Patterns

Identifying a pattern is something most of us are good at, it is how our brains clump information into useful material. We see things repeatedly and begin to understand the underlying pattern that exists which helps us take shortcuts to making decisions. We learn to predict things from past experiences and the patterns we recognize from before. Our bodies do this, just like our brain does. We learn to move in recognizable ways, familiar ways, and once we find success we continue to employ those habitual movements. We become incredibly efficient in our motion utilizing this strategy, making use of previously discovered patterns.

Our movements can become so subconscious and so ingrained that we lose our ability to create a novel pattern. Our solutions revolve around one successful means to a problem, and if we exhaust that, things can get dicey. One way to wrap your head around this comes in the form of research on chronic pain or psychological intervention. The studies in these realms of health have identified that people essentially get stuck in a rut. The patterns of thought associated with an injury or behavior are deeply ingrained in the brain and despite a patient’s best efforts they may see no other way of getting through their day without employing these strategies. The brain has effectively and efficiently organized thought in one way and no others exist.

Physical movement is exactly the same, our movement patterns develop a rut. Let’s use a squat as an example. If you train yourself to only perform barbell back squats for years, and someone introduces you to a front squat it is going to feel foreign. The movement pattern is similar, but different. Where you feel the tension and load will change and the exercise will most likely be awkward for a period of time. Every part of the front squat looks different to you, and you have to focus on every detail. If you practice that for long enough, the movement becomes more fluid, and less effort is required to perform it. Therein lies the efficiency. You trained yourself to learn something new, it took time and effort, but you gave yourself a new pattern to use when you elect to squat.

We organize details of the work into patterns; it helps us get through our day more efficiently. Over time, our patterns and habits become our life, sometimes for better and other times for worse. Recognizing when you need a change is huge, making that change can require external support like a coach. Find someone that can guide you in the process of seeing a new pattern and facilitate your ability to move differently.

Austin Ulrich, Physical Therapist