How to correct muscle imbalance. Signs of muscle hypotonicity in infants and methods of treatment: massage, gymnastics and exercise therapy with the child


The spine affects 80% of the health of the entire body. If there are disturbances in the support column, a person’s quality of life significantly deteriorates. After 40 years, most people experience various unpleasant sensations in the back, which indicate problems with the spine.

To prevent pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, it is recommended to strengthen the spinal muscles. To maintain a healthy back, you need to perform a special set of exercises. How to do it correctly and which exercises are suitable for the muscles must be determined by a specialist. After mastering the necessary knowledge, classes can be performed at home.

Why strengthen your back muscles?

Muscle tissues are attached to the vertebral segments. They help keep the spine vertical and make it possible to perform bending, turning, twisting and other movements. A strong muscle corset helps to activate metabolic processes in tissues.

If the muscles are not strengthened, intervertebral discs gradually begin to progress. Develops, and subsequently appear. Thanks to exercises that strengthen the spinal muscles, the spine becomes more resistant to increased stress.

The spinal cord is located in the spinal column, the nerve endings of which are interconnected with the muscles and internal organs. If the back muscles are weak, compression of the discs occurs in some segments of the spine. Their elasticity is lost, which leads to poor lubrication of the ligamentous elements of the spinal column, abrasion of cartilage tissue and the growth of bone growths around the vertebrae.

Weak back muscles accelerate the progression of congenital or acquired disorders (,). If you don't strengthen your muscles, they weaken even more and lose their functionality. Regular exercises at home prevent the occurrence, help avoid injuries, normalize blood circulation, and improve the condition of the body as a whole.

General principles of exercises

Exercise therapy cannot be performed if you have the following problems:

  • severe pain;
  • spinal column injuries;
  • acute period of chronic diseases;
  • bleeding;
  • with caution in diseases of the kidneys and cardiovascular system.

Principles of therapeutic exercises:

  • You need to start classes slowly. Increase the intensity of the loads gradually.
  • Do not make sudden movements or jerks. This can cause muscle strain and tearing.
  • Perform the exercises strictly according to the instructions. It is important to specifically use weak muscles in the process, and if there is tension, they need to be relaxed.
  • The optimal number of classes is 3-4 times a week. Gradually increase the number of approaches of each exercise.
  • Watch your breathing. You need to perform each exercise while inhaling, exhaling to finish it.
  • You need to develop the habit of doing exercises systematically.
  • Control your feelings while doing exercises. If pain, weakness, or nausea appears, you need to stop the exercise.
  • Choose clothes for classes from natural fabrics, light, elastic. It should not hinder body movements.

Important! Before you begin physical therapy exercises, you need to study its main principles and make sure there are no contraindications. If you do gymnastics inappropriately, you can cause the condition to worsen and cause pain.

Effective exercises to strengthen muscles

It is better if gymnastics is performed under the supervision of a professional in the gym. But not everyone has the opportunity and time for this. Therefore, a set of exercises can be performed at home. If you have back pain, then independent exercise can only do harm. In this case, you cannot do without the help of a specialist.

Exercise therapy is aimed at strengthening the rhomboid and latissimus dorsi muscles. They provide maximum support to the spine. The remaining muscles do not play a significant role in the prevention of back pain.

Warm-up

To increase blood flow to the muscles and saturate them with oxygen, each session should begin with a warm-up. This will help prevent stretching and tearing of muscle fibers and make them more elastic. The duration of the warm-up should be about 5 minutes.

30 seconds are allotted for each exercise (2 sets of 5 times):

  • Stand up straight, muscles relaxed. Take a deep breath and exhale.
  • Slowly tilt your head forward, backward, right, left.
  • Rotate your shoulders back and forth, lower them down, lift them up.
  • Perform springy swings with your arms in different directions.
  • Swing your arms while turning your torso 180 degrees.
  • Bend forward, your fingertips should touch the floor.
  • Inhale, raising your arms up, and as you exhale, lower them.

Stretching the support pillar

A set of such exercises is necessary to prevent compression of the nerve roots and to relax the muscles. In addition, after warming up, stretching is the basis for preparing muscle tissue for loads.

Gymnastics:

  • Lie on your stomach. Stretch back as far as possible, leaning on your hands (they should be at chest level).
  • Stand 1 m from the wall, facing it. Raise your hands and look at them. Then straighten your arms, resting as much as possible against the wall, legs straight. The tension in the vertebrae should be felt. Bring your chest and chin closer to the wall.
  • Sit on a chair with your hands under your knees. Tilt your head forward to feel the tension in your neck muscles. The shoulder blades stretch towards the ceiling.
  • If you have a wall bars at home, you can hang on it for 1-2 minutes.
  • Lying on your back, raise your arms. At the same time, stretch your arms and legs in opposite directions. Hold for a couple of seconds. Then relax.
  • Sitting on a soft rug, bend your knees, press them to your body and clasp your arms. Press your chin to your knees. Make smooth rolls on your back in the direction from the tailbone to the occipital region.

Exercise therapy for scoliosis

On the page, read about how to correct left-sided scoliosis of the thoracic spine.

Strength training

Rules for performing strength exercises:

  • Standing on all fours, pull your left knee to your elbow on the opposite side, round your spine and exhale. Stretch your arm and leg, bend over and inhale. Do the same with the other leg and arm. Tight back muscles must maintain balance.
  • Lying on your stomach, your legs are straight and pressed together. Place your right hand on the back of your head, and straighten your left hand to the side. Raise the upper part of the body, reaching the back of the head towards the top. Feet should be pressed to the floor. Repeat this on the other side.
  • Lie on a hard couch so that your pelvis and legs hang from it. Grasp the sides of the couch with your hands and slowly raise your straight legs so that they form a parallel line with the floor. Hold this for a few seconds and lower your legs.

With dumbbells

Rules for performing gymnastics with dumbbells:

  • Lie with your stomach down. Hold dumbbells in your hands, straighten them forward. Then lift your hands off the floor a little and move them back. Feet slightly off the floor.
  • Stand up straight, arms with dumbbells down. Gradually pull your shoulders up and down. Only the muscles of the back and neck should be involved in the exercise.
  • Bend your torso parallel to the floor. Hands with dumbbells are slightly bent at the elbows. Pull your arms up and spread to the sides. The exercise is especially effective for strengthening the muscles of the thoracic region.

You can strengthen your back muscles at home without using special exercise equipment. The main thing is that classes are regular and carried out in accordance with the requirements. Therapeutic gymnastics will help strengthen the muscle corset, improve blood circulation in the vertebral structures, and prevent the progression of pathological processes.

Video - a set of exercises to strengthen the muscle corset at home:

After a good shake, such a house will completely crumble. Without appropriate load, muscles atrophy. This happens unnoticed, but with a consistency that is frightening. How to strengthen your back muscles?

