We know that the human body functions as an entire system otherwise known as the Human Movement System (HMS). The HMS comprises the articular (joint), myofascial (connective tissue in and around muscles and tendons) and the neuromuscular systems. When all three of these systems are functioning properly, it allows for the greatest neuromuscular efficiency so our bodies can perform functional, day-to-day movements. This means your body will produce force with the least amount of energy and stress, making your workouts more effective while reducing risk of injury.Â
When one or more of these systems is affected by injury, repetitive motion, sedentary lifestyle, or occupation, it creates a pattern of dysfunction known as the cumulative injury cycle. This cycle causes common compensation patterns, muscular imbalances, and altered joint functions, which, in turn, makes the body less efficient, susceptible to pain, and at higher risk for injury.Â
The world we live in today is very different from the world a century ago. Modern technology has improved our quality of life and made many tasks less physical than in the past. Unfortunately, this has also contributed to an increasingly sedentary population and forces many of us into postural alignments that the human body was not designed to maintain over long periods of time. While we sit at desks, typing on computers and hunched over smart phones, we are actually creating dysfunction in our movement systems. Over time, the body begins to treat dysfunction in the connective tissues as an injury. An injury, otherwise known as a tissue trauma, begins the process of the cumulative injury cycle. When the human body experiences a trauma to its tissue, inflammation occurs. Inflammation is a natural response to trauma, which, in turn, sets off your bodyâs pain receptors and instinctually causes your muscle fibers to create tension, thus resulting in a muscle spasm.
Over time, prolonged muscle spasms create adhesions in the soft tissue of the body. These adhesions are also known as knots. Adhesions decrease soft tissue extensibility and elasticity that ultimately lead to joint dysfunction. In simpler terms, your body no longer fires off the correct muscles in the proper order, your synergist and stabilizer muscles become overactive, and your joint movements change. This leads to altered neuromuscular control. Over time, your body will begin to create new, inelastic soft tissue that prevents your muscle fibers from properly moving.Â
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Because your body is consistently following this different, incorrect movement pattern, the newly formed tissue decreases the muscleâs ability to properly function and will result in muscular imbalances. A common scenario in todayâs population is caused by excessive sitting, which causes the gluteus maximus to become under-active or lengthened, and the hip flexors to become overactive or tight. Overactive hip flexors can cause a myriad of issues including, an excessive anterior pelvic tilt, IT band tendonitis, anterior knee pain, and a lack of mobility when performing exercises like squats and lunges.
Under-active glutes can also cause the hamstring complex and its synergistic muscles to overcompensate during actions that involve hip extension. This causes lower back pain, knee pain, hamstring strains, hip and ankle joint pain, and decreased mobility of those joints. Over time your body will start to recognize these altered movement patters as normal and repeat the cumulative injury cycle. You will be less efficient at performing functional movements and much more likely to be injured or in chronic pain. As you can see, the human body works as a kinetic chain â even small muscular imbalances in certain muscle groups can trigger whole patterns of dysfunction and poor movement.Â
A knowledgeable and well-trained fitness professional should be able to program a clientâs workouts based on their goals and abilities. Basic movement assessments performed by a trainer allow them to identify and correct muscular imbalances through proper strengthening and stretching techniques. Corrective exercise, integrated into a clientâs programming, will make workouts more effective.
For more information or to book a class, visit www.phoenixeffectla.com.
The Phoenix Effect, a metabolic bootcamp that gets you in shape fast, is offered exclusively at 7264 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA.
Joe Melone
Sean Connor
meghanada
Do we get a demonstration of how to keep them glutes active? I’m a bit of a visual learner.
Milton Appleby
Oh yes the glutes.
GlĂźcklich
Legs and ass are the fat-burning furnaces of the body. Upper body’s the easy part. The only reason I have a trainer is to *constantly* push leg and ass days.
Anthony Bryan Hilton
Middle Aged Gay
Complicated article, but great headline!
spiffy
This article would have been a lot more helpful if we are told how to remedy the problem at home ourselves — because not everybody can afford a trainer.
Ronbo
@spiffy: Lunges – all types. Barbell, dumbbell, and machine squats, Single and double-leg leg press on devices that allow for full thigh extension
Barbell, dumbbell, and machine lunge, Barbell or dumbbell one-leg split squat
Stiff-leg and Romanian dead lift, Glute/hamstring raise, Glute presses on an appropriate device, Multi-hip machine thigh extension.
The first step; I’m told, is to get up off your lazy ass and turn off the TV and computer.
My eye muscles and clicker muscles are fully developed.
moldisdelicious
Okay so basically this is article to get gay guys to go to the gym so they can become vain and cater to superficial minded people.
The reason why I’m saying that is the two pictures of guys who obviously are on the juice or have some really good genetics. Those body types are not the average body type.
Pistolo
Don’t I know him from somewhere? đ . I’m into him.
darrell66
@Pistolo:
He’s name is Matt Cole. He’s a former gay porn star. He always had a nice body but DAMN if he hasn’t muscled up over the years.
AaronGuy
@Ronbo: All great advice Ronbo!
AaronGuy
@moldisdelicious: Hey there! Thanks for taking the time to read my article. I’m sorry you didn’t fully understand the purpose of the article or misinterpreted its point. However, as the author I don’t specifically remember writing anything about gay men in particular or explicitly telling them to go to the gym to become vain and superficial. In fact the article was focused on bettering peoples lives thru increasing joint mobility, avoiding injury, and decreasing postural distortions that so many people are crippled with today. I do see how you may have misconstrued this from the article, or perhaps you just looked at the pictures. On that note, those pics are my professional shots that I use for marketing and advertising. Those were taken immediately after a bodybuilding show that I prepped for 10 weeks for. I’m hungry, carb depleted and dehydrated. I’m also shot by a professional photographer with awesome lighting. I’m guessing if you had to post an image of yourself in a professional setting you would use a professional well stylized photo of yourself, correct? In any case, I can assure you that I dont look like that year round, no one does, and I’ll be the first person to admit that. However, this is a fitness article, I am a fitness professional and lets be honest, you probably wouldn’t have clicked on the link if it was a crappy pic. I hope you reread the article and learn something that might inspire you to become a better you. The world needs more positivity. đ