Dealing With Muscle Imbalances
Good Morning! Aren’t you glad it’s Monday? Another week full of endless possibilities. I hope this weekend was enough time for you to recharge. Today I wanted to continue a bit on the topic we covered last Friday. We talked about tips to improve your running form but today I want to touch on muscle imbalances. Who knew that running was such a complicated sport?! Muscle imbalances are a thing that happens to everyone. With a busy schedule, it’s easy to skip through warm ups and cool downs and stick to only running. However, by focusing on a certain group of muscles over and over, you’re putting yourself in risk of injury. Even if you haven’t been injured at this point, I would think about adding strength training to your routine to work out those weaker muscles.
So how do muscle imbalances happen? Well, it’s due to overuse of the same muscles over and over again. Most people fall under the category of doing one workout and sticking to it “because it works”. However, we also live in a world where sedentary lifestyles are very common. I used to cycle multiple times a week and hardly did any stretching afterwards. I also sat at a desk multiple hours a day for work. Soon after I started getting these crazy shooting pains in my hip and quads. Turns out I wasn’t cycling correctly and not using my hamstrings and glutes enough. I had developed a muscle imbalance due to improper cycling and recovery methods. Let me tell you that the physical therapy and the “massage” (i.e. torture) I had to receive to break up the adhesion was more than enough to traumatize me for LIFE.
There’s nothing wrong with liking one type of exercise than another. You just have to be smart about it and compliment it with some strength training and stretching. If running is your jam, you want to make sure ALL of your leg muscles are strong so you can become an efficient runner. This means, doing leg workouts, pylometric exercises, and drills. Essentially “wake up” your legs so they are firing at all cylinders when it’s time to run. Core work is also important too. Having a strong core will benefit you as you go on longer runs. It’s all connected so it’s important not leave it out! Much of your core is engage while you run to keep your hips in line and legs moving.
If you don’t know where to start, I would recommend taking stock of your current fitness regiment. Does it look like you’re doing nothing but running? Are you favoring a arms or legs more? Then start small, start doing different types of workouts. If you’re a runner, try yoga. There is enough upper body and core work required that will benefit you in the long run. If yoga isn’t your jam, try introducing some weight lifting to your workout schedule. Whatever it is, just make sure you are consistently targeting different body parts throughout the week to get more bang for your buck!
Have you ever had to deal with muscle imbalances?
