LEARN IT BUT THEN FORGET IT
Assuming a client of mine is healthy and can move well enough to start practicing the major movement patterns I have a real simple task for them. Absorb everything I’m telling you, perfect it to the point you could teach it, but then forget it all.
Most clients that come to see me have similar movement and postural flaws. They have no abdominal/core awareness. They have no to minimal glute strength, but also no activation skills. The muscles of the upper back and external rotators of the the shoulder are also very weak. The process of strengthening and correcting is ever ongoing. However, there is a time when I want them to forget everything I taught them, cued them on, and strengthened.
People get into trouble when they overthink. Especially activities that rely on them to react. Sports, playing with their kid, running or walking outside. These all have variables they can’t control. They are not like a gym workout where every variable can be controlled. In this controlled environment I teach my clients and get them to focus on the minute details of form, technique, and muscle activation. However, if they do this in the real world they either won’t perform as well or even get hurt.
My one client rides horses. She has a very tall horse. To get on the horse replicates a very high step-up like movement. She is in her early 50’s and continues to pride herself on how easy she gets on her horse.
I get a text the other day, “ Hey! I had no bounce! I couldn’t get on my horse like I did before the winter.”
Photo Credit: Cristina Pop
This was odd to me because we performed the step-up exercise at nausea for this very reason. I knew exactly what she was doing wrong. She cues herself to get on the horse like I cue her to do the step-up exercise. “Push 80% of your weight through your front foot.” Well guess what. In the real world on a tall horse you got to push off two feet. I told her this and the next week I got the text back, “Yeah that was easy. I definitely was treating it like the exercise and not just pushing with both feet.”
You see if she continued to do what she thought was perfect form in an everyday life situation she would have increased her likelihood of getting hurt. The horse stirrup is much higher than the box we use. Therefore it could potentially cause shearing knee pressure if she didn’t assist with the other foot. She could have gotten up half way then lose balance and fall. There are tons of potential bad outcomes.
I’m sure you’ve experienced this in your own life and have examples you can draw from.
The strength, body awareness, and biomechanics you gain and work on in the gym setting will have carryover to your everyday life. Just don’t force it. In a non-controlled setting more harm than good will come out of you thinking. Be aware, but don’t think. LEARN IT, BUT THEN FORGET IT.