Core Activation & Shoulder strength in Capoeira | by Proffesor Bem Ti Vi

May 18, 2010 by Capoeirasa    5 Comments    Posted under: Guest Posts, Instructional Videos and Aids

So when Andrew asked me to put some functional exercises together for you guys I remembered some issues I picked up during a recent class that I had given. Everyone knows that they must use their abdominal and lower back muscles (core) during exercises and movements, but how many of you know how to engage your core muscles?

Another common complaint is “But my shoulders just aren’t strong enough!”. So i decided to dedicate this post to helping you all to solve the issue of core and shoulder strength by providing you with some easy to implement training tips.

Bare in mind that our bodies and muscle types all vary bu the fundamental basics are similar!

How to engage your core muscles

• To “engage” your core using your abdominal muscles, draw your navel towards your spine. This in turn automatically creates an anterior pelvic tilt and engages your lower back muscles too. For maximum effect, always keep your legs bent at 90 degrees during abdominal exercises unless otherwise instructed.

• By drawing your navel to your spine and using your abdominal muscles to create an ‘imprint’ of your lower back into the floor surface, you will be protecting your back from injuries associated with abdominal exercises. The most common of these injuries occur in the L3 and L4 (lower back) and are associated with bad posture.

• During all training exercises and movements, try to get into the habit of engaging your core muscles as this promotes good posture and will improve control over movements as well as improving your functional body mechanics. You should find improved power and control in the simple movements like Au’s, Queixada;s and Meia lua de Frente, as well as the more advanced movements like Macaco’s, S-dobrado’s and Solta Mortal’s.

All capoeira movements are initiated by the core and this is something we possibly need to focus more on whilst training.

Improving Shoulder Strength

Functional capoeira movements such as Bananeira and Bananeira push-ups are a great start for improving your shoulder strength but adding some weight assisted exercises to your arsenal will go a long way to maximising your shoulder strength.

Incorporate the following exercises to your training regime using 40-60% of your maximum weight

• 3 Sets of 15-20 reps on the Shoulder Press Machine
• 3 Sets of 15-20 reps Arnold Press using dumbbell weights (Hold the weights in front of you as if you were reading a book with your arms at 90 degrees and the weights in front of your nose with palms facing you. Move your arms outwards, in line with your shoulders and upwards before reversing the motion and returning to the start position- see below)

• 3 Sets of 15-20 reps Side Lateral Raises with dumbbells
• 3 Sets of 15-20 reps Front Deltoid Raises with dumbbells

Rest for 20-25 seconds between sets and be sure to keep the weight to 40-60% of your maximum weight. As your strength and power eventually increase you can adjust this to 60-70% and lower the reps to 12-15 per set.

Don’t forget to warm up your wrists with wrist rolls before your workout and remember to stretch properly before and after your workout!

Happy training!

Check out Stavros’ (Professor Bem Ti Vi) instructor profile here

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