JOINT STABILITY

There are many benefits to either creating or maintaining stability in your joints. They include a better range of motion (ROM), decreased chance of injury, greater maximal force, and stronger muscles.

Each type of joint in our body allows for different degrees of movement. Maintaining strength through those movements is important in giving us the ability to move better.

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Joint Stability is referred to as the resistance of musculoskeletal tissues around a joint. What this means is that the stronger the muscles are around a given joint the more stable that joint will be.  This is very important to remember no matter what level of training you are at.

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In the majority of lifts and exercises done in the gym and out on the sports field, the muscles that are used are known as “prime movers”. Prime movers push and pull us around in almost every movement. When prime movers gain strength, they put more force into those movements.  In order for the prime movers to have a stable base to push and pull from, the stabiliser and fixator muscles need to be strong. This ensures health in and around the joints.

A great way to make sure the stabiliser muscles are strong enough to support the prime movers is to train and strengthen them before you try and make any significant strength gains with your prime movers.

This means you need to determine what your goal is and in what areas you want to improve. If you are just starting to train for the first time, strengthening stabilisers around your whole body is a great place to start. For example If you want to do more pull ups, the external rotators in your shoulders may need to gain some strength. It really comes down to what you want to accomplish.