How to design the perfect workout for harmonious whole body development

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Posture problems, tension and pain during movement, limitation of mobility - all of this can be eliminated if you train correctly. A life hacker will tell you how to make the right workout and improve the condition of your musculoskeletal system.

When composing a workout, you always need to focus on the characteristics of your body. If flexibility prevents you from doing any strength exercises correctly, you must first stretch the tightened muscles. Weak muscles, which are not able to provide stability - to keep the body in the right position throughout the entire exercise, also spoil the technique.

Use a versatile formula: Strengthen weak muscles, stretch tight muscles. Develop joint mobility and stability evenly.

Don't forget about mobility and stability

Joint mobility is the ability to move over a wide range of motion. If you sit on a split, you have a mobile hip joint, if you cannot reach your toes with your fingers, you do not.

To develop joint mobility, you need to stretch the stiff muscles that surround the joint and prevent it from moving over a wide range.

Joint stability is the ability to maintain correct body position. Stable joints prevent sprains and sprains during exercise. Strong muscles prevent the load from transferring to tendons, which do not stretch well and are quickly damaged. To increase stability, you need to strengthen the muscles surrounding the joint.

Our body is designed so that different joints are responsible for movement and stability. Mobility is required in the joints of the neck and mid-back, hip and ankle joints. The knee joint and the lumbar spine should be as stable as possible to ensure correct body position and avoid injury and sprains.

How to find out what you need to develop

To understand which muscles need to be strengthened and which ones to stretch, you need to carefully examine your body.

Joint Mobility Tests

Cervical spine mobility

Stiff neck muscles have a negative effect on posture, especially for those who often sit at the computer for a long time.

1. Tilt your head forward and touch your chin to your chest.
2. Tilt your head back. The gaze should be directed towards the ceiling.
3. Turn your head to the side. The chin should be in the same plane as the shoulder.

If you fail these tests, it is worth doing some neck stretching. Here are some good exercises for doing this.

Mobility of the wrist joints

Flexible wrists are needed for many strength exercises - kettlebell movements, chest squats, push-ups.

1. Stand up straight, stretch your arms out in front of you and open them with palms facing each other.
2. Bend your wrists so that the fingers of both hands are facing each other.

If the wrist angle is 90 degrees, you are flexible enough.

For exercises on the horizontal bar and gymnastic rings, stands and walking on the hands, wrist strength is important. You can check it like this:

1. Sit on your knees and place your hands in front of you on the back of your palms.
2. Move your hands to your fists and lower back down.

If you can do this exercise without pain, then you have developed wrists. If not, you need to strengthen them with the exercise shown in the photo. When it starts to work out well, try the same in a prone position.

Shoulder mobility

The mobility of the shoulder joint determines whether you can properly do the squat with a barbell overhead, gymnastic bridge, deadlift of the upper block behind the head, and other exercises that involve the muscles of the shoulders.

1. Raise your right hand, bend it at the elbow so that the wrist touches the back.
2. Place your left hand behind your back from below and try to connect the wrists of both hands.

If you can join your hands behind your back or touch the fingers of one hand to the fingers of the other, then you have sufficient shoulder mobility. If there is a distance of one hand between your wrists, then you have moderate joint mobility. If there is more than one palm, there are mobility problems.

Thoracic spine mobility

A fixed thoracic spine negatively affects the lower back. The body always compensates for the lack of mobility in one area by excessive mobility in another. The inflexible thoracic spine is compensated by mobility in the lumbar spine, which must be fixed and stable in almost all strength exercises.

1. Place a mark on the wall at shoulder height.
2. Stand with your left side against the wall and try to reach the mark with your right hand, do not bend your hips.
3. Repeat on the other side.

If you can reach the mark with both hands, you have sufficient thoracic mobility.

Hip mobility

If you lack hip mobility, you will not be able to do squats, deadlifts, and other exercises that require a correct bend with a straight back.

1. Stand straight, bend forward with straight knees and reach with your fingers to your toes. If the hands only reach below the knees, mobility is not enough.
2. Stand straight, lift your leg to the side. If you manage to lift your leg so that there is a 90-degree angle between the hip and the body, there is enough mobility. If it's less than 80 degrees, you have a lot to strive for.

Muscle strength tests for joint stability

The core muscles provide stability to the lower spine. They support your posture and prevent you from arching in your back during push-ups, squats, deadlifts, and other exercises.

To test the strength of these muscles, use the FMS Functional Movement Assessment Test:

1. Lie on your stomach, bring your legs together, socks rest on the floor.
2. Place your palms on the floor at the level of your forehead (for men) or chin (for women).
3. Perform a push-up, keeping your body straight. The chest and abdomen are lifted off the floor at the same time, without sagging in the lower back and bending the knees.

To assess whether you can do push-ups while keeping your body straight, place a PVC stick or body bar on your back.

If you fail to perform this exercise with a straight back, then your core muscles are not developed enough to keep your core straight during strength exercises. This will negatively affect your technique, making it difficult to do the exercises correctly.

How to properly compose a workout based on test results

Once you know your weaknesses, you need to add exercises to your workout that will help strengthen the weak muscles and stretch the tough ones.

If you lack joint mobility, include stretching and relaxation exercises in your workout. Here are exercises for stretching the wrists, and in this article, you will find exercises for stretching the shoulders with an expander.

To relax the muscles in the thoracic spine, do the massage roller exercise:

• Lie on the massage roller so that it is located below the shoulder blades.
• Bend your knees, feet flat on the floor, arms folded behind your head.
• Bend back so that your head touches the floor. Lie down for a few seconds, stretching your back.
• Raise your core to its original position, contracting your abs to protect your lower back. Do not fix your feet on the floor, hiding them under a cabinet, sofa, horizontal bar. In this case, the exercise can become dangerous for the lower back.

Here are some yoga exercises that can help increase the mobility of your thoracic spine while strengthening your core muscles. And in this article you will find exercises to develop the mobility of the hip joints.

If you lack core strength, supplement your workout with looper exercises. These exercises use the core muscles, which provide stability to the body.

When composing a workout, always focus on undeveloped areas, give them preference. For example, if you sit on a split, but you cannot join your hands behind your back, you should not spend a lot of time stretching your already stretched adductors and hamstrings. Instead, devote time to stretching your shoulders and wrists.

This does not mean that any stretching exercises or muscle strength should be completely thrown out of the program. Do not give them preference, forgetting about other areas.