Our last article—Movement Quality: The Backbone of Athletic Success—identified the importance of training to enhance movement quality, including the development of both the mobility (or flexibility) of the body and the control of that mobility (stability or strength). An astute follow-up question is: Can exercise hinder Movement Quality? The answer is an unequivocal YES. Exercise is a form of stress to the body. Effective, productive exercise is beneficial stress—stress that elicits positive adaptation. Poorly executed or excessive exercise can stress the body in non-beneficial ways, causing negative or unproductive adaptations.
On any given beautiful day, dozens of runners can be seen up and down the streets or trails. Some look fluid and balanced, with symmetrical running form that reminds you of a gazelle. Others are unbalanced, with asymmetrical body positions and jarring landings on misaligned joints. The stresses these runners place on their bodies are clearly not equally beneficial, and sooner or later negative or unproductive adaptations may follow. These adaptations may include tightening of certain soft tissues, irritation of joints and connective tissues, or other changes that can contribute to pain or common overuse injuries such as shin splints, plantar fasciitis, or stress fractures. It’s a shame that these runners, while admirably trying to improve their health through running, may in some cases be doing themselves more harm than good.
It is not only improper exercise that can have negative consequences. Sometimes, simply doing too much of a good thing can cause undesirable adaptations. For example, a cyclist who rides for hours every day sustains spinal flexion and shortened hip flexors day in and day out. Some of the wiser cyclists may try to counter the effects of hours on the bike by spending time stretching tissues that are held in shortened positions and strengthening specific muscle groups that help extend the body into better posture.
Of course, what one considers a positive adaptation depends on one’s goals. A bodybuilder would consider increased muscle mass a desired adaptation, whereas a marathon runner might want to avoid excessive muscle mass. The adaptations a powerlifter seeks are certainly different from those sought by a ballet dancer. The ballet dancer wants the strength and power to lift, jump, and land, but also needs the flexibility, coordination, and endurance to move gracefully throughout an entire performance. There are probably few, if any, powerlifters who have the grace, flexibility, and muscular endurance to perform a ballet—nor would many even care to do so.
The powerlifter’s primary goal is to squat, dead lift, and bench press as much weight as possible for a single repetition. The training a powerlifter employs includes lifting extremely heavy loads. The resulting adaptations include not only the ability to lift incredible amounts of weight, but also a tremendous degree of stability. This extreme stability is valuable to the powerlifter because it helps him or her handle those enormous loads. However, as the powerlifter’s body develops greater stability, it may also become less flexible, agile, or free to move in other ways. Hence, the term “muscle-bound” is not without merit.
Does this mean that football players, who may also use heavy squats, dead lifts, and bench presses in their training, should not do so? No. However, the football player should be mindful of the possibility that training overly focused on powerlifting exercises could come at the expense of the ability to move quickly and efficiently in multiple directions on the field. He or she would be wise to include agility and multidirectional strength training in the overall strength and conditioning plan.
In a similar spirit, a vital consideration for a novice exerciser embarking on a new exercise program is ensuring that the program is tailored to his or her individual circumstances. A common example would be an executive who sits all day, excitedly coming in on her first day and hopping on an elliptical or upright bike for 15 minutes, followed by a few sets of push-ups, crunches, and leg presses. That may seem like a perfectly reasonable first workout—unless she comes in with rounded shoulders and significant differences in the mobility and strength of her hips, which are extremely common. Those push-ups and crunches could potentially reinforce poor movement patterns, while the fixed movement patterns of the leg press and cardio machines may place unwanted stress on her lower back if her hips and legs move asymmetrically. A program tailored to enhancing her Movement Quality while still working her intensely enough to improve fitness could help prevent irritation and inflammation and, more importantly, prevent further deterioration of her Movement Quality.
It is important to recognize that the stress of exercise can have both positive and negative effects on the muscles, joints, ligaments, and bones. At 1TO1 FITNESS, our highly educated trainers can plan, demonstrate, and teach you which exercises are most appropriate for your individual body and fitness goals.