I think this applies to so many things in life, and it definitely applies to your physical practice. The more you master anything the greater your understanding of why they are done a certain way. The greater your understanding of why the rules are as they are, the greater your ability to push beyond your own and otherwise imposed limitations.
In weight lifting, at least in the functional sense, your greatest achievements will be born out of a marriage of efficiency and strength. Lifting very heavy things or doing advanced body weighted exercises like a planche push up, one arm chin up or many yoga movements demand peak efficiency.
The heaviest deadlift, squat or snatch you ever do in your life will also be your most efficient. In fact, when I teach most of the kettlebell moves I teach efficiency as a key point, but is this always a good way to train? Absolutely not. Many real world objects simply cannot be moved in an efficient way, for many reasons. If your nervous system is only trained to move things in one way, any deviation from that could make things very challenging.
Learn how to pick things up that aren’t as cozy in the grip as a kettlebell, dumbbell or barbell and try picking them up from out front of your body where it will feel heavy or putting them down at arms reach on a table top, for example. You will notice there are still things you can do to be efficient within the inefficiency; tight core, engaged lats and glutes, etc.
I also support training your body out of alignment on occasion, standing on an uneven surface is one way to do this. An intentional pronation or external rotation of the foot when performing an exercise, a supinated grip where a pronated grip is easiest are other ways.
In the chaotic world of moving your body and numerous objects all day long, the rules are much more blurred. The better you become at moving within proper alignment, the more you will be able to deviate slightly here and there, but on purpose. Get to know your limits and then you will be able to push them further and further, the greater your understanding of whatever you are a mastering, the easier it becomes.
What are some of the things in your life that you mastered so well that you could then break the rules to achieve a greater result?
