Episode 9: You Move You

You move you. The weight shouldn’t move you.

If your heels are consistently coming off the ground during squats, you aren’t moving you.
If your toes are consistently coming off the ground during squats, you aren’t moving you.

If the above happens to you (a lot), don’t deny it. Don’t blame it on external factors. Do not think, “This is the best I can do,” or “This is the deepest I can squat.” (Chances are you are saying that because you know you could squat deeper.)

The previous statements may provide “comfort,” when really, you may actually feel frustration, inadequacy, or dissatisfaction. These are all valid feelings — but please learn to use these feelings as motivation to look for solutions.

Don’t let these feelings just be stored information.
Don’t let these feelings be repeated.
Don’t let these feelings be your “normalcy.”

Apart from seeking 1-on-1 coaching — or before seeking such coaching — I suggest applying the following 3 pieces of information to feel and understand what it means for you to move you.

1) Shoes

Please wear flat shoes, or shoes made for lifting.
If the weightlifting portion of the class is squats, cleans, deadlifts, shoulder press, or any variations, why wear running shoes?

Why squat with shoes that have curvy soles? Why make weightlifting harder for yourself?

You give non-flat shoes the power to move you. You can avoid this.

Wearing your flattest shoes for lifting will allow you greater command of your body.
Wearing flat shoes will provide more stability, letting you feel the ground more.

2) Bracing

Bracing is the maintaining of tension throughout the spine before and during a lift.

In not being conscious of bracing before and during a lift, you run the risk of improperly loading certain muscles and/or joints.

A highly condensed how-to for bracing is:
Flex all your stomach muscles as if preparing to receive a punch in the stomach.

(With regard to a squat: take a deep breath into the stomach, expanding it, then prepare for a gut punch. Keep this formed brace, hold your breath on the descent, and halfway up — start to slowly exhale.)

Being intentional about building this pressure in your torso creates more stability, confidence, and once again — greater command of your body.

Proper bracing means you move you.

3) Eccentric & Concentric Movement

Eccentric movement focuses on the lowering portion of an action.
Concentric movement focuses on the raising portion of an action.

Dropping straight down from a pull-up is not you moving you — that is gravity moving you.

Slowly descending from a pull-up position, and actively resisting gravity from pulling you down, is you moving you. This can be done with and without a band.

Starting from the lowest part of the pull-up — hanging from the bar with unengaged lats — to then engaging lats & abs, actively squeezing shoulder blades together as you pull the bar closer and closer to chin level is you moving you. This can be done with or without a band, too.

Use eccentric and concentric movement to feel what it is to be in complete control of every pound you move in your body.