Contralateral vs. Ipsilateral Urgent and Rowing
Written on June 24, 2022 at 8:24 am, by Eric Cressey
As we speak’s visitor submit comes from Cressey Sports activities Efficiency coach, Ethan Dyer.
The present sports activities efficiency coaching meta because it pertains to unilateral urgent and rowing workout routines is to lean on contralateral variations because the default. It’s because contralateral actions usually enable for higher drive manufacturing because of the extension bias related to these actions.
An issue with that is that cable workout routines will all the time be tougher to load than most urgent and rowing the place dumbbells or kettlebells (and, after all, barbells) are concerned. So, if 90% of the time we assume that cables are a poor alternative when prioritizing load, what can we actually use a cable press or a cable row to perform? I’d argue that placing a dent in hip vary of movement to permit for improved on-field motion is the perfect reply.
With a split-stance contralateral cable row, for instance, the concentric portion of the motion goes to bias exterior rotation on the entrance hip. The precise exercise of rowing is pulling us away from our entrance aspect. The flip aspect of that is after we discover inner rotation on our entrance aspect throughout a split-stance ipsilateral row; the preponderance of concentric exercise pulls us into our entrance hip.
The identical logic applies to urgent. Throughout a contralateral split-stance cable press, for instance, the exercise carries us into our entrance hip (IR), whereas an ipsilateral press goes to hold us out of our entrance hip (ER).
Now that we’ve established what we will accomplish with these actions when it comes to rotation, we will make programming selections based mostly on the athlete we’ve got in entrance of us. It’s necessary that we base these selections on their job and efficiency versus strictly desk range-of-motion measures (which can or could not inform us how they’re going to maneuver on the sphere).
If we’ve got a left-handed pitcher who struggles to search out IR at their glove-side hip after entrance foot strike, a left-side solely contralateral press and a right-side solely ipsilateral row could be helpful weapons. If we’ve got a receiver or an attacker who struggles to juke and alter path at greater dash speeds, leaning on contralateral rowing and ipsilateral urgent to get/hold them out of a hip generally is a helpful technique.
In addition to the apparent programming implications right here, there is a vital overarching rule that ought to be appreciated as effectively. It’s advantageous to have a number of priorities – qualities that you’re coaching for – inside a program, however we get in bother after we attempt to use an train to focus on a number of or all qualities without delay. Cable rows and presses are good examples.
When we use an exercise to improve both force production and range of motion, we end up doing neither to the extent that we desire. We’d be wise to learn from the Latin writer Syrus, who said “To do two things at once is to do neither”. Click To Tweet
Concerning the Writer
Ethan Dyer serves as a Energy & Conditioning coach at Cressey Sports activities Efficiency. He began as a consumer at CSP and ultimately went on to intern at CSP-MA. Following one other internship at Indianapolis Health and Sports activities Coaching, Ethan joined the CSP-MA group. He was a pitcher on the School of the Holy Cross earlier than transferring to Endicott School to finish his undergraduate work with a serious in Train Science and minor in Psychology. A Licensed Energy and Conditioning Coach by means of the Nationwide Energy and Conditioning Affiliation, Ethan has been a volunteer with each the Miracle League and Particular Olympics, and has a ardour for working with younger athletes to assist them fall in love with coaching whereas avoiding damage. You may observe him on Instagram at @Ethan___Dyer.
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