While it can be a battle of the wills between common sense and ego, backing off the load to focus on the quality of your movement patterns is your best bet for long-term progress and optimal performance.

In this article, we’re going to look at improving movement quality when training the lower body.

Fix Your Broken Leg Movement

The lower extremities work in conjunction with the core to provide strength and power to the entire body. Any deficits in mobility or stability throughout the lower body’s kinetic chain can lead to injury, dysfunction, and a decrease in performance. By addressing alignment, asymmetries, mobility, stability, and dynamic motor control, you can reduce the risk of injury and maximize your training.

Mobility

Limited range of motion compromises the most basic of movement patterns, as tightness affects the ability to engage the right muscles in the right sequence.

Lower Body Mobility Issues

In the lower body, the most common mobility issues include ankles, calves, adductors and hip flexors. Tight hip flexors inhibit the ability of the glutes to engage. Furthermore, if we follow the joint-by-joint approach proposed by Gray Cook, a lack of hip mobility will force the joints above and below—the lumbar spine and the knees—to make up the difference.

Lower Body Mobility Solutions

Below is an example of a simple yet comprehensive mobility sequence that I use as part of a dynamic warmup before training the lower body. I perform 10 repetitions in total, alternating legs.

• Maintain the alignment of the hips, knees and 2^nd/3^rd toes throughout.
• Keep the heels on the ground to address the mobility of the ankle and Achilles.
• Use your elbows to drive the knees out in the lateral portion of the sequence.
• Use your breath to increase your range of motion on each repetition.

Asymmetry

While excessive tightness is detrimental to efficient movement, functional asymmetries (muscular imbalances, movement impairments) between the right and left sides of the body are a much higher risk factor for injury.

Think of your body as a race car. If the wheels are out of alignment, it will tear up the ball joints and tires. Make the car go faster and for longer, and the destruction will be far more widespread. If you sprain your left ankle, several “compensations” may occur: You will put more pressure on your right foot. Your left hip will become weaker. Your right hip will become stiffer because it’s overworked. If you then perform double leg movements with either volume or load, the compensation will be exacerbated, poor movement patterns reinforced and pain or injury will be the end result.

Lower Body Asymmetry Issues

The two most common structural asymmetry issues I see on a regular basis are:

• Single-leg, right versus left imbalance: Humans are unilaterally dominant, so if you have a weakness on one side, you will compensate on the other side setting yourself up for injury.
• Same-side lateral versus medial imbalance: A high proportion of knee injuries are caused by an imbalance where the outside of the leg (the IT band, TFL and Vastus Lateralis) is too tight, and the inside of the leg (the VMO or Vastus Medialis) is too weak. This causes incorrect tracking of the knee, leading to friction, inflammation and pain.

Lower Body Asymmetry Solutions

Single Leg Right-Left Imbalance:

Including single leg movements in your program allows you to correct left-right strength and size imbalances, improve general balance and proprioception, allows you to train around injuries, and has a huge carryover into athletic movements. I suggest including a wide array of single leg variations in the frontal (side to side movements), sagittal (movements forward and back), and rotational planes, including lunges, single leg off-box squats, step-ups, and single leg deadlifts.

I often use a 5 x 5 single-leg, off-box squat protocol as part of an extended dynamic warmup preceding lower body training, as it addresses mobility through the ankle and Achilles, the alignment of the entire lower limb from the hip through to the knee through to the 2^nd/3^rd toe, and glute stabilization of the supporting leg.

• The heel of the supporting leg stays on the box, as this is where the mobility of the ankle and Achilles is required.
• Maintain alignment of the hips, knees and 2^nd/3^rd toes throughout.
• Keep the pelvis level.
• Stay as upright as possible. I find it helps to have the arms out in front to act as a counterbalance.
• Use your own range of motion limitations to dictate the depth. Don’t compromise the movement to try and touch the ground.
• Keep the movement slow, smooth and controlled.

