[Exploring Life] One of the most important principles in a functional fitness program is the even, coordinated development of the muscles. Unfortunately, many exercise programs tend to treat muscles as if they exist in isolation. Strength exercises that isolate muscles can be dysfunctional with respect to the proper functioning of the body. Balanced muscle development is essential to the proper functioning of joints. Uneven muscle development can actually be the cause of joint misalignment, which in turn leads to chronic inflammation and eventually degenerative disease. Catherine Guthrie’s Knee Deep in Yoga provides some important insight into the need for functional exercise with respect to the knees.
Dysfunctional Fitness Originates in Dysfunctional Learning: We tend to think of muscles in isolation in part because of our habit of thinking in terms of analysis and classification. Anatomy, for example, is often presented as a means to isolate specific muscles and name their characteristics. The relationships that exist between the muscles, however, is largely ignored. Muscles work as an integrated and interdependent system in unison with all other aspects of our body and mind including joints, fascia, the nervous system, as well as our thoughts and emotions. To exercise under the misguided notion that muscles can be trained in isolation is completely dysfunctional.
A core principle of functional exercise is that muscles work as an integrated system, they do not work in isolation. Excessive development of one muscle or group of muscles at the expense of others will lead to an imbalance in strength and coordination that can have a negative impact on the body. The uneven development of the muscles around the knees is a prime example of how excessive muscular development of the quadriceps, for example, can cause a misalignment of the knee cap that in turn leads to inflammation of the joint and eventually over time degenerative disease.
This same problem can be found in other realms of activity. For example, the medical community excels at intervention measures designed to save people from the symptoms of an immediate crisis, but is nearly silent with respect to dealing with causes and promoting health. Our economic progress creates things in isolation from the effects they may have on people and/or the environment. The nature of learning throughout a significant portion of humanity is unfortunately mired in narrow perception and islands of expertise.
Dysfunctional Fitness Leads to Degenerative Disease: Gutherie summarizes the findings of a 2003 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine that describes the problems created by building uneven leg strength:
Many volunteers with strong quads also showed rapid cartilage deterioration. But there was a catch—many of those who had strong quads and experienced a rapid progression of the disease also had misaligned kneecaps, a small but significant impairment that intensifies pressure on the cartilage.
Strength alone is therefore not an indicator of fitness. Imbalanced muscular strength is an indicator of poor physical fitness that can lead to degeneration in joints and therefore impaired flexibility and mobility of the body.
If the muscular contraction between the two sides of the knee isn’t balanced, the knee rotates as it bends, which makes the joint pull toward the stronger muscle. Over time, this wears down one meniscus faster than the other and eventually damages the bone the cartilage protects.
Posture/Asana as Integrative Approach: Yoga, effectively practiced, naturally promotes the even development of the body, including muscles, joint alignment, posture, as well as having several benefits for the mind. The physical aspect of Yoga is embraced by the word asana meaning physical position of posture. Correcting moving through a series of asanas encourages an even development of the muscles in the legs (and elsewhere of course) that results in correct knee alignment.
Fundamental to the correct practice of Yoga asanas with respect to the knee is to develop a clear and concise understanding of how the knee is designed, what it is really designed to do, and what it is not designed to do. Without this understanding, any form of exercise we undertake may be dysfunctional and lead to degeneration of the joints, and eventually arthritis. Key principles of correct knee motions are:
- No hyperextension of the knee;
- No twisting of the knee;
- No exercises while in a kneeling position;
- While squatting/bending the knee cap is directly over the second toe and never passes the toes;
- Be attentive to subtle sensations since inflammation and pain are always delayed;
- Balancing exercises are a foundation for healthy knees;
- Developing flexibility in the hips is essential to rotating the legs and therefore sitting in cross-legged positions without damaging the knees.
- All motion in the body originates in the core area (lower rib cage down to upper thighs)- healthy knees require a strong and balanced core.
Functional Learning is the Basis for Functional Fitness: Understanding the body and mind as an integrated functional system is the basis for functional fitness. Body and mind are not separate entities, they are a single unified phenomenon that is in a state of constant motion and interaction. Both body and mind must literally be balanced and strengthened evenly. Analysis and classification are useful to the extent that they allow us to name things, but naming things in the absence of their context and integration with other elements is misguided. With respect to fitness, analysis and classification can lead to degeneration of the body. Functional fitness is therefore about pattern seeking and developing equanimity of body and mind.
