Tensegrity: The Physics that Hold Us Together

Tensegrity is a combination of the words "Tension" and "Integrity". Essentially, tensegrity is tensional integrity. In humans, the tension is created by muscle and fascia, which stabilizes and moves your bones, creating compression and rigidity.

What happens when we have bad tensegrity?

This will result in suboptimal posture and performance. For example:

Client 1 has rounded shoulders. This means his shoulders deviate forward from the optimal position where sarcomeres are at an optimal resting length. This can be contributed to tight and loose tensile elements in the shoulder and thoracic region. Examples include a tight pectoral minor, upper trapezius, and levator scapula. Loose tensile elements include the muscles responsible for shoulder retraction, such as the mid-lower trapezius and rhomboids. This client suffers from neck pain, stiff shoulders and neck, poor upper-body strength and is more prone to injury.

Client 2 has been consistently working on his posture for 10 minutes daily in addition to his other training goals. This client has more range of motion, greater muscle activation, increased stability and balance, and is able to perform exercises with athlete-level efficiency (meaning, less energy required per force output). Movement feels easy and unrestricted. Client 2 enjoys quicker exercise recovery, greater blood-flow (delivery of nutrients), and high energy levels.

Who would you rather be?

Can poor tensegrity be improved? Absolutely. And it should be a priority.

Through corrective exercise, we can improve our static and dynamic posture, improving the positioning of the shoulder. We can inhibit and stretch the tight muscles, strengthen the lengthened/underactive muscles, then perform integrated exercises that utilize all the surrounding musculature to develop new recruitment patterns and pose.

This process is especially important when disfunction occurs at the ankles, our body's foundation. Common postural distortions of the ankle include overpronation, outward pointing feet, and rising heels while squatting. This travels up the entire kinetic chain and may cause mid or upper body discomfort and compensation.

What are the benefits of improving posture and tensegrity? As listed in NASM's Essentials of Corrective Exercise Training:

• Increased flexibility

• Increased muscle activation

• Increased joint stability

• Improved neuromuscular efficiency (coordination)

• Reduced risk of injury

• Improved movement patterns

• Increased ability to recover

• Prepares the body for higher intensity exercise

• Prepares the body for optimal performance

• Corrects muscle imbalances (1)

Summary: Tensegrity is tension + integrity and is what holds our body together and allows us to control it. Poor tensegrity can be seen with poor posture or performance, resulting in decreased flexibility, decreased muscle activation, decreased joint stability, decreased neuromuscular efficiency, improper movement patterns, and a weaker ability to recover. Improving your tensegrity through corrective exercise reverses these downfalls, and prepares the body for higher intensity exercise, greater performance, and greater muscle balance.

References

(1) Clark, Micheal A, and Of Sports. NASM Essentials of Corrective Exercise Training. Burlington Jones & Bartlett, 2014.