Core & spinal-stability
This collection develops core and spinal stability as a central conduit for force transmission through the body, supporting coordinated interaction between upper and lower segments under load. Rather than isolated core work, the emphasis is on the spine’s role in organising, transferring, and resisting force across the kinetic chain, allowing the body to remain structurally coherent during both static and dynamic conditions.
The practice builds the ability to maintain control of the trunk while managing forces that challenge alignment and connection, ensuring that load is distributed rather than collapsing into localised segments. Core stability is treated here as a global organising system for force distribution, rather than a single isolated capacity.
Within the collection, some contexts remain closed kinetic chain, such as floor-based supports and quadrupedal positions where hands and feet maintain contact with the ground. In these patterns, the focus is on maintaining spinal integrity while managing shifting load through stable contact points.
Other contexts begin to transition toward more open kinetic chain expressions, where the limbs are increasingly free from support and the body must organise stability through suspension and leverage-based relationships. In these situations, core and spinal stability becomes essential for maintaining coherence while the limbs move independently in space.
This creates a natural continuum between grounded support work and more extended strength contexts, including elements that overlap with straight-arm support and scapular control practices. However, the emphasis remains on the core as the linking structure between upper and lower body, enabling efficient transfer of force rather than isolated upper-body or trunk dominance.
Across all contexts, the aim is to develop a stable yet adaptable spinal-core system capable of distributing load efficiently while supporting coordinated whole-body expression. Over time, this builds greater integration between support-based strength and suspended movement control, improving both stability and adaptability across environments.
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'Star' and 'Copenhagen' plank
THE WHAT:
Two laterally-stabilising plank forms which perfectly complement one another in their innately opposite loading. Whilst both contributing to development of spinal & core stability, the 'Star-plank' relies on strong support from the full line of the leg-abductors & lateral-flexors of the... -
Long fascial-lines & core conditioning
THE WHAT:
Contexts for connecting, "illuminating", and conditioning long facial lines in the body, stretching from the head/arms to the toes. The initial objective of this practice is simply to NOTICE that these long lines exit in the body, feeling them intrinsically connected through both the su... -
The 'Hollow-Body'
THE WHAT:
A foundational bodyweight strength exercise which develops transferable understanding and conditioning of the fundamental "hollow-body" position. This characteristically globally-concaved structure is fundamental in that it produces maximal TENSION in the body, radiating from the inside... -
‘Superman’ isometric & pushups
THE WHAT:
A prone, floor-based global-stability drill performed in either an isometric hold or “pushups” variation. Its optimal execution relies on an EMBODIED understanding of the "hollow-body" form, namely sustaining a strong 'neutral' spine-position through conscious posterior pelvic-tilt ('PP... -
Progressive 'Dragon-flag' & variations
THE WHAT:
The 'Dragon-flag' form is a progressive, bent-arm lever form which both develops & conditions global structural-stability, namely strength to stabilise the spine ("core-strength") under increasingly unfavourable leverage. With the "hinge" at the shoulders, everything shoulders-down serv... -
Rings 'roll-out'
THE WHAT:
A simple & convenient global-stability drill performed with the gymnastics rings. Its optimal execution relies on an EMBODIED understanding of the "hollow-body" form, namely sustaining a strong 'neutral' spine-position through conscious posterior pelvic-tilt ('PPT') & supported by activ... -
'Table-top' isometric variations
THE WHAT:
A fundamental straight-arm shoulder-extension context for mobility, strength, and structural-balance development (i.e. to "balance out" overhead pushing/shoulder-flexion contexts).Whilst the fundamental bilateral context (i.e. both hands & feet on the ground) helps to diagnose, develo...
