The importance of individualized and day to day modified programming within group and individual strength sessions. A post for trainers and anyone who workouts out on a regular basis.
Why is health and fitness not a one size fits all? Why should programming be intelligent and every exercise always have a health conscious why? Hint: We can’t let our personal ego or comparison to others get in the way.
- Anatomically, we all have different bodies. Our femur (thigh bone) length relative to our tibia (shin bone) length differs from person to person. This means joint angles and range of motion can drastically differ through the duration of any given exercise relative to the individual. In addition, we all have different injury and health backgrounds, different goals, and different day to day stress factors that all contribute to how we move and how we tolerate exercise. This is why cookie cutter programming just doesn’t add up when the discussion of true long-term results comes up. It makes no sense if you think about the facts listed above. If workouts are always catered to the group and not the individual, true fitness potential is being left on the table. Listed below are examples of where coaching yourself or others…can go wrong if you are not careful.
A great example of where we go wrong with one size fits all is programming and coaching in regards to movement is in the world of squats and deadlifts:
• Many fitness classes and methods today coach loaded squats with the following cue: Make sure you squat to…or past parallel. This is often said to a large class that includes individuals at many different levels and stages of their fitness journey. While some individuals may exhibit good form, experience and comfort with that big range of motion, that is the minority. In many classes in today’s social and trend driven culture you will see many individuals performing reps with form that is less than ideal for long term health and fitness success. These form faults can include hips tucking underneath, excessive forward lean, knees collapsing inwards, excessive lordosis (lower back curve) …amongst many other slight biomechanical deviations that can cause major physical pain and struggle down the road. This pain and struggle can include chronic discomfort in regions such as the low back, hips and knees…as well as compensation that eventually will limit progress and/or result in acute injury. All because of that one cue to squat past the point of the thighs being parallel to the ground.
• When it comes to deadlifts, the same overall concept is applicable. Pulling from the ground can mean two very different things relative to each individual’s unique anatomy and health history regardless of the weight being lifted. During any lift, we should be looking for the strongest position possible…with the lowest of risk of movement compensation and injury. Someone can look decent lifting with a full range of motion from the ground…but are they truly in a position that promotes the best form and long-term strength results? I can promise that in real life situations…altering range of motion by a few inches here and there is not going to make a difference in how optimally we as human’s function. That said, what proper modifications will do is promote long term success and create movement that is stronger, safer, and more applicable to every day real life challenges.
When we truly break it down as fitness community…studies have shown that maximal strength gains are minimally affected when range of motion is slightly reduced for injury prevention (form) purposes. Range of motion is still important and something most people need to work on…just not in a loaded environment that increases the risk of compensation and injury. Think about what the results will be in a year…or 5 years. Not next week or next month.
Final Point: In addition to the proper execution of movement, if an individual is hyper mobile…meaning their joints are capable of excessive range of motion…one can cause serious damage and injury to their musculoskeletal system if their range of motion is larger than what they can control via their level of strength and stability. All the more reason to be conscious of what range of motion and exercise selection is best for the individual.
- Another major factor that contributes to injury risk and workout performance is the current level of stress the body is under. Stress influences a hormonal response that can greatly affect your ability to be successful in terms of weight loss and muscle gain. During exercise you break down muscle fibers, put stress on your lungs and heart…and in turn your body adapts and builds back stronger. It is productive stress…but stress non the less. You should always be aware of the external level of stress on yourself, or another individual if you are coaching as that level of overall stress should play a major role in both the selection of exercises and intensity of a group or individual workout. Two major sources of stress outside of the gym are listed below:
The amount of sleep you get and your diet are two foundational examples of stressors that influence how your body will react to a fitness routine.
• Take two individuals that have the same level of strength and fitness experience. Subject A slept only 2 hours the last two nights while subject B slept 8 hours each of the last two nights. Who do you think is going to perform at a higher level and recover faster from their workout today? The answer is obvious. Lack of sleep is a major stress on the body…and can cause inflammation, decreased immunity, decreased focus, and decreased ability to recover from workouts. All of the above increase risk of injury and slow down or stop results all together.
• On the nutrition end, everything you put into your body either helps or hurts you. It’s black and white. Similar to the last situation mentioned with lack of sleep …you would not expect someone who does not pay attention to their diet, does not eat often enough, or is dehydrated to perform at the same level of someone who has their nutrition dialed in. More importantly you would not expect them to recover at the same rate. We are all busy and success with nutrition can be day to day. Even more of a reason individualize programming and know both yourself and others before imposing specific workout demands.
All of the previous points bring up the original question of why would you program and/or coach the same workout in the same way for everyone in class or the gym?
The only solution and good answer…you cannot produce optimal health and fitness results without constantly adjusting to who is in front of you. Furthermore, you need to focus on what you…or each person in front of you has going on outside of the gym doors that may affect performance and recovery.
Leaving ego behind and being aware that we are all individuals, is the first step to truly training smart and progressing in a manner that produces long term life changing results.
By Sean Weckel – Owner: Shift Fitness, Certified NASM/CHEK Strength Coach