The average person doesn’t think much about “corrective
exercise.” From couch potatoes to Cross-Fitters, most people don’t think they
need it, despite having occasional, if not chronic, aches and pains. No, they just
work around them, strategically avoiding routine movements that now,
inexplicably to them, cause pain. Back pain, knee pain, shoulder restrictions,
plantar fasciitis, some type of surgery. If you’re over 30, you’ve probably
experienced at least one of those. Even if you haven’t, you’re finding that you’ve
lost the power you had 10 or 15 years ago. You don’t move like you used to.
Your gait is kind of funky now. Your upper back is getting a little hunched. And,
when you look in the mirror, you’re starting to see glimpses of, GASP, your parents!
So, if you’re
suffering from any of the above, what are you doing to correct it? How can you
treat a symptom if you don’t know the cause?
I just celebrated my
48th birthday, which might be old to a couple of you out there, but
I feel better than I did at 28. I firmly believe age is just a number. I often come
across people 5 or 10 years younger than me that claim they can’t do something
because they’re “old.” Say that enough, believe it and it will be so. It’s a
self-fulfilling prophesy. An old mindset oftentimes precedes an old body.
What’s sparked this age-related post? No, not my birthday so
much. It’s what I’ve been reading. I’m studying for another certification, the
Corrective Exercise Specialist. Most certifications touch upon the material in
this National Academy of Sports Medicine textbook, but the CES goes in-depth into
postural alignment, joint mobility, muscular imbalances, pain, injury and
overall dysfunction. To most people - even a lot of trainers - it’s boring
stuff. But I love it. It breaks down movement to its most basic elements and
takes a real diagnostic look at the body; how it functions, how it malfunctions
and how to restore it. I’ll spare you most of the wordy, technical jargon, but
here’s a quote that I think sums up the rationale for corrective training.
“If one component in the human movement system is out of
alignment, it creates predictable patterns of tissue overload and dysfunction,
which leads to decreased neuromuscular control and microtrauma, and initiates
the cumulative injury cycle. The cumulative injury cycle causes decreased
performance, myofascial adhesions (which further alter length-tension
relationships and joint arthrokinematics) and eventually injury,” the textbook
says. Got that?
So all of that is just a fancy way of saying when your
movement is altered or restricted in any way (due to muscle tightness, muscle weakness,
joint restriction, scar tissue from surgery, etc.), the body will compensate
and it’s going to result in a domino effect of imbalance, discomfort, pain and injury.
The body and all of its muscles and joints are interconnected. Let me put that
textbook quote in more relatable terms using a couple of different analogies. Think
of your body as a quilt. Any pull in the yarn is going to cause a ripple
throughout and with each successive pull on that loose string, the fabric bunches
up, loses its shape and becomes more distorted.
Or think of the body and the kinetic chain, as just that, a
chain. Remember when that chain on your bicycle got a kink in that link? Didn’t
make for a smooth ride, did it? You had to fix it. Or, imagine your body as a
car. Your tires need a balance and alignment. But you ignore that and keep
riding. What happens? Your car subtly starts to veer. Your tires start to wear
unevenly causing greater misalignment. At higher speeds, you’re clutching your
vibrating steering wheel as it shimmies in your hands. It’s a rough ride. But
you just keep riding…
The body is no different. Keep riding on that bad ankle,
knee or hip without intervention. Keep lifting that weight overhead with limited
shoulder mobility leading you into excessive lumbar extension and compression
of the discs. Keep squatting with too much spinal flexion due to tight
hamstrings. Keep on with those movement
impairments and I guarantee you, you’ll end up in the breakdown lane in need of
a HERO. (Call me. I’ll be right there to help!)
Simple avoidance or the common “patch and go” approach is
not the answer. You’ve got to correct it. Yes, you want to strengthen a weak
muscle, but trying to strengthen an area that is dysfunctional (e.g. limited
joint motion, synergistic dominance: when one muscle picks up the load for a
weak muscle) is only going to compound the problem. That’s the classic case of
building a house on a faulty foundation, another favorite analogy of mine. Fix
it.
If you’re still reading, I’m guessing I haven’t bored you. A
lot of people don’t have much interest in these fundamentals, I know. It’s not
what sells. But those people fail to realize that many forms of corrective
exercise will lead to better athletic performance and improved strength. Much
of corrective training focuses on improving flexibility and range of motion, addressing
imbalances and strengthening stabilizing muscles throughout the body, thereby
making it more efficient. If you build that network of stabilizers, which
assist your prime movers, well guess what, you’re going to get stronger. Improve
your flexibility, you’re going to be capable of producing more power. Don’t
become obsessed with building the superficial mirror muscles or boosting your max
lifts without addressing imbalances and dysfunction. That is the biggest gripe that I have with
Cross-Fit or any type of high-intensity training. Cross-Fit is all the rage
right now and I understand that. The vast majority of the exercises are proven sound
and effective, and it’s done in a fun, competitive environment. But, in my
opinion, too many people doing it aren’t ready for such demanding, technical
lifts. As my favorite author and trainer Gray Cook says: take a fit, functional
person and put them on a Cross-Fit routine and you’ll turn him into Tarzan.
Take a deconditioned person and put them on Cross-Fit and you’ll turn him into
a patient.
And hey, I want to be Tarzan, too; swinging from a vine or
maybe climbing a Cross-Fit rope. I like to get after it as much as the next guy - and I do. So for me, I try to strike a balance. Because I
recognize that corrective exercise, while challenging, is not necessarily dynamic
and fun. Frankly, I wouldn’t want to work with a trainer who is so technical, methodical,
so textbook. Booooooring. So, I throw
in the slower tempo corrective before or between the high-intensity, more fun
stuff and, eventually, have the client perform corrective exercises on their
own. But first things first - you’ve got to fix it. Fix them, make them functional
- and then make them fit!
Spreading the Health!
Robert Haddocks is a certified personal trainer through the
National Strength and Conditioning Association and the National Academy of
Sports Medicine; and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (NSCA). Send
any questions or comments to robhadd@hotmail.com
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