By: Paul Del Vecchio

Introduction

Without body alignment you, as an athlete, are probably developing an injury.

Unless it is a clean break that injury you received is something you have been working on for a long time. Injuries rarely just happen. They actually evolve through incorrect body position and lifting.

At the training center we conduct athletic physicals to see what injuries you, as an athlete, are developing and work immediately to correct them.

Body alignment is broken down into 4 areas:

• Adductors
• Pyramadalis and hip flexors
• Glutes
• Traps

The first thing you want to do is understand movement and center of gravity.

There are 4 steps to movement:

• Contraction
• Exhale
• Momentum
• Engage the muscle group you wish to use

How This All Applies...

The #1 neglected muscle is thee adductors. It is unfortunate because if you want to prevent knee injury it is one of the few true supports of your knee. You have the magnus, from your knee up. Longus, brevis and the pectineus at your pelvis.

If you wonder why your legs have no definition and just mass it is the lack of adductor development. This is also important to your forward and upper motion and power considering it is half your leg!

Necessity For Alignment

Stage 1

With your legs slightly wider than shoulder width stand with your feet straight. Do not turn out or you will miss the adductor development. Contract your adductors forward and exhale at the same time. Try to maintain the flex and inhale. Begin again.

Once you can actually contract the adductors from the longus to the pectineus it is time to stage 2. The pyramadalis muscle is the anterior muscle to the rectus abdominus and is key to forced expiration and much more.

It is your center, power, vertical, momentum and strength. Without it you are just everybody else out there. Without this development you will also lack the engagement of your hip flexors.

When you contract this muscle you will hinge at the belly button almost as if you were going to sit and your lower back will straighten and your hip flexors will now engage. Goodbye lower back pain.

Stage 2

When you contract exhale. You cannot fully contract any muscle without exhaling.

*IMPORTANT*

Stage 3

To fully execute the adductors and the pyramadalis you will need to contract the glutes as high up to your waist as possible.

Stage 4

Contract your traps not up but back behind your neck and never bring them forward again to the back part of the letter "C" See Rotator Cuff Injury prevention article.

Lift from this alignment and initiate your power from contracting your pyramadalis while exhaling. You will now have centered your power and will be using all of your weight in movement instead of half your weight if you initiated from your shoulder.

Maintaining Alignment For Full Body Development

If you maintain this alignment during lifting you will always be developing your traps, abs, glutes and adductors.

To find your pyramadalis muscle lay on your back with your feet to your butt. Put your hand under your waist and try to crush it with your lower back. You will notice your hips coming toward your face. You always want to contract this muscle and exhale with any positive move you make in lifting weights. Doing this as described:

1. It will prevent lower back injuries and pain.
2. If you keep the traps back when you lift you will prevent rotator cuff injuries.
3. If you contract your glutes, hip flexors and pyramadalis you will center your gravity and give yourself a "Belt Of Strength".
4. If you contract your adductors and all thee above you are running through walls.

This material comes from my book "Preserving The Male Integrity" All concepts are from 32 years of development at Dragon Gym High Altitude Center For Training.

If you reprint please ask first. Many thanks!

prjdv@hotmail.com

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