Alignment and Control

Alignment and control are two major things that we all need in our workout programs and in the exercises that we execute.

If we do not have alignment and control, then we are setting up ourselves for injury, poor movement, weakened muscles, compensation, less than full range of motion, and bad pain (pain that is injurious).

We are aligned when our bones and joints follow our movement or another bone or joint. For example, when we squat our knees should follow our toes, preferably our big toe. Primarily, the knee cap follows the semi-anchored position of our toes. When we lunge, our knees should follow our big toe. However, due to lack of balance, tightness and weakness imbalances, and lack of coordination our knees follow a different direction. This movement is not true for everyone, but it is true enough that it is a prominent issue.

We have control when we lift a weight or lift our body weight and can steady ourselves with good posture. Again, we can see this with lunges, with diagonal lifts or D2 Flexion exercises for our shoulder and rotator cuff region. For example, with lunges if our lower backs are weak or tight then it will act like it is folding when we are at the bottom of the lunge position - lack of control. We see a lack of control with overhead lifts when our arms extend either too wide due to weakness in another muscle upper body muscle group or our arms cannot remain steady. The shoulder, in this case, suffers.

Putting both of these together makes movements easier and more particular and regular. We can do and perform much better when we have a firm foundation for what we are lifting. When we are aligned our kinetic chains work harmoniously from top to bottom or physiologically from bottom-to-top.

Alignment comes before control. When we are performing an exercise that involves our entire body in a standing position, the feet work, the ankles work, the knees work, the hip works, the lower back works, the torso works, the shoulders work, the neck works, and the head works. All of the muscles in between work well too.

Therefore, we must remind and solidify our beliefs to know that controlled movements are good ones!

In performance,
Derek