On the Right Track with Corrective Exercise

You ever go out to dinner with a group of people and one person totally monopolizes the conversation? Let’s call this person “Gina.” Gina talks so much that no one else can even get a word in edgewise. After 20 minutes at the table with Gina you start to think, “What’s the point of even trying to speak?” You, and everyone else, reside yourselves to sitting back and listening to this Gina talk non-stop for the rest of the night.
A week late you run into Gina at the grocery store. She starts talking a mile a minute about God knows what and then she says, “You don’t talk much, do you?”
You’re thinking, “When was I supposed to speak? This woman hasn’t stopped talking for one moment in the past 20 minutes! And now I’m late for work because I couldn’t shut her up!”
So….what’s this have to do with exercise?
All of us have muscles that are “overactive” and muscles that are “underactive.” Our overactive muscles are like Gina. They have to be the center of attention all the time, and because of them other muscles can’t do what they’re supposed to be doing and they become “underactive.” As your overactive muscles continue to overcompensate for your underactive muscles, your muscle imbalances become worse. As these muscle imbalances get worse, your risk of injury gets higher.
How can you fix muscle imbalances?
You can fix your muscle imbalances by doing corrective exercises. Corrective exercise involves telling your overactive muscles to “chill out” and telling your underactive muscles to “get in the game!” You can do this by foam rolling and stretching your overactive muscles and “activating” or exercising your underactive muscles.
How do you figure out which muscles are over or underactive?
The “Overhead Squat Test” is probably the simplest and most effective method. Lift your arms straight up over your head, and start doing squats. After observing you for a minute, a qualified personal trainer will have a good idea of what your imbalances are and what you should do about it. In my experience these are the most common imbalances:

Overactive lats and under active rhomboids (rounded shoulders) – This can be improved by stretching your lats and doing a “YTA” exercises to activate the muscles between your shoulder blades.

Overactive hip flexors and underactive glutes (can lead to knee and lower back pain) – This can be improved by stretching your hip flexors and doing a “bridge” exercise to activate your glutes.

Overactive calves and underactive shin muscles – This can be improved by stretching your calves and activating your shin muscles.

If of this sounds confusing, don’t worry! Many personal trainers are certified in corrective exercise. Ask around your gym and you’ll find one that’s right for you!