The neutral pelvic position does not cause your lumbar spine to flex or extend excessively. It keeps the normal curvature of your spine. It is a position that places the least amount of stress on your joints with neither side of the pelvis being too high or rotated excessively toward one side, according to Anthony Carey, founder of Function First Corrective Exercise in San Diego. You can strengthen your abdominal region in a neutral pelvic position from an upright or ground position.
Kneeling Cable Chop
The exercise works on spine, hip and abdominal stability while moving your arm with resistance from a high to a lower level. Use a cable column machine for this exercise. Set the height of the handle to the highest level. Kneel on the ground on both knees with the right side of your body facing the handle. Grab the handle with both hands, exhale and pull it down and across your body toward your left hip without moving your body. Hold this position for one second and slowly return to the starting position. Perform three sets of eight to 10 reps per side.
Kneeling Cable Lift
The lift is the mirror-image movement of the chop in which you move your hands with resistance from a low to a higher level. Set the height of the handle to the lowest level and kneel on the ground on both knees with the right side of your body facing the handle. Grab the handle with both hands, exhale and pull it up and across your body without moving your body. Hold the position for one second and slowly return to the starting position. Perform three sets of eight to 10 reps per side.
Kneeling Diagonal Medicine Ball Throw
The exercise works on hip and spine stability while using your hip and abdominals to generate power. It helps you determine if one side of your body is stronger and more coordinated than the other. Kneel on the ground near a wall on both knees and tighten your buttocks to keep your body upright. Hold a 4-pound medicine ball over your right shoulder, look at the wall to your right and throw the ball at the wall near ground level. Do not move your pelvis as you throw. Catch the ball after it bounces once off the ground and repeat the exercise for three to four sets of five to six reps per side. Perform an extra set on the side that feels less coordinated.
Expert Insight
Carey says the neutral pelvic position is not always applicable in real-life movements because your body is constantly moving and shifting, such as in running, dancing or squatting. The neutral pelvic position refers to your pelvis' position at a certain time in a static, or motionless, position. Training in the classic neutral pelvic position does not prepare your mind and body to perform various tasks that require you to shift your pelvis from the neutral stance when you move.
References
- "Pain-Free Program"; Anthony Carey; 2005
- "Athletic Body in Balance"; Gray Cook; 2003
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