Sacrifice

What are you willing to let go of now, in order to get something else later? In other words, what might you be willing to sacrifice? Often when working with patients we have this conversation due to a pain-related issue. There can be habits or patterns we have grown accustomed to because they served us in one way or another, however they have led to a movement deficit and, my table. Sacrifice usually is not easy but may be necessary to get where you want to be.

We all make choices every day. Movement patterns are also a choice and in a fitness environment this is the type of program you design for yourself or your clients. There is no right or wrong per se, however the activities that are chosen have effects. Those effects may be fruitful, or they may eventually cause problems. Run the experiment and determine the outcome. As an example, a barbell back squat is often very helpful in maximizing force production and developing muscle mass. A trade off tends to be mobility. Over time this can lead to pain or difficulty doing something else. Now the time comes to decide whether or not you sacrifice the benefits of back squatting for the capability to do something else. What are you willing to do?

When clients meet with me a conversation we have is what are they currently doing that may be contributing to their situation. Are there things that can be changed to reduce interference and promote a positive outcome in physical therapy? The answer is often yes, but the sacrifice to make the change becomes the challenge.

Exercise selection is important, it drives adaptations that may or may not be desirable. An attentive coach can help to identify those adaptations and then make the appropriate changes. The decision to sacrifice today’s mode of thinking and proceed with a new course of action might make all the difference.

Austin Ulrich, Physical Therapist