous compression of the lumbar discs described above increases even more.
Turns of the torso bring the situation to a frankly crisis. Since the spine is rigidly attached to the ribs, the twisting moment cannot be distributed along the entire vertebral column. The rotation of the body is carried out due to the mobile lumbar region. Thus, the intervertebral discs take on an additional (stronger!) the compression stroke of twisting. In these conditions, spinal injury becomes simply inevitable!
Surveys of athletes who have long performed torso lifts with a turn indicate that almost all of them eventually note the appearance of pain of varying severity in the lower back.
Fortunately, in bodybuilding, athletes prefer this exercise to the so-called"twisting". The main feature of this movement is that the torso turns are possible only in a very small amplitude. This greatly reduces the potential risk of spinal injury. However, this danger remains. That is why "twisting" with a twist of the torso, bodybuilders should forever exclude from their Arsenal.
Conclusion: body lifts from the prone position and body turns can only be performed separately. Combining both movements in one exercise is prohibited! Torso lifts with a turn can only be done under the following conditions. It is necessary to use a special simulator that provides a rigid fixation of the hips (knees bent) and feet. But even here, turns cannot be combined with ascents. First perform the torso lift and only then turn the torso. After completing the exercise, be sure to do hyperextension. It will allow you to compensate for the tension of the vertebral column provoked by lifts.
