Grand designs for human body

The author attempts the more traditional grand design. PICTURE / SUPPLIED

Kevin McCloud is the writer and presenter of Grand Designs, and in watching his interest in sustainable, sensible architecture, I have seen a parallel in the Grand Design of the human body.
I attribute his words to these ideas set before you, and to save a document peppered with these "speech" marks, I will say there are many quotes and paraphrases and inspirations in this article that I thank him for inspiring. I think this reads best if you imagine him narrating this episode, and divorce your DIY mind from recent reality TV building show debacles.

The problem with today's human body is we have settled for the mass-produced, low-maintenance path of least resistance version. But what if we dared to be different just once, but then held true to that course? Many of us fancy ourselves as obtaining the perfect body, but for all kinds of reasons, cost, apathy, procrastination, those dreams become relegated to dinner party conversation. Do we consider the body beautiful to be the domain of the "lycra cling-wrapped", muscle flexing fringe of society, or as a prerequisite to the reasonable expression of human living?

When you consider a Grand Design for your 1.9 square metre section (1.7 for women, 1.9 for men), you have to consider what is necessary in the build to facilitate the best living space. Foundations will have to be laid. Are you going to invest the extra time and money in an excellent foundation, or will you shortcut and skimp in this crucial area, and head straight to exterior design? This is the argument for core stabilisation, rotator cuff development and hip stability versus turning up at the gym and getting immediately stuck into the marquee muscles: pecs, six pack, lats, biceps, deltoids and glutes to name a few.

In the perfect build, we must look at a bespoke design, taking in the elements of structure: the fibrous "hoop stress" protection of the abdominals; the shear force protection of the lumbar multifidi muscles and the intuitive activation patterns of the gluteus medius in the hip, priming the leg for impact in running and aligning perfectly for every step.

We have craftsmen and artisans available to guide the build. The project manager or physiotherapist needs to understand not only the structure the client desires, but have an intimate understanding of the building materials. When things go wrong, or breakages occur, they understand the repair process, times and tolerances. The project manager will work with a team of industry experts to help the design become reality. Nutritionists help to create the materials, occupational therapists help put the build through testing processes and help it to stand up to the everyday industrial stresses. Sport and clinical psychologists are able to smooth the process when it becomes all too intense and the build becomes threatened by external stresses.

In order to deal harmoniously with the forces that the attractive exterior cladding muscles develop, we need to lay a solid sturdy foundation. At the shoulders, the rotator cuff offer all day solidity to every arm action, without much complaint. Much airplay is given to the pecs and similar aesthetics, but how often have you heard the statement "nice supraspinatus, or you've got a tight pair of infraspinati"? The abdomen has the familiar rectus abdominus six pack and its partner obliques, but then there are tranversus abdominus, rotatores and multifidi to bring into the build. The good news is they don't have to be sourced from some Scandinavian workshop, racking up a massive carbon footprint. They are native, inbuilt, and the builder just needs to learn how to restore the existing quality materials.

The project manager would do well to attend to these matters in a patient and timely fashion. Stabilising the core and building the foundations make the build ready for the "grand" in grand design.

With the framework in place, what a relief to be able to contribute to the heavy overcoat of sinew and musculature, and to see it standing up proud and in one piece.
The appeal of the developed architraves and curves is hard to dispute. The parabolic curvature of the buttock's fibrous arches, and the way it flares gives the impression that it hasn't been built, but simply allowed to thrust its way out of the hindquarters. This exterior, interesting and crafted but not overly ostentatious, has the feel of being lived in but also ready for serious hard work, and of course you can assume that the question "what's it like waking up to this view" will engender a very positive response from your co-dweller.

Many months and two builders later, you have now moved into your new build, twice as long as you thought but despite the delays, the build is almost finished.
It seems a miracle that you've pulled this off, but the hard work and self control avoiding the quick fixes have paid off, and you've come in under budget having learned some tricks and recycled old materials.

New shapes sit in easy dialogue with the existing structure, casting aside the previous image and leaving a carefully restored and lovingly reframed build. In the balance of ancient and modern, the integrity of your body has been retained.

How do you measure the success of a body build and why should you do it?
Great builds are not only about appearance and fashion, but functionality. If you can say that you have built with the mission to enhance the function, contributing to your inner satisfaction then you have succeeded.

If your motive is only focused on the look, it is destined to fall short because the dream of the perfect body is another version of the pursuit of happiness. The harder you chase it the less you can apprehend it, and paradoxically, the less happy you become. The project manager is tasked with balancing the desire to look aesthetically pleasing, as entirely subjective as that is, with a higher purpose: excellence in function, because it is this excellence that in the end keeps us youthful and feeling happy with ourselves.

Our body is the place we return to when all else is done in the world. It is the place where our hopes and dreams are realised. It is the place where joy and sadness interweave. It is the place of interface with the world and the vessel with which we leave the world to discover the hereafter. We have the choice to adapt the design to fit our purposes and enjoy the journey, or set and forget and reap slow and steady consequences. Entrusted to you for a lifetime, how then will you manage this project? For the long game with deep foundations and quality materials, or for superficial fleeting pleasure with its bog standard cladding and procrastinating maintenance schedules?
Greg Bell is a physiotherapist practising at Bell Physiotherapy. www.bellphysio.co.nz