I am repeating the opening paragraph from last weeks post on Core Strengthening Part 1, in case there are those who didn’t get a chance to read it. Core strengthening is not just limited to working your abdominal muscles by doing crunches. It also includes exercising other muscles that help stabilize and strengthen your back, trunk, pelvis and hips. In this three part series I will be writing about three different muscles that I like to encourage my Seattle Treatment Massage clients to strengthen if I find they are weak. Strengthening these muscles is a great addition to any core workout program.
In the second part of this series on core strengthening we are going to look at the adductors. The adductors are another set of muscles that stabilize the core of the body. They are commonly weak amongst clients in my Seattle Treatment Massage practice. Adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, pectineus, and gracilis make up this important muscle group. The adductors are responsible for bringing your thighs together from an open position.
I often find people with low back pain or the side of their hips and/or legs are tight and/or painful, have weak adductors. The latter of these symptoms seem to be prevalent in bicycle riders. Strengthening the adductors can bring greater stability to your hips, trunk and low back. This in turn can provide more power and stability with walking, bending, and sitting for long periods.
VERSION ONE - Adductor exercise
SIDE ADDUCTION: Remember to do both sides. To add a challange to this excersise, put a weight on the inner part of the lower leg above the knee.
VERSION TWO- Adductor exercise
SEATED ADUCTION: Don’t let the title of this adductor exercise with a ball fool you, its not just for seniors. Everyone can benefit from having strong adductors.
One must be very careful when strengthening your adductors for it is easy to overdue and strain them. Start off slow and steady, increasing only when you are sure you are ready.
Stay tuned for next week and the third and final part in this three part series. We will learn about the PC muscles. Thank you for reading, PJ Harris, LMP. http://www.pjharris.com/
I received a request from a follower on twitter to post about problems with knees. While I can’t give detailed advice on recovering from an injury without seeing someone in person, I can give some general suggestions on how to keep your knees injury free.
Like all parts of your body, your knees are not islands in your legs. Knee health is mostly depended on the health of other surrounding body structures. I have boiled down knee care to a few hints that will increase your chances to have strong and flexible knees for years to come.
1. Reduce Impact and Twisting- Are your favorite activities high impact or require lots of twisting? These activities put enormous strain on your knees. It’s hard for many who love these activities to stop doing them altogether. Maybe you could cut down. Cross training can be most beneficial. For instance instead of running 5X a week you could run 3X a week and swim or row 2X a week. Give those knees a break and still keep fit.
2. Leg Muscle Balance- Often people will develop pain on either side or the top of their knees. This can be caused by a muscle imbalance in the legs. A certain muscle or muscle group might be too weak. Make sure when you are strengthening your legs you hit all muscle groups not just quads, hamstrings and calves. The most common leg weakness I find with my Seattle massage clients are the adductors (inner thighs).
3. Pelvis Alignment and Muscle Balance- When your pelvis is out of alignment or you have a weakness in the muscles that stabilize the pelvis there is a large chance that you will become a victim to “trickle down ergonomics.” Which is a silly way of saying, what is going on structurally above the body greatly effects the lower structures. This is extra critical when the structures are as close to the knees as the pelvis.
4. Feet and Ankle Alignment and Muscle Balance- Are you landing on your feet evenly? Do you have weak ankles? Are you using comfortable and supportive shoes? These are all important things to keep mindful of and address immediately. This could be based on the “trickle up ergonomics” theory.
5. Range of Motion- If you spend more than an hour a day with your knee in one position then it is important for you to move it. Are you sitting a lot? Get up, stretch your legs and walk around for a few minutes every hour. Don’t drag your feet or shuffle when you walk. This bad habit promotes poor range of motion in the knee, hip and ankle.
6. Flexibility- Do you stand a lot? Do some leg stretches, especially for the quads and calves, every two hours. It is important that you stretch ALL OF THE LEG daily. The most common tightness I find in folks are the quads and adductors. Many runners will sacrifice stretching for added running time. This is not a good idea if you want to keep running for many years.
7. Body Support Team- If you are an active person or are currently having knee pain, it is important that you have a health practitioner that you can go to that will help you keep everything strong, flexible and aligned. My favorite type of practitioners for this are massage practitioners, physical therapists, and personal trainers.
