Most common reason for tight muscles are poor posture or emotional stress.  Poor posture when lying, sitting or standing cause a load or tension on the muscles. When the muscle is loaded it naturally tries to resist by contracting to overcome the demand, over a period of time the effects of the load have an effect on the muscles and this overactive response to load becomes a learned behaviour and the muscles will stay contracted when the load is removed, this then leads onto joints being affected because the muscles help provide use with everyday movement and restricts the joints this then leads to a decrease in flexibility and limit movement

Poor posture is a common cause of tight muscles. Posture is the position of the body when standing, sitting and lying down. The body is made to stay aligned with a straight and relaxed spine, supported muscle. If posture changes the alignment of the body is affected. Poor posture causes stress on certain muscles resulting in tight muscles and a muscle imbalance.

Tight muscles can be the result of muscle imbalance. Muscle imbalance can cause postural changes, restricted movement and pain. Muscle balance is the relationship between tone, strength and length of muscles around a joint. If there is a lack of balance within the muscles it can cause dysfunction in the relationship of how muscles work together and cause imbalance.

Overuse of certain muscles can contribute to tight muscles. Repetitive movements in occupation or exercise can cause small tears or injuries in the muscle tissue. The repeated activity does not give sufficient time for healing and the muscles response to any injury is to tighten up as a form of protection from further injury.

The effects of stress can create physical responses in the body leading to tight muscles. Different types of stress can affect how muscles respond. After intense exercise muscles become tight as there has been a physical demand. Blood flow is reduced in tight muscles causing soreness. Emotional stress also can activate an unconscious reflex in the body. Stress causes muscles to contract leading to tight muscles

Inflexibility in the muscles can restrict movement around joints causing surrounding muscles to tighten. Inflexible muscles are prone to tightness as they do not reach end of range. Inflexibility can lead to serious injuries such as muscles strains and tears.

Massage helps reduce tight muscles by increasing temperature of soft tissues, increasing blood circulation, breaking down adhesions and decreasing tone. Massage helps treat muscle hypertonicity in the muscles. Hypertonicity in the muscles reduces blood flow and results in muscle tightness. Muscles tighten after exercise, after repetitive motion or long periods of inactivity. Muscle tightness can be treated with a range of massage techniques.

Massage helps reduce tight muscles by increasing temperature of soft tissues. Massage stimulates an increase of temperature by friction against the skin. Friction causes an increase of blood flow to the muscle and temperature to increase. When temperature increases the muscle, fibres relax and loosen allowing more movement

Massage helps relieve tightness in the muscles by increasing blood circulation to the muscles. Restoring circulation to the muscles increases new blood cells to the area stimulating the healing process. Massage relaxes the muscles, separating and loosening muscles fibres. The muscles are elongated and stretched which releases tension and allows more movement.

Massage reduces tightness by applying pressure to knots and breaking adhesions. Pressure points can be used to force out knots in the muscle. Knots and adhesions are formed from a build-up of waste products or high tension in the muscle. Massage breaks down the knots and adhesions and help realign the fibres back to normal form. Relieving knots and adhesions decreases tightness

Massage helps to decrease tone in the muscles. Massage increases temperature in the soft tissues and stimulates a relaxation response. A relaxation response in the body produces inhibitory messages from the nervous system. Inhibitory messages produce an opposite effect from excitatory messages. Inhibitory messages send relaxing messages to the muscles that decreases tone.

Book you massage now with the FWX Sports Therapy team – Contact Chris on 01926 859 488 or email enquiries@fitness-worx.com

Inside Fitness Worx (Episode 2) is here – This week we see how the new classes are going, and we tag along with Jack and Eliot seeing what they are up-to on Eliot’s journey to the Irish Pro.

Our Sports Therapy team is available 7 days a week at the Kenilworth & Warwick facilities, to help you recovery from injury and prevent injuries from occurring. If you have muscle pain, a sports specific injury or in need of a sports massage, message us for further info or to book your appointment!

We have put together the benefits of having a Sports Massage below!

Why not give this Lower Body Hypertrophy session a go next time you in the gym.. The main purpose for this workout is to build muscle and help you become stronger!

✅ Warm up – Leg extensions 4 x 15 Reps
✅ Back Squat – 4 sets x 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 Reps
✅ Belt Squat – 2 x 15 Reps
✅ Single leg press – 3 x 10 Reps
✅ Hamstring Curl – 2 x 12 Reps
✅ Walking Lunge 1 x 30 Reps

Let us know how you get on.. Good Luck

Over the past year Fitness Worx Gyms has gone from strength to strength, both on the business and training side.In this brand new weekly series, we take you Inside Fitness WorX covering our personal training and our business journey over the next 12 months. We have big growth plans in place for 2018!

