Why Rotational Strength Training Is Best
By: Alex Pennington | May 2023
“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction” – Isaac Newton. And that goes for how our bodies move in space. Every step, every lift, every breath we take has some sort of reaction on our physical bodies. A deep breath lifts our ribcage up and out and creates length on our abdomen. A proper weight lift causes the entire body to react and facilitate the lift. A poor lift is attributed to the body unevenly distributing the force causing tension to be put in areas not ready to react to that tension. For example, lifting with your back and not lifting with the entire body. When walking, every step we take has an effect on the rest of the body. The better the step, the better our body distributes the force from and to the ground. So what forces are responsible for how we move? How do we improve any movement? ROTATION.
Rotational forces are the reason our bodies can move through our environment. Rotation creates length on our muscles in both the vertical and horizontal planes and allows our body to manipulate the ground with ease. When running our shoulders rotate as opposed to our hips, creating a lengthened rotational tension(potentiation) between the two which then allows the legs to have the ability to put force into the ground. When throwing, our hips rotationally move opposite of the ribs and create a force to be distributed to the arms. Even when we are walking with the laundry, lifting an object off the ground, or getting off the couch, there are rotational forces being loaded on our bodies. The more connected we are with those forces the stronger and more powerful our movements will be.
So why are non-rotational exercises like squats and pushups so commonly seen in fitness routines? Quite simply, they are easy. Well, easy in the sense that not much effort needs to be put into form as compared to a dynamic movement. For example, it is much easier to do a “proper” squat as opposed to running with perfect form or jumping laterally. So, typically you don’t see the latter two in a fitness routine. Most training you see is what we call “sagittal plane-based”, meaning that the exercises are done in an up and down matter with the load being placed above(vertically loaded). Though there is some good application for loading the body this way, the problem that is here lies in the fact that our bodies don’t primarily move that way. The vast majority of our movements are rotational and creates loads in every direction, which is why our bodies can articulate in such diverse ways. So, is the “easier” way of doing something necessarily better? Not if your goal is to get as much out of an exercise as possible. Personally, I want myself and my clients to build functional strength and cardiovascular health in the most optimal way. This thought of training is the foundation for exercising sustainable for life. Both for longevity and real-world application.
So, what are some good rotational exercises? For my clients, I prescribe three types of rotational resistance training movements. Standing rotational work, level changing rotational movements, and rotational hinging. Standing rotational work can encompass a wide range of positions. I like to use a band or cable machine that’s anchored at elbow level so that force is focused more towards the core. Great exercises here are standing presses(preferably with one arm) and transverse twists(two hands on the handle). Once my clients are able to master the technique with these, I will then bring the anchor to a higher or lower point to challenge the body in more ways.
For level changing training, I like split stance positions(unilateral) and these can be any movements where the hips lower downwards. Since the legs are in a split unilateral stance, the forces on the body become more like a spiral from head to toe. Some of my favorite exercises here are Step Lunges and Deep lunges. These are great because the movements used here are applicable to the same forces that you’ll see in daily activities and sports.
Rotational hinging exercises are ones that push our hips forward and backward, with our torso countering oppositionally. This is important for lifting an object off the ground, moving laterally, and jumping forwards or backward. Some of my go-to's are Med Ball Slams and Swinging exercises. Swings and slams are what we call Parabolic Movements, meaning that the weight during the swinging is both up and down, and also forward and back in space, which is exactly how our muscles fully engage.