SUPERMAN: THE BEST SUPERHERO FOR THE CORE




Do you want to be as strong as superman?

The Birddog or also commonly called "Superman", is one of the exercises proposed by McGill, which has more diffusion in the field of physical conditioning, both in the professional field as in the quality of life and health, as it is employed in a multitude of Programs aimed at improving the stabilizing musculature of the spine.

What key elements do we have to keep in mind for their correct technical execution?
The subject should be placed in the kneelign position and keep the spine in neutral position while the limbs are mobilized (McGill and Karpowicz, 2009). This mobilization is to perform a total flexion of the shoulder and an extension of the opposite hip, leaving the leg extended completely in line with the trunk. For more clarity of concepts see the following video:



The frequency, intensity and initial difficulty will vary depending on the individual level of each subject.
Next, we present a proposal for progression, based on Dr. Stuart McGill's publications on patterns of movement without external load and how the activation of muscle groups with simple movement variations is significantly increased.


PROGRESSIONS (in all of them we depart from kneeling position):
  •  Progression 1: flexion of the shoulder in an isolated way, alternating arms.

    



Taken from: programa de especialización, functional training.Nivel 1. Orthos

  • Progression 2: Isolated hip extension, alternating legs.



Taken from: https://holadoctor.com/es/%C3%A1lbum-de-fotos/secretos-de-las-mejores-piernas-de-hollywood-extensiones-para-cu%C3%A1driceps

  • Progression 3: Full Bird-dog.


Taken from: http://www.javiergarciaentrenadorpersonal.com/2015/10/18/abdominales-tradicionales-para-que/

Progression 4: Full bird-dog, drawing imaginary squares in the air with the arm and leg elevated simultaneously, limiting the movement to the hip and shoulder, keeping the spine stable. It is important to maintain the coordination between the movement of the foot and the hand during the execution, as if they are part of the same axis.

Taken from McGill, S. M., & Karpowicz, A. (2009)

All these proposals can be of great interest in training the strength and stability of the spine on special populations or even in our own training sessions. In addition, we can finally point out, the possibility of modifying variables on the basis of these progressions described previously, either by incorporating additional load into the hands with stones, unstable elements in the supports, or forces applied manually using elastics and causing turning axes, that the subject must stabilize.


Bibliography:

  • McGill, S. M., & Karpowicz, A. (2009). Exercises for spine stabilization: motion/motor patterns, stability progressions, and clinical technique. Archives of physical medicine and Rehabilitation, 90 (1), 118-126.

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