It was embarrassing.

I considered myself a reasonably fit guy, but suddenly I was being asked to do things my body just couldn’t figure out. Not only that, but it was happening routinely.

I’m not talking about a bootcamp, crazy calisthenics, or the next breakdancing craze. I’m describing straightforward, well-intentioned Pilates instruction from Liana Mauro of Mauro Pilates.

I was okay with the basic movements. A leg press on the reformer, or a straight arm pulldown from overhead to my sides (like a lat pulldown, for those familiar) came relatively easy.

But then, Liana took me through exercises that I had apparently swept under my strength-and-fitness rug. Balance on opposing hand and knee on an unstable surface? Simultaneously engage my core and twist through my trunk? Or, god forbid, work the muscles on the side of my pelvis with a leg-lift or hip rotation? Forget it. Not happening.

Not only did I not seem to have the strength, but many times I just couldn’t get my brain to figure out how to make my body do what was requested. In short, I was uncoordinated.

I’m a chiropractor, so I know quite a bit about anatomy and how the body works. I am also naturally health conscious and, as I mentioned, not a couch potato. I exercise regularly, and I make it a habit to visit health practitioners to keep my body aligned and in tune.

Despite all the knowledge I had, and the backing of my stable of high-quality healthcare practitioners, at that moment I felt like I had completely missed the fitness boat.

Or maybe, I was getting exactly what I needed…

Bodies Aren’t Static

We expect our bodies to work when we ask them to. That is, when we make a conscious choice to move a limb, we expect it to do what we want.

We also expect our bodies to work when we’re not thinking about it. Anytime we walk, run, or jump, our nervous system handles dozens of functions simultaneously. It keeps us balanced, it aligns our pelvis underneath us as a base of support for our spine, and works to allow our eyes to find the horizon.

We tend to think of the body as a relatively unchanging, static system. We know we can make changes to our bodies, but we assume those changes happen slowly over time.

When we can’t get our bodies to do what we want, we assume it’s because we weren’t born with the coordination, we don’t have enough muscle for the task, or there’s some major issue in the way (think broken bone or a torn ligament).

The reality is that our bodies aren’t static at all. In the face of constant demands and stresses, the human nervous system makes routine and near-instantaneous changes in order to adapt to whatever challenge it is facing.

When we’re talking about our ability to perform a specific movement (picture me, awkwardly trying some Pilates exercise), here’s the interesting bit: muscular function changes constantly, sometimes second-by-second, in response to these stressors.

Physical trauma, emotional stress, chemical challenges (the beer you had last night, or the double espresso this morning) – all of these can suddenly change our ability to engage muscles in much the same way a circuit gets blown in your house. That is, overload the circuit, all of a sudden things stop working.

The fact that buildings have circuit breakers to act as failsafes in the event of an overload makes sense. You don’t want a short in a faulty appliance (or, let’s be real, the fact that we decided to run the microwave, the toaster oven, and our new cappuccino machine off the same plug) burning the whole place down.

The human body has similar “circuits” in place. When we take on some task that is more than we can handle, our nervous system has a way to safely shut things down. However, because our control systems are more complex, we don’t have a whole-circuit shutdown like you might experience in your house.

Instead, we adapt. Function is diminished in certain areas, and shored-up in others. Some muscles get their power turned down, others get extra stimulation.

Your immediate perception of this altered function might be that you feel weak, or uncoordinated. A muscle may seem shaky, or a joint (which that muscle supports) feels unstable. This could come to a head when you’re running, lifting something heavy, or if you’re asked to stand all day when you’re normally accustomed to a 9-5 desk job.

Many times, you won’t notice the change at all. The amazing adaptability of the human body makes us able to perform a task even when all the parts aren’t working properly. If function is diminished over time, you might finally notice a muscle or joint that is painful, tight, or sore.

Our tendency is to think that these sensations are because we’re not strong, or we haven’t practiced the movement enough. Those are possible explanations. However, it’s just as possible that the circuit has blown, and the body has adapted.

An Important Distinction

This leaves us at an interesting crossroads.

On the one hand, we need a way to determine whether a muscle has the ability to perform its required function. Has the “circuit” blown?

This is where basic, functional evaluation comes in. As a chiropractor who specializes in muscle testing and function, I do this all day. I have tested muscles on every patient on every person I see for over a decade.

Thousands of tests like this have taught me that bodies are not static. Muscle function changes constantly, in a dynamic fashion.  Frequently, our muscular function is negatively altered due to our alignment, our habits, and our environment, among other things.

My job is to find the muscles that aren’t working, evaluate what will restore function, and then perform that therapy so my patient can have a stable, pain-free existence.

On the other hand, just because we get a muscle working again doesn’t mean we really know how to engage it properly. (Just because the circuit is back working at your house doesn’t really mean you know how to work that cappuccino machine, right?)

Movements vary from the simple to the complex. Picking up a cup of coffee? Simple. Hitting a golf ball or pulling off a fancy yoga posture is something else entirely. The first is something we can do using only one limb and a minimal number of muscles. The others are complex patterns requiring timing, balance, and precise muscular control.

Having a Team

This brought me to Liana’s studio.

I get routine care from chiropractors trained in muscular evaluation for a purpose: I want my muscles working at their highest capacity, with the fewest impediments to their function. But I still need regular training in how to engage those muscles to support myself under a wide range of conditions.

Pilates is an excellent fit for this task. The diversity of exercises that a well-trained practitioner can put you through makes the experience challenging and fun. More importantly, it’s a perfect laboratory to evaluate your ability to perform complex movements. These are the same movements you will need for that golf swing or yoga move.

The training must be safe, slow, and incremental. An expert like Liana knows how to evaluate where you are so that exercises are tailored to your unique needs and capability. Once your needs are identified, you can systematically build up to a level of strength and coordination that will make you truly resilient.

This combination of chiropractic and Pilates works amazingly well. One keeps me aligned and my “circuits” functioning, while the movement-based training I get from Liana allows me to throughly develop the balance, coordination, and movement skills I need to be active in the world, injury free.

Like a well-tuned race car, you need a good mechanic to keep all the parts working optimally. Once you’re out on the track, it helps to have a good coach teach you how to drive well so you avoid the bumps and obstacles that will wreck your suspension.

You have to have both to win the race, or at least have fun doing it!