Not Your Average Physique

Cowboy Statue Texas Capitol Grounds

The book, "Counterclockwise" (subtitle omitted) discusses the fact that all medical studies base results on statistical averages. The medical field then uses the statistics to arbitrarily choose dividing lines to provide prognoses with the result that one person may be diagnosed with cancer because a test came in a smidgen above the arbitrary line and the next person whose results came a smidgen below that same line would be diagnosed as healthy. The mental impact for the two receiving the news (cancer or healthy) differs significantly yet the difference is statistically insignificant from a test results standpoint. In any case each individual differs from the norm in ways that the prognosis may not be applicable. Another statistical example is the BMI (body mass index) that purports to define obese vs overweight vs normal people. BMI, however, grossly over-reports people who, through strength training, have high muscle mass vs body fat content.

 I got involved in this train of thought because many different areas of my body don't match what should be "normal" for my height. As an example, my arm length is shorter than should be for my body height. I inherited this from my maternal grandfather as he too had problems where long sleeve shirts always needed adjustments because they were too long. Some basketball players appear to have abnormally long arms - I inherited the opposite trait.

The picture above shows something that relates to another abnormal body feature of mine that impacts my exercise. The cowboy above shows a fully extended and locked at the elbow arm. I have never been able to "lock my elbow". My wife is double jointed and goes beyond locked. There are lots of exercises with weights and Kettlebells that call for a locked elbow that I don't do well since I can't lock my elbow. (That is, my elbow always appears bent.)

Where I notice this is in tasks like shoulder presses or Turkish Get Ups where I am supposed to hold the weight above my head with a locked arm. Since there's no locking my elbow, I have to rely purely on arm strength to support the weight. Tuesday when I performed TGUs, on the last round my arm tired to the point that my elbow collapsed and the weight descended to be supported on my shoulder while I finished the get-up.  But, even with my defects in physique, I choose to do as Clint Eastwood said in "Breakheart Pass", "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome."