When training my clients, I focus on the following 6 exercises:
These are the 6 basic patterns of human movement and therefore, the most important exercises we can focus on. By teaching my clients to perform these movements well, then adding resistance little by little, they are learning how to move properly and safely while becoming strong at the same time. These are movements that we use in our everyday lives. It’s important to know how to do these well to not only avoid injury but to make life easier. Don’t get me wrong. There can be a time and place for muscle isolation exercises. You may have a knee injury, for example, that requires us to work each muscle surrounding the knee joint individually until we get those muscles strong enough to keep your knee in alignment so that you can squat or lunge. And yes, we need to be able to squat. In fact, you already do by standing up from a chair. It may just not be done easily...yet. How many sets and repetitions of these movements should you do? That depends on your starting point. For beginners, I recommend starting with just one or two sets of 15 reps with just your body weight to prep your connective tissue to add load later on, especially if you’re over 40. Do this twice a week with at least 48 hours in between workouts. After a couple of weeks, then you can add light loads. The rate of progression beyond that is highly individual. There are also countless variations that you can do with the 6 basic movement patterns in order to best develop your strength safely. I sometimes hear, "I just want to get more toned." Well, “toned” isn’t really a thing. In order to achieve a “toned” look, you need to grow the muscles and lose subcutaneous body fat. This is where certain muscle isolation exercises could play a role in your training program, but the majority of it will be spent on the 6 most important exercises. While I understand most people hire a personal trainer to achieve a certain aesthetic, my main goal is to help you move through life easier: by being strong, remaining insulin-sensitive, keeping your joints pain-free, feeling your best, and most importantly, having the energy to do what you want to do when you want to do it. The body's appearance just happens to be a nice side effect. If you would like to get strong to make moving through life easier, but you just don’t know where to start, send me a message. I can create a plan for you to do on your own. Hiring a personal trainer doesn’t always mean I have to be present at every one of your workouts. We might just need to meet for a very brief period until you feel confident enough to navigate your own training plan. We can always touch base later when you're ready to progress your plan. Are you ready to move through life easier?
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AuthorPaige Balius - a personal trainer in Austin, Texas, helping women live their best lives! Archives
May 2024
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