Volume TRAINING FOR MUSCLE BALANCE
Greg Stemkowski MS, PT, CSCS, PES
Procore Physical Therapy P.C.
I have been seeing an increasing number of patients who are training themselves into an injury or a potential injury. This occurs because the majority of people that workout train the muscles they can see harder than the muscles they can't. The fact is that 2/3s of your muscle mass is on the front of your body and the 1/3 muscle mass that is on the back is half as strong. This sets up a trend towards creating muscle imbalances that can affect your posture, joint arthrokinematics, movement efficiency, and can place overload on muscles and tendons. What can be done to avoid this trend? The answer is to train with more balance in your exercise program. This can be accomplished through monitoring your training volume.
This article will explain a simple method of calculating your training volume to aid in the prevention of muscle imbalances created by your exercise program. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the further the muscle balance ratio is from 1:1 regarding strength, the greater the concern is for imbalance. Because of the anatomical and physiological differences between the front and back of the body certain joints have different ratios. Studies have helped to define these ratios from joint to joint. These ratios are 1:1 for ankle, hip, elbow, and lumbar spine. The knee and shoulder (internal/external) have ratios of 3:2 and shoulder (flex/ext) is 2:3. These ratios can be applied to your training volume for better balance within your exercise program.
So what is volume and how do you calculate it? Volume describes the total amount of weight lifted in a workout session and can be calculated by multiplying the number of sets by repetition by weight in pounds. For example, if you perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions with 100 pounds your volume would equal 3000 pounds. A simple volume analysis between the muscles worked on the front of the body vs. back of the body, and using the ratios mentioned before, will determine your training balance volume. If there are extreme differences in training volumes, than simple manipulations of the sets, repetition, or weight can correct for the differences.
It is important to have a balanced training program to prevent muscle imbalance. Improper training programs can create multiple muscle, joint, and posture dysfunctions over time. The volume method can aid in the prevention and correction of dysfunction. The volume method is easy to use and will give you insight to the effectiveness of you strength training program.