Core training for trampoline:
Hello I have been asked some
questions about core “Do’s and Don'ts” so I thought I would write up a small
article stating what I feel is necessary based on my education and practical
experience. These again, are MY OPINION
and are to be taken as nothing more.
Core is easily the most important
muscle group in trampoline. It consists of many different muscles depending who
you ask. These muscles have to be isometrically contracted in the bottom of the
bed to ensure that the athlete is “tight as a board”. Isometric contraction is
the ability to maintain a desired muscle fiber length for a determined amount
of time. If these muscles which I will
list are not tight the athlete will wabble on the trampoline causing them to
travel or even accidentally rotate or twist.
While In the bed the athlete has to stay tight by focusing
on squeezing/ contracting these muscles:
Core Related Muscles:
-Transverse Abdominus
-Internal/External Obliques 
-Rectus Abdominus
- Erector Spinea Muscles 
Non-Core Related Muscles:
-Anterior Deltoids 
-Upper and middle Trapezius 
-Triceps
Transverse Abdominus:
This is the deepest of all muscles
that are considered core muscles. In basic terms this is known as the natural
weight lifting belt. It keeps all your vital organs together and in one place.
To activate this muscle you do not have to think about it normally. I will explain about the Valsalva Maneuver later in the article which will help activate this muscle. Naturally it activates whenever there is stress on the core region of the body. Sucking the belly button into the spine will also help activate it while simultaneously keeping the ribcage from moving while you breath. Try it, it actually is kind of hard. Best trained by lying down at first and then taking it to simple exercises such as crunches.
Internal/External Obliques:
These are the four “side” muscles
that cause lateral bending and trunk rotation. Obviously a trampolinist does
not need lateral bending but the rotation can be worked on by many different exercises.
If this muscle is weak the athlete will find that they start traveling sideways
because they end up leaning to one side when they bounce due to having the
muscle relax because it cannot maintain isometric stability. Side planks, side
crunches and circles on Pommels will help.
Rectus Abdominus:
This is your “six pack” muscle.
It needs to be very strong because if not then you will constantly lean
backwards. Normally this is not a problem for athletes in the “stability” standpoint
but to initiate rotation it is a big factor. It can cause about 50% of your
rotation. The other 50% come from perfect timing with pushing the toes just as
the athlete leaves the bed with their chest up.
This muscle still needs isometric conditioning but generally if you are
finding problems with stability in the bed it probably is not the issue. Looks
elsewhere first then look at it last if everything else fails. V snaps and
crunches and any variation will help.
Erector Spinea (Back Extensors)
These are the long thick muscles
in the back that run from the low back and pelvis to the upper back . This is a big muscle that will help athletes keep their chest up on
take offs. If the athlete forgets about this muscle then they will find that
when they land in the bed they slouch forward upon the 18x gravitational force
being placed on the body. Leg lifts and
back arches will suffice normally.
NON-CORE MUSCLES:
Anterior Deltoids: this is the front of your shoulder. If you
lift your arms up above your head you will feel this muscle flex. This is
important for having the arms above the head for every take off. If you are too
weak to hold the arms up then you will find they drop forward on your take offs
and cause you to travel forward. Front shoulder
raises, handstands etc will help.
Triceps:
Obviously if you can’t keep your
arms straight then there is a problem. Normally the strength of the Triceps is
not the issue however. Normally it is the flexibility of the shoulders that
hinders performance in this area. Even very strong athletes normally cannot do
a pre-bounce with their arms out at 90 degrees horizontally due to the
gravitational force. If the line of the arm is directly over the shoulder joint
(covering the ears) then it does not take much muscle at all to actually keep
them there. This is one of my problems. Because of gymnastics I have tight
shoulders and need to stretch them out. Even so some may find it hard to keep the arms
straight so do some push ups and over head presses or handstand push ups and it
will help.
Upper and Middle Trapezius:
I am not sure what category this
muscle falls into so I just put it at the end of the list. The upper traps help
to keep the arms up over the head during takeoff. This muscle works in synergy with the
Anterior Deltoids. Athletes with a
rounded back tend to have a weak trap and rhomboids which is a smaller muscle underneath
that does the same action. (Pulls the shoulder blades together) This gives the
“popping out the chest” appearance. This is not just important for tightness in
the bed it is important in the air when you kick out to show a body line where
you are not hollow .Seated Rows will help
this muscle.
All these muscles need to be
worked on as a whole. If you want you can work each individually at first then
combine them afterwards. If you work them solely individually then the body will
be out of synch and you will waste your time. The body has to be “tight like a
board” . Everything needs to contract all at once. Start by practicing just
squeezing the muscles while you stand and mentally go through your
routine. Start by doing light loads but
with the Valsalva Maneuver.
Valsalva Maneuver:
Increasing abdominal pressure by
blowing out against a closed airway, ie. mouth closed. You will feel the
pressure in the back of your throat at first and if you push harder then you
will activate the core muscles as an entire unite. Transverse,Rectus,Obliques
and Erector Spinea. Along with these main muscles there are tons of smaller
ones that get activated subconsciously to help balance the body. Some of these include the Multifidus muscles
that connect each Spinous Process and Serratus Posterior/Anterior etc. Do not worry about all these muscles
individually unless you want to do nothing else with your life. The core gets
activated as a whole so just do your exercises with the Valsalva maneuver and
you will notice a difference. I only just started doing the Valsalva maneuver
in the bed and have found it helps so much.
Flexibility:
This is a simple answer. Be
flexible enough to keep your muscles working properly but do not go over the
limit because it will make your muscles weaker and you will not be able to
generate as much force. As long as you are not getting muscle cramps in your
stomach it most likely is not an issue and does not need much attention. The
back does have to be flexible to get into a tight tuck and pike or you will
have a triangular looking Flifus and Triffus, instead of face on the knees.
Good Pike:
Not as Good:
I already spoke about the
shoulders but I will recap. The shoulders need to be flexible. If you look at
the best in the world their shoulders are really flexible and almost seem to be
dislocated behind their heads. This makes all take off very easy and
simple. Again, I have to work on this A
LOT!!!!!.
As you can see in the image to the left, this is a bad take off and is what I do, and many other trampolinists. My shoulders are not flexible enough to keep my back straight and have them covering my ears. The image to the right is a better take off position. The right image will mean that you get more height and less travel because there is no bend in the back. Look at yourself in the mirror or have a friend take a picture. See what your take off may look like.
I hope this clears some things up and if there are any
questions please let me know.
As well, None of these pictures are mine and can all be found on google. I am only using these pictures to give a visual of the points I try to make.
Thank you:)
No comments:
Post a Comment