Show
BY Heather Casey Every athlete has imbalances, but identifying them on your own can be difficult. Coach Heather Hagan outlines movements you can do to pinpoint your own imbalances and exercises to correct them.
Movement allows us to perform daily tasks and athletic activities ranging from the simple to complex. Your ability to move with an optimal range of motion can be altered by overuse, major and minor injuries, disease, or lack of activity. When this happens, muscles can become imbalanced by strength discrepancies or from being shortened or lengthened. Muscles can also become unresponsive to recruitment when another muscle has become overactive. Over time, these imbalances may lead to changes in structural alignment, eventually allowing your body to be more vulnerable to injury. In many cases, an original injury can lead to subsequent injuries by an impairment of normal movement. A movement assessment allows health and fitness professionals to observe imbalances of muscle strength, muscle recruitment, and joint range of motion. The results from a movement screen are used to determine corrective strength and flexibility exercises individual to your needs. It is possible to conduct your own movement screen with a keen eye, mirror, and possibly a second set of eyes from a friend or coach. Use the exercises and steps below to determine your limitations. Each exercise can be used to determine corresponding corrective strength and flexibility exercises. This screen is used as a guide, not as a diagnosis or replacement for medical care. Follow the steps below and record your observations. Lower Body Movement ScreenSingle Leg SquatDuring a single leg squat, the key kinetic chain checkpoints to watch are: feet and ankles, knees, and lumbo-pelvic-hip complex.
Compensations to look for:
The most common compensation observed in a single leg squat is seeing the knee move inward with torso rotation. Your knee caving inward (valgus) can be a sign of overactive adductor complex (lack of groin flexibility) and underactive gluteus medius. Torso rotation, internal or external, can be a sign of a weakness in the internal and external obliques. Sample Correction Exercises:
Single Leg Pelvic Bridge LiftsDuring the single leg pelvic bridge lift the key kinetic chain checkpoints are: ankles, knees, and pelvis.
Compensations to look for:
The single leg pelvic bridge lift will demonstrate transverse abdominal core strength, gluteus maximus recruitment, and hip extension mobility. Sample exercises for correction:
Overhead SquatThe overhead squat is a complex movement to screen. There are many variables that could be overwhelming to break down into individual elements, but the key kinetic chain points to view are: feet, ankles, knees, lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, and shoulders.
Compensations to look for:
The overhead squat has many variables to observe and determine corrective measures for. Seeing a flattening of the feet can be from tight calf muscles and a weakness of the anterior tibialis and gluteus medius and maximus. Knees that move inward may stem from a lack of flexibility through the groin and weakness of gluteus medius and anterior tibialis. Knees moving outward is a sign to look for an overactive piriformis, gluteus minimus, and tensor fasciae latae with a weakness or underactive adductor complex. A forward lean with arms falling forward may be signaling tightness through the calf muscles, hip flexors, abdominal muscles, latissimus dorsi and pectorals with a weakness of anterior tibialis, erector spinae, core stabilizers and the upper posterior chain. An asymmetrical shift in weight identifies much of the same observations as forward lean with the exception that the adductor complex may be tighter (overactive) on the same side as the shift with the opposite side of the shift displaying a weakness. Sample exercises for correction:
Upper Body Movement ScreenPush UpThe push up can be performed in a traditional position or modified with the knees touching the floor. The key kinetic chain points to view are: lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, shoulders, and spine.
Compensations to look for:
Imbalances in your frontal and posterior chain will be observed during a push up. Common overactive muscles are: erector spinae, hip flexors, abdominal, pectorals, and upper trapezius. Underactive or weaker muscles observed are core stabilizers, gluteus maximus, lower trapezius, and cervical flexors. Sample exercises for correction:
Wall SlidesShoulder mobility is a common problem area for adults, especially over the age of forty, due to overuse injuries involving repetition. No two shoulders ever seem to be alike. So, pinpointing a single cause of reduced mobility may be futile unless it is to diagnose an injury. Any diagnosis should be left to a medical professional. An exercise like the wall slide can be used to screen mobility and as a rehabilitative exercise within itself.
Compensations to look for:
Limitations in shoulder strength and mobility are common and complex by nature. Corrective measures for the shoulder are considered both preventive and rehabilitative. Overactive pectorals can cause a drawing forward or rounding of the shoulders and decrease recruitment. Weakened stabilizer muscles of the shoulder, as well as your mid and lower trapezius, can leave your shoulder vulnerable to injury. Sample exercises for correction:
Mobility Exercises Must Be A Regular Part Of TrainingA mobility screen, whether performed by a professional or a self test, with corresponding corrective exercises and stretches, is a proactive approach to injury prevention. The more you know about how your body moves, the better equipped you are to develop and practice a regular injury prevention routine. Use these motions as a starting point to identify areas that are over or underactive in your body. Develop a routine using some of the suggested exercises and stretches and follow that routine two to three times a week.
The Ultimate Home Workout GuideTraining Guide Stuck inside? The TrainingPeaks Ultimate Home Workout Guide offers indoor workout ideas, training plans, mental health tips, and a directory of virtual resources to help you stay connected with the athletic community.
About Heather Casey Heather Casey, CSCS is a USAT Level 2 and Ironman Certified Coach living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Heather owns Peak State Fit with her husband and fellow coach Pat Casey. Peak State Fit specializes in triathlon coaching, bike fitting and corrective exercise training. Heather has several training plans for sale on the Training Peaks store. Visit PeakStateFit.com for more information. Visit Heather Casey's Coach Profile Which is a common compensation observed in the overhead squat associated with limited ankle dorsiflexion?When performing the overhead squat assessment, a common compensation that can occur is an individual's knees moving inward. This could be due to lack of range of motion at the ankle or weakness in the hips (or possibly both).
Which muscles may be overactive with knee valgus during the single leg squat?Example: If a persons knees cave in (knee valgus) during a squat assessment the adductors are one of the suspected overactive muscles because they are responsible for pulling the legs / knees together (think "adding" together to remember the adductors function).
How will elevating a client's heels impact an overhead squat assessment?Overhead Squat Assessment Protocol Step by Step
The raised heel from most shoes will shift ones weight more forward invalidating results. It is also important to be able to see how the ankle and foot reacts during the OHSA, so shoes and even socks should be completely removed.
Which muscle would be considered overactive shortened leading to knee dominance during the overhead squat assessment?Which muscle would be considered overactive/shortened, leading to knee dominance during the overhead squat assessment? Quadriceps Complex.
|