The Fitness Reporter

The body is like a computer. If one part is broken then the whole machine cannot function properly. The systems of the body work together in unison to help us go about normal activities and work out for enjoyment and our health.

Nearly everyone has a part of the body that is “malfunctioning,” even if you’re not aware of it at the moment. A malfunctioning muscle may conceal itself in many ways. It may fool you into thinking it’s another area of the body that is troublesome causing you to treat the secondary injury rather than get to the root of the problem to fix it for good. Identifying muscle imbalances to improve posture and function can prevent injury now and in the long run.

Muscular imbalances form when muscles surrounding a joint are not at their ideal length and thus are unable to perform their function properly, causing tugging on the joints, making other muscles pick up the slack working harder than they should, and not emitting the force to contract like they are supposed to. Muscle imbalances are caused by overuse.

We all perform patterns of overuse. For example, sitting for extended periods of time is an overuse pattern that nearly everyone can identify with. This causes the hip flexors to become shortened. When this happens a chain of events occur- the pelvis rotates forward due to the hip flexors being short, which elongates the hamstrings and gluteus maximus beyond their ideal length. This makes the hamstrings and glutes weak since they are not firing and functioning like they should.

A weak muscle is not a strong muscle, because it cannot contract with proper force since the neuromuscular system is confused and cannot recruit the ideal muscle fibers to fire. If your backside is weak basic functional movement like squatting down to pick up a grocery bag or climbing stairs puts you at risk of injury over time.

Here are a few common postural deviations, muscle imbalances, and ways to stretch the tight and strengthen the weak to put your body back in balance!

Posture Problem: Arching lower back
o Stretch: Hip Flexor Complex
o Strengthen: Core, Glutes, and Hamstrings

Stretch to help: Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch

Strength exercise to help: Chair position squat

Posture Problem: Hunchback, shoulders round in
- Stretch: Pectorals, latissimus dorsi
- Strengthen: Mid/lower trapezius, rhomboids

Stretch to help: Chest stretch with band

Strength exercise to help: Dumbbell pull-ins

Posture Problem: Knees cave in
- Stretch: Adductors (inner thighs)
- Strengthen: Gluteus medius (outer glute), Vastus medialis oblique (VMO- one of the quadriceps muscles, helps stabilize the knee, located above knee towards the mid-line of the body)

Stretch to help: Standing adductor stretch

Strength exercise to help: Lateral Band Walk

When exercising, keep in mind that form comes before anything else. Tune into your body, identify the weak points, and set a goal to put your body in balance so you not only tone up, but also decrease your risk of injury and perform all movements in life with ease. I’m Kelly Gonzalez, thanks for reading! “Eat smart and train hard!”