What your panicky self really needs right now are some strength tests to see if your muscles are truly weak or to see if your problem is the so-called perceived weakness.
What is perceived weakness?
This term used to primarily refer to the observation of moral deficiency in another individual.
Times have really changed since the advent of Dr. Google.
Perceived weakness has come to be strongly associated with falsely believing that one has a new-onset weakened portion of a limb and even a single finger.
They may suddenly develop this perception during a workout when one arm is noticeably “weaker” than the other during a bench press, dumbbell press or some other lift involving two arms.
This can trigger going down a rabbit hole.
A trigger can also be the tasks of daily living. For example, something falls out of your hand like a notebook, a spoon, a pen, your child’s little stuffed animal, a bag of chips — anything that you might be carrying throughout a normal day in a hand.
This then sets off the idea that the hand has become weak — due to a motor neuron disease.
When one’s mind starts going in these directions, “strength tests” will invariably follow.
If you’re a gym rat, many of these tests will take place in the gym or wherever you do your workouts.
If you’re not into lifting weights, these inspections of strength in that “weak” part of your body will take place usually at home, but sometimes also on the job.
These can be any kind of physical exertion that you can possibly imagine.
For instance, if you believe your left arm is weak due to a new disease, you may find yourself trying to pick up the vacuum cleaner with one hand.
Or picking up your dog repeatedly, or repetitively picking up a box of books from the floor.
The strength tests that ensue, when one develops perceived weakness and a fear that this is the beginning of a neurodegenerative disease, can be quite elaborate and/or unrealistic.
Here are strength tests for various body parts:
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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