Strength Training Opposing Muscle Groups for Muscle Balance And Injury Prevention

April 16, 2:02 PMIndianapolis Fitness ExaminerPatricia Niemeyer

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Strength training is an important component of fitness, but when done improperly it can result in muscle imbalance and result in injury.  For injury prevention opposing muscles need to be worked and all of the muscles worked need to be stretched.  When only certain muscles are focused on and the opposing muscles are forgotten, injury may result.   Training opposing muscles results in muscle balance and is important for injury prevention.  It's very simple really, just think front to back and inner and outer. Here is a list of some of the opposing muscles:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle  (for muscle identification picture)

• Upper Arm                     Biceps                          Triceps
• Upper Torso                  Pectorals                     Latissimus Dorsi           
• Shoulder                        Anterior Deltoid           Posterior Deltoid
• Spine                              Abdominals                 Erector Spinae
• Legs                               Quadriceps                  Hamstrings
• Calf                                  Gastrocnemius          Tibialis Anterior                                

What are opposing muscles?  Opposing or antagonist muscles are the muscles that do the opposite of the working muscle.  So when the biceps are flexing or contracting, the triceps (the antagonist) are extending. If say, the goal was to build your biceps then it is important to remember the opposing muscle group and work the triceps.  A good tip is to work the opposing muscle between sets of the main muscle that was just worked.  For example, if a person was going  to do 3 sets of 12 repetitions of bicep curls then do 12 reps of biceps and on the rest phase do 12 reps of tricep kick backs and just alternate back and forth until 3 sets of each have been done.  There is no need to rest in between because the biceps are resting while the triceps are working.   Just as equally important is stretching the muscles that have just been worked.  This can be done directly after the muscle is worked or after the completion of the workout.  Working opposing muscles and stretching the muscles that have been worked prevents one muscle from becoming significantly tighter than it's opposer and thus injury is less likely.

Training opposing muscles lends to injury prevention because the muscles that work together to make a movement are in balance with one another rather than one over powering another.  When a muscle is worked it becomes tighter and the tendons connecting those muscles to the bone also become thicker and stronger.  If the opposing muscle and it's connective tissue were significantly weaker then a sudden muscle burst or movement or repetitive motion could result in a joint or muscle injury or show itself  with chronic pain.  When muscle imbalance occurs it is important to strengthen the opposing muscle and also to stretch the tight muscles.  Stretching should be held for a minimum of 30 seconds.  No one wants to be sidelined with an injury so to avoid injury and keep the muscles balanced train the opposing muscles and stretch after exercise.