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Posture & the Kinetic Chain: The Inner Core
The predominant theme when addressing Posture & the Kinetic Chain is STABILIZATION. The two major stabilizing systems in the human body are the Inner and Outer Core. Let us talk about the Inner Core…
Some of the primary Inner Core muscles are: Transverse Abdominus (TA), Lumbar Multifidus (LM), the Diaphragm, and the posterior fibers of the Internal Obliques. Here's an illustration of a few:
The Inner Core musculature is unique… in that it generates little to no movement during activation. These muscles originate (have insertion points) in the spine… and when they contract… they serve to stabilize the spine (called… segmental stabilization). The TA and LM muscles achieve stabilization (in the lower abdomen) through cocontraction; drawing the abdominal wall inwards. The Diaphragm serves as a spinal stabilizer via contraction; independent of respiration.
“Heathly” activation of these inner muscles precedes distal (arm and leg) movements (by as much as 30-110 milliseconds)… and the ability of these muscles to contract prior to their phasic counterparts… or the outer core muscles… is very important.
Inner Core muscles are referred to as local or ‘deep’ muscles. They are: deeply oriented, predominantly slow-twitch in nature, and get activated at low resistance levels. They respond in an anticipatory nature and are critical for endurance activities. The Inner Core muscles are ‘Core Stability’.
Core Stability is marked by the ability to control the trunk position over the pelvis… thus allowing energy production and transfer to take place through this region. There is a key region in our core that serves as one of the most important ‘links’ in the kinetic chain. This link joins the upper and lower extremities AND the left and right sides of the body. It’s called the thoracolumbar fascia. The thoracolumbar fascia is connected to the internal obliques and the TA… which provides cylindrical stabilization. This is our anatomical back-brace support belt… and should be viewed as a primary proximal link.
Remember the importance of dorsi-flexion in the ankle? Remember the importance of the glutes firing during the drive? Remember the importance of stabilizing the scapular region in the shoulder? The thoracolumbar fascia is the cross-over link between these segments. Put simply… if the LEFT ankle doesn’t dorsiflex… the LEFT glute doesn’t fire. If the Left glute doesn’t fire… the RIGHT scapular stabilizers don’t fire. The cross-over from LEFT glute to RIGHT scapula takes place in the thoracolumbar fascia. Pretty cool, huh? Here’s a combined illustration of the thoraculumbar fascia and its role in joining the upper/lower and left/right extremities:
A common argument - in sports that are not marked as endurance in nature… but comprised more of short power movements (like softball) - is the non-necessity to train the inner core. This notion is foolish and a dangerous one to embrace; if the inner core muscles have functional deficiencies, the outer core muscles will be recruited… making movements inefficient and significantly altering stability.
In MANY high-level pitchers (and other athletes), this balance gets overlooked throughout their career; creating a vicious cycle of degeneration and dysfunction between the spinal vertebrae through compensatory biomechanics. Even worse, the damage they are creating is non-symptomatic. Through years of unintentional abuse, these athletes lose the ability to stabilize the spine with the inner core (the primary stabilizers). As such, their performance starts to suffer… and shortly afterward… a permanent resident moves in; chronic lower back pain. The damage is done… and their career usually ends.
Low intensity movements - like holding a plank position - will target the inner core in an effort to stabilize the lumbar spine; whereas high intensity movements target the larger and outer musculature of the trunk and core. As such, many trainers foolishly abandon isometric training (static exercises) that develop the inner core… in an effort to maximize their athletes' performance in a more efficient manner (by focusing only on the outer ‘strength and power producing’ core).
Although strength and power is not the role of the inner core, spinal integrity and stiffness must be created internally… as the lumbar spine is pliant (comprised of five joined segments) and receives forces from all directions. In response to these forces, proprioceptive neurological signals are sent to the central nervous system; and it immediately responds… sending back signals that create muscle stiffness or relaxation around the lumbar spine; depending on the type of load. Regardless of the task you’re performing, low-levels of muscle activation are necessary to support the lumbar spine, but make no mistake… maintaining these low-level capabilities are paramount to healthy and efficient movement/performance.
Whereas the lumbar vertebrae provide for trunk flexion and extension, the cervical and thoracic segments allow for rotational movement. The stiffness of the lumbar vertebrae allows for tri-axial mobility in the trunk (a pretty dang important pitching requirement)… by managing the loads received and acting as the proximal base for the thoracic and cervical segments of the spine (a chained reaction). This is beyond important… as the ability to manage these forces while providing flexion and rotation in the trunk… is what creates high angular velocities in the distal segments. Here’s a handy little combined illustration of the different spine segments and their corresponding body segment roles:
Lastly, I previously noted that the inner core is comprised predominantly of the slow-twitch muscle fiber type. The majority of the human body is 50/50…. but with the inner core… the average is roughly 60% (Type I, slow-twitch) to 40% (Type II, fast-twitch). Type II anaerobic muscle fibers have nearly three times the contractile velocity of Type I oxidative muscle fibers… and some recent studies have yielded impressive increased throwing velocity returns… with the theory that high-intensity training may stimulate the growth of Type II fibers in the inner core. This research is exciting… but it’s critical that your workouts be balanced… combining isotonic AND isometric exercises. Here’s a handy chart explaining the differences in the skeletal muscle fiber types:
Naturally, in response to this notion, I’ve developed a routine (based on the work of other, much smarter people) that to date, has consistently yielded a 5 to 10 percent increase in pitching velocity. Better yet… it takes less than two months… and is required only 3 days a week. Take that, p90x!!! More on that later! Next up… The Outer Core...
