Pete RohlederWhat’s up, movers!
Today is Part 5 of the Mobilize and Move series. As you know, the next two episodes will wrap up this series dedicated to going through each phase of the P.U.M.M.P. Process to enhance mobility, so you have a good grasp on the content and can apply it appropriately to your fit your needs.
To quickly recap, “P” stands for Proper Position; “U” stands for Undo Hypertonic and Shortened Tissue; and the first “M” stands for Mitigate Joint Capsule Restriction, where we chatted about utilizing banded joint distraction and banded flossing to address joint position restriction along with the tissue from previous steps.
I said this in the last episode, but the previous three alone will improve your mobility and function, but why stop there? Let’s attack our movement restrictions from all angles!
So, it’s time for the second “M” of the P.U.M.M.P. Process, but before I tell you, I want to give you a visual to paint a picture of why this phase is so important.
Have you ever seen a cheer team’s performance, where they toss a flyer way, way up in the air? It’s spectacular, but it’s not as easy as just throwing her in the air. You have a base, typically of two people who have to work together to toss the flyer in the air. Their timing has to be on point, they have to apply equal force, and they have to apply the force in the same direction: up. If not, the flyer may not achieve the launch, or worse, the flyer may be thrown to the left or right, and everyone has to scramble to catch her before she hits the ground.
This visual helps us see the importance of how proper muscle contraction contributes to movement. We’ve discussed hypertonic tissue, and of course, that tissue plays a considerable role in movement dysfunction. But there’s another side to the coin.
Believe it or not, many movement problems are caused or made worse by muscles NOT doing their job. Like the flyer example, if the base does not do their job, the outcome is inefficient.
Sometimes, muscles lay down on the job, so to speak. Whether it’s in response to overactive tissue or the habitual poor positions and movement patterns we reinforce, some muscles just stop contributing as they should. We need to address that if we want to optimize our movement and mobility.
The second “M” of the P.U.M.M.P. Process stands for Muscle Activation.
For movement to be efficient and forceful, several things need to happen.
Motor units need to be recruited. When we talk about motor units, we are talking about a motor neuron and the muscle fibers it innervates or communicates with. Motor units help us control the rate and force of muscle contractions, allowing us to move at different levels of force and speed for a given task. A lot can influence motor units, such as the force needed, the contraction speed, the type of contraction, and the muscle’s metabolic state.
For those to be optimal, we have to consider rate coding and synchronization.
Rate coding refers to the frequency a motor unit fires. As intensity increases, so does the rate. This impacts synchronization. Synchronization is the simultaneous activation of numerous motor units.
When we start looking at complex or compound movements, muscle fibers must fire and activate quickly for movement to be efficient and forceful.
Have you ever listened to an orchestra or band where one instrument is not on time and plays the wrong notes? What happens to the quality of the piece? Into the gutter.
You can see where this is headed. If there is a disruption in motor unit activation, we see a decrease in firing rate, which can interrupt the synchronization needed to carry out movements.
Since some muscles are not pulling their weight, we start to see something called synergistic dominance, where some muscles work overtime to make up for the lack of contribution. This impacts the force-coupled relationships, which alters length-tension relationships, and ultimately creates significant imbalance in the body, leading to movement dysfunction.
Let me give you an example that is impacting many people. I’ve harped about prolonged sitting, and here’s yet another log on the fire to get us up. Sitting, especially in soft, cushioned seats, decreases the requirement of the glute muscles to activate. Their tone begins to decrease and stops engaging as they should. And you don’t even have to be sedentary for this to happen!
I have worked with so many people who are active but also sit for long periods of the day. Though they’re active, that position has created tissue adaptations, and it causes problems. Typically, you’ll see movements that are quad and trunk dominant, and really tight hip flexors usually accompany it. We see most of their hip extension movements carried out by their hamstring rather than their glutes. This combination of weak glutes, overactive hip flexors, and weak core stabilizers typically anteriorly tilts the hips. This leads to back pain, decreases movement proficiency, and decreases strength potential. Remember, a weak muscle doesn’t mean it won’t produce force. It will. But the question is, will it produce the right amount of force at the right time?
I like to teach this concept with the image of a scale. We want the scale to be balanced. On one side, we have the hypertonic tissue that has dominated the scale, tipping the balance. On the other side, we have hypotonic or underactive tissue that is not contributing much to the scale.