Lateral Versus Medial Imbalance

At the very minimum, I suggest regular foam rolling for the outside of the leg (primarily the ITB and TFL) for myofascial release, followed by targeted VMO isolation exercises to address the knee stabilization. Charles Poliquin introduced me to VMO step ups (with heel elevated), but even simple wall sits squeezing a foam roller between the inner thighs can be effective. I would schedule in 1-2 sets of 13-15 repetitions before my lower body training to make sure the muscle is switched on.

• Maintain the weight in the supporting heel. The higher the elevation of the heel (the greater the angle), the harder the exercise is.
• Maintain the alignment of the hip, knee, 2^nd/3^rd toe throughout.
• Draw the kneecap up at the top of the movement to actively engage the VMO.

Tip: When performing single leg sets, start with the weaker leg. If and when failure occurs, repeat the exercise for the same amount of reps on the other side. If it’s a mobility issue, you can skew the ratio of the stretching on a 2:1 or 3:1 basis favoring the tighter side.

Stability and Motor Control

Stability refers to the ability of the kinetic chain (i.e., nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems) to create integrity of a joint during movement. This is a combination of muscular timing, control, and sequence. For the most part, stability is reflex dependent. Motor control should be synonymous with stability.

Lower Body Stability and Motor Control Issues

The most common stability issue I see in regards to the lower body is in relation to the knee. If the knee collapses inwards, it is often associated with weakness of the hip abductors—most notably the gluteus medius and minimus.

Lower Body Stability and Motor Control Solutions

Bodyweight or low-load glute activation drills have always been practiced in a physical therapy environment. Recently, they have also become popular in a strength and conditioning setting. Isolated glute activation drills are a staple in my lower body dynamic warm-ups. My two favorite glute activation drills are the resistance band lateral monster walk, and the single-leg glute bridge. I perform them after the hip mobility sequence, and before my main workout.

• Keeping the feet hip distance apart, and the feet facing forwards. A common mistake is to allow the feet to turn out to move.
• Keeping the body upright. A common mistake is to lean to one side to compensate for the movement.
• Keeping the hips, knees, 2^nd/3^rd toes in alignment. A common mistake is to allow the feet and knees to collapse inwards. During set up, think about “screwing the feet into the ground” to help engage the glutes from the beginning.

• Keep the hips, knees, 2^nd/3^rdtoes aligned throughout. If your knee has a tendency to fall out, it can indicate a tightness of the ITB and TFL.
• Keep the knee hugged in to the ribcage, to alleviate the involvement of the lower back in extending the hips. This ensures that the glutes are isolated.
• Weight is always on the heels. Heels = posterior chain.

Efficiency Is Power

If you can’t move efficiently, you can’t move effectively, and you will struggle to make any gains in your lower body training. In addition, the way in which the contralateral muscular slings of the body are organized, an injury in one area of the body may be the cause of or response to an injury, weakness, or imbalance in an opposite or seemingly unrelated portion of the body. Your gumby right hip has a cause and effect relationship with your left shoulder; the classic chicken-and-egg scenario.

Ultimately, mobility is the foundation upon which everything else—motor control, stability, strength, and power—is based. When you’re mobile enough, you can then work on motor control to be able to respond to your environment. Improving your stability will then ensure you respond more effectively. Only then can you add load to build strength, then build on that strength with speed. Never sacrifice your form for load, volume, or speed. It’s not practice that makes perfect. It’s perfect practice that makes perfect.

You can’t just do this stuff once in a while:

Mobility Matters Every Day

The post Maximize Leg Power with Mobility Routines appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

While it can be a battle of the wills between common sense and ego, backing off the load to focus on the quality of your movement patterns is your best bet for long-term progress and optimal performance.

In this article, we’re going to look at improving movement quality when training the lower body.

