One of the muscles we never realize is tight (but often is) is the Pec Major.  Most people know about pecs from an ascetic point of view, but stop for a moment and think about what happens when you build up a muscle without ensuring flexibility.  Your pecs don't need to be well defined to be tight.  Anyone who rotates their shoulders forward regularly will shorten their pectoralis major.  This includes the posture many of us hold while typing.  (I've caught myself doing that very thing several times while working on this month's update.)

To  keep your pecs from becoming too short and inflexible, maintain a posture with your sternum up.  ("Chest out, shoulders back..."  sounds like drill camp, doesn't it?)  Stretch by contracting the muscles between your shoulder blades (we'll address those muscles soon!) and bringing your shoulder blades to meet behind your back.

As an aside, I've never heard of anyone except me doing this, but if you're stretching your pecs and hear/feel a crack in your chest, it may be the equivalent of a knuckle crack.  It's not something you want to do, but if it happens, it might not be cause for alarm.  Then again, it might, so use your best judgement.  I only mention the popping sound because the first time I felt it in my body, it scared me half to death.  Obviously, if there's pain involved after such a sound, see your doctor immediately.

Those knots most people have in their shoulders, right beside the neck, are often in the levator scapula.  When you shrug your shoulders, this muscle comes into play.  That also includes holding the phone between your shoulder and ear while typing, hunching over the steering wheel, or (my personal favorite) "wearing your shoulders as earrings."  Of all of the people whose shoulders I've massaged, only one had no palpable levator tension.  This is a spot in which it is very difficult to eliminate problems.  For most of us, certainly myself included, as soon as corrective work is done, we're back to old habits.  Remember, if you hold a muscle in one position for 20 minutes, the muscle thinks it should remain in that position permanently.  One hour of massage cannot counteract years of muscle tension.

The most important thing to consider when trying to eliminate levator problems is your posture.  Your shoulders should hang loosely at your sides.  Don't lock your shoulders down, as that will create other problems.  Body awareness is your best tool.  When you find your shoulders creeping up, take a deep breath and roll your shoulders back on the exhale.  Sit or stand up straight, raising your sternum (breastbone) and allow your shoulders to roll back and down.  Most people find themselves unable to break the "perma-shrug" habit.  Don't berate yourself if you're one of them.  This is about treating yourself right, not treating yourself wrong!  Even if you catch your shoulders creeping up one minute after you lower them, laugh it off and re-lower.  Remember where you want your body to be and work at it little by little.  You'll get there if you keep at it.

This muscle is the topmost of the two muscles commonly referred to as the "calves."  When this muscle is flexed, it moves the ankle so you stand on your toes.  It also helps bend the knee.  Women who wear high heels a lot often have bunched-up gastrocs and shortened Achilles tendons.  Even if you aren't aware of problems with this muscle, consider having some work done here.  Most people have a lot of tension in their gastroc which has been there for so long, they aren't even aware of the pain.

To stretch the gastroc, bend your ankle so your toes point in the general direction of your head.  Another way to stretch the gastroc is to stand on a step (curb, box, etc.) with the ball of your foot and toes only on the step.  Drop down (slowly and carefully, as always with stretching) and hold briefly before raising back to either a neutral or a toes-pointed position.  (Thanks to one of the women from the dance studio for telling me about the stair stretch before I began massage school - this ankle strengthening exercise is great for improving Samba technique!)

This is one of the largest (surface area) muscles in the body, and one of the key muscles in massage.  In addition to covering the back of the neck and the top of the back, it contributes to shrugging the shoulders.  This muscle is also a reflex muscle, so any time your body perceives a threat (including feeling rushed or stressed), your trapezius contracts and stays that way to protect your neck and spinal cord.  Once a muscle contracts, it doesn't necessarily relax when the treat has passed, so the trapezius is prime real estate for stress in the body.  I cannot recall a single full-body session in which the trapezius was not addressed.

Think about relaxing your shoulders, not pressing and holding them down.  Stretch your shoulders by bringing your arms (one at a time) across your body in the front.  Also, try lacing your fingers behind your back and lifting slightly.  Roll your shoulders to test your range of motion, and stretch slowly and carefully where you're sore—after warming up!

Inserts on the patella (kneecap) and patellar ligament on the top, front portion of the tibia (shinbone).

The Quadriceps are actually a group of four muscles that work together to straighten the knee.  The quads consist of the Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Intermedius, Vastus medialis, and the Rectus Femoris.  Anyone who's had knee problems has usually been advised to strengthen their quads.  Weak quads and hamstrings put a lot of stress on the knee joint, which is already in use every time we take a step.

To strengthen the quads, use ankle weights while holding the knee straight (but not locked) during leg lifts.  According to Thompson’s Manual of Structural Kinesiology, leg presses and knee extensions with a weight machine can be used to strengthen the quads.  Most people are surprised at the amount of muscle tension in their quadriceps once attention has been brought to this muscle group.  Proper stretching and toning will generally keep quads free of aches and pains, but consider receiving deep tissue work on your legs periodically or after extreme exertion.

Inserts at the bottom of the lowest rib (in back) and sides of the four vertebrae beneath the lowest rib.

The QL raises the hip and is the major stabilizer of the low back.  Low back pain often indicates tension in this muscle.  This is another one of those muscles just about everyone has tension in.  If back pain is eased by crawling on all fours, you can be 99 percent sure your QL is the culprit.

Stretch this muscle by CAREFULLY twisting your torso while keeping your hips in place.  You can also raise and lower your hip (with resistance) to work your QL.  Just be sure it's your hip you are raising, and not your thigh.  Bending backwards apparently does not affect the QL.  If done carefully, bending backwards may provide a stretch to other muscles that affect the low back.