Unlock Your Movement Potential: Simple Hacks to Address Common Movement Problems
Forget COVID, poor movement quality is a pandemic among athletes and gen pop alike, and while many are able to identify their own weaknesses and imbalances, I am always surprised by the reluctance to address and remedy them. It seems to be much harder to be humble and regress to mastering the basics than it is to lift heavy sh*t and muscle your way through a workout. With that in mind, here are some of the more common movement problems, and some simple hacks to address them.
THE PROBLEM: COLLAPSED ARCHES
The feet and ankles are meant to withstand incredibly high forces and should provide more in terms of shock absorption than any other body part, so faulty foot mechanics will impact movement throughout the entire body. You need to find your “stability tripod”. The heel, the big toe and the outer edge of the foot in line with the bottom of the little toe should all be firmly on the ground when stationary. Maintaining this position, you can perform single leg balancing, single leg balancing on an unstable surface and single leg strength exercises.
The Solution:
Train barefoot to improve proprioception, warm up with 5 minutes of skipping focusing on pointing the toes on lift off to strengthen the arches and invest in some toe spacers to help fix any postural problems of the little piggies caused by wearing shoes that are too tight and narrow.
THE PROBLEM: LIMITED ANKLE DORSIFLEXION
If your squat sucks, chances are your ankle complex could be a culprit. To fix this, you’ll need to figure out if it’s a soft tissue issue or a joint mobility one. Place your front foot on an elevated surface and keeping the heel down, push the knee forwards of the toe as far as you can. If you feel a stretch in the back of the calf, it’s most likely soft tissue. If you feel a blockage at the front of the ankle, it’s most likely a joint restriction.
The Solution:
If it’s a soft tissue issue, you can trigger point and perform eccentric calf raises holding the stretch at the bottom. If it’s a joint restriction issue, try using a band strapped around the front side of the ankle while bringing the ankle into repeated dorsiflexion.
TOP TIP: You can cheat poor ankle dorsiflexion in a squat by elevating your heels on a weights plate until you fix the issue. Emphasis on those last 3 words - this is a bandaid not a long term solution.
THE PROBLEM: VALGUS KNEES
This ugly inwards-knee collapse leaves the knee joint vulnerable, especially under a heavy load. Most of the time, this has to do with either weak hips, and/or a lack of proper technical understanding of the correct tracking (knee in line with 2/3rd toe). However, the body will also take the path of least resistance, and if your adductors (inner thighs) are bands of steel, they’ll also be exerting inside pressure.
The Solution:
Address the tightness first by foam rolling or kettlebell trigger pointing the adductors, and then work on strengthening the outside of the hips by training abduction ie clams and banded lateral walks. Try using a band around the feet as a tactile cue and focus on screwing the heels into the ground to engage the hips and help keep the knees out when performing squats.
TOP TIP: You can help “bulletproof” the knees by performing Banded Terminal Knee Extensions which target the Vastus Medialis (VMO) - that little tear shaped muscle on the inside of your knee that helps to stabilise the kneecap.
THE PROBLEM: ROUNDING THE LOWER BACK
There are three main lumbar spine positions you need to know about: flexion, extension, and neutral. Excessive flexion or a rounding of the lower spine can be injurious, but most people don't realize that excessive extension of the lower spine can be equally as bad. You want to use a semi-neutral spinal posture – as close to the natural curve of your spine as possible. The maintenance of this position will play a key role in not only protecting your back in everyday life, but in cleaning up your lifting form as well.
The Solution:
Learn to brace the mid section and close down the distance between the ribs and hips. Include core focused “anti-movements” – dead bugs, pallof press variations, bird dogs and planking in your warmups.
TOP TIP: Superset Deadlifts and Squats with Pullup or Chin Up Variations to help decompress the spine in between sets.
THE PROBLEM: OVERLY DEVELOPED & DOMINANT UPPER TRAPS
Your upper traps are most likely dominant if you round your shoulders in your pulling movements or excessively shrug your shoulders when pressing overhead. Overactive upper traps can develop into uncomfortable tension around the neck, possible tension headaches and in the worst cases, chronic inflammation and pain.
The Solution:
You need to learn how to recruit the mid traps, rhomboids, lower traps, and external rotators. Release the pectorals through targeted trigger pointing (or via a massage gun), and then add in external rotation, hanging scapula pullups and lower trap focused exercises like the Poliquin T3 raise as part of your warmup or as supplemental exercises to complete an upper body session. When horizontal pulling think “chest up”.
THE PROBLEM: DOING EVERYTHING IN CERVICAL EXTENSION
Picture this. You sit at a desk all day with your shoulders and head hunched forward and down. You then go to the gym, and perform squats, deadlifts and pushups, all the while checking out what’s happening on the ceiling. It’s no wonder that one day you wake up with neck pain, inflammation and the occasional frozen shoulder. Being able to maintain neutrality in your neck is just as important as your lower back.
The Solution:
Drive your chin directly backwards towards your spine and create a slight downward gaze with your eyes. This position holds true for every single movement, no matter if it's upper or lower body specific.
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