Exercise Tutorial: Trunk Rotation
Table of Contents
What Is a Trunk Rotation
A Trunk Rotation is a dynamic movement that aims to stretch various areas in the lower body. Performance of the Trunk Rotation will provide relief for those who experience lower back pain and stretch out tight glutes.
How to Do a Trunk Rotation
Lay down flat on the floor on your back. Place your hands out to your sides, palms facing up. Keeping your legs as straight as possible, cross one leg over the other. This will allow you to feel a great stretch in the outer thigh and glute muscles. Bring each leg across the body, alternating limbs 10 reps per leg. Try to keep your rear shoulders intact with the ground.
Trunk Rotation Form
It is important to have the proper form when performing the Trunk Rotation. This will allow you to receive all of the benefits of the movement and can even make the movement easier compared to performing the Trunk Rotation incorrectly. Proper Trunk Rotation form consists of,
Performing the movement slowly!
Rotate and then swing the leg
Keep the legs as straight as possible
Keep the arms as straight as possible
Head should always be in contact with the ground
Begin the Trunk Rotation flat on your back
Benefits of the Trunk Rotation
Also, called sideline rotations, this exercise is fantastic for several reasons, as it assists in relieving pain and tension in the hip flexor muscles and low back erectors. It also provides an amazing stretch for the gluteal muscles. In addition, it’s overlooked that it serves as a chest and shoulder opener. It’s a great stretch to incorporate into your training regimen if you regularly experience any low back pain i.e sciatica.
Trunk Rotation Muscles Worked
Splenius (Semispinalis & Capitis)
Why is the Trunk Rotation Useful
By working on your lower trunk rotation you will overtime increase lumbar spine and hip flexibility, allowing for greater mobility of the trunk. In addition, the trunk rotation is one of the best hip rotation exercises out there. This exercise is great for anyone who experiences low back pain and is great to perform if you’re slouching or sitting at a desk for most of the day.
It can also relieve tension not just in the lower but also in the upper spinal column and into the muscles of the neck. If you want to work on correcting your posture, incorporate this exercise into your program. We recommend performing it daily as both a static and dynamic stretch.
Lower Trunk Rotation
A Lower Trunk Rotation also involves laying on your back for the entire movement. This variation of the Trunk Rotation features less rotation of the entire body and can be a good place to start if you are new to the Trunk Rotation. Lie down on your back with your knees bent in the air and feet flat on the floor. Your arms will be resting on the ground perpendicular to the body.
Slowly begin to drop your knees towards one side of the body. As you lower your knees, your trunk will also begin to rotate to the same side. Once the knees have dropped enough so that one side of the pelvis is elevated off the ground, return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the other side of the body.
Trunk Rotation is the most common Static Flexibility Assessment
This is a false statement. There are many other static flexibility assessments that you can use such as the Sit and Reach which has normative data that you can compare your results to.
The Trunk Rotation is a common Dynamic Flexibility Assessment
This is also a false statement. Another option for examining flexibility is to perform an active single leg raise. This test allows you to observe to see how much flexibility the participant has in the hip.
Trunk Rotation Exercises
There are a few different ways that you can perform a Trunk Rotation. So far, we have described a more full-body dynamic version of the Trunk Rotation, and a Lower Trunk Rotation with less movement. The Lower Trunk Rotation can be performed with your feet on/near the ground like we described above, or with your shins in a table top position. \
You can also extend your legs and perform the Lower Trunk Rotation. The closer your legs are to the body, the easier the exercise will be. Each Trunk Rotation Exercise should be performed for at least 3 sets of 10 reps per leg.
Variations of the Trunk Rotation (Hip Rotation Exercises)
Progression: Seated Lumbar Rotation
Regression: Bent Knee Lumbar Rotations
Progression: Seated Lumbar Rotation
This is a popular movement in yoga which can also be called the seated spinal twist. Sit on the ground with an upright posture and pull your belly into the back of the spine. Extend one leg out and bend one knee bringing your ankle into your groin area. Extend one arm behind you, placing the hand on the floor and one hand on your shin of the leg that is bent in front of you. Inhale to lengthen the spine and exhale into a twisting motion with your spine. Look over your shoulder. Hold for the desired amount of seconds. This exercise can be used as a dynamic and static movement.
Regression: Bent Knee Lumbar Rotations
Perform the exact same movement as the regular supine lumbar rotation. The only difference here is to bend one knee and cross it over the body while the other leg remains pinned to the floor in extension. Keep your rear delts intact with the floor and look at the hand on the opposite side of the body to enhance the pull in the semispinalis capitis (neck stretch).
Common Names for the Trunk Rotation
Supine Trunk Rotation
Lower Trunk Rotation
Trunk Rotation Stretch
Trunk Rotation Test
The Trunk Rotation Test is a test that can be used to measure the flexibility of the trunk and shoulder. To perform this test, draw a vertical line on a wall and step an arm’s length distance away from the wall with your back directly facing the line.
Hold a marker in your hand and raise your arms out to the side so they are parallel to the floor. Rotate the torso to one side, look over your shoulder and touch the marker to the wall. Your shoulders and hips can move, but your feet should remain flat on the floor. Repeat the movement on the other side of the body.
Next, measure the distance between your markings and the vertical line on the wall. Try this movement twice on each side and take the average of the markings on each side.
Lower Trunk Rotation Stretch
The Lower Trunk Rotation Stretch is another term for the Lower Trunk Rotation that we described above. This is a great stretch to help ease into the more dynamic Trunk Rotation that we initially described above.
Seated Trunk Rotation
The Seated Trunk Rotation is done while sitting on a chair. Begin seated normally with your feet flat on the floor and shoulders and hips square to each other. Rotate the torso to one side and use your hands to grasp the back of the chair. Your feet and knees should not move. Hold this position for 1-2 counts and then repeat on the remaining side.
Standing Trunk Rotation
A Standing Trunk Rotation is performed using a cable machine. Select your desired weight and take a step away from the machine. Hold onto the attachment with both hands and extend the arms straight out in front of the body. Brace the core and rotate the arms away from the direction of the cable machine. Your arms should always be extended and at the same level you started at. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement.
When you are ready to switch sides, you will need to stand the opposite way that you were originally facing in order to receive tension on the remaining side of the body.
Cable Trunk Rotation
The Cable Trunk Rotation is another term for the Standing Trunk Rotation that we described above. Using this version of the name can help you remember that the Standing Trunk Rotation is performed with the use of a cable machine!
Supine Trunk Rotation
A Supine Trunk Rotation is just another term for the Trunk Rotation. The term supine is used to describe the movement and means on your back.
Trunk Rotation Stretch
Trunk Rotation Stretch is another term for the Trunk Rotation or Lower Trunk Rotation.
Lateral Trunk Rotation
The word lateral means to move away from the body. This is what occurs during the Trunk Rotation as the legs/knees are dropping to the lateral side of the body.
Lower Trunk Rotation Exercise
Lower Trunk Rotation is yet another term that is used to describe the Trunk Rotation. We are moving the lower body in this exercise, so it can be called Lower Trunk Rotation Exercise.
Hanging Trunk Rotation
Hanging Trunk Rotation is when you perform a Trunk Rotation while hanging from a bar. The Hanging Trunk Rotation will activate the core and muscles of the back and shoulder, making this Trunk Rotation variation a total body exercise!
