Using Bands for Activation

Why Would I Need to Activate Muscles?

Activating muscles is similar to practicing before the real
event, it allows you to scale down a task as needed to ensure perfect practice
becomes perfect. Mind-muscle connection is frequently mentioned in bodybuilding
circles, as bodybuilders seek to create as much tension on the desired muscle
as possible. For athletes, developing this mind-muscle connection is essential
for improving performance and health.

Trainees will rely on comfortable movement patterns when
performing exercises which are not necessarily ideal, whether it be due to poor
technique, lack of body awareness, compensating for injury etc. For example, a
sprinter who uses their quadriceps to generate power at the expense of their
hamstrings will limit the horizontal momentum they can generate, as precious
power is wasted on either the landing phase or unnecessary vertical movement.

Two time NBA MVP Steph Curry is a notable example of an
elite athlete relying on non-ideal movement patterns that where more harmful
then helpful; after playing 26 of a possible 82 games in the 2011-12 season due
to a number of ankle issues (and having missed a handful of games in prior
seasons due to ankle injuries as well), Golden State Warriors’ training staff
identified Curry was using his ankles to generate the required power to change
direction at the expense of his hips. Emphasising single leg work, quantifiable
biomechanical analysis and other measures have led to Curry playing in no fewer
than 78 of a possible 82 games each season since (the current 2018-19 season
aside), plus regular playoff appearances. 

Activation work is applicable perhaps even more so to the
general population, who are more likely to have a poor mind-muscle connection
and body awareness. As a result, debilitating issues from muscular dysfunction
abound such as chronic lower back pain.

How Would I Perform Activation Drills?

As an athlete, you would typically perform such drills at
the start of a training session or immediately before performing your chosen
exercise. For example, to prevent valgus collapse when squatting, you may
perform a few sets of lateral shuffles with a band around your ankles or knees
at the start of a training session, and then progress on to your squats; or you
may perform a quick set immediately before squatting. Remember that these are
to be thought of as drills, as opposed to exercises to grind through. They are
not meant to be tiring.

For a member of the general public, these drills could be
included in multiple small bouts throughout the day (in 5-10 minute blocks for
example) to reinforce the skill of contracting the desired muscles.

Example Activation Drills

SHOULDERS

• External rotation
  • Either hold a Micro Band firmly in your left hand or loop it around a fixed object
  • Keeping your right elbow at a 90 degree angle and tucked into your side, rotate your right hand away from the midline of your body
    • This is not an exercise you want to load up on, keep it light
  • Swap hands
• Vertical external rotation
  • Similar to the above, but rather than keeping your right elbow tucked into your side, have your upper arm parallel to the ground
    • Preferably support your elbow with a bench or similar apparatus
  • Rotate your right arm upwards, so that your hand moves from facing the floor to facing the wall in front of you
    • This drill places tension on the supraspinatus muscle, one of the four muscles that make up the rotator cuff

CORE

• Pallof press
  • Standing upright and perpendicular to a vertical column with a band looped around it, hold a band with both hands in front of your stomach. Keep tension on the band throughout
  • Crunch down slightly, so that tension remains on rectus abdominus as opposed to the lower back
  • Press your hands forward. The band should be trying to twist you, while you are resisting this
    • The exercise can be performed for time, in which case you would hold your arms extended; or for reps, in which case return your hands to your stomach

GLUTES

• Standing glute squeeze
  • Stand upright with feet around shoulder width
  • Clench your glutes as tight as you can for a few
    seconds
• Hip thrust
  • Lie down on the ground facing up
  • Using your heels, push your hips up until they
    are fully extended, squeezing your glutes as hard as you can
  • To increase difficulty, you can:
    • use one leg
    • prop your shoulders on a bench to increase range
      of motion
    • loop a band around two anchor points either side
      of your hips
      • looping a band around your knees to prevent
        valgus collapse can also activate glutes medius in addition to gluteus maximus
• Lateral shuffles
  • Loop a Micro Band around your legs, somewhere between
    your ankles and lower thigh
    • The higher the band, the easier the exercise due
      to having shorter levers
  • Keeping tension on the band, step laterally to
    around 1.5x shoulder width
    • A common mistake is taking too big a step. You
      will very rarely need to generate power laterally from a wide sumo stance
  • You may either step back into the original
    position, or move side to side