Pete RohlederHi everyone, welcome to the show!
I’m going to start today with a hands-on demonstration.
If you would, I want you to imagine you are holding your toothbrush in your hand. Now, start brushing your teeth. Don’t think about it; just do it. Go on, play along! Just start brushing your teeth.
Now, assuming you participated, what did you notice? Did you have to focus intently on what you were doing, or did you coast through on autopilot? Further, did you notice that you mimicked the same movements you would do if the toothbrush were actually in your hand?
For most of you, you didn’t have to think about it, and you probably did the same motions and strokes with your hand and wrist that you usually would do if you were actually brushing your teeth.
The skill of brushing your teeth is a habit you developed over years of repetition and practice.
More specifically, it is the outcome of a coactive, coordinated relationship between the nervous and muscular systems, and that is where we have to start when we start to define movement patterns.
Let me define “Movement Patterns” for you. Movement Patterns are a synchronized series of muscle contractions, controlled by the brain, that carry out a specific outcome.
Movement patterns are typically highly coordinated, where several muscles contribute to the overall movement. Many are primal in nature, meaning these patterns are innate in us.
A great example is the Squat pattern. We all use variations of the squat every day; the most obvious is sitting down and standing up. We learned that pattern as children and reinforce it over and over to the point that it becomes second nature. Like sitting down or standing up, most movements become involuntary, meaning, they run their course once set in motion. Think of brushing your teeth again; once you decide to brush your teeth, the rest occurs very naturally and with little conscious thought.
Could you imagine having to consciously think of every subtle movement you make every single day? We wouldn’t be able to function. This automatic process is extremely helpful. Until something happens behind the scenes, and then it’s not — more on this in a bit.
Before we can go there, we need to discuss what contributes to movement patterns.
Movement patterns are multifaceted and somewhat complicated, but for simplicity’s sake, there are three primary contributors I want to focus on for now: the Nervous System, the Muscular System, and Motor Programs, which are an extension on the Nervous System but play a significant role.
I have an epic blog post that discusses this foundation of movement in extensive detail, so if you want to check that out, visit moretomovement.com/why-movement-matters.
But for our discussion today, I will focus on the big picture.
Let’s start with another visual. Let’s think of a computer.
A computer is made up of two primary components: hardware and software. The hardware is the physical aspects that make up the machine, like the monitor, the hard drive, and Random-Access Memory (RAM), for example. These connect via the motherboard (also known as the main circuit board), which allows communication between the essential electrical components of the computer system. Hardware would be useless without software, however. Software refers to the programs that enable the hardware components of the computer to fulfill their tasks, like Microsoft Windows or macOS, as well as applications like Safari or Microsoft Word. The software gives the commands and instructions, and the hardware carries it out.
In this simplified example, the hardware, such as the monitor and hard drive, represents the physical body- the muscles, bones, joints, and ligaments. The motherboard, which is still hardware, represents the nervous system, as its role is to connect and allow communication between different parts of the body. Motor Programs represent software, as these instruct the hardware, or the body, to carry out specific functions, more specifically, movements. All three work together to carry out the intended movement.
So why are movement patterns so important?
Movement patterns allow for efficiency and mental energy conservation. The brain organizes movements and employs them when called upon. The nervous system communicates the message; the muscles respond.
We can develop new patterns too! That’s what happens every time we learn something new. Think of anything you learned how to do; initially, you probably struggled with it. You were inconsistent, made lots of errors, and felt awkward. However, as you practiced, you reinforced those neural pathways, and the pattern and sequencing of movements became easier and easier to do. Think of anything you do that is “natural” in a sense: walking, standing, writing your name, or pouring a cup of coffee.
The point here is that these patterns get reinforced the more we practice them. The more we practice them, the more habitual and automatic they become.
Remember how I said earlier that this was great for the body until something happens, and then it’s not? Time to revisit that.
And in my typical form, time for another visual.
