Other/Mixed A Few FMS Questions

[Steve Freides]

@Brett Jones and others who administer the FMS, a two questions, please, that originate from me trying different things on myself:

1. I notice that my 1-leg contralateral (opposite hand and foot) kettlebell DL is worse on the opposite side that my ASLR (Active Straight Leg Raise) is. For me, my left up in the air is my worse side on the ASLR, and my right side 1-leg DL is less stable. Is there a relationship between these two and, if so, is what I've observed on myself normal or backwards? Both legs are pretty good on the ASLR, probably still a 2 but close to perpendicular.

2. For t-spine rotation (and Brett might remember this from working on me a couple of times in person), I have a hard time restricting the movement to just my t-spine - my lumbar tends to rotate as well. I've been working t-spine mobility by doing what you see as the very first movement in the video here:

Rolling Lower Body

but starting from an ASLR-type position and slowly lowering the up-in-the-air leg across my body and to the ground. I don't reach the ground but I get most of the way there. This doesn't bother my lower back, and I simply keep both arms out at 90 degrees and both palms up so that I'm not "helping" myself get further than I really can. I'm turning my head to the opposite side, e.g., if I'm starting right leg up, then I'm turning my head to the right. In case it's not clear, I'm _not_ completing the roll, just trying to roll my hips and lumbar spine away from my shoulders and t-spine.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

-S-

 

[wespom9]

I will of course defer to those such as mentioned by yourself, but I would say that what you describe is not so uncommon. Remember that each screen is a pattern, not looking specifically at one thing. A left side ASLR issue has many possible reasons for being so - not limited to L side flexion, R side hip extension, core not firing, etc. Once you are on your feet, ankle dorsiflexion issues could cause loss of balance as well. Also - your core will work very differently on the ground as opposed to in a single leg stance. How is your hurdle step?

For T-spine rotation - have you tried kneeling, butt rocked back to ankles and then putting one hand in your low back and rotating? I tend to find this helps sometimes more than just if you have your arm on the back of your head - it is more limiting on the pattern. Do you tend to be hypermobile? Maybe could be another reason.

 

[Steve Freides]

@wespom9, thanks for taking the time to reply.

Almost no cartilage in either knee, so anything kneeling is problematic. I do t-spine rotations from a frog position, since the weight is then on the insides of my thighs and not on my knees, and I also do them while in a dead (roadkill) split.

I don't tend to be hypermobile and was always inflexible until I started working on it, but I have since discovered that both my elbows and both my knees do hyperextend, albeit only very slightly.

-S-