Self Check for Muscle Imbalances
Muscle Imbalance
In my line of work, I see people on a regular basis that appear to be in good, sometimes even great shape. But upon closer inspection, they display major muscle imbalances. Why should you care about muscle imbalances? Because they can prevent you from making the most of your workout or worse, they may lead to serious injury if not corrected. An easy way to diagnose a multitude of problems is with a simple squat test you can do at home.
To begin, take off your shoes as the test is performed barefoot. Now stand in front of a full length mirror if you have one, or ask your spouse or a friend to snap some photos of you on their phone. You will perform 5 squats with your front to the mirror or the phone, 5 from the side, and 5 from behind. Your goal is to attempt to squat to the height of an average chair, and in turn you will get some basic insights.
The Test:
- Start with your feet about shoulder width apart and pointing straight forward
- Arms overhead with your elbows straight and next to your ears
- Palms facing forward
- Squat 5 times viewing from the front, then the side, then from behind
Squat Test to reveal muscle imbalance
What do the Results Say?
Upper body – Now take a look at your results, what do you see? If you can’t keep your arms straight or they fall forward, this means your lats (your back) and chest are tight, while your traps and rotator cuffs are weak. And is your low back arching excessively? Your lats are most likely tight and your core weak. If your low back rounds, your hamstrings (back of upper legs) are tight and your core is weak.
Legs – What about your knees? Are they pointing outward or towards one another? If outward, your hip rotators (Piriformis muscles) are tight and your inner thighs (adductors) are weak. Pointing inward? Your inner thighs are tight and your outer leg muscles are weak. Heels coming off the ground? Your calves are most likely overly tight and your shins (anterior tibialis) muscles need to be strengthened.
Muscle imbalances occur for a number of reasons. Often times it’s a result of simply not stretching. Or it’s due to working to build one body part while neglecting the opposing muscle group. Think of the guy you see at the gym always pressing because he wants a bigger chest while neglecting his back. This is common since the back isn’t what you see when you look in the mirror.
The main take away is just take the test and if you see some problems, address them before the issue gets worse. And if you have problems performing the test correctly, just contact me. I’m happy to help. You can come in for a free Movement Screening (squat test), or call me with your results from your own test if you need help interpreting them. Live life to the optimum!
Melissa
OptimumCondition.com
(619) 252-4993
Empowering people through fitness, education, and coaching