Anatomy of the human back muscles and their role in the functioning of the spine

As you know, the back has internal and external muscles. External ones look impressive if they are pumped up with the help of sports activities. However, they do not support the spine. This work is performed by the internal muscular system, which is attached to the vertebrae and maintains them in a fixed position.

What does a “sedentary” lifestyle lead to?

It would seem that the so-called “sedentary” lifestyle is a natural result of the development of human civilization. Now all the necessary information can be found on the Internet, all work can often be done on a laptop. You can also relax there, immersing yourself in the world of virtual reality. The development of the transport network has become so global that a person practically does not even need ordinary walking. And everything would be fine, but the human body, created for movement, simply atrophies from such a lifestyle. The spine is the first to suffer.

If you constantly sit at a computer, the very first consequences will be deterioration of posture and chronic back pain between the shoulder blades. Over time, all this can result in osteochondrosis. The internal back muscles, which create the muscular frame around the spine, relax and deprive the back of the necessary support, and over time they completely atrophy.

What are the dangers of poor posture and muscle imbalances for the spine?

Few people know that stooping not only leads to back pain and greatly spoils your appearance and figure, but can also cause a variety of diseases, including high blood pressure, flatulence and even depression. The thing is that with incorrect posture, internal organs are displaced. They begin to occupy a position that is not natural for them.

Muscle imbalance manifests itself mainly in the fact that some back muscles are constantly tense, while others are overly relaxed and underdeveloped.

Muscle tension usually occurs as a result of stress. A person who has a lot of muscle tension, over time, begins to behave stiffly, tensely, even his speech becomes strangled. Such a person is often unsure of himself, as if placed in some kind of framework. Many people who go in for sports, dancing, and yoga note that after training their self-confidence has increased, their gait has become more beautiful, and their movements have become more graceful. Thus, many psychological problems can be overcome only by regularly exercising your body.

As a rule, one arm and its muscles are more developed than the other. In appearance, the spine looks straight, but the load in the thoracic region is distributed unevenly. Therefore, working on the spine should be a normal element of life for every person.

Muscle imbalance is harmful due to distortions of the spine, disruption of its normal position and the normal natural position of internal organs, which is fraught with malfunctions in their work and a variety of ailments. The spine has long been called the pillar of life, which indicates its priority importance in maintaining health.

Strong abdominal muscles are an important aid to the spine

Often, for problems with the spine, doctors recommend strengthening the abdominal muscles even more than the muscles of the back itself. From behind, our body is supported in an upright position by the spinal muscles, and in front they are balanced by the abdominal muscles. The back muscles help you lean back, and the abdominal muscles help you lean forward. At the same time, they pull the chest towards the pelvis. The obliques help you bend to the sides.

As you know, the abdominal muscles help stabilize the position of the spine. If the abdominal muscles are weakened as a result of excess weight, a sedentary lifestyle, pregnancy and other reasons, then this is fraught with stiffness of the lumbar spine. It simply cannot withstand the loads that press on the spine from above. People who are characterized by problems of this kind often have a sagging stomach and an unnaturally strong arch in the lumbar region.

By exercising your abdominal muscles, you will not only acquire a beautiful flat stomach, but also become the owner of beautiful posture, a more beautiful and confident gait and a good mood.

How to strengthen your back muscles?

Exercise to strengthen back muscles

So, how can you strengthen your back muscles? If you haven’t played sports for a long time, then you can start with a simple set of exercises for the back muscles, which each of us has known since school. The main thing here is not to go too far. Loads must be strictly dosed and gradual. Otherwise, you will simply pull something on yourself, damage your muscles and ligaments, and instead of doing any good, you will further worsen your health.

Yoga - gymnastics to strengthen back muscles

Yoga is popular both among those who are engaged in their spiritual development and among those who suffer from chronic diseases.

Yoga asanas perfectly cure osteochondrosis and other chronic problems with the spine. Asanas will perfectly strengthen the muscular frame of the spine and its ligaments. Yoga is a priority because there are no sudden or too heavy loads.

An experienced instructor will always tell you that the asana should, first of all, be comfortable. That is, the degree of its implementation should correspond to your current level. The level increases gradually over months or even years of constant training.

Yoga will improve blood supply to the spinal muscles, restore the elasticity of ligaments and tendons, relieve tension between the vertebrae, and strengthen muscles.

Yoga is also good because it does not have side effects like drug treatment, it helps to activate metabolic processes and restores the functioning of the body as a whole. Yoga effectively relieves stress, chronic fatigue, and relieves depression. Classes are available to people of any age. If you do not have the opportunity to go to a fitness center, you can easily exercise at home. Today you can find many video lessons with complexes for beginners.

Stretching

As you know, stretching is stretching. Additional stretching classes are practiced by dancers, gymnasts, those involved in martial arts and various sports. There are many exercises to stretch your back muscles.

Stretching will help develop the muscular frame of the spine, make the ligaments more elastic, make the spine more mobile and resilient, relieve muscle tension, relieve tension in the back muscles, restore the natural position of the spinal column, and achieve beautiful posture. Often, with regular stretching exercises, an increase in growth is observed. This increase can be from 1 cm to 10 cm. Yes, exactly 10 cm of “extra” height is often hidden in our posture spoiled by a sedentary lifestyle.

Swimming

Swimming is incredibly effective for spinal curvatures, postural defects, and allows you to strengthen your back muscles with osteochondrosis, spondylosis, spondyloarthrosis and other diseases.

As is known from Archimedes' law, in water the human body loses as many kg as the weight of the liquid it displaces. As a result, a person weighing 70 kg will weigh only about 3 kg in water. Therefore, water is almost a state of weightlessness. In water, the spine is unloaded, and the intervertebral discs are straightened.

How to strengthen your back muscles with simple exercises at home, watch the video:

I work a lot on the computer. So the lifestyle is just sedentary. Thank God, there is no back pain yet. But I began to notice the stoop. And it’s better to take care of your health than to undergo treatment later.

So it's time to start doing at least basic exercises. And I’ve been planning to sign up for the pool for a long time. It turns out it’s also good for your back.

The article says that the abdominal muscles need to be strengthened no less than the back muscles. I completely agree with this, as I was convinced of this by my own example. After giving birth, I gained quite a bit of weight, especially in the abdominal area. Frequent back pain began to appear. I turned to a specialist for help, and he advised me to pay more attention to sports and follow a diet. But what struck me most was that indeed, when the abdominal muscles strengthened after physical activity, the back pain completely disappeared...

There is only one reason – the spine.”

All materials on the site are for informational purposes only.

Starting from school age, children have to spend quite a long time sitting at a desk.

Weak back muscles in a child lead to poor posture and, in the future, to the development of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. With the help of a special set of exercises, you can prevent negative health consequences.

Physical training at an early age

Preparation for school should be not only mental, but also physical. It is physical health that helps you study well and remember new material better.

Preparation should begin from birth. It is before the age of 1 year that children develop a muscle corset, which then continues to develop.

Scoliosis develops during school years. At this time, children spend most of the day studying, and their fragile backs are constantly exposed to stress from a heavy briefcase.