Fix Your Broken Leg Movement

The lower extremities work in conjunction with the core to provide strength and power to the entire body. Any deficits in mobility or stability throughout the lower body’s kinetic chain can lead to injury, dysfunction, and a decrease in performance. By addressing alignment, asymmetries, mobility, stability, and dynamic motor control, you can reduce the risk of injury and maximize your training.

Mobility

Limited range of motion compromises the most basic of movement patterns, as tightness affects the ability to engage the right muscles in the right sequence.

Lower Body Mobility Issues

In the lower body, the most common mobility issues include ankles, calves, adductors and hip flexors. Tight hip flexors inhibit the ability of the glutes to engage. Furthermore, if we follow the joint-by-joint approach proposed by Gray Cook, a lack of hip mobility will force the joints above and below—the lumbar spine and the knees—to make up the difference.

Lower Body Mobility Solutions

Below is an example of a simple yet comprehensive mobility sequence that I use as part of a dynamic warmup before training the lower body. I perform 10 repetitions in total, alternating legs.

• Maintain the alignment of the hips, knees and 2^nd/3^rd toes throughout.
• Keep the heels on the ground to address the mobility of the ankle and Achilles.
• Use your elbows to drive the knees out in the lateral portion of the sequence.
• Use your breath to increase your range of motion on each repetition.

Asymmetry

While excessive tightness is detrimental to efficient movement, functional asymmetries (muscular imbalances, movement impairments) between the right and left sides of the body are a much higher risk factor for injury.

Think of your body as a race car. If the wheels are out of alignment, it will tear up the ball joints and tires. Make the car go faster and for longer, and the destruction will be far more widespread. If you sprain your left ankle, several “compensations” may occur: You will put more pressure on your right foot. Your left hip will become weaker. Your right hip will become stiffer because it’s overworked. If you then perform double leg movements with either volume or load, the compensation will be exacerbated, poor movement patterns reinforced and pain or injury will be the end result.

Lower Body Asymmetry Issues 

The two most common structural asymmetry issues I see on a regular basis are:

• Single-leg, right versus left imbalance: Humans are unilaterally dominant, so if you have a weakness on one side, you will compensate on the other side setting yourself up for injury.
• Same-side lateral versus medial imbalance: A high proportion of knee injuries are caused by an imbalance where the outside of the leg (the IT band, TFL and Vastus Lateralis) is too tight, and the inside of the leg (the VMO or Vastus Medialis) is too weak. This causes incorrect tracking of the knee, leading to friction, inflammation and pain.

Lower Body Asymmetry Solutions 

Single Leg Right-Left Imbalance: 

Including single leg movements in your program allows you to correct left-right strength and size imbalances, improve general balance and proprioception, allows you to train around injuries, and has a huge carryover into athletic movements. I suggest including a wide array of single leg variations in the frontal (side to side movements), sagittal (movements forward and back), and rotational planes, including lunges, single leg off-box squats, step-ups, and single leg deadlifts.

I often use a 5 x 5 single-leg, off-box squat protocol as part of an extended dynamic warmup preceding lower body training, as it addresses mobility through the ankle and Achilles, the alignment of the entire lower limb from the hip through to the knee through to the 2^nd/3^rd toe, and glute stabilization of the supporting leg.

• The heel of the supporting leg stays on the box, as this is where the mobility of the ankle and Achilles is required.
• Maintain alignment of the hips, knees and 2^nd/3^rd toes throughout.
• Keep the pelvis level.
• Stay as upright as possible. I find it helps to have the arms out in front to act as a counterbalance.
• Use your own range of motion limitations to dictate the depth. Don’t compromise the movement to try and touch the ground.
• Keep the movement slow, smooth and controlled.

Lateral Versus Medial Imbalance

At the very minimum, I suggest regular foam rolling for the outside of the leg (primarily the ITB and TFL) for myofascial release, followed by targeted VMO isolation exercises to address the knee stabilization. Charles Poliquin introduced me to VMO step ups (with heel elevated), but even simple wall sits squeezing a foam roller between the inner thighs can be effective. I would schedule in 1-2 sets of 13-15 repetitions before my lower body training to make sure the muscle is switched on.

