How Weak Muscles Cause Pain

At Iron Legion Scarborough, we work with a lot of “General Population” clients — normal people who have a life and want to learn how to strength train. Most come from very sedentary jobs and lifestyles.

When it comes to muscles, there’s a very real aspect of “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” No, your bicep won’t magically fall off one day, but you can lose the neurological connection between your brain and that muscle, making it difficult (or even impossible) to activate and engage properly.

On top of that, your body is lazy. It takes the path of least resistance to conserve energy. Certain muscles should engage and disengage during specific movements, but if they are inactive or weak, something else will take the load, typically a muscle that isn’t meant to handle it.

Take this example: you want to pick up an air conditioner off the floor. You squat down and bend over to pick it up. But because you’re sedentary and sit all day, your butt (glutes) doesn’t fire properly. Instead of your glutes taking the load, your back does the work and you throw your back out.

Muscles can also compensate for one another. If a muscle is supposed to take a load but can’t because it is inactive, something else has to work harder. This can create tension and pull on different parts of the body.

A great example is a runner with knee problems. If they have inactive glutes while running, their quads (the front of their legs) may take more of the load. This can tighten the hip flexors and ultimately pull on the knee, causing pain.

The body is a system of balance. When that balance is disrupted, pain can be the result. Learning to identify and improve those imbalances can make a world of difference.