Even before school, you should think about it and start studying. Can:

  • take to the pool starting from 5 months;
  • from the age of three go to dancing and gymnastics;
  • study at home.

If a wall bars are installed at home, you can start practicing on it from 8 months, the same goes for exercising on a fitball.

Exercising on a gymnastic ball is quite simple. You can start from the very birth of the baby, laying it on the tummy and back and rocking it slightly.

The advantages of such exercises are that in addition to strengthening the muscular corset, the vestibular apparatus develops. The amplitude of the swings gradually increases, and then other exercises are added.

Exercises on a gymnastic ball from birth

Starting at birth, place the baby on his tummy and then on his back on a ball, rocking him up and down, from side to side. Gradually increase the range of motion.

From three months, when rocking, bend and straighten the legs, make circular movements, carefully grasping the two handles.

How to strengthen the back muscles at 6 months, when the baby should sit down, but a weak muscle corset does not allow him to do this? This question worries every mother who notices that her baby lags behind her peers in physical development.

Strengthening the back muscles of a 6-month-old child with a fitball begins with sitting down. Even if the baby is not yet sitting on his own, he can be seated on a fitball. In a sitting position, the baby should be rocked using springy movements.

An 8-month-old child can be allowed to reach the exercise ball with his hands to the floor or allowed to get his favorite toy. Taking the baby under the arms, you can put him on his feet and jump on the ball. Such fun will bring benefits and a lot of positive emotions.

Fitball is an indispensable thing in a house where there are children. You can use it from birth to adulthood. This is an ideal sports equipment that helps pump up muscles without much effort.

What to do if your baby has weakened muscle corset?

If a one-year-old child has weak back muscles, this is manifested by the following signs:

  • the baby cannot sit on his own;
  • does not go;
  • does not keep your back straight;
  • Doesn't hold up on its own when picked up.

Weak back muscles in a 1-year-old child are a sign of muscle hypotonia, which was not detected at the time. This condition requires treatment, which includes:

After the full course of treatment, the baby quickly catches up with his peers in physical development. The sooner hypotension is detected, the less time it will take to recover.

How to help a child with cerebral palsy?

A special set of exercises will tell you how to pump up the back muscles of a child with cerebral palsy:

  1. The baby squats down, puts his hands on the shoulders of the adult who is standing in front, and tries to kneel down.
  2. The baby is on his knees, and the adult tilts his body in all directions.
  3. An adult supports the person standing under the armpits and gently pushes him under the knees so that the patient squats.
  4. The baby sits on a chair, and the adult presses his legs firmly to the floor, pushing him forward so that the child stands up.
  5. In a lying position, the adult lifts the patient's body and rocks in different directions.
  6. The baby lies on his side, and the adult pushes him forward and back.
  7. In a sitting position, the adult turns the patient's head in different directions, who, in turn, tries to relax his neck as much as possible.

In addition, doctors prescribe amplipulse for the long back muscles. This is effective both at 6 months and at an older age to restore blood flow in damaged tissues and joints. Complex therapy will allow you to restore your health and achieve success in the fight against cerebral palsy.

Prevention of scoliosis

Since scoliosis is the most common disease of the spine, prevention should be taken care of in advance.

It is better to do this before the baby goes to school. How to strengthen your back muscles to avoid scoliosis? Recommended exercises:

  1. While lying down, pedal an imaginary bicycle.
  2. Lying on your back, lift your legs up and make cross movements, as if scissors are cutting paper.
  3. Lie on the mat, pull your legs to your chest, wrap your arms around them and roll on your back.
  4. The most ordinary bridge will help develop flexibility and take care of the health of the spine.
  5. Lying on your back, raise your legs, trying to reach the floor behind your head with your fingertips.
  6. Standing on all fours, bend and arch your back. Popularly this exercise is called “cat exercise”.
  7. Offer to walk around the room on your hands. To do this, take the baby by the legs and lead him as far as he can.
  8. Lying on his stomach, the baby clasps his ankles with his hands, making a “basket”.

This simple set of exercises is suitable for children aged three years and older. You need to do it every day, then you can forget about spinal diseases, and children will have excellent posture, good health and a good habit of playing sports.

By the way, now you can get my free e-books and courses that will help you improve your health and well-being.

>> CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE CATALOG OF FREE MATERIALS > CLICK HERE TO DISCOVER MY PROGRAMS

Denial of responsibility

The information in the articles is for general information purposes only and should not be used for self-diagnosis of health problems or for therapeutic purposes. This article is not a substitute for medical advice from a doctor (neurologist, therapist). Please consult your doctor first to know the exact cause of your health problem.

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How to strengthen your back muscles

Many of us strain our muscles all day long without even realizing it. We have weak muscles due to poor posture, which we acquire mainly at work, and this is harmful as it causes additional fatigue and physical stress. Back pain limits daily enjoyment and affects your lifestyle. It can be painful, but, one way or another, it goes away with time.

Our spine is strong and rigid - it can last at least 70 years. But the old saying that our back adds years to us faster than anything else remains true. We hope this brief introduction has convinced you of the need to “take matters into your own hands” and create a defense against this scourge of modern life.

Back pain is often the result of weak muscle tone, as the back is a place of great tension. Stress from work pressure can show up in the neck, shoulders or lower back and can be seen and felt in tight, tight muscles. We change our posture to relieve this discomfort and end up arching our back. Many of us work in a state of physical imbalance, our backs are constantly twisted in order to be more comfortable.

Back pain is not life-threatening, and therefore not much time is spent on its treatment. We ourselves must watch our own backs, constantly learning how to care for them. First of all, most people suffering from back pain vow to do something about the problem. After the pain calms down, the exercises are carried out only on enthusiasm, and when improvement appears, they are forgotten about. Only a few continue to do the exercises, and the good intentions of the rest fade into oblivion.

The most common cause of chronic back pain is that the spinal column or part of it is subjected to excessive compression, as a result of which the vertebrae are compressed downwards, moving towards each other. At the same time, the intervertebral discs lose their elasticity and shrink, the small articular surfaces close too tightly, and the edges of the vertebrae either wear out or form bone growths on them, which are called osteophytes.

Muscle dysfunction is the most common cause of spinal compression and may itself be a consequence of a sedentary lifestyle, poor posture, muscle imbalances and weak abdominal muscles.

Sedentary lifestyle

Sedentary lifestyle A sedentary lifestyle contributes to the development of chronic back pain.

If you don't give your muscles regular exercise, they lose their ability to fully contract and become weak. This means that they can no longer provide sufficient tension and do their job of working with other tissues to support the spine and keep it in the correct position. Regular light exercise is enough to keep your muscles in good shape.

Incorrect posture

Any posture that distorts the natural curves of the spine causes changes in the muscles that become permanent over time. When the natural curves of the spine are distorted, the intervertebral discs are compressed and, as a result, begin to thin out and lose elasticity. Muscles change because they work in pairs: if one muscle group contracts, the other, opposite, relaxes.