• Maintain the weight in the supporting heel. The higher the elevation of the heel (the greater the angle), the harder the exercise is.
• Maintain the alignment of the hip, knee, 2^nd/3^rd toe throughout.
• Draw the kneecap up at the top of the movement to actively engage the VMO.

Tip: When performing single leg sets, start with the weaker leg. If and when failure occurs, repeat the exercise for the same amount of reps on the other side. If it’s a mobility issue, you can skew the ratio of the stretching on a 2:1 or 3:1 basis favoring the tighter side.

Stability and Motor Control

Stability refers to the ability of the kinetic chain (i.e., nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems) to create integrity of a joint during movement. This is a combination of muscular timing, control, and sequence. For the most part, stability is reflex dependent. Motor control should be synonymous with stability.

Lower Body Stability and Motor Control Issues 

The most common stability issue I see in regards to the lower body is in relation to the knee. If the knee collapses inwards, it is often associated with weakness of the hip abductors—most notably the gluteus medius and minimus.

Lower Body Stability and Motor Control Solutions

Bodyweight or low-load glute activation drills have always been practiced in a physical therapy environment. Recently, they have also become popular in a strength and conditioning setting. Isolated glute activation drills are a staple in my lower body dynamic warm-ups. My two favorite glute activation drills are the resistance band lateral monster walk, and the single-leg glute bridge. I perform them after the hip mobility sequence, and before my main workout.

• Keeping the feet hip distance apart, and the feet facing forwards. A common mistake is to allow the feet to turn out to move.
• Keeping the body upright. A common mistake is to lean to one side to compensate for the movement.
• Keeping the hips, knees, 2^nd/3^rd toes in alignment. A common mistake is to allow the feet and knees to collapse inwards. During set up, think about “screwing the feet into the ground” to help engage the glutes from the beginning.

• Keep the hips, knees, 2^nd/3^rd toes aligned throughout. If your knee has a tendency to fall out, it can indicate a tightness of the ITB and TFL.
• Keep the knee hugged in to the ribcage, to alleviate the involvement of the lower back in extending the hips. This ensures that the glutes are isolated.
• Weight is always on the heels. Heels = posterior chain.

Efficiency Is Power

If you can’t move efficiently, you can’t move effectively, and you will struggle to make any gains in your lower body training. In addition, the way in which the contralateral muscular slings of the body are organized, an injury in one area of the body may be the cause of or response to an injury, weakness, or imbalance in an opposite or seemingly unrelated portion of the body. Your gumby right hip has a cause and effect relationship with your left shoulder; the classic chicken-and-egg scenario.

Ultimately, mobility is the foundation upon which everything else—motor control, stability, strength, and power—is based. When you’re mobile enough, you can then work on motor control to be able to respond to your environment. Improving your stability will then ensure you respond more effectively. Only then can you add load to build strength, then build on that strength with speed. Never sacrifice your form for load, volume, or speed. It’s not practice that makes perfect. It’s perfect practice that makes perfect.

You can’t just do this stuff once in a while:

Mobility Matters Every Day

The post 5 Movements to Unlock Your Leg Power appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Poor movement quality is a pandemic among athletes, and whilst many of them are able to identify their own weaknesses and imbalances, I am always surprised by athletes’ reluctance to address and remedy them. It seems to be much harder for them to be humble and regress to mastering the basics than it is to lift heavy shit and muscle their way through a workout.

For the best results in your upper body work, you need to fundamentally correct your movement. (Photo: Pixabay)

Mobility, stability, and motor control play a critical role in an athlete’s ability to perform and stay injury free. Mobility is the degree of uninhibited range of motion around a joint, and stability is the resistance offered by muscles, ligaments, and tendons surrounding that joint to protect it against injury.

