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Alexa I can understand the flow of your exercises and how they map to the 7-Step Prep process. Just be mindful of the reps, especially with the Activation exercises. Too many reps can create fatigue which will de-activate! Otherwise, job well done!
This is well put together Nir. From the exercise selection, acute variables, and the short coaching descriptions to provide extra insight into how to perform the drills. You did a great job matching your intent to your program. Very well done!
Hi Jane, thank you for the questions!
1) For someone struggling with Stability and Coordination, I would still consider their training a Workout as learning new moves is a heavy load on our cognition and usually will stress our tissues in novel and challenging ways. So if you’re thinking about doing Activation and Mobility drills only for their workout, that is still a Workout for them based on their capabilities! But as they grow and capture these adaptations, eventually. Activation and Mobility patterns will be less strenuous and we can classify them as Work-Ins at that stage.
In other words, “Workouts” and Work-Ins” is relative to the capability of the person performing them. What may seem like a Work-In for many, may actually need to be considered a Workout for others because they are less capable and it’s a true strain on their system. Another way to look at is Mechanical Workouts are Stressful while Mechanical Work-Ins are Not Stressful, i.e. Recovery focused where the stimulus is not strong enough to promote a stressful state on the body.
2. For too much mobility, Activation (Stabilization) patterns should be the primary focus to develop the strength and coordination needed to move well. I would avoid Mobility strategies with this population.
Hope that clarifies things for you. If not, let me know! Thanks again for your great questions.
Thank you Alexa! I like your progression from unloaded to loaded strategies throughout the circuit. Make sure to identify the intensity of the exercises, especially with the loaded drills so clients know how much resistance to use as too much resistance will negatively impact mobility. Otherwise, good selection of drills!
Quentin,
first, to answer your question, yes, we would categorize thoracic region focused exercises as Upper Body for body part specific exercise selection.
And secondly, excellent job putting this 7-Step Prep together. You matched the exercise selection perfectly with the associated step and your simple justification for each exercise demonstrates a strong intent for why you selected the exercises. I also like the progression of unloaded drills to loaded exercises throughout the sequence.
This is now a great template for you to use with many of your clients and you’ll probably just need to adjust one or two exercises at the most each time you use it with someone different. That makes it incredibly valuable from a programming perspective as it will expedite your time greatly and show the client how well organized and thoughtful you are with their experience. Really well done, keep it up!
Nir I really like your rationale and thought process. Thank you for sharing. I can see this mobility sequence work very well for the audience and environment you described. Here’s a couple of thoughts for your consideration:
- If you’re working with someone with low back pain, you may want to increase the ratio of On-Ground exercises vs Vertical/Standing exercises (this circuit has more vertical exercises than on-ground). Identify what positions may trigger pain, and be thoughtful about modifying the positions to create greater safety and comfort.
- Add stability to some of the more progressive vertical exercises. For example, the bentover rotations could use some sort of support (such as a chair, pillar, wall, TRX, ViPR, etc). By adding stability during a complex movement, you lessen the potential of threat to the nervous system which can both reduce the potential of a pain experience while also allowing the nervous system to explore greater range of motion.
Excellent sequence Jane. I like how you alternated between Passive and Active strategies to mobilize the TSpine and Shoulders as well as progressed the circuit from easy (less force) to hard (more force). This should be useful for upper extremity workouts and to unglue your desk jockeys!
Nir, I think you nailed a more comprehensive version of the 4-Step Activation. Your exercise selection match the steps as outlined by IoM and I agree, they would be ideal for someone who has some training experience. The only challenge I see is it might take over 15 minutes to complete all of this so keep that in mind. Well done!
Quentin, there’s a lot to like about your mobility sequence:
- You leveraged all 4Q well
- You progressed through the exercises from “easy” or low force profile to “hard” higher force profile. Really smart from a preparation perspective
- You selected appropriate exercises to match the intent of where you wanted to facilitate the majority of your mobility
Really well done. More importantly, because you are doing it yourself, how’d it feel?? What feedback would/did you give yourself after completing this circuit?
Jane, thank you for submitting.
It’s handy to have blocks created that consider a client’s environment, in this case, a body weight-only block with access to a wall/pillar/vertical structure.
