Contralateral Box-Squat and Press
Posted by : CP
We all have muscle imbalances.
You’re probably sitting in a chair right now, your shoulders are slumped forward, and your neck is slightly bent downward toward the computer screen. You do this often, maybe even everyday.
By sitting in this position, without rolling your shoulders back and sitting up straight, you are creating major muscle imbalances in your upper body. One day you will look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame; mangled teeth and all. Roll your shoulders back!!!
Ok so I just helped you correct an upper body imbalance (BOOM!); let’s work on your lower body.
Here’s a Test
1. Stick one leg out in the air and stand up from your chair using only the grounded leg.
1a. Make sure your shoulders are rolled back and your chest is up and don’t let your foot touch the ground!!!
2. Sit back down (gracefully) with one leg remaining in the air, the other heel planted in the ground.
3. Do it 5 times on one side then try it with the other leg… Go ahead… I’ll wait…
Did you do it? Could you remain balanced on one leg or did the other leg come down? Were both sides equal?
Chances are one of your legs was more dominant. If it was harder to stand on one leg over the other, you have a muscle imbalance – one leg is stronger than the other. If you had a hard time balancing on one of your legs, most likely your stabilizer muscles are weak – core/butt.
Correcting lower body imbalances is important for both aesthetics (eg. different size legs) and injury prevention (eg. patellofemoral syndrome).
The Contralateral Box-Squat and Press is great for correcting lower body imbalances while strengthening your core and upper body. This is a tough exercise but it’s well worth the effort!
*NOTE* if you cannot perform a single-leg box-squat do NOT attempt the Contralateral Box-Squat and Press. Before attempting this exercise, practice the single-leg box squat; it does not take very long to master!
