The harvester is a crucial exercise in the art of adaptability and is one of the nine full body exercises. The attribute from this exercise is the ability to develop torsion. The benefits are strength, (core, legs, chest and arms) improved cardio and mobility. When instructing direction must be given to alignment of foot and knee, hip orientation, wrist and forearm alignment and edge awareness. Attention must also be directed to keying the transverse abdominus, especially at the phase of the exercise where the spine is hyperextended.
The direction of edges out and stay sharp is given. The Torqueadian will stand to ¾’s of the full stance and start to bring the blade into play.
When the edge of the blade tracks on the oblique plane it turns at a point roughly in line with your navel, the back of the blade then completes the path followed by the opposite shoulder coming roughly in line with the active blade side heel. At this point a practitioner will feel the potential energy stored in the rotation and will twist back to a standing position before the squat.