Muscles as Pulleys

When a muscle becomes extremely tight, it’s usually because it has gone into a defensive state. The muscle has “decided” to lock down and protect you. Forcing it to relax with aggressive stretching often backfires. Instead of releasing, it tightens more, much like a person who reacts defensively when pushed too hard.

Muscles don’t work alone. They function in pairs, like pulleys. When one muscle contracts, its opposing group lengthens. This relationship is the key to helping tight muscles release. For example, contracting your biceps encourages your triceps to relax.

By targeting the opposing muscle group, we can reduce tension in a way that feels more natural to the body. This indirect method teaches the overactive muscle to let go on its own, without force.

It’s a smarter, more sustainable approach to reducing pain and restoring balance, especially when other methods like stretching haven’t worked. Over time, this helps create a body that is not only less tense but also more functional and resilient.

Serving Colorado from our centrally located office in Westminster and seeing clients from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, Denver and Boulder, we can also help globally via WebCam such as Zoom or FaceTime.

Anu Lawrence owned Egoscue Method clinics for over a decade before moving to private practice in 2022 and is a certified master instructor in the Egoscue Method, having learned the craft from Pete Egoscue directly.