Sarah Key Method - Back Block

Posted by Nell Mead at 14:00 on 9 Mar 2011

Time to get back to backs!

This exercise is another of Sarah Key's, and is great for stretching your low back.  You'll need what Sarah calls a back block; they're also known as yoga bricks.  Roughly the size of a house brick, they come in a variety of materials including wood, bamboo, cork and foam - I usually use one made of solid foam, though in an emergency I have also been known to use a hardback copy of a Harry Potter book!

When we spend all day with our spines in an upright position (sitting, standing, walking, running), gravity combined with our bodyweight squashes our spinal discs, and over the course of the day they flatten out a bit.  It's not unusual to be 2cm shorter at the end of the day than you were at the start.  Generally, the discs rehydrate and plump up again overnight when you're lying flat, but over time - with age, or particularly with injury - the flattening starts to have a greater effect than the rehydration, and you develop stiff spinal segments.

Sarah's theory is that this process is reversible if you regularly take steps to decompress your spine, and this is where the back block - coupled with the appeasing exercise I described before - comes in.

• Lie on your back on a firm surface such as the floor, knees bent so that your feet are on the floor, and feet and knees together.
• Squeeze your knees and buttocks together. Keeping them squeezed, roll up your spine, curling your bottom off the ground first, and - bone by bone - then your low back, mid back and upper back, until your weight is on your feet and shoulders.
• Bone by bone, roll your way back down again, trying to make the space between each bone as long as possible, and making sure that when you reach your pelvis, the left and right sides hit the ground at the same time.
• Make sure your knees and buttocks are squeezed together, and roll all the way up to your shoulders again, bone by bone.
• This time when you are at the top, slide your back block underneath your pelvis (NOT under your low back) and roll your bottom down onto it.  The block should be horizontally aligned and on its shallowest side.
• Slide (don't lift) one foot along the ground and away from you, and then the other.  Allow your ankles to relax and roll outwards.  Relax your calves, then your knees, then your thighs, buttocks, low back...
• Let your arms roll outwards so that your palms face the ceiling, and relax completely for a minute.
• Then slide one foot back up towards you, and then the other.
• Squeeze your knees and buttocks together, and roll your way up off the block (at first this may be sore; don't worry, this is quite normal and it does get better!)
• Slide the block out from underneath your bottom, and roll down just as you did before.
• Now do 30 seconds of the appeasing exercise, and repeat the whole thing three times.

NB - any discomfort you feel on curling up off the block should fade quickly and should improve over the first few days of practising this exercise.  If it is too painful, or remains significant for more than a week of doing this, you should discontinue the exercise and get your back assessed.  (Of course, I'd recommend that you see a Sarah Key-trained physiotherapist...)

Thanks to the lovely Graeme Marsh for posing for these pictures at The Foundry.

Victory and the City

Posted by Nell Mead at 09:00 on 29 Mar 2011

Last week I took an afternoon off to join personal trainer extraordinaire Dave Thomas from The Foundry, who was playing for Citi Rugby in the Norton Rose City Scrum, a corporate touch rugby event held at the Honourable Artillery Company's grounds in Moorgate.  As Dave is more commonly known as "Hospital" Dave, I was attending in the role of his personal physiotherapist - despite being a touch tournament, he was apparently carted off by paramedics last year with a badly-sprained ankle.  Opting to minimise the risk, I taped the dodgy ankle firmly in place before I allowed him anywhere near the pitch!

The event did have a serious side - it's run for charity, plus I had the additional responsibility of fixing Dave and his team! - but was also a lot of fun, and the HAC is a fabulous venue.  Each team is "coached" by a member of the Harlequins team (many of whom have never played touch rugby) - and this year, Citi were coached by Quins' captain Chris Robshaw, pictured here with Dave.

After a slowish start, Citi hit their stride and Dave - with a freshly flexible back and hamstrings - performed a try-saving ankle-tap diving tackle to deny UBS a win.  Unfortunately, in doing so, he managed to face-plant into the sand around the try line, temporarily blinded himself, and had to come off; but the vital tackle had been made and there was no real damage to Dave (which, I confess, was a relief to his physio!)

In the semi-final, Citi played against last year's winners, JP Morgan.  A stalemate ensued, and at full time the score was 0-0.  Each team lost a player and they played 5 v 5 for a few minutes... still no score.  4 v 4... still no score.  The teams went down to 3 v 3 and suddenly the pitch looked much bigger.  Dave - on the left wing - received the ball at about the half way line.  Accelerating off his right foot, he sprinted left, and - throwing an outrageous dummy - scored in the corner.  Citi were in the final.

As Dave had to train some clients, we left at this point.  I'm not sure whether he was more sorry to leave before the final, or happy to leave on a high.  But a text message an hour later confirmed that Citi had won the final - with Will Myers as player of the tournament. Well done Citi!