For example, if you slouch for a long time, the pectoral muscles contract and remain there, while the upper back muscles relax. Over time, the chest muscles become stronger, and the muscles of the upper back weaken, as a result of which the structure of the spine is disrupted. Your back becomes rounded and the pressure on your spine is uneven, resulting in chronic back pain.

Muscle imbalance

The ability to use both your right and left hands equally well (ambidexterity) is rare, so you are unlikely to use both hands equally. As a result, the muscles on one side of the body become more developed than the other. In some cases, such as avid tennis or squash players, due to the additional force generated by the more developed side of the body, the alignment of the vertebrae is disrupted to such an extent that when viewed from the back, a line in the shape of the letter “S” or “C” is visible. .

This is an extreme example, but even a slight difference in the development of the sides affects the condition of the thoracic spine. It may look straight, but the pressure on the vertebrae and intervertebral discs will be uneven. Over time, the discs on the more developed side will gradually flatten, the vertebrae will wear out and the small articular surfaces will close together.

Weakness of the abdominal muscles

The powerful abdominal muscles serve as a corset, holding the abdominal organs close to the spine. In normal condition, this corset takes on some of the body weight, relieving the spine and hips. However, any weakening of the abdominal muscles, which may be the result of an immobile lifestyle, excess body weight, or pregnancy, leads to an increase in the load on the lumbar spine. The result can be an excessive forward bending of this part of the spine, called lordosis, which will ultimately lead to chronic back pain.

The abdominal and back muscles must not only be flexible, but also strong to properly support the spine. Weak muscles are not able to take on their share of the loads and stresses that the back must withstand, which means that joints and ligaments that are not as well supplied with blood as muscles have to work for them.

Over time, joints and ligaments become increasingly worn out, leading to tissue damage and chronic back pain. Exercises aimed at strengthening muscles will help get rid of pain by increasing the ability of muscles to absorb stress and load, thereby making it easier for ligaments and joints.

Warm-up exercises

It is very important to warm up before starting these exercises, which is also useful to do before starting any heavy housework, such as cleaning or gardening. After completing the exercises, repeat the warm-up.

Warming up increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the muscles, tendons and ligaments, which due to this become more flexible and elastic, function better and are less susceptible to deformation. In addition, the speed of transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles also increases. Therefore, a good warm-up in itself is very important for the prevention of back problems, and doing it before starting the flexibility and back strengthening exercises described on the following pages is vital to minimize the risk of further tissue damage.

Perform warm-up exercises after chronic pain has subsided, before doing strenuous work around the house or in the garden, to prevent a recurrence of the attack.

Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Complete the following exercises, repeating each five times.

1. Take two deep breaths and full exhalations.

2. Raise your shoulders up and down, then move your shoulders back and forth in a circular motion.

3. Move your head from side to side, and then up and down.

4. Swing your arms up and back, gradually increasing the circles.

5. Bend your elbows in front of your chest.

6. Swing your arms to the sides at shoulder level.

7. Rotate your hips as if you were doing a hula hoop.

8. Bend forward, sliding your hands down your legs to your knees or lower if you can. Then straighten up, bending slightly.

9. Walk in place, gradually pulling your knees higher, while swinging your arms. Then jog in place for one minute.

10. At the end of the warm-up, take two deep breaths and full exhalations.

How to gradually strengthen your back

Lie down on a carpet or mat (you'll need a table to elevate your legs) and do the exercises below five times each. Making them part of your morning and evening routine and continuing after the pain has passed will help prevent the problem from recurring.

Backbends

1. Lie on your stomach with a pillow under it, arms at your sides. Raise your head from the floor, hold it for a while and then lower it.

2. Relax your shoulders and lift your legs up about 15 cm.

3. When you get stronger, try to raise both your head and legs at once, but only a few centimeters.

Back bend

1. Lie on your back and stretch your palms towards your knees, bending your back.

2. Repeat the exercise, now trying to reach your right knee with your right elbow. Repeat with the other hand on the other leg.

3. As you get stronger, try to raise your knee towards the opposite elbow. Repeat the exercise with the other arm and the other leg.

Leg Raising

1. Lie on your stomach on the table so that your hips are on the edge, holding the table top with your hands.

2. Raise your legs to the level of the table top. Make sure your back doesn't bend. Hold your legs until you count 3, then slowly, carefully lower.

Exercises to strengthen the back muscles affect correct posture; they are also called straightening exercises. Back exercises are of great importance for women with sedentary jobs. These exercises simultaneously increase the mobility of the spine, strengthening the back muscles; they also prevent the occurrence of degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs.

During back exercises, make sure that the spine is loaded as much as possible, so that weakened back muscles are strengthened and hardened ones are relaxed.

The most effective exercises for the back are exercises with a large load, complicated ones, in which bends alternate with turns of the torso, then straightening positions of the arms, in which the shoulder blades are brought together, as well as straight bends forward, backward, to the sides, in which the muscles attached to the spine are trained.

Regular and gradual strengthening of your back muscles will help improve your posture. When you include exercises to strengthen your back muscles in your exercise routine, remember that they are the ones that primarily improve your appearance.

1. Sitting with crossed legs, bend your arms and place your palms on your shoulders. Raise your arms up, swing your arms forward, backward, then deeply bend forward, touching your forearms to the floor.

2. Kneel down, raise your right hand up, and move your left hand to the side. Make backward circular movements. Change hands.

3. Sitting, legs apart, bend your arms in front of your chest, swing your arms back, return your arms to the starting position, turn your palms up, swing back, then deep bend forward, touch your hands to the floor.

4. Standing, pull yourself up on your toes, arms up, pull your stomach in, gradually bend forward (i.e., first bend the cervical, then the thoracic and finally the lumbar spine), grab your ankles with your hands and pull your torso to your hips, then straighten spine, return to the starting position.

5. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your arms and place your palms on your shoulders. Turn your torso to the right, move your right hand back higher, palm up, swing your right hand back, turn to the starting position. Do the same in the other direction.

6. Standing with your feet together, bend your arms and place your palms on your shoulders. Bend forward with a deflection, stretch your arms forward, swing your arms, bend deeply forward, lower your relaxed arms, gradually straighten up, bend your arms, place your palms on your shoulders.

7. Standing, legs apart, arms along the body, squat, make a deep bend forward, swing your arms back, squat, bend forward with a deflection, stretch your arms forward.

8. Standing, legs apart, arms along the body, make a deep bend forward, lower your arms freely, swing your arms in a tilt, touch the floor as far behind you as possible, deep bend, stretch your arms forward, touch them to the floor as far as possible in front of you .

9. Get on your knees, bend forward with your arms outstretched and rest on the floor (arms and torso on the same line), push your arms apart, swing in a tilted position, push your arms back, swing in a tilted position.

10. Get on your knees, lean forward with your arms outstretched and rest them on the floor (arms and torso on the same line). Move your arms to the left with tilted swings (legs in one place all the time), move your arms back with tilted swings. Do the same in the opposite direction.

