North Shore CrossFit

Muscle Imbalances

Muscle imbalances can be related to your job (sitting at a desk for long periods of time…), sports, compensating for an old injury, improper form (not working full range of motion) or poor training habits that isolate specific muscles. Muscle imbalances occur when one muscle group is overused, and the opposing muscle group, acting as a stabilizer, becomes underused.

Once an imbalance occurs, the body is unable to function as designed and prone to injury.

The overused muscles become shortened which then restricts their ability to perform at their peak potential, can cause nerve impingement and pull joints out of alignment. The underused muscles become weak and elongated and are prone to spasms (a response to protect the muscle from overstretching).

         Some imbalances can be seen in a person’s posture;

• Rounding of the shoulders=shortened pectorals weakened rotator cuff and/or middle upper back.
•  Inability to fully extend the arm=shortened biceps weakened triceps,
•  Anterior pelvic tilt (difficulty with hip extension)=shortened hip flexors and weak glutei’s and hamstrings.

• Posterior pelvic tilt (flat back) =shortened hip extensors (hamstrings and glutei) weak hip flexors.

Usually the imbalance goes unnoticed and only dealt with once pain and/or injury has occurred.  

How do you avoid a muscle imbalance?

Always, work full range of motion during your training, even if that means using less weight or slowing down (intensity with improper form will only slow down progress).

Don’t be afraid of the dumbbell. Although the bar seems to be a ‘sexier’ training tool, your weaker side cannot hide under a dumbbell.

Pay attention to your body, work your weaknesses, and ask your coaches for advice. Typically the movements we don’t like are the ones we find difficult and need to work more.

How to deal with an imbalance?

If you can’t get full range of motion of a movement due to injury or pain don’t modify by shortening the range of motion, modify in a way that allows you to get the full range of motion.

Concentrate on your warm-up; if you are mentally aware of the muscles that are not performing as they should, ‘waking them up’ during the warm-up will get them moving better during your training.

 Know that where you feel pain is not always where the issue is

Talk to your coaches and then listen

Foam rolling and soft tissue work with focus on the tightened muscles

Extra mobility work

Reinforcement of good alignment throughout the day

Train smart and hard

We may train you in a group setting but we coach and encourage you to think as an individual.

 

 ‘I’m tired of people training without purpose. You don’t squat because you know you should squat; you squat with a purpose. Whether that purpose is a bigger squat, bigger legs, or a more jacked physique is irrelevant. You include the squat in your program for a reason; the same should be true of your entire training program. Every mobilization, soft-tissue technique, exercise, or stretch should be included with a specific goal in mind.’

Mike Robertson

 

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How do you recover?

This will be a great resource for recovering from your workouts

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