Stability before Strength when Exercising

Most of us know or have seen peeps intensely working out with heavy weights, pushing themselves to the edge of their capacity to gain strength, build muscle and lose weight etc, to the detriment of their body. 

Yes, it looks good, even impressive and inspiring, but the outcome can be ugly.

Even people who work out with a more passive or less intense approach can end up with physical issues they wish they didn’t have, which may just take a wee bit longer to break down than the intense method. The bottom line is, both parties are exercising incorrectly and need proper guidance and instruction in order to avoid further decline.

Maybe you or somebody you know has been injured whilst exercising or the exercise you were doing felt stressful on joints or just outright uncomfortable? If that is so, then there was faulty or improper movement mechanics being performed. 

To restore and heal the body with exercise, there must be a dual relationship between the inner stabilizer muscles and the outer moving muscles. Anyone with pain, movement difficulties or poor posture has been exposed to incorrect mechanics and would never be remedied unless new movement patterns are introduced that activate those deeper stabilizer muscles.

It makes perfect sense to recruit and involve the stabilizing muscles for safe, efficient and restorative purposes. After all, the very injuries you seek to resolve were due to lack of inner muscle activation. Distorted posture, uncoordinated movement, pain syndromes, inadequate balance and reduced physical abilities are some of the issues that result from moving incorrectly. In learning to access the inner muscles, all those physical issues can now be rectified. 

At a root level, this relates to decreased bio-motor functions, which are flexibility, stability, balance, coordination, agility, strength and power. These seven functions are the foundational prerequisites for healing the body. Almost all the clients that I've worked with were deficient in  their flexibility, stability and balance, thus they had inadequate inner muscle integrity. Their joints had no protection as the inner muscles supported them were out of commission.

The Restoration Process

My first task is to assess your movement, posture, and overall physical abilities. This reveals the type of exercise and stretching program you need to restore these bio-motor functions.

To restore your posture, eradicate pain syndromes, and improve your movement, I show you movements that the body hasn't experienced before, as your current movement patterns manifested the issues you live with today. 

To build new motor programs and healthy biomotor functions, one must start at the beginning with flexibility, stability, balance, and coordination for a solid foundation to then build upon agility, strength, and power.

In following this sequence healthy physical development, good posture, coordination, joint stability, muscle balance and safe movement is achieved.

I design an exercise and stretching program specifically tailored to restore your body, which you attend 2x weekly for 12 weeks. In that time, positive change occur that can be quite miraculous. After 22 years of this work, I’m still blown away by the healing capacity of corrective movement.

Believe me; it’s not easy to know how to move or exercise correctly without certain knowledge, specific techniques, and an open mind. Jumping right in and hoping for the best will usually amount in regression and further postural breakdown and injuries, especially over the long term where the reality of your endeavors are revealed., .

Changing deeply ingrained movement patterns takes time to shift; as it is a physical, mental and emotional process. You must be mentally focused and attentive to the guidance and instruction and emotionally present to your movement experience within the body. And then, with my external guidance and your internal discernment, we create a powerful healing relationship. And after a few sessions you acquire the knowledge and tools to become your own movement guide for a functional future.

It took me many years to perfect these human movement mechanics that I now masterfully convey to you, by first learning to heal my own body as I had two herniated discs, severe kyphosis (hunched back) and became quite infirmed before I immersed myself into this restorative venture.Countless people have been very surprised when I share how my body was before I began, as at 52 years I move like a teenager.

Some Exercise Principles

The best place to start with everyone, no exceptions, is with stability exercises. This means being on an unstable surface, like an exercise ball, (lying, sitting, kneeling, or standing) and balance boards of various kinds that produce an unstable surface, coupled with one leg exercises with or without the ball or boards.

Some clients, who have more severe physical conditions, may start with floor exercises, which decreases the weight bearing load on the spine, hips, or knees that increases when on the feet.

Some of the floor exercises are infant development moves like crawls of various types and static postural exercises which promote inner muscle activation that more advanced, weight bearing exercises will not achieve, especially if the client has more severe physical issues..

There are exercises for everyone, no matter what their physical condition. Whether you're in a wheelchair on crutches or challenged to stay on your feet, there is an ideal exercise to meet you where you are.

A free and thorough 60/90 min Physical Discovery Session awaits you to diagnose your current challenges, and establish potential solutions through a tailored restoration program.