A Chiropractor's Thoughts on Getting More Out of Your Gym Workouts

Someone recently submitted this question through our topic suggestion form:

"Curious about a chiropractor’s perspective on the importance of proper form with exercise and weight lifting. Additionally, what less-commonly known things we should focus on for ideal chiropractic health in the gym."

I will admit, I have never found great joy in traditional gym workouts, especially strict strength training. My exercise philosophy has always been to use recreation as my exercise: trail runs, hikes, mountain biking, canoeing, rock climbing, tennis, soccer...I don't disagree with the gym approach at all.  In fact, it's a great way to get a lot of exercise done in a short amount of time, and you have endless flexibility and options if you want to focus on any one area of your fitness. For this post, I'll touch on the above question by offering a few thoughts on how I would maximize a gym experience...if I went :).

Have a question you'd like me to write about? Submit it here

Try to mimic real life

One disadvantage I see with gym workouts is a tendency to perform simplified movements. This allows you to target specific muscle groups but at the expense of natural movement. This is more true with traditional strength training, as a good Crossfit or HIIT coach will program a variety of movements into a workout. There's nothing wrong with including traditional strength training into your routine, but it does not mimic real life. Try to work in some exercises that involve movements in multiple planes at one time so that you are activating more of your kinetic chain.

Load your muscles through their full range of motion

Not just in the "power band". Squat deep, lunge low, involve multiple joints, find movements that strengthen your full range. I believe overlooking this concept is a big cause of injury. If you don't do this, you may be strong within a small range, but not at the extreme ranges, which will open you up to tissue failure when you really try to push your body outside of the gym. Passive stretching is not the answer to this problem either, as it only improves the length of a muscle, not the strength. A mobile body region that is weak will fail under load just as a tight body region that is strong will fail when stretched beyond its range.

Factor in the asymmetries in your daily life

Do you sit all day? Consider movements that strengthen and lengthen the hip flexors and other core muscles. Consider doing exercises that will externally rotate and open your shoulders, add extension into your spine so you don't turn into a shrimp. Do you play an asymmetrical sport? Golf is a good example. In golf, you rotate your trunk and hips in the same direction over and over. Consider movements that offset and balance that asymmetry, like rotation in the opposite direction.

Work with a coach

Doing the wrong exercises or too much of the right exercise can cause as many problems as not exercising. I would strongly encourage you to work with a coach or trainer to help you program a good workout and to watch you and correct errors in technique.

Hope this helps! These are just a few of my own thoughts as a chiropractor, presented with the intent of sparking your own.