Motor control refers to the body’s capability to take sensory input from the environment and execute the proper muscle co-ordination in response. Mobility, stability, and motor control are all inter-related in the human body, with most movement quality issues arising from problems within this trifecta.

Fixing Poor Movement in the Upper Body

In this article we’re going to look at how to improve movement quality in the upper body with mobility, stability, and motor control focused exercises. Sports-specific needs aside, the bulk of my initial programming for my clients’ upper body work focuses on the posterior chain, and there’s no change here. I believe in lengthening the front and strengthening the back of the body first.

Perform the exercises below to make sure you’re hitting the right muscles at the right times to improve your performance and reduce your injury risk when training your upper body. These exercises will improve your overall mobility, stability, and motor control and make sure your trifecta stays solid.

Remember:

Mobility + Stability + Motor Control = Correct Fundamental Movement Patterns

Let’s take a look at mobility first.

Mobility

Limited range of motion compromises the most basic of movement patterns, as tightness affects the ability to engage the right muscles in the right sequential order.

This inevitably leads to imbalance and injury as compensation by more dominant muscles occurs. If your upper back is movement restricted, your lower back will compensate for it, leading to instability, pain and injury.

Upper Body Mobility Issues

In the upper body, common mobility issues include tight pectorals, internal rotators, stiffness in the serratus anterior, and blocking of the thoracic spine.

These issues make it very difficult to keep a proud chest and active back in movements such as Olympic weightlifting. It can also be hard to draw the shoulder blades together during pulling movements such as pull ups.

Let’s take a look at some exercises you can implement into your program to alleviate upper body mobility issues.

Upper Body Mobility Solutions: 1. Mobilize the Thoracic Spine with a Foam Roller

One of the simplest ways to mobilize the thoracic spine is to use a foam roller. Stiffness or blocking in the thoracic spine affects breathing and posture and decreases the range of shoulder movement, particularly when lifting overhead as it changes the position of the shoulder blade on the rib cage.

• Roll from the upper trapezius all the way down to the bottom rib.
• Perform with a neutral spine, then in extension.
• Avoid the neck or cervical spine area at the top.

For further release, you can also use this method with two tennis balls taped together in a figure of eight to isolate and mobilize each vertebral joint.

Upper Body Mobility Solutions: 2. Mobilize the Serratus Anterior with a Foam Roller

The serratus anterior is responsible for holding the scapula to the rib cage. A tight serratus anterior is more common than you think, and plays a major role in pulling the shoulder forward. You can also use a foam roller to mobilize this area.

• Start at your bottom rib and roll across the muscle fibers from back to front.
• Repeat for each rib.

You can foam roll pre or post workout, on recovery days, and before bed. I find that spending 10-15 minutes targeting specific areas before a dynamic warm up to be the most beneficial. To achieve the best mobility gains, Andy Ginn suggests releasing the serratus anterior before targeting the pecs and internal rotators with dynamic warm up mobility sequences like the one I’ve given below.

Upper Body Mobility Solutions: 3. Open the Chest and Shoulders with a Dynamic Warm Up

For a general opening of the chest and shoulders, I favour using a resistance band in the simple mobility sequence I’ve given in this video.

Perform 10 reps of each exercise shown here. These variations of the shoulder dislocate are inspired by my experience with The Real Movement Project. They open the chest and the front of the shoulders first, before working on retraction and drawing the shoulder blades towards the spine.

I recommend completing this sequence after foam rolling before all workouts involving the upper body.

Stability and Motor Control

Stability is immediate integrity around a joint in the presence of full range of motion. Stabilizers are reflex dependent and rely on motor control rather than strength to function properly. Motor control and stability are co-dependent, which is why I’ve put these two components together.

The best way to improve stabilization is to improve motor control. If your alignment is good and your body position is where it should be in your upper body movements, your brain will automatically fire the targeted muscles to give you integrity, joint compression, and a perfect axis of rotation around which your primary movers can do their job effectively.

