Can =/= Should

We talk a lot about financial freedom - to be able to afford to do what you want, when you want - and how to get there. However, physical freedom often slides under the radar, despite being just as, if not more important. Ironic considering I define physical freedom as the ability to do what you want, when you want. The only difference between the two really is that one refers to financially being able to afford doing what you want, and the other physically. 

The Gift of Injury, co-authored by spine specialist Dr. Stuart McGill and multiple powerlifting record holder Brian Carroll, details Brian’s journey from debilitating back pain to getting back to performing at an elite level. 

The journey begins, as it often does, by taking ego out of the equation, and returning to the basics. As world renowned chef Marco Pierre White famously says, “perfection is lots of little things done well.” This is true in cooking, but it also applies to training, as well as many other things. 

As athletes we often get consumed by our vision and our goals and our dreams, and we lose the ability to see the forest for the trees, when really, the trees are what make the forest in the first place. 

Brian’s injury was a cumulative result of many years of “poor movement patterns, allowing my form to be loose under load and having energy leakages without proper stiffness, improper strength progressions and lack of ‘down’ weeks”. 

Just because you can, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. Just as lots of little things done well add up to perfection, lots of little things not done well can lead to disaster, especially when you’re carrying loads in excess of a thousand pounds – as was the case for Brian prior to his injury. Incredibly, once he cleared up his technique with Dr. McGill, he not only returned to lifting phenomenal loads, but he even managed to beat his previous records. 

Now, good lifting technique doesn’t always come naturally, and some people are naturally more tactile than others. But it takes practice for everyone, and that’s also the point. Every single rep needs to be a mindful one in order to build good habits, and to promote better long term development. Not only does proper technique and “boring” accessory work lessen your risk of injury, but it also helps to eliminate weak links and potentially help you perform better. As Brian came to realize, “employing proper form during menial daily tasks such as tying your shoes… is just as essential as maintaining your technical cues under load.”

To that end, core training is, as Dr. McGill puts it, “non-negotiable to injury resilience and performance enhancement.” However, rather than doing endless crunches, which is a very one dimensional exercises that doesn’t translate well to real life, we need to train the core the way we actually use the core — maintaining torso stability which protects our spine while our arms and legs do what we need to. Which leads to the McGill Big 3 — the Curl Up, the Side Plank, and the Bird-Dog. All three are specifically designed to address core stiffness while our arms and legs move and do what they need to do. They may seem simple, but the carry over to both lifting and real life is immense. 

Attention to detail is absolutely key, lack of such can have massive ripple effects down the line, and while many people think of rehab simply as methods of relieving pain, it is only one half of the equation, addressing weak links and strengthening them is just as important to preventing pain from flaring up again. 

We have a tendency to take the ability to walk, to run, to pick things up, to throw things, for granted. At least until we can’t. But always remember, “availability supersedes ability”.