Neutral.
Meaning boring.
The idea of neutral spine has cropped up several times over the past few weeks and many many times over the years.
People ask, “should I keep my spine in neutral?”
When I ask that what neutral is, they usually show something akin to a soldier standing to attention or someone trying not to soil themselves.
So what actions do we expect from our spine?
Your spine does 6 basic actions.
It flexes forward and extends backward
It laterally flexes (side bends) left and also right
It rotates both left and right
And to throw a spanner in the works, it does many of these at the same time. Flexing forward and to the left while rotating right as just one example
Neutral is that moment in the middle where it's doing non of them.
Neutral is where nothing of note happens.
Kind of like your car, when do you use neutral when driving?
I can think of two occasions, one when changing between gears I pass through neutral, the other is when stationary and I knock it out of gear.
Same with the spine. It passes through neutral as it goes from one side to the other.
Or it might be in neutral when nothing exciting is happening.
The only time neutral spine is a worthwhile cue is when beginners are learning the basic barbell lifts.
To this end, neutral spine is a “squat rack rule”
It has use and validity in the squat rack when doing squats, deads, bent over rows etc.
At least in the early stages of training these lifts.
What about outside the squat rack?
In Wild Geese in Dublin, outside of the squat rack you usually find people practicing Muay Thai, Judo, BJJ, Filipino Martial Arts and a lot more.
And you’ll not see a neutral spine anywhere.
You'll see spines flexing and extending like bamboo stalks in a high wind.
Those 6 spine actions listed above are pretty arbitrary definitions used to describe spine motion, in reality there is a lot more to it.
Not only that, the spine, with its 25 or so individual bones each articulating with the one above and below, and the huge amount of muscle connections, well, there's a lot going on.
It is my opinion that the better our spine is able to move and the more we load it through articulation, the stronger and healthier it will be.
In fact, an old yoga saying “You're only as old as your spine is flexible” comes to mind.
Thankfully there's been a recent push from the evidence based crew on social media showing us how it's nigh impossible to maintain a true neutral spine with studies to back them up.
And also that no two spines “rest” in the same position.
Similar, yes.
The same? No.
My spine, with my old injuries loves to flex right especially in the lumbar region.
Yours, may not.
And of the 100's of spines I've looked at during assessments, I've yet to come across one that we'd actually call “neutral”
Even in, no, especially in, the highest performing athletes!
So what do we really mean when giving the neutral spine cue?
We mean muscle tension and intra abdominal pressure.
Intra abdominal pressure (IAP) is where is inhale and hold the air in while we tension the muscles.
The pressure is like pumping up a car tyre so the soft and malleable rubber becomes rock hard.
This is what we want to achieve IAP, tension.
Tension that allows us produce the highest forces possible.
Be that lifting, or something athletic.
The difference between lifting and something athletic is usually timing.
In a heavy Lift we may need to hold that tension for several seconds. Often with a bar in both hands, driving through both feet.
But a throw or a punch happens in the blink of an eye, and comes with a weight shift from one foot to the other.
So we should practice strength, power and creating that tension in a variety of positions at a variety of speeds.
You should know my now that I'm a fan of Turkish Get Ups (if not, see last weeks entry) and unilateral (single limb) lifting.
I also love momentum based training, ie kettlebell Swings and snatches, Bulgarian Bag and mace training.
All these require the spine to demonstrate one or more of its six actions, usually simultaneously and while under load.
While also shifting our centre of mass as the weight swings.
In my warm ups, you will notice, if you look for it, movements that take your spine in each of the six directions.
This is deliberate.
I want your joints, including those of the spine, to experience their full ranges of motion. As joints move they load muscles which sends sensory information up to the brain.
Essentially, when we move we're reminding the brain we can move and how manage movement.
If we lock movements down, we lose the the skill of managing movement outside of what we practice when it inevitably happens.
And it will.
So neutral spine, while said with good intentions, is a poor cue and an even poorer life choice.
Neutral, as we said earlier, is where nothing happens.
My engine is disconnected from my wheels in neutral. (I could talk about the spinal engine here, we'll save that for future newsletters)
The same can be said for athletic movement.
Athletic movement requires the spine to move from one side the other and back again quickly.
As the hips turn left and shoulder right, we rotate the spine, stretch loading all those muscles that run between the hips and shoulders, stretching them like elastic bands, generating force and tension which when released unfurls the spine with violence and power.
This is athletic movement
Do not train it out of yourself.
And remember, motion is lotion. Move your spine in all directions frequently.
Build up very carefully the ability to flex and extend under load, most lifts train the extension very well, but don't forget Flexion.
Or side bending and rotation while we're at it.
Use Get Ups, Windmills, Half Kneeling lifts, Single Leg Lifts, Chops, Slams and throws.
And keep doing your mobility work (joint mobility or 100 rep warm ups, or both…)
And finally, send in your questions to be answered.
We all have questions about health and fitness, lifting and training. Don't be afraid to ask.
Chat soon
Dave
Regards
Dave Hedges
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