It depends.
Jefferson Curl : The Good
The Jefferson curl places stress on the muscles and connective tissues of the spine to create microtrauma, and if allowed to recover, these tissues will grow stronger and more resilient over time.
Wolff’s law states bone grows where it’s stressed. If you punch a wall one million times, you're going to build some strong hand bones, but ONLY if you provide time to heal.
It's the same with the spine. As long as you go slowly and provide time for the microtrauma to recover, the Jefferson curl is perfectly safe and effective at building spine resilience.
It also can help to build confidence in the strength of one's back and help one realize they are not fragile!
Jefferson Curl : The Bad
Most cases of back pain involve flexion intolerance, where bending forward causes pain. If you have a posterior bulging disc, the Jefferson curl is the last thing you'd want to do.
The Jefferson curl teaches poor mechanics when bending forward, which reduces one's athleticism and increases risk of injury. Sedentary people's bodies forget how to move - sensorymotor amnesia - and good mechanics must be reinforced first.
Most sedentary people already spend all day sitting in a forward flexed position. It's not recommended for a computer worker to do more flexion training because they already do this all day.
The low back is relatively more flexible than the hips. Most sedentary people move too much at the low back and not enough at the hips - compensatory relative flexibility.
The Jefferson curl is an isolation exercise to increase spine flexibility. Why would we want more spine flexibility?
An athlete moves primarily at the hips, so focus on the hips.
The Romanian Deadlift is a compound exercise that places the stress on the hips instead of the spine.
The RDL strengthens the muscles and tissues of the spine with less risk.
The RDL is more effective at improving hip and hamstring mobility.
The RDL teaches the proper body mechanics for bending forward and moving like an athlete.
The single leg deadlift is another great option that strengthens the back of the body while improving hip mobility.
Conclusion: So what’s the solution?
If you don’t have back pain and want to improve spine flexibility, the Jefferson curl is great as long as you start light and allow your body time to recover.
However, if you want to improve performance, increase flexibility, or overcome chronic low back pain, it’s best to focus on mobility at the hips with the RDL.
What are your thoughts on the Jefferson curl? Leave a comment below and let me know!
Until next time! - Tom
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