Here is another quick but tough Workout for you… 6 exercises – 6 Reps – 4 times around, fast as possible! The Barbell Complex..

**Barbell Complex**

– Deadlifts
– Bent over row
– Clean and Press

**Conditioning**

– Rope Slams
– Med ball slams
– Box Jumps

Will you have a go?

Dwayne Johnson, WWE, Sports and Movie superstar, trains 6 days a week throughout the year. If you are familiar with Dwayne, you may remember it wasn’t that long ago that the man known in the WWE as “The Rock” was a bulky 280lb defensive lineman at the University of Miami. However, The Rock’s training regime, has helped transform him into a chiseled 260lb wrestler and then into an athletic 225lb movie star.

We have been given one of the training plans that The Rock follows weekly, and also incorporated his daily diet schedule for you to have a look at and incorporate into your plans:

• Wide Grip Lat Pull Down – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• Close Grip Lat Pull Down – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• One Arm Seated Row Machine – 4 sets x 12 reps
• Back Extension – 4 sets x 15, 15, 12, 12 reps

Dumbbells and kettlebells are great for building total-body strength, but if you want to test how strong you really are, barbells are the way to go. Barbells allow you to lift heavier with more control since you’re holding the bar with both hands and recruiting several muscles at once.

Master these moves, and you’ll not only get a great workout in — you’ll be able to set a three-rep max benchmark to continuously test your strength.

1. Barbell Squat

Targets: Glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps
How to: Walk up to the barbell on the rack at shoulder height. Hold the barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart, thumbs over the top of it. Then, dip your head under the bar and position it on top of your back (a). Raise your elbows and chest to create a shelf to rest the bar along your shoulders and below the base of your neck (b). Keeping your chest and shoulders tight, remove the bar from the rack and take three steps back. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly turned out, so your knees track over your feet (c). Take a deep breath and squat down, pushing your butt back, until your thighs are parallel to the ground (d). With control, stand back up without your knees turning in towards each other (e).

2. Barbell Deadlift

Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and latissimus dorsi

How to: Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and slightly turned out. Keep the bar one to one and a half inches from your shins, so it’s directly over your mid-foot (a). Grip the bar with your hands just outside of your legs with your arms straight. Bend your knees, lowering them until your shins touch the bar (b). Squeeze your chest and take a deep breath in. Keeping your back flat, drag the bar up your shins, slightly shifting your weight towards your heels (c). Continue to pull the barbell up until you’re standing with your shoulders back and chest is raised (d). Lower the bar back down, bending your hips and knees, while maintaining a flat back and keeping the bar close to your shins. Once it’s back on the ground, exhale and then let go of the bar.

3. Barbell Overhead Press

Targets: Deltoids, triceps and trapezius

How to: Grip the barbell with your hands just outside of your shoulders. Place the bar in front of your shoulders with your back straight and firm, feet shoulder-width apart (a). Keeping your core tight, take a deep breath and press the bar straight up overhead until its directly above the back of your neck. The bar, your shoulder joint and your mid-foot should be in a straight line (b). When you’ve reached the top, shrug your shoulders up and lock your elbows completely out (c). Lower the bar back down to the front of your shoulders. Once the bar is touching or just above your shoulders, that’s one rep. (d).

4. Barbell Bench Press

Targets: Pectoralis major, deltoids and triceps

How to: Lie on your back on a bench and grasp the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart, feet flat on the ground. There should be a slight arch in your back, so there’s space between your lower back and the bench (a). Lower the bar to your chest, tucking your elbows in at 45 degrees by your sides (b). Once the bar touches your chest, drive your feet hard into the floor and, without pausing, press the bar back up (c).

5. Barbell Lunge

Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors and calves

Although the barbell lunge isn’t part of the strength test, it helps build muscle endurance for the exercises above, especially the deadlift and squat. Beginners can do three sets of five reps, while advanced lifters can do four sets of 10 reps of forward and reverse lunges per leg.

How to: Place the barbell just beneath the base of your neck and along your shoulders. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, elbows raised and abs engaged (a). Take a big lunge forward with your right leg and lower until your left knee is one to two inches off the ground (b). Explode up and bring your right leg back to the starting position (c). Repeat the same movement with the left leg. This is one rep.

Give these exercises a go next time you’re in the gym and for any help, please ask a FWX Coach!

Ever wondered what it’s like to have Personal Training at FWX? We followed Jack around for the morning to see what his clients and classes are upto, on a typical Monday morning! Discover all Personal Training information here – www.fitness-worx.com/personal-training/