Do You Reciprocate?

Today I want to share an amazing principle of biomechanics to help you release tight muscles - it’s got a long and fancy name but really it’s very simple and once you understand it, you can apply it anywhere in the body to help relieve tension.

I’m talking about “The Law of Reciprocal Inhibition”, which, simply put, means that when one muscle / muscle group contracts, the opposing one(s) release. Imagine the “strong” emoji with the arm flexing at the elbow. Here the biceps are contracting and the triceps must release to allow that movement. In order to return to a straight arm, the triceps will contract and the biceps have to release for that to happen. Give it a try now!

So how does this translate into some of our everyday ailments?

Often when clients come to me they are complaining of “tight” hip flexors. I won’t go into the whys too much today (watch out for a future post), but in addition to do some simple muscle energy techniques for activation, I would recommend hip bridges - as these require a strong contraction of the glutes, the opposing (antagonist) muscle to the flexors. Plus you get the added bonus of strengthening your glutes, which is always a win!

Another common issue I hear about is lower back discomfort. I have many different exercise-based solutions but I also have a dance-based one for you! 
If you think about our hip work, we often are doing lots of repetitions over and over as we practice, and at high speeds (shimmies!) or with strong contractions to make them sharp. Our lower back muscles are some of the many muscles responsible for this movement. Whilst you can’t isolate a single muscle to perform an action, if we can bring our focus to performing the movement with muscles at the front of the body, this is going to help keep the lower back a little more relaxed.

I would love to know what you think about this. Did you already know about it or did you just get a lightbulb moment? Let me know in the comments! And let me know if you try this on another area of the body.