Movement is pressure management. This video I shot of our local Tube Man is representative of this thought.
He dances by altering his internal pressure.
We create internal forces via fluid (air or water) pressure to overcome the forces that are applied against us such as training loads, ground reaction forces, and gravity. If we didn’t produce pressure internally, we’d most likely collapse and be stuck with the movement capabilities of a boneless chicken.
The greater our ability to manipulate the internal pressures regardless of the task, the greater our tendency to move well or accomplish a task. When we fail to shift or manipulate the internal pressures, movement is restricted or biased.
Either we simply cannot execute a task effectively or we may be limited to such a degree that we lose the ability to dissipate or distribute stress, tension, or pressure throughout the body. In this case, focal pressure and tensions may result in pain. Ask any couch potato how their back could just start hurting for no reason.
Remember the last time you had to sit on an uncomfortable chair for an extended period of time and your butt started to hurt. Too much pressure in one place for too long. Pain can simply be the same problem.
Performance training, or just intensive exercise training over a long period of time, can intentionally bias how we manage pressure as it may enhance the intended outcome for a specific sport. Generally speaking, this can be seen at the highest level of sport quite effectively as certain body types tend to be more effective at producing these biased pressures for a successful sports outcome.
Olympic swimmers are built similarly as it makes them more efficient in the water. Powerlifters look the same as it enhances their stability under incredibly heavy barbells. Offensive lineman tend to be built differently from wide receivers, quarterbacks, or running backs. Form follows function.
Before you start yanking and pulling muscles that you blame for a lack flexibility or perform some silly “activation” or isolated exercise to strengthen [insert muscle of blame], consider how we manage internal pressures first.
