Try this tip to see how well you move. You may be surprised. Stand facing a wall with your feet only 6 inches away from it at shoulder width. Cross your arms by placing your hand on the opposite shoulder and your elbows pointing straight out in front of you (they should just graze the wall). Now squat as low as you possibly can without lifting your heels off the ground.
What happened?
Odds are you almost ran your nose down the wall, banged your head, fell backwards or could not go lower than a couple of inches. This is a sign that your body is not working properly, and begins to highlight the difference between dysfunction and pain. You don’t put all kinds of wear and tear on your car until the engine explodes, you get oil changes and easy maintenance. So why would you do this with your body? This dysfunction (faulty movement patterns) is a sign you need an oil change or their is increased risk of an engine explosion (injury) in your future.
If you are functioning properly, you should have been able to squat with your hips well below your knees and your torso upright. This is the standard for movement. If you look at any toddler, they can perform this to perfection. If you look at kids and teenagers they can do this. The overwhelming majority of adults can no longer perform this due to a number of different factors. Prolonged sitting creates tightness and muscle imbalances that reprogram our body and brain. This can easily be corrected through different treatment modalities such as ART, corrective exercise including reverse patterning.
Many people start exercise programs only to quit or hurt themselves.
Many of these people are doing “squats” within this workout program. A typical problem is known as ‘quad dominant’ which means you use the muscles at the front of your legs more than the muscles in the back of the legs. This would be the equivalent to driving around with your parking brake on. You can do it, but it requires more gas, and will ultimately wear down your car.
Now that you have identified the problem, the question is what are you going to do about it?