For the last three months, I decided to conduct an experiment on my own body. As someone who lives and breathes movement, I wanted to see what would happen if I scaled back from my usual practice to the bare minimum and shifted the vast majority of my energy towards mainstream, conventional weight training.
I committed to the “gold standard” of the fitness industry: heavy progressive overload, strictly within the sagittal plane. While I maintained a small thread of my original movement patterns to keep the lights on, my life became a cycle of bench presses, military presses, tricep extensions, bicep curls, and the squat rack.
The results were eye-opening, but not for the reasons you might think.
The Results: Muscle Gained, Freedom Lost
On a purely aesthetic level, the experiment “worked.” I put on muscle mass and my numbers on the bar went up. I was objectively stronger in those specific, linear patterns. But as the weeks ticked by, the trade-offs became impossible to ignore.
By the end of the three months, I didn’t feel like a high-performing athlete; I felt like a rigid statue
• The “Armor” Effect: I felt physically “locked in.” The freedom to move spontaneously and express myself through my body had vanished, replaced by a stiff, robotic tension.
• Systemic Inflammation: My joints felt “hot” and angry. Constant heavy loading in fixed, safe planes of motion created a level of inflammation I rarely experience when moving dynamically.
• The Sagittal Trap: I was strong in a straight line, but life doesn’t happen in a straight line. I had traded my multi-planar agility for a very narrow, “safe” kind of power.
The Mental Weight of Rigidity
Perhaps the most surprising discovery, however, was how this physical stiffness seeped into my headspace. I found that as my body became more rigid and “stuck,” my mood followed suit. I began to feel a sense of agitation and a general “grumpiness” that I couldn’t quite shake, and my energy felt heavy and low.
It was a stark contrast to how I feel when I prioritise mobility and playfulness. When I moved back toward fluid, multi-planar movement, it was like a weight lifted off my spirit as much as my joints. I felt lighter, more energised, and more emotionally resilient. I realised then that true wellness isn’t just about the absence of pain; it’s the presence of freedom.
Why I’m Breaking Out of these fixed patterns.
This experiment confirmed what I’ve always suspected: Muscle is useless if it acts as a cage. When we train exclusively in sagittal patterns, we neglect the rotations, the lateral shifts, and the ground-based transitions that make us truly human. I realised that I would much rather be “movement-strong” than “gym-strong.” I want the power to lift, but the grace to flow.
A Note on the Gym: It’s a Tool, Not a Trap
To be clear, I’m not saying that gyms or traditional weights are “bad.” Far from it. The gym is an incredible tool for building foundational strength and bone density. The issue isn’t the equipment; it’s the limitation of movement. The trap is when we only move in those safe, linear boxes. You can absolutely use the gym to your advantage, but you have to be “movement-smart” about it—integrating rotation, lateral work, and mobility so that the weights serve your body, rather than making your body serve the weights.
Coming Home to Movement
Now that the experiment is over, I am heading back to what I do best—and what my body loves most. I’m returning to a practice that prioritises strength with mobility, exploring all planes of motion to regain that lost sense of freedom.
As a movement coach specialising in Animal Flow, I’ve spent years helping people break out of these same rigid patterns. I know what it feels like to lose your mobility to the weight rack, and I know exactly how to get it back.
Ready to Find Your Freedom Again?
If you’ve been following a conventional lifting program and you’re starting to feel “stuck,” rigid, or constantly inflamed, you don’t have to sacrifice your strength to feel mobile again.
I help people bridge the gap between raw power and fluid movement. Whether you want to integrate Animal Flow into your current routine or completely transform the way you move, let’s chat.
Book a Discovery Call with Me
Let’s discuss your goals and build a body that feels as good as it looks.
