Yes, you read that right. It might sound harsh of course, I care about my clients. But I don’t trust your “feeling” as the best feedback when we’re retraining movement or building new mobility and strength. Why? Because the way you feel muscular or emotional can easily fool you.
The “Feelings Aren’t Reality” Principle
Let’s break it down:
- Feelings are fleeting: Soreness is not the same as progress; ease is not always a sign of good form.
- Old patterns “feel right” until you rewrite them: Most adults, especially those over 40, have ingrained compensations (chronic tightness, weak links) that “feel normal” but are anything but functional.
Example: Ava’s Shoulder Surprise
Ava had practiced yoga for 15 years. She swore she “didn’t feel” her left scapula in certain movements. When cued to use new muscle patterns, it felt wrong even though video showed improved alignment. Three months later, she reported, “That weird feeling is my new normal, and I’m stronger than ever.”
Why the Mind-Body “Signal” Gets Smudged
Neuromuscular pathways what science calls “neuro-engrams” get built by repetition, good or bad. If you spend years overusing quads and underusing glutes, “activating glutes” will feel awkward… until you do it long enough for your brain to remap.
The Wrong Question: “What Should I Feel?”
Instead, ask:
- Is my form correct by external measurement (mirror, coach feedback, video)?
- Am I consistent, able to repeat the movement cleanly under fatigue or stress?
- Am I building range, not just “burn”?
The SolCore Holistic Approach
We cue the whole system, not just one muscle. A myofascial release may not “feel” as intense as a quad set, but works the network. Myofascial stretching resets connective tissue, releases stuck points, and encourages your brain to “map” movement differently.
Myofascial stretching is designed to help you rediscover correct sensation safe, sustainable, functional by breaking old compensations.
The “Proprioceptive Gap” and Why It Matters
Research confirms that adults often lose proprioceptive awareness (sense of internal movement/location) in injured or underutilized zones. Feel nothing? It’s not failure it’s the reason to keep going!
Analogy: Learning to throw with your off hand feels weird, awkward, “wrong” until the brain “remembers” the pattern.
Progress Comes With Patience
- Trust the process: the feedback “I don’t feel it” is a normal start.
- Work with structured, science-based cues. Trust video, mirrors, coaches.
- Allow time for awkward to become organized, then efficient, then easy.
Story: Mark’s Squat Transformation
Mark always felt his “quads burn” in squats ever glutes or hamstrings. Video analysis revealed knee collapse and instability. Four weeks of mind-muscle connection coaching later, he “felt nothing…just the work.” But his squats became smoother, pain gone, jumps improved, and his “difficulty feeling” was actually his nervous system building new precision.
Don’t Get Fooled by Good or Bad Days
Sometimes you’ll feel “on top of the world.” Other days, you’ll wonder if you’ve made progress at all. This is noise in the system. Long-term results improved posture, increased load, reduced pain—matter far more.
How to Rewire Your Response
- Practice repeatedly. The brain needs many reps to overwrite an old motor engram.
- Embrace feedback. Seek external observation not just sensation.
- Shift focus: “What can I control alignment, cadence, effort?” not “How intense is the burn?”
When Feeling is the Goal
Some modalities breathwork, relaxation do hinge on internal sensation. In performance and corrective exercise? The map is built by doing the work, feedback, and patience.
Ready to Break Out of “Feeling-Based” Ruts?
If you’re tired of chasing sensation (“am I doing this right?”) and want expert eyes and science-based progress, book a Myofascial stretching consult/session with us. Let’s remap your movement for long-term gains, not just fleeting feels.
It’s not just working out, it’s building a foundation for a better life.
Find out more @
Leave a Reply