Strength Training Causes Muscle Imbalances?

Yes, you read the title correctly. A study published in the journal of strength and conditioning research from Nova Southern university showed that recreational strength trained men have a high incidence of muscle imbalances. Now, what have I been saying all this time? Traditional 'gym science' exercises on machines and focusing on the pretty muscles Will do nothing but cause and reinforce postural distortion and muscle imbalances. This directly correlates to injurious patterns, joint strain and muscle fatigue/damage. Remember that your chosen career sets you up for poor posture and repetitive patterns that are know to be rough on the body. What we know we know wrong folks, the gym class and high school weight room exercises of yesteryear are bad. They did not work then and they do not work now. Please realize that there is a better way to train, smarter and safer. The 'Fit Responder' book is just that, a BS filter to lead you down the path to safe health and wellness. Nothing pains me more than to see dedicated police/fire/ems responders in the gym vainly attempting to be fit and strong, unknowingly reinforcing postural patterns and setting up that cascade effect of injury. Just because a lot of folks have jumped on the band wagon of 'military type' fitness and are exercising at extreme intensity does not mean your body is ready for it. When was the last time you were tested for movement pattern dysfunction?

Gut Check

Responders, please pay attention!

In the 'Back to Feeling Great' book there is an entire section dedicated to testing. The movement and biomechanical tests are accurate and valid, they can be applied to a vast population safely and can be re-tested bi-annualy. Without testing the base movements in the body we have no way of actually knowing what is working properly versus what is a cheat pattern. The best athletes cheat through a movement. it does not mean they are secure from injury just that they have mechanically figured out how to get it done faster, which we know is not always better.

I assessed a neighbor yesterday (she is teaching my wife to play piano) and she has a HX of Right sided Lower back Pain. With symptoms of 'popping' in the lower back and calf/foot numbness we have a problem. Now, this very smart lady has been to chiropractors, oriental medicine physicians, pilates instructors, massage therapists and her sister is a Physical Therapist. Do you think anyone picked up on her underlying issue? NO. I took her through the same tests in the 'Fit Responder' book plus a few ortho. tests and guess what? Pelvis is weak, and her spinal SEGMENTAL STABILIZERS are non existent. She shows signs of degenerative joint/disk and spinal instability. With really strong gross motor muscles(abs/obliques/quads/hip flexors)from years of pilates and yoga and a total inability to find and maintain NEUTRAL SPINE she has lost the ability to stabilize her spine = pain and popping. I put her into a standing neutral spine position with a slight hip hinge and she was totally pain free (it's in the book). When she gets back from the spine doctor I sent her to and we know exactly what her spine looks like I will help get her back to many of the activities she enjoys, pain free. All this took less than 45 min. to assess and teach some corrective exercises.

If I could go this far that quickly with such a level of accuracy why are we not doing this stuff on a departmental or clinical level on each person? Am I the only one that can see how much time/money will be saved by finding it and fixing it before it's broken?

Step Up!

I must vent! just took a client through a workout. She has a HUGE bulging disk at L3-4 that was injected 3 weeks ago, symptoms have lessened but she is still full of spasm and pain. I had her do one of my favorite “diagnostic exercises” a step up. While watching her mechanics I noticed that a) the right hip and leg moved perfectly (this is where the pain is) b) the Left foot turns in, Left knee turns in and left low back fires to compensate = bad pattern. So I had her lay on a table and noticed a short right leg. Now, what does this all mean? = cross pattern!

Basically if you have pain on one side of the body and dysfunction on the other side the structures caught in the middle, in this case the spine, get torque and strain all day so something has to give. So I released her right adductor, Left calf and posterior tibialis and both thoracic paraspinals. Followed with a gentile hip flexor stretch and re-test.

Not suprisingly on retest she had almost no pattern dysfunction and no pain, next visit we can begin correcting the imbalance through exercise. In many cases it’s just that simple, so if you suffer from pain and re-injury or exercise and physical therapy do not resolve the issue please find someone near you who can do this stuff. Or buy the ‘Fit Responder’ book, it’s in there to.

A fitness Rant

Ok, just had a ‘conversation’ with a long time client of mine. Recently another trainer on my staff has been working with this person. When I left them a few months ago the client was pain free and well on their way to achieving their goals. Recently we have been dealing with a resurgence of shoulder and neck issues (this is what the client originally came in for) After a good bit of the ‘the blame game’ I determined a few things.

1) The client does not stretch herself, does not use the foam roll for self massage or the ’stick’ for self massage. The client also neglects to come in for a maintenance massage as recommended.

2) The client has re-entered what is called an ‘upper crossed syndrome’ which is essentially a forward head posture, tight anterior neck, tight pects and traps and weak mid-back and shoulder blades.

