Athlete's Stabilization Techniques: The 4 Best Quick Test for Trunk Stability

Push-ups as an exercise.

Four apparently simple exercises are enough to check an athlete's stabilization techniques. Read how you can use shoulder bridges, side supports, pushups and diagonal arm and leg raises to assess how well the postural muscles are working.

The following measures are suitable for quickly checking simple stabilization techniques: 

Pay attention to the posture

• Observe your client at the shoulder bridge with the leg extended (right and left).
• First, pay attention to the posture, then count how many reps you can do with your left and right legs. 

Pay attention to the quality of execution and alignment

• Let yourself be observed doing the side support. Pay attention to the quality of execution and alignment.
• Make a note of the number of repetitions and the amount of time you stay in the final position on either side.

Do a push-up

• If you are advanced, do a push-up with your leg straight.
• Go to the starting position: your elbows are straight, your back is straight. Then the right leg is raised.
• Notice how unstable you are between your pelvis and shoulders. If you find yourself having difficulty maintaining your balance, write down the number of repetitions you have done, then raise your left leg.
• This exercise puts a lot of strain on the core and hip muscles. It shows very impressively how difficult it becomes to stabilize the body when the corresponding muscles tire from repeated stress. 

Assessing the postural muscles

• Diagonal arm and leg raises in the quadruped position are also suitable for assessing the postural muscles. In this exercise, the right leg and the left arm or the left leg and the right arm are stretched.
• We recommend performing with a low resistance and a hard foam roller or a rolled-up towel in the lower back so that the back is kept straight.
• Just be careful not to drop the roll and do the exercise in a slow, steady rhythm. The arm and leg should each be fully extended.
• Make a note of how many reps your client can do with light and medium resistance. Compare both sides for quality and number of repetitions. Ideally, you should do between 20 and 40 reps. So choose a resistance of the appropriate strength.
• You will be surprised how big the difference is between the two, no matter how much training experience you already have.