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Autor: markyoung
~ 02/07/10
Since today is July 2nd I want to wish a belated Happy Canada Day to my Canadian readers as well as a Happy 4th of July weekend to my American friends. Since the holiday is upon us I thought I’d just share a couple quick things from this week.
1. About a week ago Mike Reinold wrote an interesting post about using the cobra yoga pose to reverse the effects of common postural issues.
He even created this little chart to demonstrate the application and usefulness.
| Sitting Posture | Cobra Pose | |
| Ankle | Dorsiflexed | Plantarflexed |
| Knee | Flexed | Extended |
| Hip | Flexed | Extended |
| Lumbar Spine | Flexed | Extended |
| Thoracic Spine | Flexed | Extended |
| Lower Cervical Spine | Flexed | Extended |
| Upper Cervical Spine | Extended | Flexed |
| Shoulders | Forward | Backward |
| Head | Forward | Backward |
While the majority of the comments revolved around the effects of this pose on the lower back (which may be forced into hyperextension if the hip flexors are excessively tight), I was also thinking about the ankles. Despite the fact that our ankles tend to be dorsiflexed to some degree while seated, I would argue that tight/short muscles on the front side of the lower limb aren’t really that common compared to the calves. Since most people tend to sleep with their feet slightly plantar flexed and often our feet are pointed when sitting in other positions, perhaps extending the ankles to relieve the effects of posture at the ankle joint isn’t warranted.
2. My friend Aaron Schwenzfeier posted the following video on his blog this week and I couldn’t help but hope that my daugther will be more inspired by women like Emily Azevedo (bobsledding athlete) than some of the anorexic media driven nonsense that exists today. Only once strong, fit, and confident women become the norm in the media will young girls be able to grow up without the expectation to be unhealthy and wafer thin.
3. And finally, if the above video didn’t leave you impressed, please view the following video posted by my friend Sam Leahey. This is the newest and best way to develop your body into a fat burning machine. Enjoy!
Holy crap that was funny! I love Terry Crews. Where did Sam post that?
Comment by Bret Contreras — July 2, 2010 @ 11:41 AM
Facebook my friend. Facebook.
Comment by markyoung — July 2, 2010 @ 11:53 AM
Thanks for the plug Mark.
As Emily’s strength was the most impressive I’ve seen in a while, Terry Crews’ Euro Training is the funniest. Hilarious!
Good stuff!
Comment by Aaron Schwenzfeier — July 2, 2010 @ 1:57 PM
Hi, Mark.
With respect to the Cobra Pose, how do you feel about the way it is being performed in the picture posted? Is this the type of movement, that essentially needs to be modified (as opposed to being performed how it is often depicted) to be of value/without having the risk:reward ratio skewed towards risk? Essentially I am wondering who/what situations may actually “need” it, as opposed to cases where it is contraindicated or not warranted/wouldn’t provide any real benefit over and above whatever is being done to have you where you’re currently at in terms of posture and function.
I used to perform it regularly and focused on posterior tilting to prevent any undue APT and lumbar hyperextension and eased into the movement as opposed to torquing the low back. But then when I started seeing a lot of people speaking out against movements like this, I got ultra conservative and dropped it. Now I am trying to decide if that was a mistake on my part.
I suppose another way of framing this would be if you think there is anything provided by this pose that can’t be had (either to the same degree or possibly even more so) via a combination of other options; likewise, do you feel there may be benefits here that simply cannot be had unless choosing to perform this movement and doing so in what you’d consider an optimal manner?
Sorry for getting a bit verbose, but as always thank you for any insight and for suffering fools like me gladly
Comment by Dave Bokko — July 2, 2010 @ 4:16 PM
@ Dave – The idea of incorporating this pose into more conventional training regimes isn’t a new one and it would certainly have to be modified to suit the individual. Shirley Sahrmann states that lumbar extension accounts for a large number of movement disorders and I would have to agree. In someone that had a problem like this I would probably not consider this pose at all. For those with flexion based issues or just common postural problems I MIGHT consider it. Since many people already have inadequate control of the lumbar spine and tight hip flexors I would be a little worried about them going into hyperextension. For those who already had some degree of lumbar control I would likely modify it by starting on the elbows and then progressing to fully extended arms.
To me, the big advantage of a movement like this over and above a combination of individual stretches is that the cobra would likely effect the whole fascial chain instead of just individual muscles. If you have control over the lumbar spine and no extension issues to speak of I’d say go for it.
I hope that answers your question.
Comment by markyoung — July 4, 2010 @ 12:30 PM