Training Tips for Better Posture, Fewer Injuries
Monday, March 16, 2009
Have you ever seen those people in the gym that train their chest but nothing else or train chest & biceps but never train their legs (guys, I hate to say but this is you!). Then there are the people that work the quads (front of legs) but never train their hamstrings (upper back of leg).
Listen, you need to train opposing muscle groups or you are either going to be "out of whack" in terms of muscle & alignment and/or you are going to injure yourself. For example, people that do tons of abdominal/core exercises but never train their back or vice versa. Training one & not the other can lead to either a sway back or you being hunched over. In addition, the imbalance can lead to injury & at times bad injuries. So, train your chest & back, your biceps & triceps, your quadriceps and hamstrings (working one & not the other can lead to knee problems at the very least!) and work your core! I am not saying that you have to spend hours in the gym, but you do need to pay attention to NOT overworking one muscle group over another. Yes, if you have a weaker muscle group, pay attention to that but do NOT ignore a complete muscle group. Don't forget to work on flexibility as well.
Saying that, I did want to reference an article from Oxygen Women's Fitness, 10 Surprising Things That Cause Back Pain. This is another step in helping you remain healthy. A strong back/core is extremely important. How many people do you know that have been "down & out" due to back pain. A LOT!!!!!! Some things discussed in the article about how to reduce back pain are how to sit with your feet flat on the floor & knees slightly lower than your hips, stress, your mattress, bad posture and much more. Read the article at the link above but also train you back & core to prevent injury. Some exercises you can do at home (with doctor approval of course if you have any ongoing problems or back conditions) are: Superman, Birddog, back extension. See the links below for more info on how to do these exercises.
Superman
Back Extension
Back Extension on Ball
Birddog
Have you ever seen those people in the gym that train their chest but nothing else or train chest & biceps but never train their legs (guys, I hate to say but this is you!). Then there are the people that work the quads (front of legs) but never train their hamstrings (upper back of leg).Listen, you need to train opposing muscle groups or you are either going to be "out of whack" in terms of muscle & alignment and/or you are going to injure yourself. For example, people that do tons of abdominal/core exercises but never train their back or vice versa. Training one & not the other can lead to either a sway back or you being hunched over. In addition, the imbalance can lead to injury & at times bad injuries. So, train your chest & back, your biceps & triceps, your quadriceps and hamstrings (working one & not the other can lead to knee problems at the very least!) and work your core! I am not saying that you have to spend hours in the gym, but you do need to pay attention to NOT overworking one muscle group over another. Yes, if you have a weaker muscle group, pay attention to that but do NOT ignore a complete muscle group. Don't forget to work on flexibility as well.
Saying that, I did want to reference an article from Oxygen Women's Fitness, 10 Surprising Things That Cause Back Pain. This is another step in helping you remain healthy. A strong back/core is extremely important. How many people do you know that have been "down & out" due to back pain. A LOT!!!!!! Some things discussed in the article about how to reduce back pain are how to sit with your feet flat on the floor & knees slightly lower than your hips, stress, your mattress, bad posture and much more. Read the article at the link above but also train you back & core to prevent injury. Some exercises you can do at home (with doctor approval of course if you have any ongoing problems or back conditions) are: Superman, Birddog, back extension. See the links below for more info on how to do these exercises.
Superman
Back Extension
Back Extension on Ball
Birddog
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