Upper Body Stability and Motor Control Issues

The most common movement fault I see in the upper body is dominance and over-development of the upper traps. This could be due to purposefully training the muscle with exercises like shoulder shrugs, or through chronic poor posture and reinforcing poor movement patterns through volume or load. Your upper traps are most likely dominant if you round your shoulders in your pulling movements or shrug your shoulders when pressing overhead.

Overactive upper traps over time can develop into uncomfortable tension around the neck, possible tension headaches and in the worst cases, chronic inflammation and pain. You need to learn how to minimize the involvement of the upper traps and recruit the mid traps and rhomboids, the lower traps, and the external rotators. A weak and/or unstable shoulder girdle will not only affect your primary upper body lifts. It can also affect your lower body compound exercises like the front squat and deadlift.

Let’s take a look at some exercises you can implement into your program to improve your upper body stability and motor control issues.

Upper Body Stability and Motor Control Solutions: 1. The T3 Raise

One of my biggest takeaways from learning under Charles Poliquin was the T3 Raise and its contribution to scapular stability. If the scapula fails to stabilize, shoulder complex function is inefficient, which results in decreased neuromuscular performance and injury in the shoulder area. Stablizing the scapula prevents this and enhances motor control in this area of the body.

I find that performing this as a single arm variation allows me to feel my lower traps engage more in my workout. When your lower traps engage in the T3 Raise, you should get a pinching feeling right underneath the shoulder blade that refers contralaterally down and across towards the opposite hip.

• Start with the hand directly underneath the shoulder. I like to exaggerate the initial movement by reaching my fingertips toward the ground in protraction before retracting the shoulder blade.
• Keep the retraction whilst the arm moves as high as possible at a 45 degree angle, with the thumb up.
• Keep the arm as straight as possible.
• Pause at the top, then lower with control before repeating.
• Make sure to keep the hips and shoulders level throughout and to brace the spine.

Start with your weaker arm, and if you fail at a specific repetition, just complete the same amount on the other side. This is a great exercise to address any imbalances you may have in the scapular area.

Perform two sets of 12-15 reps and superset the T3 Raise and the Sidelying External Rotation exercise given below. The T3 Raise can be performed before or after your workout.

Upper Body Stability and Motor Control Solutions: 2. Sidelying External Rotation

External rotation is one of the most important components of any upper body training program for postural strength and injury prevention. The rotator cuff tendons provide stability to the shoulder, and the muscles allow for rotation of the shoulder. As external rotation is not directly addressed as a component of any other exercise, it must be worked in isolation.

Sidelying external rotation is arguably the easiest external rotation exercise to perform, as you can use the wall to align the entire body correctly and for a tactile cue to signal the top of the movement. As a guideline,you should be able to complete one repetition using 10% of your 1RM bench press weight according to Poliquin’s structural balance ratio.

• Lie on your side with your heels aligned to your sacrum and the back of your shoulder blades.
• Rest your head on your forearm, and draw the belly button in. Hips and shoulders should be stacked.
• Bend the top arm to 90 degrees and place the elbow on the top of the hip bone. This is your pivot point.
• Full range of motion for this exercise is from internal rotation (hand and forearm moving across the body towards the ground) to external rotation (forearm and hand pointing towards the ceiling).
• Try and keep the shoulder from rolling forwards on the internal rotation, and squeeze the back of the shoulder at the top of the movement.

Start with your weaker arm, and if you fail at a specific repetition, just complete the same amount on the other side. This is a great exercise to address any imbalances you may have in the shoulder area.

Perform two sets of 12-15 reps and superset the T3 Raise and the Sidelying External Rotation. Like the T3 Raise, the Sidelying External Rotation can be performed before or after your workout.

