Personal Fitness Professional - June 2008 - (Page 32)

PHYSIOLOGICAL Strength: With corrective exercises, the sets and repetitions should be based on quality of the movement. Corrective exercise movements should not have the client work to failure. Fatigue to the targeted muscle groups promotes an environment for compensation by synergistic muscles and defeats the purpose of the corrective intervention. Muscle groups fatigued with corrective exercise may be unable to contribute during more dynamic activity that follows. Stability: Muscular contractions for stabilization occur much more frequently at lower percentages of MVC (maximal voluntary contraction) because stabilization requirements are often of lower demand but for greater periods of time. Improving endurance of our stabilizers should initially take precedence over short bursts of maximal contractions. BIOMECHANICAL Flexibility: The position of the lever, such as the upper extremity when used to stretch the anterior chest wall, can produce diﬀerent eﬀects on the position of the gleno-humeral joint. This will, in turn, aﬀect the position of the thoracic spine. Both are also aﬀected by the degree of elbow ﬂexion and the inﬂuence of the biarticulate biceps brachii on the gleno-humeral joint. Eﬀective lengthening of the anterior chest wall will only occur if the glenohumeral joint can externally rotate without scapular elevation and upward rotation. Therefore, the position of the hand, the position of the elbow joint, the amount of shoulder ﬂexion and the point of force application all will determine if the desired lengthening occurs. Strength: Scapular adduction (retraction) is coupled with thoracic extension. Attempts to strengthen the rhomboids and middle trapezius with the thoracic spine in ﬂexion will promote synergistic dominance by the levator scapulae and upper trapezius. If you would like to experience this for yourself, sit on your chair with your arms hanging at your sides. From here, slouch by ﬂexing through your entire spine. Now try to bring your scapulae together while in spinal ﬂexion. You’ll see that you are unable to retract your scapulae without elevating your shoulder girdle. Stability: In an upright vertical posture (i.e. standing or sitting), the thorax is largely dependent upon the hips and pelvis for stability. The thoracic stabilizers need a stable platform from the pelvis to provide the necessary stability, and the thoracic spine will not be properly stabilized posturally or during activity if the hips and pelvis are not stable. Pelvic deviations in any of the three planes will create an undesirable compensation in the thoracic spine. NEUROLOGICAL Flexibility: Long-term postural adaptations and/or overuse adaptations create a bias of the motor neuron pool to shorter, tighter muscles. This becomes a self-perpetuating cycle in that the shorter, tighter muscles get shorter and tighter as they demand more neurological stimulation. This decreases neurological stimulation to the antagonist(s) inhibiting that muscle 32 JUNE-JULY2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - June 2008

Personal Fitness Professional - June 2008 Contents Letter From the Editor, Writers To Franchise Or Not To Franchise? Current Controversies Insuring Success Case Study Exercise Spotlights Raising Rates Through Better Session Design Mark Your Calendar The Perfect Ad The Movement Triad Exercise Spotlights Product Profile New on the Market Spotlight: Brian Boyle

Personal Fitness Professional - June 2008

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