11. Kneel with emphasis on outstretched arms, raise your pelvis, straighten your legs (legs and arms in place, move your body weight back, do not lift your feet off the floor), bend over and kneel again.

12. Lying on your stomach, stretch your arms forward, palms on the floor, bend your torso back, bend your arms and place them on the back of your head, stretch your arms forward to the starting position.

13. Lying on your stomach, bend your arms in front of you, connect them in front of your forehead, forearms inward. Raise your legs off the floor, alternately swing your legs up and down (toes extended), lower your legs to the floor.

14. Lying on your back, knees bent, arms along the body, raise the pelvis above the floor (torso and hips on the same line), lower the pelvis.

15. Sitting, legs together, bend your left leg and press it with both hands to your stomach, move your arms back, palms turned up, swing both arms back (the leg remains bent during the swing), deeply bend forward, exhale and touch your right toe with your hands. legs. Do the same with the left.

Exercises to strengthen your back muscles

Exercises that strengthen the back muscles have a great impact on correct posture. Such exercises are called straightening exercises. Back exercises are very important for women who have sedentary jobs. Thanks to these exercises, the mobility of the spine increases, the back muscles are strengthened, and the formation of degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs can be prevented. When doing back exercises, you need to monitor the load on the spine; it should be maximum in order to strengthen weakened back muscles, and relax those that have hardened.

The most effective exercises for the back, which carry a heavy load and are complicated. For example, in which you need to alternate bending with body turns, then straighten your arms so that your shoulder blades are brought together. Also do straight bends forward, backward, to the sides, with the help of which the muscles that are attached to the spine are well trained.

Constant and gradual exercise to strengthen your back muscles improves your posture. If you add “straightening” exercises to your exercise routine, then they will primarily help you improve your appearance.

Detailed description with pictures of exercises to strengthen the back:

1. Sit down, cross your legs, bend your arms, place your palms on your shoulders. Raise your arms up, swing your arms forward, backward, then bend deeply forward and touch your shoulders to the floor.

2. Get on your knees, raise your right arm up, and move your left arm to the side. Make backward circular movements. Switch hands.

3. Sit down, spread your legs apart, bend your arms in front of your chest, swing your arms back, then put your arms in the starting position, turn your palms up, swing back, then bend deeply forward, touching your hands to the floor.

4. Stand up, pull yourself up on your toes, raise your arms up, pull in your stomach, slowly bend forward (the cervical spine bends first, then the thoracic and lastly the lumbar spine), grab your ankles with your hands and pull your torso to your hips, then, straightening your spine, return to the starting position.

5. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your arms and place your palms on your shoulders. Turn your torso to the right, move your right arm back as high as possible, palm up, swing your right arm back, turn to the starting position. Do the same in the other direction.

6. Stand with your feet together, bend your arms and place your palms on your shoulders. Bend forward, stretch your arms forward, swing your arms, lean forward deeply, lower your relaxed arms, slowly straighten up, bend your arms, place your palms on your shoulders.

7. Stand, spread your legs apart, straighten your arms along your body, squat, bend forward deeply, swing your arms back, squat, bend forward, bend over, stretch your arms forward.

8. A very good exercise for the back is lying on your stomach, your head should be located on your hands, your legs should be straightened. In this position, we slowly raise our legs up without bending them. At the highest point, you need to hold your legs for a few seconds, and then slowly lower your legs to the floor. Repeat this exercise eight to twenty times (depending on your physical fitness). After which the load can be increased, stretch your arms straight in front of you and, at the same time as your legs, you need to lift both your arms and legs up.

9. Stand, spread your legs apart, straighten your arms along your body, bend deeply forward, lower your arms freely, swing your arms in a tilted position, touch your hands to the floor, the further behind you, the better. Bend deeply, stretch your arms forward, touch them to the floor, the further in front of you, the better.

10. Get on your knees, lean forward, extend your arms and lean them on the floor (arms and torso should be on the same line), push your arms apart, make a bent over swing, push your arms back, make a bent over swing.

11. Get on your knees, lean forward, extend your arms and place them on the floor (arms and torso should be in line). Move your arms to the left, making bent over swings (your legs should remain in one place at all times), move your arms back, making bent over swings. Do the same in the other direction.

12. This exercise very well strengthens all muscle groups of the back. Stand on all fours as shown in the picture, place your knees shoulder-width apart, straighten your arms, palms should be located exactly under your shoulders. Try to tense your abs. The position must be made as straight as possible - from the very top of the head to the hips (do not allow the back to arch in the lower back). At the same time as your left leg, extend your right arm forward. Hold the position for 2-3 seconds, then return to the starting position. Then repeat the exercise, changing your left hand to your right and your right foot to your left. Continue doing this back exercise, constantly alternating your arms and legs. For the last exercise, hold as long as possible in the final position for about thirty seconds with both the right and left sequences.

13. Get on your knees and lean on your outstretched arms, raise your pelvis, straighten your legs (legs and arms should remain in place, move your body weight back, do not lift your feet off the floor), make a bent-over swing and kneel again.

14. Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms forward, place your palms on the floor, bend your torso back, bend your arms and place them on the back of your head, stretch your arms forward, return to the starting position.

15. Lie on your stomach, bend your arms in front of you, bring them together in front of your forehead, bend your forearms inward. Raise your legs off the floor, alternately swing your legs up and down (toes should be extended), lower your legs to the floor.

16. Lie on your back, bend your knees, straighten your arms along your torso, lift your pelvis above the floor (torso and hips should be on the same line), lower your pelvis.

17. Sit with your legs together, bend your left leg and press it to your stomach with your hands, move your arms back, palms should be turned up, swing your arms back (the leg should remain bent during the swing), lean forward deeply, exhale and touch with the hands of the toe of the right foot. Do the same with your left.

Sources

1. Healthy back

2. Strengthen your back

3. Back. Exercises for back muscles

4. Exercises to strengthen your back muscles

Scoliosis. Symptoms, degrees of scoliosis, diagnosis and treatment

Posture. Education and correction of posture (continued)

Posture. Education and correction of posture

Spine

The core of the body is the main part of the human axial skeleton

Posture

Vertebrae

These are the bones that form the spinal column

Spinal sections

Lumbar spine

Connects the sedentary thoracic region and the immobile sacrum.

Knee-joint

Allows flexion and extension movements (frontal axis) - a total range of movements of 150 degrees, and in a bent position (due to relaxation of the collateral ligaments) - rotation around the axis.

Foot

Lower anatomical section of the leg

Curves of the spine

Helps a person maintain balance. During fast, sharp movements, they spring back and soften the shocks experienced by the body.

Lordosis

Curvature of the spine in the sagittal plane, convexity facing forward.

Thoracic spine

Participates in the formation of the posterior wall of the chest.

Many of us strain our muscles all day long without even realizing it. We have weak muscles due to poor health, which we acquire mainly at work, and this is harmful, as it causes additional fatigue and physical stress. Back pain limits daily enjoyment and affects your lifestyle. It can be painful, but, one way or another, it goes away with time.

