It's Spring. My sister tells me if she reads one more email/post/greeting with a reference to 'aren't we glad it's Spring?!' she may come undone. Hmmmm...I'm not sure if she reads my blog and yes, I'm saying it anyway. Why?
This is the season(one of four, actually) when we look forward. We make goals. We plan holidays. We mark up the calendar with golf dates and race events and kids' sports and barbecue evenings.
Let's imagine you've been A) following a regular workout schedule that includes cardio, strength and maybe yoga or pilates, or B) know it's time to get into a regular workout schedule that includes cardio, strength and maybe yoga or pilates.
Wow, a and b are totally different and yet the same.
Let's take a look at functional or Movement-Based training.
Triathletes move on a sagittal plane, front to back. Hours of cycling, running and even swimming mean there is little movement side to side. A little nutty, perhaps, and a lot of fun, says this triathlete. However, hours spent in that movement likely means there are some muscle groups that aren't engaged. This may lend itself to injury. Also, how do we train those working muscles to reach more goals?
Then, there is golf. The swing takes us into the frontal and transverse planes and all the sagittal walking. The golfer moves to the side and twists. I'm thinking golfers train through those movements to improve or maintain their game and decrease risk of injury.
The gardener has it all going on. Wait a minute we all do. If I'm squatting to pick up a child or planter, lungeing sideways to reach and pull the rake or twisting to pull the bungee cord tighter, should I train in those movements?
I'm hoping that's a rhetorical question that prompts only a resounding, "yes".
Movement-based training means we explore movement on all those planes. We use bands and tubes to twist. Body weight and the addition of dumb bells and kettle bells take us into progressive overload to build strength. Quality of movement, especially under load, is essential. Workouts have goals and are purposeful to keep us in our game, whatever it may be.
A reputable Personal Fitness Trainer will assess movement and develop training to challenge the body. Quality of movement is essential to reaching goals. Workouts have variety and are purposeful. Makes sense, right? Email me and we can start a conversation on how to get started or keep movement-based training moving in the right direction.