This week I’m going to continue my discussion about a few more muscle groups that act as important stabilizers, but are often overlooked during training. Last week I discussed the rotator cuff group and the scapular stabilizers. This week we’ll look at the gluteus medius, transversus abdominis and the multifidi muscles.
Of all the hip muscles, the Gluteus Medius (GM) may have the biggest impact on stability of the hip as well as frontal and lateral mobility. It functions as a hip abductor, meaning that it raises the leg up to the side of the body. It also assists with the early portion of hip flexion (bringing legs toward trunk), as well as rotation of the femur about the hip.
The GM is commonly involved in strength and postural injuries. In everyday life, this muscle primarily functions to keep the pelvis level during walking. Specifically, as you raise a leg to step forward with it, the GM on the opposite side contracts to keep the weight of the free leg from tilting the pelvis downward on that side (note: to those that take CORE I regularly, this is one reason those loop exercises at the beginning of class hurt so much). The GM muscle is frequently overloaded by activities that require a person to be bent forward and also bent to one side, like shoveling dirt or snow.
Two important inner core stabilizing muscles of the lower back are the Transversus Abdominis (TVA) and the Multifidus muscle. These muscles do not produce great forces but work at all times during body movement, even when the movement is not close to the spine, such as the shoulder.
The TVA is the deepest layer of abdominal muscles. It enfolds around the torso from front to back and from the ribs to the pelvis. The TVA is influential on the stability of the spine and therefore is important for back protection. If you train it properly, it will set your trunk up as a powerful unit able to endure the rigor of sports and weightlifting. And as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, strengthening the core is vital to performance and injury prevention.
The multifidus muscle is one of the smallest yet most powerful muscles that give support to the spine. Some people have the misunderstanding that small is insignificant, but that is not the case when it comes to this particular muscle.
The multifidus muscle is a series of muscles that are attached to the spinal column. These series of muscles are further divided into two groups, which include the superficial muscle group and the deep muscle group.
The multifidus muscles help to take pressure off the vertebral discs so that our body weight can be well distributed along the spine. In addition, the superficial muscle group keeps our spine straight, while the deep muscle group majorly contributes to the stability of our spine. These two groups of multifidus muscles are recruited during many actions in our daily living, including bending backwards, sideways and even turning our body to the sides.
Studies have shown that the multifidus muscles get activated before any action is carried out so to protect our spine from injury. Take for example when you are about to shovel snow, before moving your arm, the mutifidus muscles will start contracting prior to the actual movement of the body and the arm so as to prepare the spine for the movement and prevent it from getting hurt. Therefore, you can see how this would be an important group to train for injury prevention!
What fitness classes at New Self target these commonly ‘ignored’ muscle groups? In order of emphasis: CORE I, BAGS and CORE II.
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