"Ever feel like things are tougher for you?"
Now there's a loaded question!! But seriously, I was asked this yesterday at rehab (physical rehab - not any other kind...)
Seems that with my body structure and functionality - exercise is harder for me. It requires more effort. Which helps explain why, despite a lot of effort I never really get good. I mean, I go alright, but I wouldn't call myself an athlete by any stretch.
Anyway - this'll probably be more detail than anyone other than myself is interested in - but I'm going to tell you anyway. It seems that I have very loose joints - which is good and bad. The good is that I fix easily (which I've noticed before) but the bad is that I re-injure easily (which I've also noticed). Because I fix easily - most physios figure I'm better and the underlying cause for the original injury goes untreated - hence I re-injure.
In addition to that - my looser joints require me to activate stabilising muscles and then the power muscles to actually do the sport involved, whereas most people just need to activate power muscles. (Apparently ethnicity plays a strong part in your athletic build - as an example (and a generality) black athletes are genetically built for power - their tendons are stronger and less flexible which requires little energy to maintain and consequently they can put all their energy into their power mucles) As a result of my non-athletic genetics - my body requires twice as much effort to do the same thing as others - which means things are tougher for me.
All in all - this is pretty good because it helps me understand why I keep getting hurt (at least in the last year or so) and what I need to do to get better. Also - I now have a built in excuse for being near the back of the pack in anything I do.
I've never needed to be the winner of any physical thing, but I have occasionally felt bad or wondered why, no matter the effort (which is sometimes minimal) I don't seem to be able to make my way up the pack.
This new answer makes me happy. I'm built to be mediocre and I'm grateful I now have a scientific answer for it!!!
So, in answer to the original question, yes - sometimes things feel tougher for me. But less so now that I understand why.
Seems that with my body structure and functionality - exercise is harder for me. It requires more effort. Which helps explain why, despite a lot of effort I never really get good. I mean, I go alright, but I wouldn't call myself an athlete by any stretch.
Anyway - this'll probably be more detail than anyone other than myself is interested in - but I'm going to tell you anyway. It seems that I have very loose joints - which is good and bad. The good is that I fix easily (which I've noticed before) but the bad is that I re-injure easily (which I've also noticed). Because I fix easily - most physios figure I'm better and the underlying cause for the original injury goes untreated - hence I re-injure.
In addition to that - my looser joints require me to activate stabilising muscles and then the power muscles to actually do the sport involved, whereas most people just need to activate power muscles. (Apparently ethnicity plays a strong part in your athletic build - as an example (and a generality) black athletes are genetically built for power - their tendons are stronger and less flexible which requires little energy to maintain and consequently they can put all their energy into their power mucles) As a result of my non-athletic genetics - my body requires twice as much effort to do the same thing as others - which means things are tougher for me.
All in all - this is pretty good because it helps me understand why I keep getting hurt (at least in the last year or so) and what I need to do to get better. Also - I now have a built in excuse for being near the back of the pack in anything I do.
I've never needed to be the winner of any physical thing, but I have occasionally felt bad or wondered why, no matter the effort (which is sometimes minimal) I don't seem to be able to make my way up the pack.
This new answer makes me happy. I'm built to be mediocre and I'm grateful I now have a scientific answer for it!!!
So, in answer to the original question, yes - sometimes things feel tougher for me. But less so now that I understand why.
posted by lala at
12:03 PM
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