The Fitness Skills You Stop Using First (And Regret Later) | Mind Pump 2823
Your body loses abilities you don't practice—not from aging, but from neglect. Six fundamental movement patterns are critical to maintain: overhead pressing, squatting, hinging, running, jumping, and throwing. The key insight: practice these skills regularly at low intensity before they deteriorate.
1h 20mKey Takeaway
Your body loses abilities you don't practice—not from aging, but from neglect. Six fundamental movement patterns are critical to maintain: overhead pressing, squatting, hinging, running, jumping, and throwing. The key insight: practice these skills regularly at low intensity before they deteriorate. Don't wait until you're fatigued or injured to regain what you've lost. Simple daily habits like putting on socks while balancing on one leg can preserve abilities that prevent falls, pain, and mobility loss as you age.
Episode Overview
This episode explores six critical physical abilities that people lose through neglect rather than aging: overhead pressing, squatting, hinging, running, jumping, and throwing. The hosts discuss how neural pathways weaken when movement patterns aren't practiced, leading to downstream issues like neck tension, shoulder problems, knee pain, and low back pain. They emphasize that even fit people who work out regularly can lose these abilities if they don't specifically practice them. The conversation includes practical strategies for maintaining these skills, such as using PVC pipes to teach proper hinging, balancing on one leg while putting on socks, and incorporating these movements into daily routines at low intensity.
Key Insights
Neural Pathways Atrophy Like Muscles
When you don't practice a movement pattern, the neural pathways controlling that movement weaken and atrophy, just like unused muscles shrink. This loss of ability happens regardless of your fitness level or how much you work out if you're not practicing these specific movement patterns.
Inability to Press Overhead Leads to Downstream Problems
Losing the ability to lift your arms directly overhead with straight elbows disrupts the connection between scapular and humeral movement, compromising thoracic stability. This starts as neck tension, progresses to shoulder girdle tension, then shoulder problems, and contributes to numerous other issues.
Most People Lose Basic Movement Abilities in Their 30s and 40s
The inability to perform fundamental movements like overhead pressing, squatting, or hinging isn't limited to elderly people. Even normal-looking, sedentary people in their 30s and 40s often cannot perform these basic movement patterns, setting them up for progressive decline.
Humans Are Built for Distance Running and Throwing
Humans can out-distance run almost any animal, including horses in long-distance contests. We also throw with incredible accuracy better than any other animal. These are fundamental human abilities that most people have completely lost through lack of practice.
Fatigue Destroys Skill Acquisition
If you've lost a movement skill, signing up for an ultramarathon or intense CrossFit competition is counterproductive. Fatigue throws skill out the window—you need to practice and regain the skill at low intensity before ever trying to perform it under fatigue.
Loss of Hinging Ability Equals Low Back Pain
The inability to bend over with hip hinge rather than lumbar flexion is nearly universal among deconditioned people. This loss directly translates to chronic low back pain and is why the advice to 'lift with your legs' doesn't work—people have lost the motor pattern to actually do it.
Notable Quotes
"What you don't train, what you don't practice, you lose. You actually lose."
"When you don't practice a movement pattern the neural pathways that control that movement pattern weaken and in essence atrophy. So you actually lose that ability."
"We don't lose these abilities because you get older. You lose them because you stopped doing it."
"I remember the first time I saw this as a trainer and it was alarming because it wasn't somebody who was in advance. This was something I did like on people in their 30s and 40s."
"Stick your ass out. Which by the way that was the best cue I had until I had the PVC pipe."
Action Items
-
1
Practice Overhead Arm Extension Against a Wall
Stand flat against a wall and raise your arms overhead, trying to touch the wall while keeping your hips against the wall. This reveals whether you've lost overhead mobility and helps you practice the movement pattern correctly.
-
2
Use a PVC Pipe to Learn Proper Hinging
Place a PVC pipe along your back touching three points: back of head, upper back, and hips. Practice bending forward while maintaining all three contact points to develop the proper hip hinge pattern.
-
3
Put Your Socks On While Balancing on One Leg
Make it a daily habit to balance on one leg while putting on your socks instead of sitting down or crossing your leg. This simple practice maintains balance and single-leg stability throughout life.
-
4
Incorporate All Six Movement Patterns Weekly
Ensure you practice overhead pressing, squatting, hinging, running, jumping, and throwing at least once per week at low intensity, even if you're fit and working out regularly in other ways.