EXERCISE OF THE WEEK #5

Roller Coaster

This made the top 5 lists of quite a few of you who commented on the best 5 exercises of all time. It has a significant number of benefits to it and it is arguably the best strength move for the upper body. Think of this move as a more advanced pushup. The difference between this and a pushup is the amount of rotation involved in the move. You start from a Downward Facing Dog position and without moving your hands you lower your chin, chest, stomach, and hips towards the floor as you roll through to a position of extension like you see above in the second photo.

This enables you to incorporate more muscles in the upper body than a pushup due to the various angles and planes that are created during the rolling motion. You start in a vertical position causing the bulk of the force to be placed in the deltoids. Then as you roll forward you are able to move into the pectoralis minor and major like in an incline bench as you move to the bottom of the motion which is identical the down position in a pushup. The extension portion that follows enables you to train strength throughout the upper thoracic spine.

At the end of the motion you can choose one of two difficulty levels. The first would be to raise your hips back up into the air and start again. The second more difficult option would be to attempt to repeat the rolling motion in reverse. he forward with reverse motion is an incredible strength move. 

For even more variations try it with your hands or feet wider. Just be aware that the wider the feet go, the more pressure you can place on your spine.