mUvmethod Yoga Benefits For Athletes Are your postural muscles holding you back? Postural muscles are a set of muscles that are designed to stabilize and mobilize the body. These muscles are designed for endurance and are the most utilized set of muscles in the dance population. The postural muscles are meant to support and work with the deep core stabilizing muscles and phasic, orouter unit, muscles of the body. However, if the deep core muscles and the phasic muscles aren’t working properly the postural muscle will take over and work as stabilizers and mobilizers. In other words they start to do all the work! The result is tightness, pain, reduced flexibility and mobility.
Check out special programs for Yoga for athletes, Yoga for dancers and Yoga benefits for athletes. Examples of postural muscles are: • • • •
Levator Scapulae Upper Trapezius Scalenes Erector Spinae
These muscles are made up of 51% or more of slow twitch fibers. Postural muscles are tonic in make up, which means they are designed to contract at lower loads for long periods of time. They have a greater capacity for sustained work but are prone to shorten due to overuse, underuse, force and trauma. Postural muscles can become hyperactive, tight and painful at times. If the postural muscles are tight so is the surrounding fascia. This affects the way we carry ourselves, flexibility, mobility, balance, alignment and posture. The treatment for this is to release and relax. Our program is designed to get you moving with ease and efficiency. As well as build stability and strength from the inside out by training muscles in the way they were designed to work. Each set of muscle is unique and plays it’s own role in stability. Once an understanding of the design and role the different muscle groups play we can incorporate exercises designed to engage and strengthen phasic muscles, release muscular, fascial and neural tension in the postural muscles and activate the deep core muscles. Learning and applying these key concepts can transform the way you move. When a clear understanding of how the body really works is established one can maximize flexibility and mobility in a safe and effective way.