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Vladimir Janda was born in Czechoslovakia in 1928 and contracted polio at the age of 15, leaving him unable to walk for two years. He recovered and became a neurologist and exercise physiologist known for his pioneering work in corrective exercise. Not to
discredit Professor Janda\u2019s contributions to physical medicine, but many of his ideas cannot be applied to developing athletic superiority.\u00a0<\/p>
Especially popular with personal trainers who focus on so-called \u201ccore training,\u201d the terms tonic<\/i> and phasic muscles<\/i> refer to how muscles function. Tonic muscles are\u00a0considered postural muscles that provide stability and are designed to resist gravity (and\u00a0<\/span>are often called anti-gravity muscles). Typically, these muscles cross only one joint,\u00a0<\/span>involved in extension, and consist primarily of slow-twitch (Type I) muscle fibers. Janda\u00a0<\/span>believed these muscles are susceptible to being chronically shortened.<\/span><\/p>Phasic muscles typically function to produce movement, often cross more than one joint, involved in flexion, and contain more fast-twitch (Type II) muscle fibers. Janda believed these muscles are susceptible to being chronically weak (or as Janda would say, inhibited).<\/p>
The practical application of this knowledge is that correcting postural problems often involved stretching tight tonic muscles (such as the iliopsoas and pectorals) and strengthening weak phasic muscles (such as the abdominals and glutes).\u00a0<\/p>
That\u2019s my understanding of what Janda taught, but this approach to classifying muscles has little application to designing programs for athletes. I say this because training affects how muscles perform.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t