Any posture in which natural muscles are distorted causes changes in the muscles that become permanent over time. When the natural curves are distorted, the intervertebral discs are compressed and, as a result, begin to thin out and lose elasticity. Muscles change because they work in pairs: if one muscle group contracts, the other, opposite, relaxes.

For example, if you slouch for a long time, the pectoral muscles contract and remain there, while the upper back muscles relax. Over time, the chest muscles become stronger, and the muscles of the upper back weaken, as a result of which the structure is disrupted. Your back becomes rounded and pressure becomes uneven, resulting in chronic back pain.

Muscle imbalance

The ability to use both your right and left hands equally well (ambidexterity) is rare, so you are unlikely to use both hands equally. As a result, the muscles on one side of the body become more developed than the other. In some cases, such as avid tennis or squash players, due to the additional force generated by the more developed side of the body, the formation is disrupted to such an extent that when viewed from the back, a line in the shape of the letter “S” or “C” is visible.

This is an extreme example, but even a slight difference in the development of the parties affects the condition. It may look straight, but the pressure on the intervertebral discs will be uneven. Over time, the discs on the more developed side will gradually flatten, wear out, and the small articular surfaces will close together.

Weakness of the abdominal muscles

The powerful abdominal muscles serve as a corset, holding the abdominal organs close to the body. In normal condition, this corset takes on some of the body weight, unloading the hips. However, any weakening of the abdominal muscles, which may be the result of a sedentary lifestyle, excess body weight, or pregnancy, leads to an increase in the load on the abdominal muscles. The result can be excessive forward bending of this part, called , which will ultimately lead to chronic back pain.

The abdominal and back muscles must not only be flexible, but also strong in order to properly support. Weak muscles are not able to take on their share of the loads and stresses that the back must withstand, which means that joints and ligaments that are not as well supplied with blood as muscles have to work for them.

Over time, joints and ligaments become increasingly worn out, leading to tissue damage and chronic back pain. Exercises aimed at strengthening muscles will help get rid of pain by increasing the ability of muscles to absorb stress and load, thereby making it easier for ligaments and joints.

Warm-up exercises

It is very important to warm up before starting these exercises, which is also useful to do before starting any heavy housework, such as cleaning or gardening. After completing the exercises, repeat the warm-up.

Warming up increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the muscles, tendons and ligaments, which due to this become more flexible and elastic, function better and are less susceptible to deformation. In addition, the speed of transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles also increases. Therefore, a good warm-up in itself is very important for the prevention of back problems, and doing it before starting the flexibility and back strengthening exercises described on the following pages is vital to minimize the risk of further tissue damage.

Perform warm-up exercises after chronic pain has subsided, before doing strenuous work around the house or in the garden, to prevent a recurrence of the attack.

Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Complete the following exercises, repeating each five times.

1. Take two deep breaths and full exhalations.

2. Raise your shoulders up and down, then move your shoulders back and forth in a circular motion.

3. Move your head from side to side, and then up and down.

4. Swing your arms up and back, gradually increasing the circles.

5. Bend your elbows in front of your chest.

6. Swing your arms to the sides at shoulder level.

7. Rotate your hips as if you were doing a hula hoop.

8. Bend forward, sliding your hands down your legs to your knees or lower if you can. Then straighten up, bending slightly.

9. Walk in place, gradually pulling your knees higher, while swinging your arms. Then jog in place for one minute.

10. At the end of the warm-up, take two deep breaths and full exhalations.

How to gradually strengthen your back

Lie down on a carpet or mat (you'll need a table to elevate your legs) and do the exercises below five times each. Making them part of your morning and evening routine and continuing after the pain has passed will help prevent the problem from recurring.

Backbends

1. Lie on your stomach with a pillow under it, arms at your sides. Raise your head from the floor, hold it for a while and then lower it.

2. Relax your shoulders and lift your legs up about 15 cm.

3. When you get stronger, try to raise both your head and legs at once, but only a few centimeters.

Back bend

1. Lie on your back and stretch your palms towards your knees, bending your back.

2. Repeat the exercise, now trying to reach the right elbow with your right elbow. Repeat with the other hand on the other leg.

3. When you get stronger, try to lift towards the opposite elbow. Repeat the exercise with the other arm and the other leg.

Leg Raising

1. Lie on your stomach on the table so that your hips are on the edge, holding the table top with your hands.

2. Raise your legs to the level of the table top. Make sure your back doesn't bend. Hold your legs until you count 3, then slowly, carefully lower.

Exercises to strengthen the back muscles affect for correctness, they are also called straightening exercises. Back exercises are of great importance for women with sedentary jobs. These exercises simultaneously increase mobility, strengthening the back muscles; they also prevent the occurrence of degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs.

During back exercises Make sure that you load as much as possible so that weakened back muscles are strengthened and hardened ones are relaxed.

The most effective exercises for the back are those with heavy loads., complicated, in which bends alternate with turns of the body, then straightening positions of the arms, in which the shoulder blades are brought together, as well as straight bends forward, backward, to the sides, in which the muscles attached to the muscles are trained.

Regular and gradual strengthening of the back muscles will help improve. When you include exercises to strengthen your back muscles in your exercise routine, remember that they are the ones that primarily improve your appearance.

1. Sitting with crossed legs, bend your arms and place your palms on your shoulders. Raise your arms up, swing your arms forward, backward, then deeply bend forward, touching your forearms to the floor.

2. Kneel down, raise your right hand up, and move your left hand to the side. Make backward circular movements. Change hands.

3. Sitting, legs apart, bend your arms in front of your chest, swing your arms back, return your arms to the starting position, turn your palms up, swing back, then deep bend forward, touch your hands to the floor.

4. Standing, pull yourself up on your toes, arms up, pull your stomach in, gradually bend forward (i.e., first bend at the neck, then at the chest, and finally), grab your ankles with your hands and pull your torso towards your hips, then, straightening, return to initial position.

5. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your arms and place your palms on your shoulders. Turn your torso to the right, move your right hand back higher, palm up, swing your right hand back, turn to the starting position. Do the same in the other direction.

6. Standing with your feet together, bend your arms and place your palms on your shoulders. Bend forward with a deflection, stretch your arms forward, swing your arms, bend deeply forward, lower your relaxed arms, gradually straighten up, bend your arms, place your palms on your shoulders.

7. Standing, legs apart, arms along the body, squat, make a deep bend forward, swing your arms back, squat, bend forward with a deflection, stretch your arms forward.

8. Standing, legs apart, arms along the body, make a deep bend forward, lower your arms freely, swing your arms in a tilt, touch the floor as far behind you as possible, deep bend, stretch your arms forward, touch them to the floor as far as possible in front of you .

9. Get on your knees, bend forward with your arms outstretched and rest on the floor (arms and torso on the same line), push your arms apart, swing in a tilted position, push your arms back, swing in a tilted position.

