Name: Transverse Abdominis (TVA) and Gluteus Maximus Activation and Progressions
Uploaded: 2023-04-26T01:01:04.000Z
Duration: 6 min 1 s

English captions

https://stream.mux.com/OvqZJefHuHKs2wpl015Kpcr2P00hGu3Wxm1pHjIzI01Bq8.m3u8

Learn how to properly perform transverse abdominis (TVA) and gluteus maximus activation and progressions in this comprehensive step-by-step instructional video from the Brookbush Institute. This evidence-based video provides expert coaching on setup, positioning, alignment, and exercise modifications to improve activation of the transverse abdominis and gluteus maximus, as well as core stability. Enhance trunk stability and hip extension strength while supporting optimal lumbopelvic alignment and movement mechanics with this targeted activation progression. Perfect for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and rehabilitation clients seeking to improve core stability, increase lower body strength, and restore optimal movement mechanics while reducing injury risk.

Introduction to TVA and Glute Max Activation

Executing TVA Activation Exercises

Incorporating Glute Max Activation

Advanced Progressions for Stabilization and Coordination

Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts

Transverse Abdominis (TVA) and Gluteus Maximus Activation and Progressions

This is Brent coming at you with yet another collaboration video. Rob and I will be geeking out over TVA activation, and glute max activation, and how are we going to progress these exercises.  We've come up with a method that not only progresses both, but combines them, which, of course, increases the efficiency of our programs as well. I'm gonna have my friend Rob come out and help me demonstrate. Now, I have to warn you ahead of time, I'm going to go ahead and apologize for Rob, he has to turn his back to you. This is just so he can demonstrate the exercises. You need to be able to see his hips, and what's going on with his hips and reference to this wall. Let's talk about TVA activation to start. We use the quadruped position a lot. Notice that he has his feet tucked, they're in nice alignment here, so his kinetic chain checkpoints are in line: feet, knees, hips, and a nice straight spine. Now, what you have probably started to notice is, as soon as you start going through the progressions of TVA activation, as soon as they start any of the marching, or they start lifting legs, - and you can go ahead and lift the leg here and show it- they start doing this shift, this way. We don't want to shift this way. That takes everything out of alignment here. That's also a failure of his external rotators and abductors in this hip, to stabilize his hip. Regardless of whether that is part of our compensation pattern, we know that that is a common compensation pattern, we don't want to contribute, or create one, we want to find a way to get this stable, and that shift in the spine isn't going to help us out either. So, Rob has come up with this ingenious way of making sure we don't do this, and in the process has made this exercise incredibly hard. So, what Rob does, is he takes this yoga block, but you could use anything you can find in the gym that soft enough for somebody's knees to be able to handle. You just want to get their knee off the ground a little bit. Now, what you're going to see here is, as soon as Rob shifts his pelvis back in a neutral position, and you can use that martini glass queue I used in the first video where we pretend there's a martini glass on your back, try to get level, don't shake... as soon as he did that, he had to abduct slightly at the hip, which is of course going to activate his abductors and external rotators, so we're good here, as well as his multifidi on this side of his spine, so now he's nice and stable here. Queue the drawing-in maneuver. I can keep him from shifting this way by just going, 'okay Rob, you're not allowed to touch the wall. The wall is right there, if you feel it, you need to back off of it, don't lean into it'. Now he's totally set up, and,  believe it or not, just doing this, is really hard. That little movement to take his knee off the ground, is super, super hard. If I want to make it a little harder, I can just have him lift this foot, and then go into a little bit more triple flexion to get that foot off, or triple extension. Good. This is actually the final progression we'll show. You could go with keeping the foot on the ground, or we could try this arm. Don't try this arm on the same side, same leg. It doesn't work out so well, we don't anybody falling over! You can work in some upper body stuff on this side. You can work in the lower body stuff on this side. Once again, shown that triple extension here... And then, of course, Rob was showing me this exercise, and I'm going, 'wow this is awesome, this is really, really tough.' Then I thought, 'well you know, we should probably do? We should probably just add glue max activation to this, and make it really, really tough'. So that's what we did! What Rob is going to do is move the block to his other knee now. He's going to do the exact same thing, I'm still going to keep him from shifting, except now, he's not going to be trying to stay away from the wall so much this way, as staying so that he can slightly feel the wall. That will keep him from shifting toward me, and then what I'm going to have them do with this side, if you guys remember with the glute max, our overactive synergists our erector spinae, which we know we already have out because of our position, and the fact that he's going to draw-in real hard, and then the biceps femoris, which we are going to take out by having him extend his knee, flex is quad really, really hard, and then we have posterior fibers of adductor magnus. The way to get that out is by abducting into the wall a little bit. He can go ahead and point his toe, going into plantar flexion for me, so we reinforce triple extension. So, we have TVA activation with the quadruped, and now he's actually perfectly set up to go ahead and give me some nice hip extension, which, of course, is going to be great glute max activation. So if you've been working on TVA activation already, and glute max activation already, this progression is a wonderful way to take it up a step, increase the need for stabilization, increase the need for coordination, as well as get these two exercises together which is going to make your program more efficient. Now, we did talk about a couple ways we could progress this. Rob is really fond of the half foam roller under the knee. You could use the half foam roller under the knee for the TVA progression, or the glute max progression. So why don't you show the glute max activation progression. Good stuff! And you can see, this just increases the need for stability, and increases the need for coordination. Good! Then, of course, we could progress this farther by just doing something simple like add an ankle weight to this leg, and we could start with above the knee, and then at the ankle and increase weight over time. You can experiment with time on this, do this for 60 seconds on each side. You could do it for your reps of 12 to 20 repetitions on each side, our normal activation stuff, and you're going to do that one to three set range. Thank you very much Rob, I know that was a tough video for you! Thank you, I hope you enjoyed this video!

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Transverse Abdominis and Gluteus Maximus Activation Progression:

Instruct your patient/client to start with their hands underneath their shoulders and knees underneath their hips in a quadruped position, and one side of the body as close to a wall as possible.

Clinched fists or push-up handles may be appropriate for individuals experiencing wrist discomfort or dysfunction.

Place a yoga block, trigger point block, or another solid object (about 4 inches high) underneath the knee closest to the wall.

Have your patient/client dorsiflex their ankles and extend their toes, placing as much of the plantar surface of the toes on the floor as possible. This will enable them to press back into the balls of their feet and better engage their 

Address any deviations in cervical or thoracic alignment ("head back with chin tucked" and "reaching with the top of the head as if trying to get taller" are often helpful cues).

Have your patient/client perform the abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM) and verbally cue "squeeze the glutes" (press back into the toes).

Inform your patient/client that the goal of the exercise is to prevent any motion of the torso.

Have your patient/client elevate the knee furthest from the wall by using core musculature and pressing back into the ball of the foot (engaging the 

This position should be maintained without touching the wall (roughly a 1/2 inch between the wall, pelvis, and shoulders). The wall is used as a check to ensure the patient/client does not weight shift to maintain balance.

Note: Place a softball or light medicine ball on the back, in the lumbar trough, to aid in awareness of lumbar spine position and create an additional balance challenge.

Have your patient/client extend the leg furthest from the wall for several repetitions without letting the shoulder or hip closest to the wall touch the wall. The knee of the extending leg should not touch the floor throughout the entirety of the set.

Place the yoga block, trigger point block, or solid object underneath the knee furthest from the wall. Extend the leg closest to the wall, pressing the side of the foot against the wall to resist abduction. The cues used for extension should mimic the cues used during 

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