Most of us in this day in age spend the majority of our time sitting in chairs or lying in bed all day. Many of us suffer from lower back pain sustained from normal daily activities such as picking up something heavy or playing with family and friends. Those of us who try to stay physically active often neglect the posterior chain. The primary muscles of the posterior chain are the lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Daily movements such as sitting all day and not properly training your posterior chain can lead to quad dominance and with this your glutes lose their ability to stabilize the hip. The muscles of the posterior chain mainly hip and lumbar extension are one of the most important areas of the body when it comes to athletic performance, strength, power, and just being able to live an improved daily quality of life. According to Perry Nickelston, sedentary lifestyles and lack of proper exercise lead to suboptimal muscular activation patterns within the posterior chain due to lower crossed syndrome (LCS) (Nickelston).
LCS is a “muscle imbalance pattern that effects the lower kinetic chain which includes the lumbo-pelvic hip complex, knee, and ankle” (Lifewest.edu). This syndrome can be found in individuals who sit for prolonged periods, continuously perform tasks for extended periods of time utilizing poor posture, or have been immobilized. It can also be found in individuals who perform repetitive actions such as running or jumping. Many of us who have not adequately trained our posterior chains or live sedentary lifestyles probably suffer from some degree of this syndrome. This can lead to common back injuries caused by the rounding of the back when we pick up heavy things, bad posture, and other problems such as stiffness in the back and hips, and fatigue. But this does not have to be how you continue to live your life. With proper training, you can reverse these problems and be well on your way to living a higher quality of life.
A term that most, if not all of us have heard is “Lift with your legs and not your back”. Refers to a crucial movement when training your posterior chain and a movement that you should be using every day of your life. That is hinging with your hips and knees rather than your waist and spine. The main posterior muscles that we look to hit when training our posterior chain are:
- Multifidus (spine support)
- Erector Spinae (back and spinal extension)
- Gluteal Muscles (hip extensors, femoral rotation)
- Hamstring Muscles (hip extension, knee flexion)
- Gastrocnemius or Calf (plantar flexes ankle, knee flexion)
- External Obliques (back and spine support, in tandem with anterior core) (Lootens).
Some great exercises to train your posterior chain include:
- Deadlifts
- Squats (Front and Back)
- RDL s
- Good mornings
- Hip Thrusters
- Lunges
- Rows including barbell, dumbell and seated
- Back extensions and Glute-ham raises ( GHR’s are an incredibly effective hamstring exercise)
Squats and Deadlifts are generally used as they have the potential to produce high levels of force and are often programed to increase strength and power. I strongly recommend deadlifts, RDL’s and other trunk extension exercises as the staples of your posterior chain training regimen. In a study titled Posterior muscle chain activity during various extension exercises: an observational study, The authors found the muscles of the posterior chain were recruited on a higher level during trunk extension, compared to leg extension (Ridder et al). Regularly performing these important exercises will help to strengthen the muscles of your posterior chain and improve your quality of living.
References
- Lower-Crossed Syndrome – Lifewest.edu Accessed 10/27/15
- Lootens, Trent. “Superior Posterior Workout: Posterior Chain Training!” Bodybuilding.com. 7 June 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
- Nickelston, Perry. “The Posterior Chain: It’s All in the Hips.” The Posterior Chain: It’s All in the Hips. Dynamic Chiopractor, 15 July 2011. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
- Ridder, Eline Md De, Jessica O Van Oosterwijck, Andry Vleeming, Guy G Vanderstraeten, and Lieven A Danneels. “Posterior Muscle Chain Activity during Various Extension Exercises: An Observational Study.” BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders BMC Musculoskelet Disord (2013): 204. Print.
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