Movement patterns that we have unlearned (and how to get them back!)
Every day you can observe an unbelievable phenomenon in our western civilization: We, the city folk, have unlearned the basic movement patterns!
However, you can’t really argue that it won’t be helpful to be able to carry things for a bit and to be able to get into a deep squat position. And it is exactly the deep squat that is the perfect example of how we overrule our genetics and force a certain movement style on our anatomy.
Our heritage of evolution
Shouldn’t we rather move according to our anatomy and genetics? When observing toddlers and infants you can quickly see that they move intuitively according to their abilities. Rolling from the back to a face-down position, crawling, running, kneeling, and squatting are elementary movements that are essential to human development. They play a major role in orientation, exploration of the environment, and in the process of becoming independent. The deep squat for example is the first choice when toddlers want to pick something up from the floor or take a break.
It is amazing that they intuitively perform this movement flawlessly. It is safe to assume that their parents didn’t actually show them this movement. Since children tend to imitate a lot from their direct models this could have been a reasonable assumption.
However, you have to take into consideration that toddlers have different anatomical relations than adults. Their center of gravity is higher because of their relatively bigger heads. Additionally, they possess a significantly higher flexibility in their joints.
Why do we lose this gift over time?
The most influential reason is probably the invention of the chair. At the latest, the virus is implanted at the first day of school. The better part of a whole day is spent in an anatomically suboptimal position. Your back is often rounded, the gluteal muscles are soft or weakened, the hip flexors and the whole front of your body may be shortened. This can lead to major problems in the long run because the spine is not in its natural double s-shaped flexion. Many people will not bend their hips more than 90° all day.
Simply following the motto: ‘what you don’t use will fade away’ the hip joint will slowly start to reduce its range of motion.
Wearing shoes with heels over a long period of time will create a similar effect. The back side of the legs is permanently shortened and impairs the mobility of the ankles. If you still go into the deep squat your center of gravity will be too far behind the feet and holding this position will demand significantly more strength and will feel uncomfortable.
However, sometimes it can feel so good going down into the deep squat and stay there for a while.
The lumbar spine can relax in a different position, the digestive organs can work better (this is also the reason why the toilets in some countries are simply holes in the ground, by the way), and the articular cartilage will receive additional impulses in the form of pulling, pushing, and shearing loading.
So my tip for you: approach the movements slowly. You can re-learn these movements. With little tools like the aeroSling suspended deflection pulley trainer you can simplify this exercise. It allows you to adjust your bodyweight, and with it the intensity of the exercise, by adjusting your position in relation to the mount.
Your goal should be a free squat in which the buttocks are underneath your knees in the end position.
- feet shoulder-wide apart
- toes point straight forward (or 5-10% rotated outwards at max)
- the sole fully touches the ground and the full weight rests on the metatarsus
- bend hip and move your buttocks down and back
- keep the natural hollow back and leave the head in a neutral position
- move knees outwards
- move the buttocks as low as possible
Get functional,
Your Fabien
Most of the times the resolutions should turn into habits. This can be defined as follows:
‘A habit, from the standpoint of psychology, is a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience.”[4] Habitual behavior often goes unnoticed in persons exhibiting it, because a person does not need to engage in self-analysis when undertaking routine tasks. Habits are sometimes compulsory.’ (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habit; accessed: 9/9/14) So the difference between a resolution and a habit is that you have to actively choose to make a resolution a reality, whereas with a habit you don’t have to ‘engage in self-analysis’ when to actually do it. We don’t think about it, we just do it. But why is it so hard for most of us to make resolutions a reality and to keep them up for more than a few days?
The key: the desired behavior has to be appealing out of motivational reasons and must then be reinforced by rewards. The present state of psychology is that some habits can be internalized in a couple of days (orderliness, fastening your seatbelt when driving etc.). Others may need years (e.g. diet, alcohol consumption or other addictive substances).
Regular exercise is also one of the behaviors that are hard to internalize and turn into a habit. The background here is that habits are meant to make our lives easier.
Thus, there is often no way around a physiotherapeutic rehabilitative treatment. This treatment involves actively and passively mobilizing the affected muscle, joint, or structure with increasing movement amplitude.
Doctors, physical therapists, coaches, and medical attendants have incorporated the R.I.C.E. method for decades. Of all persons, it was the inventor himself to criticize this method recently. He was certainly supported by several recent studies that have shown that cooling (partially strong cooling with ice) and elevation slow down the healing process.
The explanation: cooling and elevating the tissue constrict the blood vessels and pores. Less blood can be transported to the injured area. Unfortunately, this goes along with a reduced exchange of nutrients. However, when injured the body needs to inflame in order to heal itself. In order to inflame the body produces certain inflammation-markers. These markers are necessary temporarily but can slow down the regeneration process when they are present too long. And this is exactly what happens when cooling the injured tissue!
The next thing the body does is try to remove the damaged cells with the help of macrophages. Supplying enough of these scavenger cells, however, is difficult because of the reduced blood flow. Additionally, the macrophages send out a messenger called IGF-1 (a protein). This messenger is extremely important for the reconstruction process of cells and is lacking when the numbers of macrophages is reduced.
Another point that Mirkin makes is the possibility of damaging the nerves when cooling the damaged tissue continuously.
Mirkin has realized that there are more than enough reasons to make sure that the injured tissue is supplied with an adequate amount of nutrients and blood in order to assure the tissue can heal properly and as fast as possible. The R.I.C.E. method should at least be reviewed.
Thus, our recommendation is this: stop the activity, cool for 20 minutes at max, active regeneration, and later mobilization, NOT immobilization!
Your Fabien