Upper Body Stability and Motor Control Solutions: 3. The Hanging Retraction

The Hanging Retraction is my favorite pre-pullup drill. A good cue for this exercise is shoulders wide, sternum up. As well as a pull up bar or rig, you can also perform this exercise on a lat pulldown machine.

• Grab the bar and come into a dead hang with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
• Make sure your lats are in a stretched position and your elbows are locked.
• From the starting position, initiate the movement by trying to pull your shoulder blades down, resisting the temptation to unlock your elbows.
• Pull the shoulder blades down, squeeze, then return under control to the starting position.

Perform one set of 6-8 reps before doing pullups or any upper body focused workout.

Move Well Now for Dividends in the Future

The importance of addressing your movement quality in the upper body can’t be overstated. Mobility is the foundation upon which motor control, stability, strength, and power is based, but just having the mobility to perform a certain movement does not mean that you have the movement knowledge to perform those movements correctly.

To build this knowledge, you need to groove proper movement patterning until the movement becomes automatic. With these exercises, you’re taking the first step toward getting there.

If you can’t move efficiently, you can’t move effectively, and you will struggle to make any gains in your upper body training. Never sacrifice your form for load, volume, or speed. Remember it’s not practice that makes perfect. It’s perfect practice that makes perfect.

Want to know more about great movement?

Motor Control and Movement Patterns: A Must-Read for Athletes

The post How to Combat Poor Movement in Your Upper Body Training appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If you’re a female who trains, you will have experienced a blank faced look when you say you want to keep your boobs but lose your stomach fat. Every expert you have spoken to, every magazine you have read, and every personal trainer or nutritionist you have consulted with has told you the same things. That outside of surgery, spot-specific fat reduction is just not possible. And that fat is lost from all over the body and never in one specific place.

Why we store fat and where we store it is a product of our hormones and their interaction with the environment.

What if I told you that they’re wrong: that scientific, spot-specific fat reduction does exist (though not in the way that you might think) and that it can actually improve your athletic performance?

Where and why you carry a disproportionate amount of body fat will have an impact on how many seconds of time you shave off of a 400m run, how many calories you clock on your rowing intervals, and whether you make that extra centimeter on a vertical jump test. At an elite level, disproportionate body fat distribution can even be the difference between an Olympic medal, a world record, or a personal best.

The Link Between Hormones and Body Fat

Why we store fat and where we store it is a product of our hormones and their interaction with the environment. Our hormones either work for us or against us. If one hormone is out of balance, it has a domino effect on the rest.

The importance of hormones in training was identified by world-renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin, when testing of his elite athletes showed correlations between fluctuating hormone levels and stubborn areas of body fat. With Poliquin’s theories, otherwise known as the BioSignature system, body fat distribution helps us identify the hormone imbalances that are inhibiting your athletic progress.

Let’s examine Poliquin’s findings in little more detail. The three most common problem areas for body fat distribution in women are the stomach, the thighs, and the hips. The good news is there are simple lifestyle and training changes to implement that can make your hormone levels work for you instead of against you.

The Stress Hormone: Cortisol – Problem Area Stomach

Excessive belly fat has been correlated to high levels of cortisol exposure for a prolonged period of time¹. Cortisol is needed to maintain normal physiological functioning in times of stress and an effective cortisol metabolism controls our fight or flight response. The secretion of cortisol releases amino acids, glucose, and fatty acids into the bloodstream for use as energy, but when the body is exposed to sustained, stressful situations where this excess energy isn’t used, it’s stored as fat.

Why is this fat specifically stored in the abdominal region? Without getting too complicated, it has to do with a little enzyme called HSD that is primarily found in abdominal fat cells, and increased abdominal HSD activity is generally associated with higher amounts of abdominal fat.² Keep in mind that a stressful situation is not just work deadlines, sitting in traffic or an argument. It can be food intolerances, digestive issues, malnourishment, poor quality sleep, dehydration, or overtraining.

Increased stress means increased cortisol, which is bad news for your body composition goals.

