Muscles only Pull

February 20, 2022

I feel like I have been saying this statement almost every day over the past week.

Muscles only Pull.

It goes in the territory of pulling things together. I love it when things pull together it’s like magic. It becomes cohesive into harmony and bliss.

Think about it. One thing being drawn to the other creates a sense of curiosity that can be followed or resisted. I say I have killed many cats with my curiosity so for the sake of some cats I find myself now responding a bit slower.

Yet at a time when hungry in my learning and curiosity, I was intrigued by the concept that muscles only pull. Don’t they push? Breaking away from the anatomy of things for a moment I am going to lean into the emotional side of push and pull.

We don’t like being pushed into things or situations regardless of outcomes. We don’t like being pushed around. We don’t like it when our buttons are pushed. Pushing into things is putting something into another that doesn’t belong. Or there is a sense of too much. When there to too much the boundaries become thin and something breaks. Also to push you need something to push against and if weak the item between will either bend or break. That can be in the relationship including the one with your body.

Then there’s the opposite - getting pulled. We get pulled into situations and directions. Our help and services are being requested and off we go regardless of outcome. When we reach out for help we are hoping to pull in some resources for us to perform better. We are more willing to be pulled into something for someone is making space for us to join in. I have demonstrated below on how the concept of push and pull looks to me:

When pulled we are in a better position to hold onto our core values to say yes or no allowing us to enter on our terms. We can stay strong too when getting pushed it’s the direction of energy I find that throws our balance off. Pulled back. Pushed Back. Pulled forward. Pushed Forward. Take your pick. Then add speed and strength of the force and we may be pulled to hard creating injury or not hard enough to create any movement. It’s all in the amount of tension.

Back to the body.

You have four bones A, B, C & D happily sitting at rest in figure 1. Bone B needs to get closer to A. C cannot push B to A. A must pull B toward itself. This caused the muscle fibers between A & B to shorten holding B in place. The fibers between B & C to lengthen creating tension (or load) that will need to be released. You can say B & C borrowed some energy load from A & B. (fig.2)

As you can see D is still happily hanging out in rest but it has an idea C may be pulled into B. So it really isn’t resting as it’s busy holding C in place by pulling it back from following B. All the muscles holding bones A,B, C & D are active holding their desired position. Now A needs C to come closer without moving B. So it has to remain strong to keep B in place for B to pull in C. (fig. 3)

D now has something to do and it needs A, B & C to follow along. So it is going to pull on C, C on B and B on A. (fig. 4) This is super simplified as the intent and recruitment of muscle fibers, strength and flexibility determines the function desired. It shows that muscles really dance to the game of pull and pull (vs. push and pull).

So pull yourself together. Pull yourself tall. Pull yourself into alignment and when everything is pulled together we become a cohesive being with everything fitting into place.