How to get stronger by being softer

Many of my clients are interested in being stronger.  And there are many advantages to working out with weights to achieve that goal, including stronger bones, improved metabolism, injury prevention, and so on. They have an idea in their mind though that the stronger, harder, more rigid they are, the better.  I want to pass on the idea that more strength does not come from being more of a hard body.  In fact, if you are too rigid, you will break!  I would like to suggest that strength can be gained by improving your mobility, flexibility and flow.  And by balancing the body.  The stronger and tighter we get, the more wound up our myofascial system is, the more pressure there is on the joints.  More pressure means compression of those joints.  Constant chronic compression of a joint can mean pain, restriction and arthritis.  Most of us need to balance our workout routines to include things that will decompress our musculoskeletal system.  That could include stretching, yoga, meditation/relaxation exercises, corrective exercises, or getting bodywork like myofascial release.  In general we need activities that will allow us to decompress, relax, elongate, and release our tightness.  With this release comes freedom and ease of movement, more flexibility, room for our joints to function properly, and magically, more strength!  A muscle no matter how much time you spend trying to make it stronger, if it is tight, shortened and compressed, will not perform well.
So begin to think about your routines for exercise and well being.  Are they balanced?  If you go 8 to 10 hours a day at a desk or other sedentary job, and your exercise routine consists of running 3-4 days a week, and doing weight exercises 2 times a week, you may be tightening your system even more.  While the exercises you have chosen will give you strength and cardiovascular conditioning, they are repetitive, and not varied.  If you begin to have feelings of tightness or mild pain or restriction, think about adding another component to your routine that will help you decompress.  You might be pleasantly surprised when your running, weights and work hours start to feel better!
You can find a lot more great information about these topics on the following websites:
www.myofascialrelease.com
www.totalmotionrelease.com
www.bodyworksptonline.com (that's me!)