3) The client has lost the ability to fire her scapular (shoulder blade) stabilizers and because of this simple movements are causing pain.

SO, what have we learned? Be responsible for yourself, stretch daily. Use your foam roll and ’stick’ a few days a week with out fail. As a practitioner or participant never assume that you will not loose what you worked to gain….use it or loose it. If something that used to feel good now causes pain there is most likely either a tight muscle or body part or your technique/application of that particular exercise is flawed.

The abdominal brace

Folks, per numerous request, here is the intro page from the Book.

Lower abdominal training is the place to start because it’s the foundation or the “core” of the body. Training the lower abdominal wall with proper abdominal firing places less stress on the vertebral discs and effectively activates the outer unit musculature (movement system). This allows proper muscle activation at the right times, with proper movement patterns and less stress to tissues and greater muscular and mechanical efficiency as the end result.

Core training involves proper lower abdominal contraction or Abdominal Bracing. This involves coordinated firing of the abdominal wall while deactivating the hip flexors and keeping the upper body and legs relaxed. Learning this concept and the concept of spine stabilization with neutral spine will naturally lead to learning how to find, maintain and work within the parameters of coordinated spinal mechanics

Control of movement is the key to re-educating the lower abdominal wall and allowing the deep pelvic stabilizers to fire efficiently. This progression begins with mastering the abdominal contraction or ‘bracing’. The key is isolating the muscles of the abdominal wall. Pay strict attention to NOT allowing the use of the legs, hip flexors or glutes. Typically the body will want to compensate (a.k.a. cheat) to achieve these movements; you must be diligent to not let this happen.

In the past we were all taught to DRAW IN (pull belly button to the spine). This has been proven ineffective at contracting all of the abdominal wall muscles. If we have a weak back and continue to draw in the abdominals we are essentially making our ab’s and back weaker and less efficient at supporting your activities.

To begin the progression lay on your back with the knees bent and feet flat on the floor, place your hands behind your head. Take a breath in and while slowly exhaling begin to push your belly button down toward your hips.

Imagine flexing your bicep, this is the same pattern as flexing your abs. Another way to perform the contraction is to imagine pushing your obliques (love handles) out. The contraction is very slow to develop and never forceful so the legs do not help. Continue the contraction until the lower back is in slight contact with the floor and you can breathe while not straining or feeling tension in the neck, chest, shoulders or legs. For most people this is not easy. This progression should take you time to work through, each level will take around 2-3 days master.

Book Review in the Strength and Conditioning Journal

Hey, Like a complete slacker, we got reviewed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. This is a members only scientific journal, I pasted the excerpt below. Not bad for our first professional peer reviewed review!

BACK TO FEELING GREAT

Bryan Fass and Bill Scibetta.

Precision Fitness-Personal Fitness Inc., Cornelius, NC; ISBN-10: 0-9791553-1-2; softcover, 108 pages.

The authors have penned a guidebook to proactively address common low back pain and stiffness. The book is written for the layperson, with copious photos and good descriptions of standard back stretching and strengthening exercises. Sections on self screening and myofascial release are also well done.

The book is broken down into various sections that run from 2 to 9 pages in length. Besides sections related to the back and hip, there are sections addressing posture, nutrition, and cardiovascular training. Most of the material, although fairly rudimentary, is well done and aimed at a target audience of laypeople and entry-level trainers. I especially like the progressions in the spine program that takes the trainee from level 1 (very basic) to level 6 in difficulty. The references are mostly secondary, with one requiring a bit more information to follow. However, this work is not an advanced scientific one but one that the laypersonor trainer can use to guide him or her through an organized program of low back/hip care and maintenance.

Understanding Postural Fatigue

OK, here goes a difficult and mostly misunderstood concept, POSTURAL FATIGUE. When exercising, assuming that you have achieved the ability to maintain 'normal' posture, there is a point you may/should reach that your body simply says 'no more'. This 'no more' threshold is much easier to reach when rehabilitating an injury or beginning a fitness regimen, the more fit you become the longer it takes to reach. The fatigue point is reached when you loose control, and I don't mean emotionally. When you can no longer maintain proper technique, hold your breath, shake, twist or lean...you are done. Let's take a common spine/AB exercise an an example, the plank. When your head falls, you shrug your shoulders, back drops, glutes relax you have reached fatigue and need to stop. This premise holds true for all exercises, there is a threshold that you body will reach and anything past that point merely transfers strain to the joints and supporting soft tissue structures. Try performing just about any exercise in a mirror, can you maintain neutral, do you sway or round/arch your back?
A basic rule I teach is that when you can no longer maintain your postural check points (chin tucked-ab's braced-neutral posture) try to re-find it, if you are unable to re-establish Neutral than stop. The is no benefit in training past the point of postural fatigue.
As you can tell this can go on and on, I will elaborate further later...stay tuned.