Designing a Balanced Workout to Achieve Optimal Performance

As a trainer, I find myself frequently watching others work out in a gym and I can almost predict what their next moves will be. This is because quite often men will work their “mirror muscles’ the most. Those are the muscles they can see facing the mirror. This tends to be almost always chest, arms and abs. For women they concentrate more on abs and legs.

The problem with this approach is that it neglects how the muscles work together to move the body. It can also create muscle imbalances or worsen existing imbalances. The good news is that this does not necessarily mean you have to workout longer, just differently.

Muscles work together, pulling on joints, to perform movement. The best way to work all muscles is using movements that require many muscles to work at once. For example performing a squat uses legs and core muscles, (abdominals and back) versus a leg press machine that uses only leg muscles. By adding an overhead press to the squat you involve the shoulder musculature as well. You get all that with one move, a squat to overhead press.

In addition, a push up in combination with a plank move will work upper body as well as the core muscles. A lunge where you can use a medicine ball and rotate it across the torso at the same time will bring the abdominal muscles, (more specifically the oblique muscles), into play as well as the legs. A squat in combination with a row using tubing will work the arms and back as well as the lower body. All of these combination moves work the muscles together in a more functional way at the same time creating a more balanced workout.

No matter what sport you are training for it is important to think about muscle balance because the body works as a unit. Overtraining one muscle and neglecting others can at some point lead to injury.

While the design of the workout is critical it is equally important to learn the proper form, especially when performing compound exercises. This can be accomplished by working with a Fitness Professional such as a personal trainer or athletic trainer. Even a few sessions will be beneficial to make sure the exercises are being done correctly. Working the body as a unit and doing the exercises correctly with the proper form will help to insure a balanced workout and better performance in both sports and daily activities.

Nancy Thompson, Certified Personal Trainer
For more information, call 404-918-2451