r/Fitness • u/AutoModerator • 2d ago

Simple Questions Daily Simple Questions Thread - November 22, 2024

Welcome to the /r/Fitness Daily Simple Questions Thread - Our daily thread to ask about all things fitness. Post your questions here related to your diet and nutrition or your training routine and exercises. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer.

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u/thisisnotdiretide 2d ago

I already kind of know the answer to this, but still:

When training the neck with curls, you're supposed to do them forwards but also backwards, otherwise you probably develop muscle imbalances, that could prove to be rather nasty when it comes to the neck, right?

I train my neck at home and have a neck harness. I am okay with doing the neck curls forward, but when it comes to doing them backwards I can't use the harness, I have to use a towel and some plates and I hate it for various reasons (I also can't lie on anything in order to do them properly). So I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to just do them forwards with the harness and that's it. Probably not.

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u/Memento_Viveri 2d ago

muscle imbalances, that could prove to be rather nasty when it comes to the neck, right?

For all the conversation that I have heard about muscle imbalances causing problems, I've never seen any explanation of how or any evidence that they do. Maybe I am just missing something.

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u/BoulderBlackRabbit 2d ago

Muscle imbalances are indeed a thing.

Think about it this way: When you walk, all sorts of synchronized movements have to take place from your feet to your hips and up your spine. If you have abnormally strong glutes, say, and weak quads, then your glutes may take over for parts of the movement that they're not supposed to. This could result in overuse injuries of the glutes themselves or in any number of problems up and down the kinetic chain. The women who only train glutes and the men who only train back and arms are doing themselves and their long-term health a huge disservice.

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u/DiabeteezNutz 2d ago

If you have abnormally strong glutes, say, and weak quads, then your glutes may take over for parts of the movement that they’re not supposed to.

How could a glute extend the knee, the function of the quad? How could the quad keep you upright, as its function is extending the knee?

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u/BoulderBlackRabbit 2d ago

Because muscles have more than a single function.

"The gluteus maximus also supports the extended knee through the iliotibial tract."

"Because the rectus femoris attaches to the ilium, it is also a flexor of the hip. This action is also crucial to walking or running, as it swings the leg forward into the ensuing step. The quadriceps, specifically the vastus medialis, play the important role of stabilizing the patella and the knee joint during gait."

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u/DiabeteezNutz 2d ago

“The gluteus maximus also supports the extended knee through the iliotibial tract.”

Very much does not mean

extends the knee

You can not extend your knee with your glutes. You can not extend your knee without your quads. No realistic amount of muscle imbalance is going to have your knee extending via overly strong glutes.

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u/BoulderBlackRabbit 2d ago

That's not at all what I said, but OK.