10. Get on your knees, lean forward with your arms outstretched and rest them on the floor (arms and torso on the same line). Move your arms to the left with tilted swings (legs in one place all the time), move your arms back with tilted swings. Do the same in the opposite direction.

11. Kneel with emphasis on outstretched arms, raise your pelvis, straighten your legs (legs and arms in place, move your body weight back, do not lift it from the floor), bend over and kneel again.

12. Lying on your stomach, stretch your arms forward, palms on the floor, bend your torso back, bend your arms and place them on the back of your head, stretch your arms forward to the starting position.

13. Lying on your stomach, bend your arms in front of you, connect them in front of your forehead, forearms inward. Raise your legs off the floor, alternately swing your legs up and down (toes extended), lower your legs to the floor.

14. Lying on your back, knees bent, arms along the body, raise the pelvis above the floor (torso and hips on the same line), lower the pelvis.

15. Sitting, legs together, bend your left leg and press it with both hands to your stomach, move your arms back, palms turned up, swing both arms back (the leg remains bent during the swing), deeply bend forward, exhale and touch your right toe with your hands. legs. Do the same with the left.

Exercises to strengthen your back muscles

Exercises that strengthen the back muscles have a great impact on correctness. Such exercises are called straightening exercises. Back exercises are very important for women who have sedentary jobs. Thanks to these exercises, mobility increases, back muscles are strengthened, and the formation of degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs can be prevented. When doing back exercises, you need to monitor the load on, it should be maximum in order to strengthen weakened back muscles, and relax those that have hardened.

The most effective exercises for the back, which carry a heavy load and are complicated. For example, in which you need to alternate bending with body turns, then straighten your arms so that your shoulder blades are brought together. Also do straight bends forward, backward, to the sides, with the help of which the muscles that are attached to the body are well trained.

Constant and gradual exercise to strengthen the back muscles improves. If you add “straightening” exercises to your exercise routine, then they will primarily help you improve your appearance.

Detailed description with pictures of exercises to strengthen the back:

1. Sit down, cross your legs, bend your arms, place your palms on your shoulders. Raise your arms up, swing your arms forward, backward, then bend deeply forward and touch your shoulders to the floor.

2. Get on your knees, raise your right arm up, and move your left arm to the side. Make backward circular movements. Switch hands.

3. Sit down, spread your legs apart, bend your arms in front of your chest, swing your arms back, then put your arms in the starting position, turn your palms up, swing back, then bend deeply forward, touching your hands to the floor.

4. Stand up, pull yourself up on your toes, raise your arms up, pull in your stomach, slowly bend forward (the neck bends first, then the chest and last), grab your ankles with your hands and pull your torso to your hips, then, straightening, return to the starting position .

5. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your arms and place your palms on your shoulders. Turn your torso to the right, move your right arm back as high as possible, palm up, swing your right arm back, turn to the starting position. Do the same in the other direction.

6. Stand with your feet together, bend your arms and place your palms on your shoulders. Bend forward, stretch your arms forward, swing your arms, lean forward deeply, lower your relaxed arms, slowly straighten up, bend your arms, place your palms on your shoulders.

7. Stand, spread your legs apart, straighten your arms along your body, squat, bend forward deeply, swing your arms back, squat, bend forward, bend over, stretch your arms forward.

Tension or spasms of the back muscles cause anxiety, cause discomfort and even pain. When thinking about how to relax the back muscles, most patients seek advice from neurologists or physiotherapists.

In some cases, medical care is required in a hospital or outpatient setting, but more often, in order to get rid of stress, it is enough to regularly perform a certain set of exercises while at home or even at work.

Why is spasm dangerous?

Back muscle spasm is dangerous because it can last for years, causing compression and blockage of the intervertebral discs. This causes pain and limited mobility. Compression of the intervertebral discs leads to their protrusion and the development of serious disorders.

Spasmed muscles prevent normal blood circulation, which, in turn, leads to deterioration in tissue nutrition.

When pain occurs, a person tries to take a gentle position, the gait changes, the spine bends, and internal organs may become displaced. You can avoid the development of serious illnesses:

  • doing exercises;
  • watching your breathing;
  • controlling body position during work and rest;
  • avoiding lifting and carrying heavy objects;
  • coping with emotional tension and stressful situations.

Paying close attention to your body will allow you to take timely measures and avoid the appearance and development of complex diseases.

Basic ways to relieve spasms

An experienced physiotherapist will tell you how to relax your back muscles without resorting to the use of medications.

There are several basic ways to get rid of spasms and eliminate the manifestations of compression of nerve endings:

  1. Correct pulmonary breathing. When performing the exercises, it is important to remember that you will need to alternate inhaling with and without tension, and as you exhale, you must ensure complete relaxation. While exhaling, you need to relax the muscles in the affected area as much as possible.
  2. How to relax your back during breathing exercises? It is necessary to achieve complete, extreme tension in the area causing concern. You need to hold this position for at least 30 seconds, slowly inhaling air through your nose. Then exhale through your mouth, completely emptying your lungs and at the same time relaxing your muscles.
  3. When deciding how to relax your back muscles at home, you should pay attention to heat treatment. This may involve applying heat to the muscles of the affected area. As a heat source, use coarse salt, well heated in a hot frying pan, which is wrapped in thick cloth to avoid burns, and applied to the place where the muscles are particularly spasmed. The heat should be light, otherwise the spasm will only intensify. This is a kind of protective reaction of the body to negative influences. This remedy is quite effective for or.
  4. A cold or hot massage will be an effective way to relieve spasms caused by injury or severe stress. A piece of ice will help relieve tension and relax the muscles of the back and chest if you continuously move it in a circular motion with light pressure or kneading for several minutes. Then use it.
  5. If there is no positive result, it is necessary to change tactics. Thermal effects will help to relax the muscles of the neck and back. This massage is carried out using heated stones, but in this case the help and participation of a qualified specialist is necessary. The stones must be thoroughly heated, but only an experienced massage therapist will be able to accurately calculate the pressure and heat level.
  6. Physiotherapists know how to relax spasmodic back muscles. They will tell you how to use the heat correctly, how long you can stay in the steam room, and whether you can perform a massage there using a bath broom or special oils.

Special attention should be paid to the appearance of tension in the muscles of the neck, chest or lower back for those who spend most of their time doing sedentary work.

It is equally important to control the level of muscle tension and know how to relax a woman’s back during pregnancy.

The inability to use the services of a massage therapist or to carry out heat or cold treatment leads patients to fitball.

Features of the exercises

The question of how to relax your back muscles on a fitball is of interest to drivers, office workers, and those who do work that involves constant tension or lifting and carrying heavy objects.

Fitball has long gained well-deserved popularity. Exercises with it are simple, but quite effective. Tense muscles of the back and thoracic region are easier to work on if you use a fitball.

Patients who have already tried its effect on themselves claim that with the help of the exercises they performed, they relaxed their stomach, straightened their back and were able to restore range of motion and full breathing.

