Jon Stead tests out the FKPro

JOHNNY WILSON, the Notts County head of sports medicine, has improvised a set of suspension training exercises and put his players, including striker Jon Stead, through their paces.

"We found suspension training an effective method of developing neuromuscular control and strength for both the core, upper and lower limbs," Wilson told TGG.

"It provides an effective stimulus for challenging single leg efficiency, functional movement patterns and running mechanics. Pelvic girdle injuries - with particular reference to the adductors - are widespread in professional football.

"We are always looking for innovative methods to drive load through the muscle groups about the pelvic girdle, which will hopefully have a positive impact on our injury incidence."

Stead, the former Blackburn, Sunderland and Ipswich striker, was put through a demanding set of exercises using the FKPro to develop core strength. Suspension training pits your bodyweight in a perpetual battle against gravity.

These are anti-rotation exercises with a twist.

This is an adaptation of the side plank exercise, "developing functional core strength and complex motor patterning" in Wilson's words. The exercise biases the core musculature and adductor muscle groups.

This exercise, using different sized kettle bells, develops single leg efficiency and stability through the kinetic chain.

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