You nailed the exercise selection of the 4 step Activation sequence. A couple of suggestions regarding the acute variables:
- With the Forced Exhalation, it’s a very exhaustive exercise when you do it correctly, therefore you’ll only need to do one rep on each side of the body considering it’s a unilateral exercise. Or, maybe 1 rep is forced exhalation, the remaining reps can be done without exhaustive breathing so many reps can be performed. Just be mindful as too much forced breathing can elevate blood pressure and/or cause someone to feel dizzy.
- Your 3rd drill, the Excitation exercise, you’re missing some important acute variables. Make sure to plug those in so your client is prepared fully on how to execute the exercise
Thanks Jane, keep it up!
Quentin, this is a great train of thought and thank you for sharing. We’ll unpack more in the webinars so more clarity is gained. To address your points above:
- First drill, yes, any compression technique will enhance fluid dynamics and usually a great place to start. Especially for the nervous system. When we do strategies to drive water into our tissues and change the viscosity of our tissues, the nervous system will immediately recognize that and will create better motion as a result. Think of your GAIT after long bouts of sitting. It’s impaired because the nervous system can sense the poor condition the tissues are in after sedentary activity.
- This is a good Mobility drill, and yes, you’ll improve some Fluid Dynamics. Activation is synonymous with Stabilization. So think of creating greater Stability while moving through Thoracic Extension if that is something that you need. One way to do this is to add the “Forced Breathwork” while performing these OH reaches. You’ll increase Small Motor Unit Recruitment (SMUR) around the spine which creates greater stability of the spine, which also allows for greater mobility. Mobility will be difficult to gain if there is a lack of stability in the area.
- Third drill, this is a good Excitation drill because you’re teaching the nervous system how to turn on AND OFF effectively. If muscles stay on, we create TOO MUCH stability which impairs motion. So excitation drills are designed to teach the nervous system the proper timing of muscle activation and deactivation.
- 4th Drill, For Stimulation, we want to increase Neural Demand because the more input we can create to the Nervous System, the more prepared it becomes for movement. We do this in 3 primary ways: Oculomotor, Vestibular, and Proprioceptive. So one way to make your exercise more “Stimulation”, is we can drive the head and eyes in the opposite direction of the MB Shift. This upregulates both the Vestibular and Oculomotor systems.
To simplify creating an Activation sequence, follow this logic:
- Pick an area of the body or a specific body position that you want to create greater stability around.
- Then pick 4 exercises that map to the 4 steps of Activation for that specific body region or position.
- Regarding 4Q, keep the exercises ULT/LLT for 2-4 sessions. As you master these movements in the Linear quadrants, you can then progress them to the UMT/LMT quadrants. No need to hit all 4Q in one session because you’re right, it can stifle your programming. Variability is needed throughout a program, but not necessarily in every session that you do.
I hope this helps and please, let’s keep the conversation going if you need more clarity!
First one off the block, thank you Quentin, well done!
To address your last point, you can certainly use any of the 4 steps as stand-alone strategies. In the course work, and in the upcoming webinars, we’ll continue to justify why we use each of the 4 steps to prime the body (especially the nervous system) for movement so hopefully it will become more clear to you. We also want to distinguish between Activation and Mobility exercises as each theme has a different intent toward enhancing the body.
As for your Activation block, I can see the value of the exercises you selected but would like to know a little bit more about why you selected these specific exercises and why this particular order. How do these exercises relate to the 4 steps of Activation (Fluid Dynamics, SMUR, Excitation, and Stimulation)? The more you share your thinking, the more we’ll understand your POV, and the more we can assist you here in the forum. Thank you Quentin!
Welcome Ben and Nir!
Welcome Jane, Nate, Quentin, and Yves! Thank you for sharing and looking forward to working with you throughout this course!
Liz,
Thank you for sharing your program and your detailed intent of how your program was put together. I really love where your head is at, infusing Mental/Emotional/Social considerations into your programs. That is what Health and Performance coaching and programming is all about!
Here are a few comments that came to mind when reviewing your program:
- I appreciate the clarity of your session titles. Very easy to understand the expected outcome of a day.
