You’re hooked on spin classes to craft toned legs and a trim waist. But there’s this burning sensation under your left knee getting worse each class, to the point where last week you had to stop and now you’re worried about weight gain and how you’ll get into your swimsuit.
Though not made of metal or plastic, we are essentially biological machines, and movement breaks down our parts. Like a mechanical car service, we too need ‘maintenance’ practices that keep our biomechanics tip-top.
This used to mean just casual stretching. However, it’s now a little more technical or ‘sciency’, and termed corrective exercise. Formerly only done at the physio after injury, it’s now standard fitness practice used to not only prevent problems but also to enhance performance. Corrective exercise can be extremely detailed and employ many modalities, but adding these simple elements to a workout covers the basics:
Warming up vs pre-exercise stretching
Recent expert opinion has moved away from static stretching before exercise and towards a gradual and active warm-up period incorporating dynamic stretches. It reveals that statically stretching a healthy muscle prior to exercising doesn’t prevent injury or soreness.
As muscles are made of bundles of tiny fibres, typical exercise-related muscle strain causes these to develop microscopic tears. Although it seems logical that stretching before exercise should make muscles more pliable and less likely to tear, studies have compared rates of injury or muscle soreness in people who do static stretches before exercise and those who don’t, they have found little benefit to this type of stretching. In fact, stretching a cold, tight muscle could lead to injury.
A brief warm-up to get the blood flowing to your major muscle groups and loosen your joints is believed to reduce the chance of injury. For example, instead of launching immediately into a brisk bike ride, spend five to 10 minutes taking a leisurely roll with a light load, and then increase the intensity gradually. Incorporating dynamic stretches that consist of active movements that send muscles and joints through their full range of motion will ensure your joints, muscles and heart respond to the increased demands of exercise.
Myofascial massage
This involves applying pressure to knotty bits or ‘trigger points’ so joints can flow freely. You may have noticed people in the gym rolling on foam cylinders. Myofascial massage can also be performed with just a tennis ball or your own hands, as well as a massage therapist.
Movement training
This is exercise focused on making muscles the right strength (very much interrelated with flexibility). Aside from specific movement training programs, many Pilates and gym exercises with emphasis on precise movement sequences are great for this end. Awareness of good dynamic postural habits during daily life is also very helpful.
These three pursuits require professional know-how, so its wise to consult someone who can assess muscle imbalances and prescribe exactly what you need. Physiotherapists, exercise physiologists/scientists and a small percentage of personal trainers can help.
But why do corrective exercise? Every muscle has a role and works as part of a team. A healthy muscle has an optimal strength and length. Exercise and everyday motion habits like how we sit and walk affect the length and strength of our muscles. Some become short, weak, too strong, and so on – in effect, they stop doing their job properly and upset the function of the team. Corrective exercise restores the intricate physical balance.
Post-exercise stretching
Stretching should be specific and targeted, not performed half asleep. Stretching ironically feels quite good – although rarely good enough to not be a chore. But, like brushing your teeth after a meal, it has to be done. Despite evolving, for most people it’s burdened by old myths such as stretching after a hard workout wont prevent soreness, or that holding one longer than 30 seconds doesn’t increase effectiveness? Current flavour is to ‘stretch movement, not muscles’ via smooth dynamic actions, rather than holding static ones.
So, how does this help me look better in jeans, you ask? Well, back to the spin class. Bike and running type activities can make the hip flexors and outer legs too strong, altering normal hip-knee alignment and causing a cycle of aggravated knee bits and lazy butt muscles. By keeping up a maintenance program alongside the spin class, you would most likely have warmed up, stretched and ‘foam rolled’ them to retain normal length and performed specific exercises to keep the butt muscles strong. Happy knees equals a happy spin class addict!
Sometimes it’s as simple as that example, other times it’s a real puzzle. Even fitness pros are on a constant journey, unravelling their own movement malfunctions. Corrective exercise, like understanding computers, gets better over time with practice and accumulation of skills. It can be the antidote to seesawing workout results and lead to sustainable, lasting fitness.
