Overlooking this critical muscular, skeletal and neural chain is a big mistake,
says London-based Dax Moy, one of Britain's foremost personal trainers (www.daxmoy.co.uk ). The posterior chain is your anti-gravity mechanism. Without a fully functioning extensor chain/posterior chain you will lose your lifelong
fight against gravity. Just compare the upright, easy posture of a
young toddler to the round-shouldered, hunched and flexed postures of
many older adults. That's the effect of gravity at 33.3 pounds per
square inch pushing down on you for decades, and there’s only one way
to stop that from happening. Build a better extensor chain.Viewed in its entirety the posterior chain extends from the
muscles of the big toe, to the sub occipital muscles at the base of the
neck. These muscles and all the others in between, such as the calf
muscles, glutes and hamstrings, are fundamental to strength and
function.
They assist explosive movements related to sprinting and jumping.
But we're not only talking about function here, emphasizes
Moy. Aesthetically, a strong extensor chain will give you better
posture that will hold your body in proper alignment, make you taller,
make you appear slimmer, and reduce your abdominal ˜pooch, so there
are plenty of great reasons to pay more attention to the posterior
chain.
Every effort to develop the posterior chain is undermined by time spent sitting.
As Moy astutely points out, sitting is flexion, the exact
opposite of extension. It results in forward head postures, headaches,
neck problems and back pain. Training only the "mirror muscles" makes
matters worse. Strengthening areas of the body that are already strong
further diminishes the weaker regions and establishes a chronic state
of imbalance.
"The answer to this problem, says Moy, "lies in paying more
attention to the extensor chain in the first part of your training, and
then only doing the mirror-muscle exercises when that's complete.
Exercises like dead lifts (all varieties), squats, good mornings,
snatches, cleans, rows, chins, kettle bell swings, pull throughs and
high pulls are critical to developing this area. They will strengthen
it quicker and more effectively than any other exercises, and allow for
real-life functional integration of strength and flexibility. No
machine can give you that.
Target specific muscles such as the hamstrings and glutes
(buttocks), which will help prevent injury. The hamstring is
particularly susceptible to tears due to the very kind of imbalance
that is so worrisome to Moy. The quadriceps, the large muscle group at
the front of the upper leg, overpowers the hamstring, its rear
opposite.
Simply put, it's a case of one muscle outperforming another.
Attempting to keep pace, the hamstring is strained, and inevitably
breaks down.
Muscles of the posterior chain are typically underdeveloped,
and incapable of meeting the demands placed on them. Correcting that
imbalance should be the goal of every athlete and fitness enthusiast.
Bringing Up the Rear
The major muscles of the posterior chain are, in descending
order, the glutes, hamstrings and calf muscles. Strive to improve the
strength of these muscles with exercises that exclude the quadriceps.
Glutes:
Calves:
- Seated raises
- Standing raises
Hamstrings:
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