If you have a more specific persistent issue that you are dealing with in regards to your knees, please seek medical help immediately. The sooner you start care the greater your chance for a speedy recovery and don’t underestimate the power of ice for injury recovery. PJ Harris, LMP http://www.pjharris.com/
This post is an interview with Kate Conwell, Personal Trainer Extraordinaire followed by her tips of 10 Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk. Below are some of the questions I asked her:
What suggestions do you have for people who have a hard time motivating themselves? When someone wants to get back into shape and needs some help getting motivated, I would recommend two things: 1) Find someone to hold you accountable to your workouts – either a personal trainer or a friend. This person should be encouraging and dependable. You want him or her to “force” you to follow through on your commitment. 2) Figure out what physical activities you enjoy most and pursue those first. There are so many ways to exercise these days – dance and fitness classes, yoga, running, weight lifting, swimming, kick boxing, pilates – the list goes on and on. Try them all, and find the one for which you have the greatest passion. If you like doing something, you’re more likely to stick with it, and you will be excited about including it in your day. After you get going, if you feel it’s necessary to add something that you don’t enjoy as much in order to accomplish your goals, then do it. But always start with the stuff you like!
How do you think that a fitness trainer and massage therapist could work together to help a client? When I work with a client, the first step is to decrease/get rid of any muscular imbalances in order to help her body function properly and effectively. Over time some muscles get too tight, while others are constantly stretched, and therefore weakened. Correcting these imbalances will help exercise be more productive, and overall life more comfortable. I enjoy working with massage therapists, like PJ, because massage helps decrease muscle tightness and increase mobility, which would help a person get rid of her imbalances more quickly.
What advice might you give someone who is having a challenge with a chronic injury due to a sport or fitness activity? Chronic injuries are usually the result of a muscular imbalance or weakness. I would tell that person to go see their doctor, or a sports rehab specialist, to figure out if they are healthy enough to start a weight training program, and what muscle groups that specialist would recommend focusing on. When they got clearance from their doctor to proceed with weight training, I would create a program that focuses on strengthening the weak areas, stretching any tight muscles that are contributing to the imbalance, and developing an overall healthy body to prevent this injury from recurring. I would also tell them to listen to their body as we progress through the program, and suggest ice and massage to help speed the recovery process and ensure future health.
10 Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk
1. Heel Raises – With both feet on the ground, press toes down and lift heels off the ground. Repeat 10-20 times. 2. Isometric Bicep – Bend elbow to 90˚ angle and press hand, palm up against bottom of desk. Keep constant pressure for 10 seconds then relax. Repeat 8-12 times. 3. Leg Extension and Hold – Extend leg straight ahead and squeeze. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 8-12 times. 4. Neck Stretch – Lean head toward one ear and hold for 20 seconds. Repeat on the other side. 5. Toe Raises – With both feet on the ground press heels down and lift toes off the ground. Repeat 10-20 times. 6. Upper Body Twist – Cross right leg over left knee then slowly twist body to right shoulder. Hold 15-30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. 7. Arm Circles / Shoulder Circles – With arms straight and parallel to floor circle in each direction 10 times. For shoulder version leave arms at sides. 8. Tricep Stretch – Hold one arm behind your head so that your elbow points up toward the ceiling. With the other hand, slowly pull on the elbow and hold for 15-30 seconds each arm. 9. Seated Crunch – Hands at side to support weight. Feet start on the floor in front of you. Lift your knees toward your chest and hold for 5 seconds. Lower legs back toward ground and repeat 10-15 times. 10. Inner Thigh Squeeze – While seated with back flat, place one fist between your knees. Squeeze your fist by contracting your inner thighs. Release slightly, keeping abs engaged and repeat 10-20 times.
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Email me at: kate@purebdodyfitness with “Newsletter Sign-Up” in the subject line. Or visit my website, www.purebodyfitness.com and click on the link there to sign up directly.
I received a request from a follower on 
This post is an interview with Kate Conwell, Personal Trainer Extraordinaire followed by her tips of 10 Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk. Below are some of the questions I asked her:
