Having been in the business of physical training with both athletes and the general population now for over 10 years I have noticed a common trend which presents a problem in most folks within 3 different areas.
You see when performing most feats of human activity you have got to be able to manipulate and control your body in certain ways in order to lift, move, and control both your own body resistance and an external load as well.
I have found that these movements or lack thereof primarily boil down to 3 different problem areas.
Keep on reading if I have your attention.
3 Muscular Function Problem Areas: Problem Area #1: Packing The Shoulders: This is something of a tricky thing with a lot of folks.
It seems like a lot of people tend to have a lot shoulder issues due to both not training properly and not learning how to protect the shoulders during certain activities.
This usually becomes apparent when seeing them press a weight overhead or out in front of them.
I want to give you a visual on this.
Imagine pressing a weight overhead.
Now think about the position of your shoulder joint.
Is it extended "out of the socket?" Does it feel unstable? If so then you are not pulling the shoulder into the joint or "packing it" the way you should when performing certain upper body movements.
Elevating the shoulder girdle should only be done when performing some sort of specific "pulling action" such as a barbell clean or power shrug.
As far as pressing a weight overhead you need to make sure that you are almost depressing the shoulder, and not elevating it during the process.
Otherwise you are leaving the joint vulnerable and subject to injury.
Problem Area #2: The Pelvic Tilt: The pelvic tilt is something that a lot of folks fail to do when having to support their body during times of stress.
You see if I have noticed one thing its that a lot of control and power from our body comes from the hips.
Being able to engage our hips during certain movements and actions is imperative if we expect to have stability and control over ourselves during certain physical acts.
The pelvic tilt, for example, is essential when performing a kettlebell press or one arm push up.
I am using these extreme examples to drive home the point that when performing them both you have got to maintain a very straight rigid body.
For some reason or another a lot people can't "feel" or "perform" this when having to keep both their knees extended and locked along with their hips.
They either lock their knees and maintain flexion at the hip, or just have a difficult time fully extending the hips altogether due to having tight hip flexors.
Now when performing a one arm push up or a true overhead kettlebell military press there has to be a full extension of the hips and the knees.
Tucking the tailbone while tightening the glutes is an essential action if you expect to maintain rigidity and support, especially during certain acts as described here.
Problem Area #3: The "Get Your Butt Back" or Hinge: Once again I am looking at hip action with this example too.
I remember hearing from my coaches growing up to "get your butt back" when performing squats.
Getting your "butt back" or hinging at the hips when performing certain acts as squatting, cleaning, or dead lifting is essential, yet this is one of the biggest physical struggles I witness among both athletes and your average "Joe.
" Most every time people can't do this while maintaining a straight back.
Hinging at the hips is an action that most folks have to retrain their body to do due to a lack of body control and poor habits from sitting in a crouched position all the time.
When having someone demonstrate a body weight squat for the first time its as if they want to do everything, but what I'm hoping they will do.
This particular example is crucial in every realm of athletic performance because you have got to have your hips in order to run, jump, block, tackle, dunk, and kick! All of these physical acts are determined by how much hip drive an athlete has in order to be effective within his or her sport.
Learning how to properly perform hip flexion while maintaining a flat back is crucial.
This is something that can be corrected by using a simple broom stick to place along the spine.
I often use this on someone when I demonstrate to them the act of maintaining a flat back during this particular activity.
If they start to slouch or round the shoulders the stick will quickly expose it.
Another tactic I use is setting a chair or bench behind the person.
From here I have them interlock their fingers behind their head and tell them to point their elbows out to their sides.
Once they descend into the squat to touch their rear to the chair or bench they cannot round their back or slouch because the shoulder blades are forced into the proper pattern of retraction.
After practicing this for a while they can eventually continue this without having to place their hands behind their head.
Its about smart training my friend!