My Youtube video on Shoulder Taps has been quite popular, roughly 11, 000 views to date….I’m pretty much a celebrity, no big deal…so I thought it would be a good exercise to highlight this week.
Here’s what the exercise looks like in action:
Why should you do this exercise:
Most people are familiar with the importance of core strength, but what about core timing? Our deeper core musculature (transverses abdominus, internal and external obliques, multifidus, illiocostalis, and longisimus) in conjunction with our more superficial musculature (rectus abdominis, lats, erectors) must contract in a reactive way during movement in order to provide stability. A lag in the timing of our core muscles firing can cause a loss of stability, which can lead to a loss of power or even an injury. So even if you have a “strong” core you may be missing a very important link in your training if you haven’t focused on exercises that specifically address improving your core timing.
Why we like it:
This is not only a great exercise to improve core efficiency but can also be used as means to assess a client’s (or your own) core timing. Those who are not able to complete this exercise perfectly should regress to something like the Stationary Bear Crawl, which you can learn about HERE. Those that can perform this exercise well can practice it and slowly progress it as tolerated.
Who should do this exercise:
In order to perform this exercise WELL you should have the following pre-requisites:
-be able to perform a proper RKC plank for 15 seconds without feeling any low back fatigue
-be able to complete Stationary Bear Crawl without shifting your hips
-understand how to properly load your wrists
If you meet all of the above criteria than you should be doing this exercise!
Coaching cues:
Place your hands close and feet wide to start, making sure the weight is in the heel of your hands
Keep your legs as straight as you can, making sure that your quads and glutes stay engaged the entire duration of the exercise
Before you lift your hand brace your core like someone is about to punch you in the stomach
Don’t lift your feet or rotate your hips
Only do as many reps as you can do without compensating, aim for 3×10-20 alternating taps
Try adding this exercise to your warm-up or pair it up with a compound lift and let me know what you think!
Andrea