The Saw

Question 1

The Saw: Purpose & Benefit

Answer 1

Stretch the spine and hamstrings, improve mobility of the thoracic spine, strengthen the obliques

Question 2

The Saw: LAYER 1

Answer 2

• Prepare with spine twist, legs extended
• Small ROM

Question 3

The Saw: LAYER 2 INTERMEDIATE

Answer 3

• Start position: sit tall on the sit bones with legs extended (no wider than shoulder-width apart), feet flexed
• Arms out to the sides, slightly in front of the body with palms facing inward
  Inhale and rotate the torso slowly to one side, keeping arms level
• Exhale and flex the trunk, articulating down through the spine, lowering the chest toward the opposite thigh and reaching little finger to the little toe
• Medially rotate the back arm so that the thumb is pointing to the floor
• Arms stay parallel to the floor
• Inhale and extend the trunk, stabilising the shoulders
• Exhale and rotate back to the start position
• Repeat 3 times on each side

Question 4

The Saw: LAYER 3 ADVANCED

Answer 4

Increase Rom

Question 5

The Saw: Prime movers

Answer 5

Prime movers: Obliques, rotators, rectus abdominis, erector spinalis, and deltoids

Question 6

The Saw: Stabilisers

Answer 6

Stabilisers: TVA/PF, lumbar multifidus, internal/external obliques

Question 7

The Saw: Muscles stretched

Answer 7

Muscles stretched: Obliques, hamstrings, gastrocnemius (if in dorsi flexion) spinal erectors

Question 8

The Saw: Joint action

Answer 8

Joint action: Spinal rotation and flexion and extension, shoulder flexion and extension

Question 9

The Saw: Plane of movement

Answer 9

Sagittal, transverse

Question 10

The Saw: Teaching points (6)

Answer 10

• Keep hips firmly on the mat
• Stabilise hips and shoulders
• As you reach across to the right, press your left hip down and press your right heel down and vice versa
• Lengthen from the top of the head as you reach across
• If flexibility allows keeping legs completely straight
• Keep neck and head inline

Question 11

The Saw: Watch out points (8)

Answer 11

• Head and neck alignment
• Sitting down on the hips
• Legs sliding forward or back
  Shoulders lifting and/or chin high
• Opposite hip lifting off the floor
• Legs too wide
• Using a ballistic pulse
• Chopping move instead of a sawing move
• Lack of rotation before flexing

Question 12

The Saw: Imagery (3)

Answer 12

• Slinky toy
• Imagine your legs and hips are set in concrete
• Imagine you are a corkscrew twisting up and out of the bottle

Question 13

The Saw: Progression (2)

Answer 13

Increase reps
Increase ROM

Question 14

The Saw: Adaptations (6)

Answer 14

Perform spine twist only

Perform spine stretch only

Fewer reps

Bend the knees slightly

Legs closer together

Less ROM – i.e. reach towards the big toe

Question 15

The Saw: Modifications (1)

Answer 15

Sit on a cushion or a block