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Balancing act: stretching and strengthening leg muscle pairs to prevent injury

American Fitness, Nov-Dec, 1997 by Linda M. Bland

Some of today's most popular recreational sports are hiking, biking and in-line skating. Although they require arm strength and aerobic fitness, most of the power required comes from the legs. The following program is an ideal way to get a jump on improving leg strength so you can maximize your fun later.

How does the leg's skeletal-muscle structure govern your body's movement? Muscles run from one bone to another, spanning one or more joints. The muscle itself does not attach to the bone, but rather uses a cable-like bridge called a tendon.

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Any means of propulsion, be it hiking, biking or in-line skating, requires the complex harmonized cooperation of muscle, tendon and joint. When you ask a body part to move, one muscle (agonist) contracts, while its opposing partner muscle (antagonist) relaxes. These simultaneous actions work together to prevent extreme joint movement, conserve energy, improve efficiency, prolong endurance and reduce impact.

A healthy athlete maintains this balance. However, if either muscle of a pair becomes stronger than its partner, the likelihood of injury to the muscles, tendons and connected joints increases. Muscle-pair imbalance is one of the most common underlying reasons for athletic injury.

Everyday activities such as walking, sitting and lifting tend to promote muscle imbalance, which is all the more reason to commit to a serious workout regimen before doing something like embarking on an active vacation.

Consider one of the biggest muscle pairs in your legs--the quadriceps and hamstrings. When you move your thigh forward, the muscle at the front of your thigh (quadriceps) shortens, much like a rubber band, to move the big bone (the femur). As it shortens, the muscle that attaches your knee to your buttocks (the hamstring) relaxes. When equally strong, these muscles harmonize to keep the knee functioning to its maximum potential. Most people, however, have an imbalance between these two muscles in favor of the quadriceps.

It's also important to stretch your muscles. Hiking, biking and in-line skating can call upon both types of muscle fiber--fast-twitch for burst-type speed activity such as hoisting your body up onto a boulder from one foot, and slow-twitch for activity such as cruising flat miles on a bike. Stretching improves the efficiency of fast- and slow-twitch muscle types by reducing shortness and tightness and extending the range of motion of the joints to which the muscles attach.

Muscles become injured for many reasons, including poor technical skills, exposure to the cold, incomplete warm up, dehydration, and overuse and fatigue. To combat injury, pay close attention to exercise instruction, dress appropriately for the weather, always stretch and warm up before beginning an activity, and rehydrate frequently--even if you're not thirsty.

Although it's often an injury site due to improper stretching, Achilles pain can be abated by elevating the heel in the shoe or boot. Injuries to this area are common and disastrous. Heel pain should be treated much more seriously than other aches and pains of overuse. Altering the stress by improving technique can relieve muscle soreness, as can minor adjustments in equipment. If a limp or obvious swelling occurs, your body is trying to tell you something.

If you want to maximize your play periods, invest some time each week in balancing muscle-pair strength.

HAMSTRINGS

Hiking, biking and skating tend to increase quadricep strength, leaving you with proportionately weaker hamstrings. The hamstrings are more vulnerable to injury when they are overpowered by the quadriceps. If you have access to a gym with a hamstring curl weight machine, work this exercise into your circuit. If you work out at home without machines, the following exercises will help strengthen this muscle group.

Hamstring Stretch

Stand with your feet together and extend one leg out in front of you with the heel resting on the floor. Place your hands on the thigh of the other leg, bend the knee slightly and lean forward keeping your back rounded. Lift the toes of the extended leg and lean over until you feel a good stretch. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat with opposite leg.

Standing Hamstring Curl

Stand on one leg with the knee slightly bent. Hold on to a wall or the back of a chair for balance. Keep your abdominal muscles pulled in, and be sure to stand up straight. Slowly bend the free leg up toward your buttocks, keeping your foot flexed, then slowly straighten your leg. Beginners: two sets of 10 on each leg. Intermediates: two sets of 20 on each leg. Advanced: two sets of 30 on each leg.

QUADRICEPS

If the hamstring muscle is stronger and contracts more easily than the quadriceps can relax, the knee remains slightly flexed all the time and these muscles must then work harder, delivering that familiar thigh burn that soon demands rest.

Standing Quad Stretch

Stand on one foot, keeping the knee of the leg you're standing on slightly bent. Grab the foot of the free leg and slowly pull it back toward your buttocks. Be sure to keep your abdominals pulled in, and avoid twisting the knee or leaning. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then repeat with opposite leg.

Balancing act: stretching and strengthening leg muscle pairs to prevent injury

American Fitness, Nov-Dec, 1997 by Linda M. Bland

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