Sep

intra abdominal pressure and strength

By admin

So the other day I was getting set to train in the park. There is a fitness station there that includes a pullup bar which combined with a kettlebell or two is all I really need to have a bad ass training session. The only problem with training in a park is that it can attract kids with their moms (and they always seem to come over when I train without a shirt…which is just about always). Long as the kids and their mothers stay out of my way I don’t mind…but…

a young girl walks up to me as I am fastening a chain around a kettlebell with a towel (for weighted pullups) and asks me what I am doing. I said that I was getting ready to train. She asked how much they weigh. That day I was training with a 28kg and a 24kg. As I proceeded to press with 28kg over my head the girl told me it would be better not to hold my breath as I exerted myself.

note…I don’t take training advice from any Joe that comes through…especially not a 10 year old girl.

So I told her “No it isn’t”

My mom is an exerciser and thats what she says

So am I

No I mean my mom is a trainer

So am I

As a job?

Yes. Where is your mother?

Not here.

Oh?

She is at a conference…for business. You are really strong.

I am strong partly because of how I breathe.

Now I was asking where her mother was because if she was in fact a trainer maybe she could learn a thing or two from me. Trying to explain the purpose of intra abdominal pressure is one of the many things that go against common belief that actually works. In the RKC system we view it as safety as part of performance.

That particular exercise that I was doing was called a clean and press. You breathe in through your nose during the clean so that your belly is full of air and then you lock up. Your glutes are tight, your abs are tight, your kneecaps are pulled up tight by your quads, your empty hand is balled up in a tight fist (did you notice how many times I said the word ‘tight’?). This creates tension in your body. Tension is strength. That intra abdominal pressure gives you both tension and the air in your stomach keeps your spine safe. If there is a sticking point in the lift you breathe out with an explosive ‘tsss’ kind of like a kiai in martial arts. Magically you will be stronger because of an elevation in intra abdominal pressure but only for a second, and make sure its only in your sticking point because you might run out of air if you do it before that. And research has also showed that contrary to popular belief it does not raise your likeliness of having a stroke (of course that is assuming you have reasonable blood pressure and no cardiac disease).

Hell…get your ass off that chair and stand up and see for yourself. Put your fingertips on your stomach and hiss out explosively 3 – 5 times and observe the action of your abs. Notice how they contracted?

That contraction gives you a boost of instantaneous strength that can keep you safe on your heavier lifts. And yes it will give you those abs that everybody drools over assuming your nutrition program is also on target.

So forget your crunches cuz they are just about worthless. Include over head presses in your program, keep everything tight as you do them…especially your abs.

And don’t listen to misinformed trainers or 10 year olds

Eric Moss RKC
Eric Moss

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