Here is a guest blog post I did for Eric Cressey.

It dealt with modifying a conventional activation exercise and you know, here at Diesel, that is what we are famous for.

What I do with my athletes is introduce an elastic band into their rehab / activation protocols for scapular wall slides (SWS).

Here was a question from one of Eric’s readers:

“On the surface, the sounds extremely innovative and effective, but it got me wondering…..I thought the purpose of low(er) level activation work was merely to get the muscle firing and then to integrate it in other training (rows, pull-ups, etc) to derive further benefits in MU recruitment, strength, and so on.

For example, “classic” scapular wall slides followed by a chin or pull-up with full scapular retraction and depression, possibly even with iso holds i the top position.

I am genuinely curious and do not mean this post in an offensive way.”

Here was my response:

You’re exactly right in your progression model. The intent of the exercise is to transition from low threshold motor unit (LTMU) recruitment to a higher threshold motor unit (HTMU) improving intramuscular coordination prior to integration (intermuscular coordination).

You can read all about it HERE.

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You’ve probably heard of using foam in the weightroom.  Previously, you might have only thought of using it for resting your knee on, while your stretching your hip flexors.

Well, a recent talk with Mike Hanley of HanleyStrength.com changed that.

He told me that he had his clients marching on thick foam to help with their knee and hip problems.  He said Louie Simmons had told him about it.   How he has been using it for activation and rehab purposes.

It is also well recognized in the powerlifting community that foam can also be used on the box squat, and we will talk about this too, later in this article.

Now, this of course got me thinking about other uses of foam.  I ordered a few blocks and started incorporating it into my program and the program of my clients.

Let’s look at a few different ways that you can incorporate foam into the weightroom.

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Quick Studies:

As you learned in the Chaos Manual:

Unstable foam surface = good rehab

Unstable foam surface = not good for power development

Studies from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) confirm my publication:

“Instability resistance exercises induce high muscle activation of postural limb and trunk muscles. The increased activation has been attributed to the increased stabilization functions.  Instability resistance training with its high muscle activation and lower external stress on joints could also be beneficial for general musculoskeletal health and certain types of rehabilitation.”

“Unstable conditions can lead to decreased force and power output, decreased range of motion and velocity. Furthermore ground based weight training exercises such as squats and dead lifts can provide equal or greater trunk activation than using instability devices. Another study has also reported that highly trained individuals do not experience greater trunk activation when performing exercises under light or moderately unstable conditions.”

“Since many of the benefits of instability devices can be achieved with high resistance involving ground based free weights, advanced resistance trained individuals may not need to emphasize this type of training in their strength and power training programs.”

“The benefits of instability resistance training may be more pronounced for those individuals pursuing primarily general health and rehabilitation benefits and not participating in training with free weights involving high loads.”

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Over the last few weeks, I have been continuing to look for ways to to rehab my left thumb. This has been going very well. The dime-sized lump that had accumulated from all of the tension has subsided quite a bit. In fact, I can barely feel it anymore when I do my self massage.
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Check out this quick video of a bench press that went terribly wrong.

It is a simple technique issue that you see everyday in the gym.  You may be able to point it out to someone or you might not BUT you can change your technique.

ALWAYS HAVE YOUR WHOLE HAND INCLUDING YOUR THUMB ON THE BAR

Check out my “How to Bench Press Correctly, Without Wrecking Your Shoulders” video I published a few months ago.

In the video you’ll here me talk about “white knuckles”.  It means to squeeze the bar as hard as you can.  As you know (if you’ve read the Chaos Manual) this creates a co-contraction effect.  As you’ve also heard me say, more tension = more strength.

Can’t bench because your shoulders are wrecked?  Check out my Shoulder Rehab Series.

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