Why Moving Wrong Is Good

November 27, 2016

I’ve always had a pet peeve about using the word ‘corrective’ when describing exercise. The word correct implies you are doing something wrong. Just rubs me the wrong way. Pun intended 🙂

What is the right way? Who made up the right away? In my experience, people are already intimidated by their bodies and the disconnect they feel with movement. Now we want to add wrong and right to it.

‘Do this not that, lift here not there, more here less there, yes no.’ The list goes on. I’m overwhelmed just thinking about it.

I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing Thomas Myers, author of Anatomy Trains on the Stop Chasing Pain podcast. (Posting soon) Hear other episodes here SCP PODCAST

He said something that was absolutely wonderful. I asked him what is something people can do right now that can help them move better.

His response, ‘People should start moving wrong more.’ KABAM! Say what?

It was refreshing to hear this perspective. In the world of movement you don’t often hear someone say do it wrong. It’s taboo. Notice he didn’t say stop moving ‘right!’

What could he mean?

If you always move ‘right’ how can you prepare for when the chaos of life hits you? The more you move one way, the less you become proficient at moving in others. When you specialize you often get worse at overall movement. Being too good at one thing actually makes you less efficient and more vulnerable to injury.

It’s like the old saying, ‘a specialist is someone who knows more and more about less and less.’

Move more to get better at specialized.

You can’t take time to think about how you are moving every minute of the day. You need to react in the moment. There is no cueing in real life or on the field of competition. The more you move ‘wrong’ the better you can be ready for the unknown.

Spice up your movement along the full spectrum.

Variability, Variation, Variety. The 3 V’s of movement.

The ‘right’ way depends on:

• the individual
• the task
• the environment
• the load

Right doesn’t mean same. Wrong doesn’t mean never.

How about we strive for better movement? What does that mean? Stop calling movement right or wrong is a good start. The more you move the more you get comfortable moving.

Hells Bells that makes sense.

Move more of yourself when you do move. Body parts like talking with each other. They hate to be left alone. Sitting and pushing and pulling just ain’t the same brain candy you get from pushing and pulling standing on your feet. Get your biology playing in all vectors. Playing being the operative word. There is no wrong way to play.

Am I saying not to worry about form? Nope. Form follows function. Function depends on you.

*The human body is not designed to be decrepit, delicate, weak and frail. So stop treating it that way. Stop moving it that way.

*When you move think brawniness, virility, robustness, vigor, vitality, huskiness, toughness.

True strength is being able to control your body mass in all situations.

Here’s a few ways to move wrong to help you move better: (Chillax and move with a smile)

• Squat with your legs in an uneven stance.
• Let your pelvis and hips go where they want during a bird dog

 

• When rolling get there anyway you want (See video)
• When lunging let your knee go over your toes (where that myth came from is beyond me)
• Rotate in your lower back (try not to rotate in your lower back in real life. I dare ya). Just make sure you rotate more in your thoracic overall.

Join our membership site for over 350 videos of movement and learning. Come join us at one of our movement workshops to play. Stopchasingpain.com

Deuce Rolling Pattern from Dr. Perry Nickelston on Vimeo.

Stay Strong,
Perry