Why do we all want to target these areas? It is most likely because these are the portions of our body we see in the mirror each day; we are fixated on the anterior portion of the human body. One thing many people fail to realize is the importance of our Posterior Chain; these are the muscles that one cannot see in the mirror (unless you are practicing your runway model poses). The National Academy of Sport Medicine has reported that nearly 80% of all adults experience back pain and 21% of the general population experience shoulder pain. These symptoms can be reduced with the right strength and flexibility regimen to work total body—front and back.
The Posterior Chain is simply the backside of your body, the primary muscles include the trapezius & latissimus dorsi (back), gluteus medius & maximus (rear-end), biceps femoris (hamstrings) as well as soleus & gastrocnemius (calves). Increasing the strength and flexibility of this chain is vital to achieving your goals of making those mirror muscles look better! It is common to see a weakness or deficiency in the lower back due to only training our abs, this causes the risk of injury to increase. A chain reaction occurs upon injury; the surrounding muscles begin to over compensate for the injured muscles resulting in over exertion of the uninjured muscles. Let’s imagine a strong chain running down the spine from head to toe, each link is dependent on the links above and below for support and functionality. If any portion of the chain is weakened or injured, the entire chain collapses, causing misalignments in our movement system, setting us up for injury.
Our bodies are designed to stay erect and mobile throughout the day, however the majority of the population sits for 8-10+ hours each day. Many work in an office setting which often calls for employees to wear dress shoes and sit at a desk in front of a computer. While wearing dress shoes the calves are in a shortened state due to the elevated heels. Being in the seated position causes an anterior (forward) pelvic tilt, increasing strain on the low back and tightness is often experienced in our hip flexors. Sitting causes the glutes to suffer amnesia to their primary role as hip stabilizers and extensors. Working at the computer for an extended period of time can also cause what is referred to as upper crossed syndrome (rounded shoulders and forward head poster). This can lead to neck pain while decreasing range of motion (ROM) of the shoulders.
The host of issues that can be experienced due to a sedentary office position can, and will affect how I work with the new client on achieving their goals of making those mirror muscles more aesthetically pleasing! Obviously our road to success will be mapped out differently depending on the number of issues (if any) are present. Now that we are aware of some common issues that affect how we reach our goal of perfecting those anterior muscles, we will discuss how to find these issues and ways to correct them from the ground up. Unfortunately you will have to wait for my next entry. Until then, although it may be out of sight, the Posterior Chain is an important aspect of our training and we do not want to find a weak link to keep us from obtaining our goals.
Aug
04
2014
Out of Sight, Out of Mind...What We Can't See Can Hurt Us
When I meet with a new client, it is important to find out their short and long-term goals as well as their reasons for wanting to reach them. Reasons vary from person to person, but the majority of the population has the same goals in mind- they want more defined arms, increased musculature in thighs and of course, we all want six-pack abs! Let’s stop here for a moment…
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