Observing the most important condition (smooth movements without unnecessary effort), you need to perform the following techniques:

  • Lie on your stomach on the fitball and lie there for 5 minutes, rolling slightly.
  • Make a bridge over the fitball (very carefully!). You can do a bridge from your knees, not from your feet. If you are not prepared, it is better to skip this exercise.
  • Sit down and lightly spring up.

Yoga

Exercises on how to relax your back after exercise are very effective:

  • We lie on our hips. In a standing position, you need to slightly bend your legs and lean forward so that your stomach “lies” on your hips. There is no need to try to lower yourself as much as possible - the important thing here is to feel how the tension goes away from the lower back. You need to control your breathing, it should be even. The tailbone needs to be pulled back and up.
  • We reach for our socks. Sitting on the floor, reach your toes with your hands. An unpleasant sensation may occur along the spine - this means that you are performing the exercise correctly. If pain occurs, the exercise should be stopped.
  • We hug our knees. It is easy to relax spasms of the lower back muscles by lying on your back and clasping your knees with your hands, pulling your hips towards your stomach. You need to ensure that your back, shoulders and buttocks are pressed to the floor and relaxed. Only the hands work. Breathe deeply and slowly.

Yoga exercises to relax the back muscles are allowed for everyone, with the exception of patients with

Almost all skeletal muscles in our body are paired and located symmetrically - on the right and left. Muscle imbalance is a violation of symmetry, a discrepancy in the size and strength of paired muscles or muscle groups.

In some cases, an imbalance can be noticed, for example, when one arm or pectoral muscle is noticeably larger than the other, in others the difference is not so obvious, but is felt during training.

For example, if one arm is stronger than the other, the bar may tilt to one side during a bench press because the stronger arm will push it up faster.

Imbalances can also occur between major muscle groups, such as the back and chest, triceps and biceps, upper legs and calf muscles.

Not only does it look bad and reduce athletic performance, but it can also lead to injury. For example, if an athlete has a pumped chest and poorly developed back muscles, this increases the risk of injuring the shoulders.

In addition, muscle imbalance leads to poor posture. For example, weak back extensors and tight, clenched abdominal muscles are characteristic of a slouched posture, while tight hip flexors can cause.

What Causes Muscle Imbalance

There is no such thing as a perfectly symmetrical body. Genetics influence muscle strength and susceptibility to hypertrophy, but other factors play a major role in causing imbalances.

Poorly designed program or lack thereof

Men often prefer to pump up their chest, shoulders and arms, while forgetting about their back and legs. Women pay all their attention to their legs and buttocks, being afraid to do exercises on their arms and shoulders so as not to “become a jock.”

As a result, both of them end up with muscle imbalance and an asymmetrical body that is far from ideal.

Lack of attention to technology

If you do not follow the correct technique during the exercise, the load may shift to one side.

Let's say your back muscles are more developed on the right side. When you do bent-over dumbbell rows with your right hand, your back muscles can withstand the load and you are using proper technique. On the left side, weak back muscles quickly give way, and the load shifts to the shoulders.

If you do not pay attention to this, the muscles on the right side will become increasingly stronger, a noticeable muscle imbalance will appear and the risk of injuring the shoulder will appear.

Insufficient joint mobility

Many people spend all day at their desks maintaining poor body posture. This causes the muscles to tighten, become stiff and limit the mobility of the joints.

The body compensates for lack of mobility with poor technique. As a result, some muscles receive too much load, while others are practically not involved in the movement.

How to Tell If You Have a Muscle Imbalance

The easiest way is to determine the presence of asymmetry of paired muscles. Take a tailor's tape, measure the muscles on both sides and compare the numbers.

Measure the volume of the limbs in a bent state. This way you won't be able to squeeze the muscle with the tape and reduce the size.

It is much more difficult to identify imbalances between different muscle groups because your judgment is subjective.

Try to soberly assess the correspondence of different muscle groups. If you have an obvious imbalance, you will probably notice it.

How to Prevent Muscle Imbalance

Do multi-joint exercises

There are isolated exercises that work only one muscle group, and complex multi-joint exercises that work almost all the muscles of the body.

For example, if you perform leg extensions on a machine, only the quadriceps are loaded. When performing a multi-joint squat, the main load is on the hips, but the buttocks and buttocks are also involved in the work.

By incorporating multi-joint exercises into your workout, you protect your body from muscle imbalances. Even if you completely exclude working out some muscles from the program, they will still be loaded and strengthened during the training process.

Add unilateral exercises

Unilateral exercises are movements in which both paired muscles work, but separately from each other. Such exercises will help you avoid transferring the load from a weak muscle to a stronger one.

For example, when performing a bench press with a barbell, you can shift some of the load from your weaker arm to your stronger one. The bar will tilt, but you will be able to work with the selected weight, exacerbating the imbalance with each repetition.

To prevent this, replace barbell exercises with variations. If your weak arm cannot handle the weight of the dumbbell, you will have to choose lighter implements so that the difference in limb strength does not increase.

Develop mobility

If your body lacks the joint mobility to perform exercises correctly, it will compensate with poor form.

For example, if you have tight hip flexors on one side, you will end up leaning to one side when squatting with heavy weights. Constantly increasing the load will cause imbalance or injury.

Pay attention to your limitations and try to correct them before they cause asymmetry or injury.

How to Correct Muscle Imbalance

How to correct paired muscle asymmetry

To correct paired muscle imbalances, increase the number of repetitions on your weaker side by 25–35%.

Let's say your left shoulder is smaller than your right. Typically you do 3 sets of 10 dumbbell lateral raises. To strengthen a weak shoulder, add another set of 10 reps for your left arm only.

With your right hand you will do 30 repetitions and with your left hand you will do 40 repetitions with the same weight.

If you do not want to increase the load on a weak muscle, perform the same number of repetitions on the strong and weak sides. To do this, always start the exercise on the weak side to find out how many repetitions and with what weight you can perform.

How to correct muscle group imbalances

If some muscles look weak and undeveloped compared to others, simply add more load: increase the number of exercises or work weights. However, the total load should remain the same.

For example, if you decide to pump up weak legs, it is not at all necessary to arrange a separate workout in addition to what you are already doing. This can result in overtraining and stalled progress.

Instead, you need to rearrange yours in a way that makes room for additional stress on your legs. You shift the focus to one muscle group, eliminate imbalances and have time to fully recover between sessions.

conclusions

Let's summarize:

  • Muscle imbalance occurs during training when one muscle or muscle group is used more often and more than another.
  • To prevent imbalance, you need to:
    • add multi-joint exercises to the program that load the muscles of the whole body;
    • perform unilateral exercises that load paired muscles separately;
    • develop joint mobility and monitor technique.
  • To correct the imbalance, you need to make sure that strong muscles do not receive more load, and also increase the intensity of working weak muscles.

Don’t ignore your weaknesses, correct muscle imbalances in time, then you will increase your performance and reduce the risk of injury.