She came to me with three specific goals: strengthening her VMO, glutes, and inner thighs. Before meeting her, I wouldn’t have known what a VMO was, or so I thought. I knew it by another name: bodybuilders call it the teardrop muscle. But when your client is a physician, her vocabulary leads to lessons learned.
At our first meeting, she walked me through exactly what bothered her, and I listened. Afterward, I promised to research the physical challenges she was facing. That’s when I discovered why she had named one muscle so precisely while describing the other two in broader terms.
The VMO, or vastus medialis oblique, helps guide the kneecap and stabilize the joint as the leg straightens. When it’s weak, fatigued, or doesn’t activate properly, the kneecap can track too far outward. Her knees made this muscle important to focus on, and that need gave me a chance to learn something new.
Working with someone who knows exactly what they want can feel daunting. I read research studies and practiced the movements myself, all the while a little nervous about teaching something to a physician. However, her detailed request deserved a thorough answer, and preparing one made me better at my job.
During her first workout, I showed her how to activate the muscle, and when she felt it fire, she said, “Wow! I can feel it!” Then she laughed, the kind of laugh when something finally clicks.
She left with new insight into making progress in the gym. I left with a new tool for clients with cranky knees, and a reminder that the best part of this work is the lessons learned alongside the people I train.
Lesson 1: We don’t have to know everything to be of service; we just need to be willing to seek knowledge and learn.
Proverbs 18:15 says, “An intelligent mind acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
Lesson 2: Serving someone well begins with letting their needs interrupt what we think we already know.
Philippians 2:4 tells us, “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”
Lesson 3: Sometimes the very thing that reminds us how much we don’t know becomes the doorway to knowing more.
Proverbs 9:9 says, “Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.”
Lesson 4: Learning becomes transformative when we put what we learn into practice.
James 1:22 encourages us with, “don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
Lesson 5: The lesson may begin with one person, but its usefulness may extend far beyond that relationship.
Second Corinthians 1:4 says, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
*For those of you who prayer walk, consider the lesson that stands out for you. Listen to what the Holy Spirit has for you to learn. For your copy of this week’s screensaver, click here. And to access all of my YouVersion Bible App devotional plans, click here.