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Fundamental "Animal Box" transition
THE WHAT & HOW:
The '"Animal box" allows for a quick & simple transition between prone & supine quadrupedal positions. In incorporating with wider quadrupedal locomotion vocabulary, it most notably allows for seamless switching between variations of the 'Bear crawl' (prone) and the 'Crab/table wa... -
'Scapular Pushup' & progressive 'Tuck-hold'
THE WHAT (SCAPULAR-PUSHUP):
An upper-body mobilization, neuro-muscular & strength-development context form which expresses straight-arm scapular/strength (SAS/S), in horizontal pushing.Structurally, it represents and practices a global "hollow" of the body (slight flexion from head-to-toes, lik...
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From knee-raise to knee-to-bar
THE WHAT & HOW:
Linear progressions for developing strength & patterning for straight-arm pulling, incorporating both straight-arm scapular-strength (SASS) and straight-arm strength (SAS).Particularly from the initial 'Knee-raise' progression, the ultimate objective should be kept in mind throu...
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Rings ‘Knee-raise’ to ‘Toes to rings’
THE WHAT & HOW:
Linear progressions for developing strength, patterning, and familiarity with straight-arm pulling on the gymnastics rings, affecting both straight-arm scapular-strength (SASS) and straight-arm strength (SAS).Along with variations of ‘Knee-to-bar’, this conditioning context emph...
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Loaded-carrying contexts
THE WHAT:
Lifting a heavy load, and walking. Two fundamental facts of life which, at first glance, can seem of insufficient intensity to compare to the likes of a 'Back squat' or 'Deadlift' - but there is a reason why forms of loaded-carrying are a staple of all 'Strongman' events.The load can ...
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The fundamental 'AG support'
THE WHAT & HOW:
The 'AG ('Artistic gymnastics') support' position allows for the development of strength to PULL and support oneself in the ranges of shoulder-extension. This is as opposed to the more passive range which is develop in shoulder-extension contexts, such as the 'German hang' positio... -
Floor 'Butcher's block'
THE WHAT & HOW:
A fundamental & easily accessible context for development of the 'open-shoulder' position (facilitating overhead arm-flexion range) in a loaded, isometric context. As part of its form & execution, the 'hollow-body' position is also drilled & conditioned in a prone position, resist... -
'Iron-cross' pushups
THE WHAT:
A linearly-developmental, horizontal pushing frame in the sagittal plane for strength & stability development. It allows the practitioner to explore & develop the more "open" ranges (i.e. elbow-angle) of bent-arm strength and integrating with straight-arm strength (in entering the top, ... -
Lying waist-rotations
THE WHAT & HOW:
The lying waist rotation is an isolated context to both explore and develop transverse rotational-range of the trunk and, when optimally executed, spinal stability. It is concerned with manipulating the weight of the legs in space using INTRINSIC strength and adherence to "quality... -
'Passive' & 'Active' hanging 'L-sit'
THE WHAT:
Fundamental "core" and straight-arm scapular-strength (SASS) development contexts affected by lifting & extending of the legs toward a full 'L-sit' form, and holding isometrically. At the same time, it also teaches basic manipulation of 'mechanical advantage' with the legs; essentially ... -
L-sit to V-sit progression
THE WHAT & HOW:
'THE L-SIT' represents another fundamental bodyweight-strength (BWS) form whereby the load of the body in its entirety is held off of the floor. That it begins in a seated position and utilises a scapular pushing mechanic with much greater "real-world" application than other BWS f... -
'Bottom-up' & 'Dynamic' FL-pulls
THE WHAT:
As a straight-arm strength (SAS) form, the 'Front-lever' (FL) develops the capacity to withstand isometrically & "pull" one’s bodyweight in & out of a position of hanging shoulder-flexion, i.e. with the straight-arms in FRONT of the medial-line of the body.Whilst this has application ...
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'Windshield-wipers' (WW) & 'Meathook' (MH)
THE WHAT:
Both contexts exploring hanging transverse-rotation in a "piked" front-lever form, the 'Windshield wipers' (WW) are a patterning & conditioning context, whilst the 'Meathook' (MH) is an isometric-form which might well be classed as a skill.For this reason they cannot really be seen as...
