Corrective exercise is a double-edged sword. On one hand, we all have weaknesses that could benefit from attention. Muscular imbalances, postural issues, and aberrant movement patterns can—and often do—lead to discomfort, pain, and in the worst-case scenarios, injury.
On the other hand people don’t like to perform corrective exercises. No one wants to waste their time activating their glutes—no one. They don’t want to feel like patients when working out. They want to train!
Yet it is important to remember that proper prevention strategies are key to an athlete’s health and career longevity.
So it is crucial to sneak in some traditional corrective exercises, both to address universally problematic areas and for preventative maintenance.
Pretty much everyone has issues with poor glute activation, poor T-spine mobility, limited ankle dorsiflexion, short and tight hip flexors, and poor core engagement. These are just part of living in current civilization.
For this reason, it’s important to include a brief dynamic warm-up prior to each training session, which serves a few purposes:
- It helps improve movement quality.
- It mentally prepares you for your training session.
- When done consistently, it can have a surprising corrective effect over time.
We’re only talking 8-10 minutes of your time here, and yet it can have a profound effect on your performance in the gym and how you feel overall.
See you next time!
D.