You may ask yourself when you're exercising. How does this affect my muscles. You may be working on building stronger legs, or a stronger back. You read articles on why it is important to work a certain muscle group to get better results or improve stability. Muscles can be categorized into four different types of groups during movement. The four different type of muscle categories are agonists, antagonist, synergists, and stabilizers. Agonists are prime movers, for example a tibialis anterior for dorsiflexion of the ankle, this is achieved when you raise your toes upwards. Antagonists move opposite of the prime movers or agonists. The gastroc (commonly known as the calf ) is an antagonist to the tibialis interior. In other words, it moves opposite to raising your toes ( bring toes downward). Synergist muscles assist the prime movers during activity. For example, when you're doing a curl two muscles (brachioradialis and brachialis ) will assist in moving the forearm towards your shoulder. The last group of muscles are stabilizers which as they sound stabilize the body during movement. Just a little quick information on how muscles work when you're working out.
Stay safe, remember always have fun when you exercise!
Dr. Manuel Arruffat PT DPT
