There are a few distinct ways you could interpret the antonyms ‘superficial’ and ‘deep’. It could be generally regarded as something positive and desirable to be described as someone deep, and perhaps much less so to be described as someone who is superficial. Being deep implies one is somehow more in touch with one’s intellect or emotions, is able to extensively understand one’s self, as well as others. To be superficial on the other hand suggests one is unable to understand matters of the mind or spirit in any meaningful way, and hence behaves in a predictable fashion.

The interesting thing about the opposing notions of superficiality and depth, given the particular page they currently find themselves printed on, is that they can also be used in a purely scientific anatomical context. More to the point, they are accepted terms used, among others, to describe location about the body. Superficial in this regard means close to the surface, or closer to the outermost layer of the body, which would be the skin. Deep, on the other hand, is the term that locates internal organs within the body, including postural muscles or bones.

Just as I’ve often discussed with many a would-be fitness professional, I’ve always felt that the skillful instructor or, dare I say, ‘super’ trainer is she who can wield the apparent super power of ‘X-ray’ vision. The best trainers are those who do not get caught up in the superficial layers of their clients’ anatomy, and can look beyond. What lies beneath is very easily missed, and slipping into the trap of superficial muscle training is nothing to be ashamed of. The outer layer is, of course, all we can see, everything else is essentially invisible. So just as the saying goes unfortunately: out of sight, out of mind.

The superficial muscles are most visible because they lie just beneath the layers of skin and subcutaneous body fat. It’s easy therefore, to get caught up in a programme that is centred around them. We see it all the time. In fact, the majority of the programmes you might see will actually be structured this way. Worse still are those programmes that are tailored only for what are sometimes referred to as the ‘mirror muscles’, which are precisely the muscles we can see in the mirror, to the exclusion of all others.

The mirror muscles include those of the chest and upper arms, and the famous ‘six-pack abs’. A programme centred exclusively around these areas will not only constitute an inefficient and ineffective way to train, but could also wind up causing more problems than it could ever hope to solve.

A programme based solely around crunches and sit-ups could create strength imbalances

In reality these muscles are just the outer layer and should be considered as such. What lies beneath is far more important, even if the development of the superficial muscles is genuinely the main aim. The skillful trainer will assess general posture too, or rather, how the skeleton is aligned given that it is the central structure that provides the body with support and shape, and is ultimately the system of levers against which the muscles must work to produce movement.

Misalignment in the skeletal system is often caused by weak or malfunctioning deep muscles. Training the superficial muscles without fixing these issues first can lead to injury due to poor technique, or at the very best, sub-standard results since the superficial muscles cannot be fully activated when movement technique is fundamentally flawed.

A common example here is the issue of stooped shoulders. Failing to identify this, along with the associated cause, combined still with a desire to develop a great-looking chest, could result in worsening the postural problem, injuring the shoulders, and slowing progress in developing the chest due to an inability to perform optimal technique in pressing exercises like the bench press.

The deep muscles between the shoulder blades in this case might need work through a combination of specific pulling movements and shoulder stretches. It may be necessary simply need to learn how to ‘activate’ previously neglected deep muscles, an endeavour well worth the effort if it speeds up progress later on and wards off injury.

The muscles of the trunk or ‘core’ are perhaps the best-known example of all of deep-muscle neglect. Because we can see the rectus abdominis muscle in the mirror, and ‘washboard abs’ are so much the rage, it’s easy to forget that there are a host of other muscles that basically form a muscular corset surrounding the trunk, facilitating a full range of movements including twisting and side-bending.

A programme based solely around crunches and sit-ups could eventually create strength imbalances, impeding efficient movement and leading to injuries, or once again, at best, a slow development of the targeted muscle due to faulty technique. The muscles of the trunk can be trained quite effectively with a standing routine using medicine balls, adjustable cables or resistance bands, at least as a precursor to the more superficially-targeted exercises to follow. So no need for superpowers and X-ray vision as such, just base your programme around posture and balanced development first and foremost, and work outwards from there to the desired areas. They’ll thank you for it, and develop so much further as a result, just like skyscrapers on rock-solid bedrock instead of sand.

matthewmuscatinglott@gmail.com

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