CAN A BLINDFOLDED MAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT YOUR BODY THAN YOUR GYM OR POSSIBLY EVEN YOUR TRAINER EVER HAS?
Try watching the person walking in front of you, standing next to you or performing movements in the gym.
Standing still, your feet point out. Look at your shoe, the outer sole of your heel is worn more. Maybe a curve in your lower back or shoulders rounded, perhaps both. Head slightly forward? Watch the person walking, can you see the full palm of their hand, do their hips go from side to side. Maybe one shoulder higher than the other.
Take a broom stick, hold it above your head. Now try squat. I warned you about your feet, but they probably are pointing outwards. When you squat your knees will go outwards or maybe cave inwards. Do your heels lift? Do your arms drift forward or bend. Watching someone else from behind, when they squat, do their hips favour one side. From the side, does their bum wink (tuck under) at the bottom of the squat or bend forward from the waist?
Let’s get a bit more personal, take off your shoe, does your big toe drift inwards, is there quite a prominent lump on the side of your foot at base of big toe. Are your aware that your big toe is even linked to your glute? Wear high heels a lot or narrow shoes?
So you might be asking what does all this even mean…
- Feet turning out, knees going outwards, heels maybe lifting = tight calves, hamstrings & piriformis. Weak Glutes.
- Excessive lower back curve (lordosis) = tight quads, hamstrings, hip flexors & lower back.
- Upper back curve (Kyphosis) = tight pecs, lats. Weak rhomboids.
- Head forward = tight sternocleidomadtoid & scalene muscles.
- Knees inwards = tight adductors. Weak Glutes.
- Seeing palms of hands = shoulders internally rotated. Weak rhomboids.
- Hips going to the side. Weak glute.
- Hips shifting when squatting /elevated shoulder = ankle or knee injury on side shifting from / same side as shoulder.
- Worn outer heels = pronation of foot
- Bum tucking under = tight hamstrings
- Folding forward at hips = tight hip flexors. Weak core.