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Old Forum Ingrained tightness

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Matt

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I have an odd problem I've been trying to fix for years now and nothing seems to help, and I'm wondering if anyone here has experienced it or knows of someone who has, and so has any ideas on what I can do!

I seem to have tightness in my right side that doesn't budge.  Hip flexor up through core/obliques, QL, chest, delt, neck, jaw - all right side.  Right hand even.  I get by training, never been injured seriously, train hard and have been active all my life.  But never like an athlete or a lot of serious lifters who post here.  So it is odd that I have such a weird problem - I'd expect to hear more athletes have a similar issue (who favour one side for example).

Anything I do - from doing nothing, to power-lifting style training, to Easy-strength style training, 6months chopping and lifting, walking, riding, etc.  all seem to build their styles of strength on top of this existing tightness.  My wonky hips (meaning asymmetric) and general tightness obviously limits my rep maxes.

Apart from getting struck by lightning and having a full CNS reset, I am a bit lost as to what to try now.
 
Original Strength. After few months of honest focus on this movements, you will feel like a superman.

 
 
Matt,

I've been there as well.  Get an FMS screen and start practicing the appropriate correctives along with learning how to properly do soft-tissue work.  Things will rapidly improve once you're addressing your weak link(s) and releasing whatever hot spots you've developed.
 
Matt, check out the first talk in Joe Heiler's new talk series that went up yesterday [have to sign up for it]  Dr. Hruska talked about exactly that--how the body is always gets tighter on the right side due to a CNS-type default system.   Really great to hear him incorporate breathing and posture into his protocols.

http://www.sportsrehabexpert.com/

Hope it's as interesting to you as it was to me.

Gwen
 
Hi Gwen,

 

Sounds quite interesting - thanks!! for the link and telling me about it.  I hope I can listen to it.  Will let you know...
 
Thanks Zach,

Your reply is encouraging.  I'm a huge fan of all things FMS, and that has helped me to some degree.  It is just finding someone competent enough to, like you said, release those hot-spots.  I had some dry needling once which is the weirdest thing - but only for my traps.  Don't know if I like the idea of that down in my lower abs/groin...

Thanks again.

 
 
Thanks too Piotr and Luko - your suggestions sound quite promising, and I'll investigate.  Never heard of Mark's work, but have heard Original strength talked about on here now and then.  Both could be a good place to start once I iron out the kinks in my CNS?
 
I've got an old deadlifting injury that flairs up a bit more often than I'd like and causes some problems with my left glute, left IT band area numbness, and left lower back.  But it's nothing near what you mention.

I wonder if Twists and Trifecta  as a whole from the Convict Conditioning 2 book would either help or reveal or teach you something about the issue.  Yoga also comes to mind just because I've recently taken a few beginner classes with a super high quality instructor and I get a lot out of in terms of helping with general stiffness and tightness.
 
Matt

Where are you located?

Injuries, surgeries, car accidents?

Work postures and positions?

TV/computer "relaxation" postures and positions?
 
BTW - if you have had a screen recently what were the results
 
Matt, I find your post interesting.  If it's not caused by an injury, it may just be "one of those things" - my mother, my sister, and me all have right side tightness, and the three of us are as different as could be in terms of build, choices of activities, etc.  I think there can be a genetic component to this - not saying yours is, just saying that, at least in my feeble mind, it's a possibility.

I hasten to add that this is based solely on my personal experience and that of some members of my immediate family.  I just do all the good things you're supposed to - know my FMS results, practice mobility and joint health work, and stay strong.  My mobility has improved dramatically over the last 15 years, and the issue remains with me, for what that's worth.  I find a mix of one- and two-sided work in training is best - it gives me a chance to try to get each side to work like the other and also to use them together.

Hope that helped, no science claimed here, and an FMS is definitely where I'd start.  And, FWIW, my own FMS doesn't show side-to-side differences that are big enough to give me a different score on one side, it's just this tight feeling on one side.

-S-
 
Steve, I like your point that it might be genetic but not letting it stop you, didn't Dan John say "It's all your parents fault... now get over it"?
 
Thank you, Rickard.  What else can one do but carry on?  I feel hugely better in every way since beginning strength and flexibility training in my early 40's.  Before that I ran and was slowly pounding myself into the ground.  I couldn't touch my ankles, let alone my toes, and had literally never lifted anything heavy.  For me the wakeup call was when trying to return to running - I couldn't run any longer _except_ if I did what I then called holding in my stomach.  When I read PTTP, I understood why holding in my stomach helped my back and the rest is history. :)

Parents and lineage are an interesting subject - fascinating, really.  I found out, but only after he had passed away, that my father had a reputation as a child and young adult for being a tremendous athlete who didn't try to turn professional only because he was 5' 3".  An uncle of mine who is about 10 years younger than my father told me about this - at a restaurant immediately after my father's funeral.   And on the other side of the family, my mother was a complete klutz - couldn't tell her left from her right much of the time, couldn't remember how to operate the television, and with whom driving was, let's just say, a very interesting experience that featured more than one accident - and her mother was a lot worse.  I seem to have inherited from both extremes of the physical gene pool.

A Friday afternoon ramble; have a good weekend, everyone.

-S-
 
Hi Steve,

 

Thanks for your post, it is helpful.  Without going into detail, I have a theory/idea that it could be similar to what you describe.   Cheers.
 
I definitely agree Pavel.  I understand (and apologise) if my post/questions is a bit tiring on this forum.

Yet it seems so directly connected to strength that I thought it is worth asking for help here, as if anyone has had experience with something similar I'd imagine it would be someone here.  Hopefully I can be of help to others too once I nut it out.

 

 
 
Hi Brett,

I'm in Australia, and you've helped me in the past (via Skype).   I guess I find it odd that my tightness seems to persist regardless.

Wondering,(as part of my theory -I love a good theory) - whether with the CNS, if a stimulus stronger than the initial "cause" is needed to unlock something like this...?
 
Matt,

If I am remembering correctly we found some drills that were helpful and your overall form on various exercises was very good - so the "feeling" of tightness might not be the reality so to speak.

You can also look at various postures and positions of sitting etc... for work (position of computer screens, keyboards, seat/desk height etc...) and leisure time (sitting on one end of the couch with a leg tucked etc.... having to constantly turn slightly to see etc...)

Hope you are doing well otherwise
 
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