80% Rule

 In this video we discuss why we never ask for you to use more than 80% of your strength or stretch capacity in order to avoid compensation. 

When you’re doing your exercises, keep the 80% rule in mind.

This means working at a level that challenges your body but doesn’t push it into compensation. Most of us know the feeling of stretching too far or lifting more than we should, the body braces, tightens, and calls in other muscles to help. That’s your body’s natural protective response.

The problem is, once you cross that line, the movement stops being therapeutic. It might look right on the outside, but inside your body is no longer working in a balanced way. For people with chronic pain, certain muscles are already stuck in “on mode,” so it can be hard to notice when compensation starts.

That’s why 80% matters. It’s enough to activate your system without forcing your body to overwork. The goal is quality, not intensity. Training at this level helps rewire old patterns and restore true function more effectively.

So as you go through your routine, check in with yourself, and remember: stay at 80%. That’s where the real progress happens.

Serving Colorado from our centrally located office in Westminster and seeing clients from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, Denver and Boulder, we can also help globally via WebCam such as Zoom or FaceTime.

Anu Lawrence owned Egoscue Method clinics for over a decade before moving to private practice in 2022 and is a certified master instructor in the Egoscue Method, having learned the craft from Pete Egoscue directly.