We addressed the hypertonic tissue by decreasing the restriction, which lessens the weight on one side of the scale. Now, it’s time to address the underactive side and add a little weight to it to balance the scale. The way we do that is we “wake up” the tissue, so it starts contributing again.
What we are doing is increasing neural drive to the tissue. We have to bring attention to the tissue to it receives the signals to crease recruitment. We can’t just jump right into big complex movements and hope they turn on. We have to single it out a bit and give it some attention.
My favorite way to do this is called a positional isometric.
Isometric contractions are contractions without movement. So, the muscle is at a fixed length. A great example of an isometric exercise is a plank- muscles are contracting, but there is no movement. But for this technique, we want to be more specific.
This technique is excellent because it can heighten the tissue’s activation due to the high tension levels they create. They create more tension than concentric contractions.
Further, isometric contractions can enhance motor unit recruitment and rate coding. That is one of the issues that started this thing, so by improving the nervous system’s function, we address and begin to correct those problems.
This technique is usually performed at end range of motion, but I like to mess around with positions of weakness.
Here’s a test for you. Take a muscle and joint through a full range of motion, but move very slowly, pausing every few degrees and hold it for 5 seconds. Were there any phases during that movement where the tissue felt “off,” or shaky, or weak? That could be indicative of a disruption in the activation of the tissue at that position.
Now, that’s an excellent place to start with a positional isometric technique.
How do we do it? It is taught as a partner technique, where one person can hold the joint in position while the other contracts if you have someone, great! If not, there are some ways to accomplish this solo.
Let’s go through it.
#1: You want to find something immovable. Here are the three things I use: a wall, a door frame, and my squat rack. You may not have the last one, but you have the first two.
#2: You will position yourself so that the muscle you want to activate will be pushing or pulling against the immovable helper. For example, if I want to engage my glutes, I lie down with my back at the wall so I can push my leg back into the wall, which would target my glutes. If I want to target my rhomboids and middle traps, I could sit on the ground in a door frame with my elbow against the door frame, and I can drive my elbow back to engage those muscles.
#3: You always want to breathe and maintain a proper position. This goes back to the “P” of the P.U.M.M.P. Process, but if you are twisting and disengaging your core, you are working against yourself. Position yourself first before you engage.
#4: Build up the intensity of the contraction. Start very easy and hold that contraction for 4-5 seconds. Then, increase the intensity with each subsequence repetition until you reach your MVC or maximal voluntary contraction. Try to reach that point in 4-5 repetitions, with only a few seconds rest between each repetition.
Don’t be surprised if you have some soreness or even cramp. Remember, you are activating tissue that has been sleeping a bit. It’s not going to like being woken up so aggressively.
Takeaway
Here’s your takeaway today. Find some tissue that is tight and restricted. Hopefully, that should be easy because you’ve listened to my previous episodes and have identified and started addressing some hypertonic tissue. Whatever the muscle or tissue is, I want you to find the muscle on the opposite side of the joint. Often, that muscle is going to be underactive compared to the overactive tissue on the other side. Then, test it. Take it through an active range of motion, pausing every few degrees, and see if you notice anything. If so, perform a few repetitions of the positional isometrics. Write down what you feel- did you fatigue out? Did you cramp? Did your body want to start twisting to help? All of that is valuable information, and you can revisit it as you develop to see how far you have come.
So, for example, if your anterior deltoid (front shoulder muscle) tight, the fibers on the opposite side of the shoulder would be the posterior deltoids, and it’s likely those fibers are underactive.
We have almost covered the entire process! You have the first phase, “P,” which is Proper Position and “U,” Undo Hypertonic and Shortened Tissue, the first “M,” which is Mitigate Joint Capsule Restriction, and now the second “M,” which is Muscle Activation.
We have one more phase of this process, and I think it completes the circle. And with this process, I think you can sustain an effective and efficient means of improving and maintaining your mobility and movement.
So next time, I’ll chat about the fifth phase of the P.U.M.M.P. process. If you like this content, please let me know by subscribing to the podcast. It’s an easy way to let me know that you’re digging this stuff!
As always, thanks so much for spending some time tuning in to the show. I really appreciate you! I look forward to chatting with you soon.
Take care, y’all, and remember, wherever you are, keep moving.
Pete Rohleder
