by Justin Brien, Natural Movement Solutions
As I grow older, my exercise regiment progresses in precision and quality. I am very selective about the exercises I choose for the day, paying close attention to what my body needs. If I lack sleep, the workout changes. If I travel on a plane after sitting in class for 5 days, my workout becomes more corrective in order to restore my posture and range of motion. If I get my sleep, mobilize my joints, hydrate and address my postural imbalances then I go hard! The body also needs that hard push.
Many clients that I train are blindly performing exercises at random intensities, with unspecified rest periods. There is no assessment and no real direction. Often, if they are training with a trainer, they have not received a program with all of the specific programming variables to follow. These include exercises, sets, reps, intensity and rest periods. As a matter of fact, I’ve never seen a written program from another trainer. I have even asked trainers to produce one so that we could be on the same page for the client. This is a fundamental part of our job, and is important to the client to receive proper and safe training.
Exercise selection is the key to balancing the system and improving performance and function. Just “working out” is great and I’m all for it! But after being motivated for a while you need to be more specific. You need to balance the structure. After all, structure dictates function and…function dictates structure. Think about that for a moment. Move your bodies! But move with a purpose, move with a plan. Select specific exercises. Put them in a particular order, perform them at a predetermined intensity with a specific rest period, and follow that to a tee. Plan today’s workout around tomorrow’s. The exercises for today and tomorrow are precursors for your next program 4 – 6 weeks from now.
At the end of your workout, add some exercises to correct the pelvis and spine. Be smart and listen to your body. Don’t do random! Stimulate the system and give the body what it needs.
– Justin Brien, Natural Movement Solutions
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