Do you ever hear this term in relation to exercise? Are you totally sure on what it means?
Most people will think about having one side stronger than the other, which is true, that is an imbalance but I'm thinking of a different kind which can have a far bigger impact on your fitness journey and it's really important to me that I help you to understand how essential it is to address them.
Our bodies are amazing things, with very little conscious effort from us they create movement and if the main muscle designed for that movement isn't able to do it for whatever reason, then it finds another way around it! Which is incredible!
The downside to this is that we can then end up with an altered way of moving where our body has adapted in a way that is likely to leave us open to injury.
I can use myself as a good example of this: I had a desk job for years, which meant a lot of sitting down (as I imagine most people do nowadays), I also did a lot of long distance running which ultimately resulted in a torn hamstring and put me out for a frustratingly long time.
This happened because I had developed tight hip flexors (thighs) and under-active glutes (bum) from spending so much time sat down. When you're running the main muscle group for making it happen is your glutes, however if they're under-active they aren't able to perform the movement effectively, meaning that your body adapts and find another way to get you to run, so it uses your hamstrings instead (top of the backs of your legs). The problem with this is because your hamstrings aren't designed to perform this movement the risk of injury is far greater, hence my tear!
Another example is if the insides of your thighs are tight (adductors), this pulls your legs in when you do things like squats, putting strain on your knee & leaving it vulnerable to injury.
So why am I telling you this? Because I feel very passionate about ensuring everyone trains as safely a possible, that way you will be able to realise the full benefit of activity, which means you are likely to enjoy it more and less likely to 'fall of the wagon' because you've experienced an injury.
It may not be immediately obvious that you have an imbalance until you develop an injury related to it, happily there are many great trainers out there who will help you identify and fix any you may have developed 🙂🙌.
What this means when working specifically with me, is that when I have a new client, I will have a look at how their body moves and design a programme which addresses any imbalances and strengthens the areas that need it. Depending on how often we train and your age, most imbalances are ironed out or vastly improved after 4 - 6 weeks and we will continue working to keep your body strong and in balance the whole time 🙂💪.
If you would like any advice or have any concerns, please feel free to just ping me a message and I will happily help.
C xx
Photo credit @clickchi
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