I’m unable to move my body the way it’s supposed to, how can i fix this?

RyanEzell

So i was at the gym last week with my sister, i was doing this back exercise where you squat a little and pull down the weight in a half moon form, i couldn’t keep my body in the correct position, not to mention my body just wouldn’t move the way i needed to, i had to squat and bend down, but not arch my back, I couldn’t do it. This isn’t a new thing, I often struggle to move my body the correct way when I’m learning a new exercise, but i just can’t figure out why it’s so hard for me to figure it out. Any tips or reasons as to why this could be happening? Thanks!

yirara

Lack of strength or lack of flexibility. Try the exercise without weights first. If it still doesn't work then consider why. Do you lack the mobility? Maybe the exercise is not for you? To be honest, I have no idea what exercise you're describing.

ninerbuff

Lack of strength and flexibility. This is a sign that you NEED to do some physical movement because if you don't, as you age you'll be hampered by lack of mobility and movement.
Get a trainer to show you the ropes. Whatever the cost, it will be worth it in the end.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Retroguy2000

I have no clue what exercise you're talking about either. As yirara said, get used to squats with bodyweight first, and progress from there.

claireychn074

Retroguy2000 wrote: »

I have no clue what exercise you're talking about either. As yirara said, get used to squats with bodyweight first, and progress from there.

Standing lat pulldown in a slightly bent over stance maybe? 🤔

claireychn074

RyanEzell wrote: »

So i was at the gym last week with my sister, i was doing this back exercise where you squat a little and pull down the weight in a half moon form, i couldn’t keep my body in the correct position, not to mention my body just wouldn’t move the way i needed to, i had to squat and bend down, but not arch my back, I couldn’t do it. This isn’t a new thing, I often struggle to move my body the correct way when I’m learning a new exercise, but i just can’t figure out why it’s so hard for me to figure it out. Any tips or reasons as to why this could be happening? Thanks!

Sometimes we can’t hold or achieve a position as we don’t know what it feels like. It’s easy when you know how, but that’s where a good instructor comes in. It’s easy to think you are standing up straight / squatting upright / not arching back on an overhead press until someone corrects you. Then you need to practice the form until it becomes natural.

Defo a good idea to get an instructor if you can!

RyanEzell

Thanks guys, can’t afford a trainer but i’ll do my best to figure this out!!

COGypsy

RyanEzell wrote: »

Thanks guys, can’t afford a trainer but i’ll do my best to figure this out!!

Maybe YouTube videos and a mirror that you can practice the moves without weight as you go? You’ll probably need to figure the names of exercises to look them up though.

Retroguy2000

claireychn074 wrote: »

Retroguy2000 wrote: »

I have no clue what exercise you're talking about either. As yirara said, get used to squats with bodyweight first, and progress from there.

Standing lat pulldown in a slightly bent over stance maybe? 🤔

Maybe. That's a straight arm pulldown btw.

AnnPT77

Besides what others have mentioned, a potential problem is kinesthetic sense, the ability to sense the position of our body (without seeing it in a mirror or something).

This is a skill that can be trained, in my experience. When I first started being routinely active (in my late 40s, for heaven's sake!), I had really, really poor kinesthetic sense. I literally couldn't feel (internally) where I was or whether I was moving in a way someone was demonstrating.

Just by doing a lot of physical things for several years, using the correction mechanisms that did work for me, my kinesthetic sensing improved by quite a lot. I may even be as good as average now.

OP, others are right that it could be a strength or mobility issue. You may be a ble to figure that out by asking a friend to (gently!) put you in the proper position, to see if your body is willing to go there. If someone else can position you there, it's less likely a strength/mobility issue, and more of a self-sensing (kinesthetic) issue.

It can be a combination of all of those, of course . . . which wouldn't be too surprising if you're pretty new to being active. Fortunately, all of those can be worked on.

Strength or mobility - IMO, IME - are relatively easy to improve: We figure out the specific strength or mobility limitation we have, find exercises to improve it, and do those exercises consistently until we improve.

Kinesthetic senses . . . well, I wish I had a formulaic solution. I don't. It's about the brain sensing the body. It improves by doing physical things, in my case for quite a long time. If you have learning modes that help you, that's good. ("Learning modes" = watching yourself in a mirror, videoing yourself, having someone put you in the right position, etc. One of the reasons that I was/am extra pathetic is that my main learning mode is verbal: I need to hear things described in words, ideally. That's a very bad way to learn physical skills, but it was the best I had for quite a while.)

I think some people who have good kinesthetic sensing take it for granted, don't realize that other people don't have it to the same extent. In a way, it's like being good at arithmetic, or spelling, or navigating geographically: If you have the skill/talent, it's hard to understand that other people's brains literally don't do that as well automagically, that it takes more drill and practice for them. On the flip side, it's frustrating to not be able to do things others seem to do easily, and hard to understand how they do it.

Best wishes!

claireychn074

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Besides what others have mentioned, a potential problem is kinesthetic sense, the ability to sense the position of our body (without seeing it in a mirror or something).

This is a skill that can be trained, in my experience. When I first started being routinely active (in my late 40s, for heaven's sake!), I had really, really poor kinesthetic sense. I literally couldn't feel (internally) where I was or whether I was moving in a way someone was demonstrating.

Just by doing a lot of physical things for several years, using the correction mechanisms that did work for me, my kinesthetic sensing improved by quite a lot. I may even be as good as average now.

OP, others are right that it could be a strength or mobility issue. You may be a ble to figure that out by asking a friend to (gently!) put you in the proper position, to see if your body is willing to go there. If someone else can position you there, it's less likely a strength/mobility issue, and more of a self-sensing (kinesthetic) issue.

It can be a combination of all of those, of course . . . which wouldn't be too surprising if you're pretty new to being active. Fortunately, all of those can be worked on.

Strength or mobility - IMO, IME - are relatively easy to improve: We figure out the specific strength or mobility limitation we have, find exercises to improve it, and do those exercises consistently until we improve.

Kinesthetic senses . . . well, I wish I had a formulaic solution. I don't. It's about the brain sensing the body. It improves by doing physical things, in my case for quite a long time. If you have learning modes that help you, that's good. ("Learning modes" = watching yourself in a mirror, videoing yourself, having someone put you in the right position, etc. One of the reasons that I was/am extra pathetic is that my main learning mode is verbal: I need to hear things described in words, ideally. That's a very bad way to learn physical skills, but it was the best I had for quite a while.)

I think some people who have good kinesthetic sensing take it for granted, don't realize that other people don't have it to the same extent. In a way, it's like being good at arithmetic, or spelling, or navigating geographically: If you have the skill/talent, it's hard to understand that other people's brains literally don't do that as well automagically, that it takes more drill and practice for them. On the flip side, it's frustrating to not be able to do things others seem to do easily, and hard to understand how they do it.

Best wishes!

That was what I meant by “feeling” but I said it far less eloquently 🤣

I have poor proprioception - apparently not unusual with hyper mobility. I don’t actually know where my arms are when lifting - I frequently assume they are in the right position until I watch my lifts back or my coach yells at me.

I struggled to learn to deadlift as my back is nice and loose. It meant holding a neutral spine was difficult and I had no idea my back wasn’t in the right position. Husband is incredibly stiff and can’t flex his back if he wanted to - hence his deadlift form was instantly perfect!