Imagine walking somewhere, when suddenly, you notice a rock in your shoe, pressing on the inside of your heel. It’s uncomfortable, but you don’t have time to take off your shoe and remove it, so what do you do? You slightly twist your foot, and walk on the outside of your foot, decreasing the discomfort you feel when you stepped directly on the rock. Now, imagine you never removed the rock. Over time, this new way of walking would become your “new normal,” and you would not notice that you were walking differently.
Here’s why this is so important. The more a motor program is used, the more refined it becomes, and the more natural it feels. However, if a movement is performed incorrectly with poor form and quality, then that poor-quality movement pattern becomes ingrained in the program. It will become natural in a sense, and you will lose the awareness that the movement is faulty.
Of course, an injury can cause this condition, but in most cases, it is caused by factors that disrupt the movement system. Those factors can be daily movement habits, poor muscle engagement, or anything that contributes to poor communication and response within the neuromuscular system.
When this happens, it can cause muscles and soft tissue to overcompensate, forcing the body to make up for those imbalances throughout the body. These imbalances and overcompensations decrease movement quality and rob the body of potential, whether that be strength, speed, functionality, or development. Further, since the body is imbalanced, aches, pains, and discomforts become more likely and often lead to injury.
I talk about this because this is the state that most of us are in: unaware that these seemingly small imbalances and compensations are causing more substantial movement quality discrepancies.
Without our knowledge, we have adjusted, contorted, and overloaded our movements, and the body compensates.
Many of you may be surprised to hear that many of your back problems may have nothing to do with your back; it very well could be the position of your feet while you walk, or the angle of your hips while you stand.
Or, that your tight shoulders could be due to the stress at your job, or it could be due to overactive anterior chain tissue chronically pulling your shoulders forward.
My students and clients know what my favorite word is- efficiency. I’m all about efficiency. Sure, you can squat, but are you getting the most out of that squat? In there something hindering your pattern that’s taking away from your potential development or goals?
My purpose here is not to give you workouts. Instead, I’m here to provide you with insight to make a workout work for you by improving your movement quality.
If you watch people move long enough, you’ll realize that movement dysfunction is an epidemic. The beauty in this is that understanding movement and how to correct dysfunction to improve movement quality solves or at least drastically improves many of the physical problems, setbacks, or obstacles we are facing.
A major component of this podcast will be dedicated to solutions and strategies to improve movement, so be on the lookout for those in my future episodes.
What are some practical takeaways?
1. The first one is similar to my last episode, but the best thing you can start doing right now is evaluate your movement habits.
What habits do you have that you are not aware of? Do you stand on leg more than the other? Do you slouch in your chair? Once you identify some potential poor movement habits, write them down so we can revisit them after you have started implementing some corrective strategies.
2. Determine balance/imbalance or compensations in movement, specifically in movement patterns you want to improve or train.
One way to learn a movement or address a movement pattern discrepancy is to move very slowly through the range of motion while stopping at intervals to gain awareness of your body in that position. A great example is the squat pattern. If you want some feedback on your squat pattern, descend and ascend slowly, pausing at different positions. Make a note of any position that causes discomfort or compensations, like you start bending over more, or leaning to one leg more than the other. This is the first step to making big improvements in your movement quality.
To summarize today’s show, let me review a few points.
Habitual poor movement leads to permanent poor movement patterns, which throws the body into imbalance and overcompensation, leading to reduced movement quality, discomfort, and possibly injury.
If you take the time to understand movement, you can effectively implement strategies to improve and correct these discrepancies, which will be a major focus of future episodes.
Thanks so much for listening to this episode and spending some time with me.
If you have questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me by visiting my website MoreToMovement.com, where my email and social media handles are available.
On the next episode, we will continue our Principles of Movement Series by diving into some of the variables that can affect our movement and results, and I’ll start by shaking up your image of the human body, particularly, how all muscles are globally connected and how manipulating tissue at one end of the body can cause improvements at the other end- almost instantly.
I hope that piqued your interest, and I look forward to chatting with you next time.
Thanks again and remember-where ever you are: keep moving.
Pete Rohleder