The predominant theme when addressing Posture & the Kinetic Chain is STABILIZATION. The two major stabilizing systems in the human body are the Inner and Outer Core. Let us talk about the Inner Core…
Some of the primary Inner Core muscles are: Transverse Abdominus (TA), Lumbar Multifidus (LM), the Diaphragm, and the posterior fibers of the Internal Obliques. Here's an illustration of a few:
The Inner Core musculature is unique… in that it generates little to no movement during activation. These muscles originate (have insertion points) in the spine… and when they contract… they serve to stabilize the spine (called… segmental stabilization). The TA and LM muscles achieve stabilization (in the lower abdomen) through cocontraction; drawing the abdominal wall inwards. The Diaphragm serves as a spinal stabilizer via contraction; independent of respiration.
“Heathly” activation of these inner muscles precedes distal (arm and leg) movements (by as much as 30-110 milliseconds)… and the ability of these muscles to contract prior to their phasic counterparts… or the outer core muscles… is very important.
Inner Core muscles are referred to as local or ‘deep’ muscles. They are: deeply oriented, predominantly slow-twitch in nature, and get activated at low resistance levels. They respond in an anticipatory nature and are critical for endurance activities. The Inner Core muscles are ‘Core Stability’.
Core Stability is marked by the ability to control the trunk position over the pelvis… thus allowing energy production and transfer to take place through this region. There is a key region in our core that serves as one of the most important ‘links’ in the kinetic chain. This link joins the upper and lower extremities AND the left and right sides of the body. It’s called the thoracolumbar fascia. The thoracolumbar fascia is connected to the internal obliques and the TA… which provides cylindrical stabilization. This is our anatomical back-brace support belt… and should be viewed as a primary proximal link.
Remember the importance of dorsi-flexion in the ankle? Remember the importance of the glutes firing during the drive? Remember the importance of stabilizing the scapular region in the shoulder? The thoracolumbar fascia is the cross-over link between these segments. Put simply… if the LEFT ankle doesn’t dorsiflex… the LEFT glute doesn’t fire. If the Left glute doesn’t fire… the RIGHT scapular stabilizers don’t fire. The cross-over from LEFT glute to RIGHT scapula takes place in the thoracolumbar fascia. Pretty cool, huh? Here’s a combined illustration of the thoraculumbar fascia and its role in joining the upper/lower and left/right extremities:
A common argument - in sports that are not marked as endurance in nature… but comprised more of short power movements (like softball) - is the non-necessity to train the inner core. This notion is foolish and a dangerous one to embrace; if the inner core muscles have functional deficiencies, the outer core muscles will be recruited… making movements inefficient and significantly altering stability.
In MANY high-level pitchers (and other athletes), this balance gets overlooked throughout their career; creating a vicious cycle of degeneration and dysfunction between the spinal vertebrae through compensatory biomechanics. Even worse, the damage they are creating is non-symptomatic. Through years of unintentional abuse, these athletes lose the ability to stabilize the spine with the inner core (the primary stabilizers). As such, their performance starts to suffer… and shortly afterward… a permanent resident moves in; chronic lower back pain. The damage is done… and their career usually ends.
Low intensity movements - like holding a plank position - will target the inner core in an effort to stabilize the lumbar spine; whereas high intensity movements target the larger and outer musculature of the trunk and core. As such, many trainers foolishly abandon isometric training (static exercises) that develop the inner core… in an effort to maximize their athletes' performance in a more efficient manner (by focusing only on the outer ‘strength and power producing’ core).
Although strength and power is not the role of the inner core, spinal integrity and stiffness must be created internally… as the lumbar spine is pliant (comprised of five joined segments) and receives forces from all directions. In response to these forces, proprioceptive neurological signals are sent to the central nervous system; and it immediately responds… sending back signals that create muscle stiffness or relaxation around the lumbar spine; depending on the type of load. Regardless of the task you’re performing, low-levels of muscle activation are necessary to support the lumbar spine, but make no mistake… maintaining these low-level capabilities are paramount to healthy and efficient movement/performance.
Whereas the lumbar vertebrae provide for trunk flexion and extension, the cervical and thoracic segments allow for rotational movement. The stiffness of the lumbar vertebrae allows for tri-axial mobility in the trunk (a pretty dang important pitching requirement)… by managing the loads received and acting as the proximal base for the thoracic and cervical segments of the spine (a chained reaction). This is beyond important… as the ability to manage these forces while providing flexion and rotation in the trunk… is what creates high angular velocities in the distal segments. Here’s a handy little combined illustration of the different spine segments and their corresponding body segment roles:
Lastly, I previously noted that the inner core is comprised predominantly of the slow-twitch muscle fiber type. The majority of the human body is 50/50…. but with the inner core… the average is roughly 60% (Type I, slow-twitch) to 40% (Type II, fast-twitch). Type II anaerobic muscle fibers have nearly three times the contractile velocity of Type I oxidative muscle fibers… and some recent studies have yielded impressive increased throwing velocity returns… with the theory that high-intensity training may stimulate the growth of Type II fibers in the inner core. This research is exciting… but it’s critical that your workouts be balanced… combining isotonic AND isometric exercises. Here’s a handy chart explaining the differences in the skeletal muscle fiber types:
Naturally, in response to this notion, I’ve developed a routine (based on the work of other, much smarter people) that to date, has consistently yielded a 5 to 10 percent increase in pitching velocity. Better yet… it takes less than two months… and is required only 3 days a week. Take that, p90x!!! More on that later! Next up… The Outer Core...
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