Working Out While Lying Down: The Value Of Supine Position Training

Most workouts and exercises require a person to be either seated upright or standing.  There are hundreds of great exercises that involve movement or isometrics from these positions.  Working out from the supine position, or lying on your back, also has its benefits however.  Here I want to take a look at some of the unique aspects that working out while lying on your back affords.

 

 

Working out while on your back is generally done on a flat bench or on the ground, usually with a mat.  Whether in a gym or at home, resistance training from the supine position is usually feasible for most people.  Whether for young athletes, seniors, or everyday people, supine position training has value.

 

 

Accommodating Those With Unique Needs

For those with physical impairments or challenges, a masso-therapy table is ideal.  With such a table, individuals can engage in all of the exercises normally done on the ground without actually having to get down on the ground.  Additionally, masso-therapy tables are wide, which means there is a much lower risk of falling off as opposed to the kind of workout benches that you typically see in gyms or sold for home use.  Finally, masso-therapy tables will allow overweight and obese individuals to engage in the exercises typically done on the ground.

 

 

Why Supine Position Training?

Supine position training offers some unique benefits over other common positions used in working out.  Supine position training is not necessarily a replacement for other positions of training, rather it is simply another way of doing exercises.  Some people however will notice that certain exercises are much more feasible for them and easier to perform correctly when done in the supine position as opposed to other positions.

 

 

Eliminating The Balance Factor

Working your balance and doing exercises that require balance is great training and an important part of many workout programs.  There are times however when you may want to take balance out of the equation and really zero in on certain muscle groups.  Supine position training allows you to do this.  Particularly when it comes to resistance band training, working from the supine position allows you to work with the bands without having to balance and overcome the resistance pulling you to where it is attached.

 

 

With Isawall, you can engage in resistance band training the standard way, which is from the standing position, or you can use the bands from the supine position.  With Isawall, using a masso-therapy table also makes it very feasible to engage in all sorts of resistance band training.  Many who have physical challenges and/or those who are overweight or obese will find that resistance band training on Isawall is very feasible and even fun.

 

 

Eliminating The Core Factor

You might be wondering why on earth you would want to eliminate using your core while doing various exercises.  There are a few reasons for this.  First, some people simply don’t have the strength or skill to engage in something like resistance band training while being pulled toward the point of band attachment.  With exercises like a row or pulldown for example, the person doing it may be able to handle high levels of resistance for the actual exercise, but simply not have the adequate core strength to overcome those high levels of resistance and maintain proper posture and positioning.  Secondly, the person doing the exercise may want to focus in solely on the muscles engaged in for that particular exercise, and focus on exercises geared toward the core later on.  This can help a person to really focus in on areas he or she wants to improve.

 

 

Eliminating The Stabilizers Factor

When doing exercises with resistance bands from the standing position, numerous muscles must be pulled in to help stabilize the body against gravity, the body against the pull of the bands, and help keep the joints moving in the proper range.  This is all good training and beneficial for those who can do it.  Again however, for those who either cannot do this, or those who want to focus in on particular muscle groups, supine training can be beneficial.  Many people will also choose to adopt a training regimen whereby both standing and supine versions of exercises are incorporated to get the benefits of both methods of training.

 

 

Final Thoughts On Supine Training

Training while lying on your back has its benefits.  For some people it will be the only way they can perform certain exercises.  For others, it will simply be a way to isolate certain muscle groups and change up training.  Whatever your reason, consider supine position training in your workouts and make sure to check out some of our pics and videos on Isawall of this type of training.

 

 

 

Paul Owens is a personal trainer in the Cleveland area.  He is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the National Council on Strength and fitness.  He is also a Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.  He can be reached at http://www.clevelandpersonaltraining.com