In this post we compare what should be happening during rehab exercises to what is actually happening.
Should is an interesting word in this context as it implies expectation.
I hear it a lot from people who are frustrated with their current physical capacity and judge their own bodies with arbitrary metrics.
“I should be able to run,” for example. Or “I should be able to pick up my children.”
There’s another use of the word that frequently gets both rehab professionals and their clients into trouble: that’s in regard to how they expect the body to behave.
“This exercise should be working your glutes,” for example.
This assumption sits at the heart of ineffective rehab processes and leads to issues further down the line in training programmes.
Like people who’ve been diligently performing an exercise for long periods of time, only to realise they’ve been compensating around the very muscles they’re attempting to target.
Or others who’ve trained themselves into pain because they’ve now run out of compensations.
I’ve given up assuming how a person should be performing an exercise. I only focus on what appears to be happening.
So how can you best ensure the exercise is working what you’re hoping it is?
Here’s how I do that in practice, and how you can too.
Where do you feel the exercise?
This is the primary source of feedback to use. You’ll need a decent handle on the anatomy in the area, however.
Pay particular attention to sensations in or around joints and in the tendons of muscles. Make adjustments to skew the sensations more towards the bellies of the target muscles.
What else is moving during the exercise?
If you find yourself moving other joints that aren’t involved in the exercise and that pattern is consistent, you’re likely compensating.
Stop, go lighter, and see if you can prevent the additional motion.
How does the exercise feel on the other side of your body?
If you’re in any doubt, compare the sensations and movement you’re experiencing on one side of your body to the other. Does it feel different?
Notice how you perform the task on what is likely your stronger side. Compare, contrast, and most importantly, learn.
Summary
There’s no such thing as ‘should’ when it comes to what your body is using to perform a particular exercise. Only what is.
The more focus and attention you can bring to that performance, the faster you’ll make progress.