What to Do About It: If lowering abdominal fat is the main priority for you, optimizing cortisol levels can better be achieved by using a periodized strength and hypertrophy weights program combined with high intensity intervals. Minimal caffeine and sugar is also recommended. A huge emphasis should be placed on quality of training over quantity, with additional stress management practices highlighted to improve recovery time such as yoga, meditation, and massage.

The Female Hormone: Estrogen – Problem Area Thighs

Estrogen balance is essential for achieving and maintaining fat loss for females. As a population we are constantly exposed to estrogen-like compounds like plastics, pesticides, and parabens. Since the majority of estrogen receptors are in the quads and hamstrings, there are no prizes for guessing this is where fat is stored from over-exposure to these compounds.

For the female athlete in particular, high estrogen levels can contribute to weight gain, pain, mood swings, low energy, and decreased muscle recovery.³ Too much estrogen or estrogen dominance can also cause water retention, bloating, and a host of other health and wellness issues.⁴

What to Do About It: When training for body composition, women with higher estrogen levels would benefit from lower body weight training circuits with high volume, moderate weights, and low rest periods.⁵ Other lifestyle factors that optimise estrogen metabolism include a nutrition plan high in fiber and green cruciferous vegetables, and a heavy emphasis on detoxification strategies such as magnesium supplementation, Epsom salts baths, and acupuncture.

The Sugar Hormone: Insulin – Problem Area Hips

An excess of body fat around the hips suggests issues with insulin resistance, carbohydrate tolerance and blood sugar management. When there is too much insulin in the blood, the cell body becomes stressed, the insulin receptors are shut off, and any excess sugar in the blood is stored as fat.

What To Do About It: The good news is that insulin is essentially the only hormone that we have relatively easy control over since we can manage our blood sugar levels with better nutrition. Stick to a basic real food blueprint of lean protein with plenty of greens, and limit high GI foods to post-workout when the body is most insulin sensitive. The way you exercise can also be critical in improving insulin sensitivity. Training strategies that involve building muscle and utilizing the anaerobic threshold tend to be more effective, since muscle consumes the majority of energy in the bloodstream. Weight training, strongman training, and sprinting can all be successful ways to manage your insulin levels.⁶

Body Fat Doesn’t Give the Whole Picture

Body fat distribution in the hips, stomach, and thighs suggest hormone imbalances, but doesn’t always give the whole picture. Every woman has their own unique hormonal balance, so any generalizations or sweeping recommendations in regards to disproportionate body fat storage is a mistake. Whilst we could look at a female with bigger legs and assume she’s got high estrogen levels, it’s rarely that simple. The female hormonal cycle involves several hormones, with each event triggering the next, so it’s best not to get fixated too early on any one in particular.

If you believe you have a specific imbalance, or want to make sure that you are making the best choices in regards to supplementation, specific blood tests are available from doctors, naturopaths, and other health and wellness practitioners. However, using these guidelines can be a good starting point to identify and address any potential limiting factors that could affect body composition, health, and athletic performance. By understanding your body and learning to listen to what it’s trying to tell you, you can begin to create an individualized plan of attack to achieve your goals in a safe and sustainable way.

This article was co-authored by Tahlia Seinor.

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References:

1. Gottfried, Sara: “Cortisol Switcharoo (Part 1): How Cortisol Makes You Fat and Angry” DrSaraGottfried.com, 2015.

2. Talbott, Shawn: “What Is Cortisol?” The Cortisol Connection, 2009.

3. Todd, Wayne: “The SD Protocol” Todd Wellness Group, 2015.

4. Poliquin, Charles: “Is Estrogen Dominance Making You Fat?” Lifestyle By Poliquin, 2012.

5. Smith, Carolyn: “Running For Women“, Human Kinetics, 2012.

6. Poliquin, Charles: “Insulin, Nutrition, and Your Health” Poliquin Group, 2011.

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