Planks, ab wheel, pallof presses- all of these things and more, can, and will be used to rock your core. However, we can all be guilty at times of doing too much of the same. I’m here today to show you thirteen anti-extension drills that you probably haven’t seen before. And if you have, well, you’re just too cool for school.
The goal of these exercises is to resist lumbar extension- hence, anti-extension… You should not feel any pain in your low back during any of these. IF you do, simply squeeze your glutes as hard as you can and lock your hips in place. MOST of the time this simple tip will get you aligned correctly and stop any and all “pain.” However, if you are new to anti-extension exercises, start off with basic planks until you can hold for at least 45 seconds, with correct alignment, with relative ease.
I actually shot all of these videos over eight months ago, but as you can see, I’m just now getting around to writing this post! Hopefully it’s all still as exciting to you now as it was to me then!
Barbell Exercises
Everyone looks more bad-ass with a barbell. Period.
- Loaded Barbell Rollouts
* The more weight you add, the more challenging the exercise. DUH!
- Band Resisted Barbell Rollouts
- Standing to Kneeling Barbell Rollout Progression
- Band Assisted Barbell Rollouts
* This is, in my opinion, the last step before progressing to standing barbell rollouts…
Jungle Gym / TRX / Rings Exercises
These are some of the more fun ones. What moves can you come up with?
- Standing Pike Rollout from Box
- Single Arm Rollout
*Dustin Pague in the house!
- Rollout to Pec Fly
- Modified Iron Cross to Rollout
- Rollout to Supinated Triceps Press
- Basic Standing Rollout (this video is 2 years old!)
Slider Exercises
I definitely could have come up with more here. Almost everything done with the last category can be done here as well…
- Slider Rollout
Stability Ball Exercises
I did not shoot stability ball plank circles, but try that one on for size as well…
- Kneeling Stability Ball Rollout
- Standing Stability Ball Rollout
That does it for today! Try these bad boys out and let me know what you think…
Best,
Coach Chris
#progression.through.perseverance
Chris Merritt
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I will say those barbell rollouts are pretty tough!! Just one question: how do you coach head posture during your rollout progressions?
Hey Hunter… thanks for reading! Yeah, the loaded rollouts are an ass-kicker. As for head posture, same with any exercise, shoot for neutral (packed) neck position. Easier said than done, but that’s the goal. A good coaching cue is to ask the athlete/client to try and create a “double chin.”
Best!
Chris