- Love the blend of variable recovery with considerations of all domains of health with “sunday” being a more explorative recovery day with options. Very smart way to program and coach!
- If this is a brand new program for someone just starting out, I might suggest switching the Strength and Power sessions (perform Strength earlier in the week) as the slower pace of strength movements is easier and less anxiety inducing. I also might consider saving the Power sessions for Weeks 3 and beyond to ensure your client can move well enough to introduce Power training and give them more time to master the strength movements.
- Depending on how your client executes the workouts, you might be able to stretch this program out over the course of 8-12 weeks as some individuals may need more time to adapt and get used to this regimen
I think you hit a home run with this program Liz. And kudos to you for taking on technology and showing you CAN handle it even if it means it takes you a little longer to get through it. Shows a lot about your character! It’s been a pleasure to work with you and hope to see you in Level 2!
Savannah,
Firstly, Love Love Love the coaching video that will accompany this program. It’s an essential piece of the programming package to help create buy-in and adherence. Plus, it feels so personal and it takes only 5-10min of your time. Awesome!
Secondly, I really like your two 14-Day cycles to make up the 28 days. Helps keep the program fresh and exciting for the client and helps to formulate a new habit of checking their program on a daily basis. A great habit to form not just for adherence, but to create the value that they need your programs!
Here’s a few thoughts regarding your Program:
- Great blend of Strength/Power, Cardio, and Recovery with enough touchpoints to foster some adaptation. You might also be able to stretch this out over the course of 8 weeks instead of 4 if you feel like your client needs more time/exposure to adapt.
- Adding the descriptions makes the program very clear on how to execute
- Love the Prep and Cooldowns for the cardio days
- Titles are clear regarding the objectives for each day/session
This feels ready to “sell/distribute” to your clients. Really well done Savannah and you should be proud of your efforts during this course because it’s evident they have paid off. Thank you and hope to see you in Level 2 when the time is right for you!
Lance,
I like the multi-phase approach to your program with each week dedicated to specific themes as well as the specificity towards Runners. The more dedicated programs you create for specific populations, the more valuable of a service/product you will be able to offer! Here are a few of my thoughts/suggestions when reviewing your program:
- One thing to consider is are you giving your client enough time/repetition to a specific stimulus to foster an adaptation. I think each week can be repeated for 2-4 weeks and represent a different phase of training. That way there’s enough exposure to a specific stimulus for an expected outcome to occur. So in my mind, you really have a 12-16 week program here!
- I really like the Active Recovery you promoted in Week 1. It would be wise to continue programming that every week to combat the high mechanical demand of your program!
- Days 16 and 19, the sessions are incomplete
Well done staying on pace and thank you for sharing week in and week out. Your contributions helped to create a successful cohort for all!
Teresa,
I’m a big fan of creating a 7-Day cycle and then repeating the cycle for 2-4 weeks to allow the body some repetitive exposure so expected adaptations can take place. Also makes for less time programming but still retains a lot of value.
In reviewing your program, a few thoughts/questions came to mind:
- Might 5 days in a row of mechanical loading (and not factoring in other physical efforts they may partake in such as pickeball,tennis, etc) be a bit much, especially for the older adult? Considering this was created for an active individual already, we probably don’t need so many mechanical days of program design. I would remove the 2nd Upper Body Hypertrophy and Power days and replace with Recovery and/or cardio sessions.
- I’m curious why you found Linear Hypertrophy days relevant for a Rec Athlete? Not saying it’s not beneficial but would like to know more of your reasons, especially with Rec Athletes that need to be strong in 3D.
- While the program is repetitive for 4 weeks, what makes the last couple of weeks unique? Only increasing the amount of sets? You may want to consider progressing other acute variables and perhaps the exercises as well to add value to the experience.
- Creating options on the “Day Off”, is still programming! Go ahead and create a day with options you feel are relevant for your client. You’ll learn more ideas in Level 2
Teresa, thank you for your submission and dedication during Level 1. Very impressed with your work throughout and hope to see you in Level 2!
Lance, this is a highly variable program with high volume (High Workout:Workin Ratio). I can see this benefitting an athlete in the offseason. Using pre-made content also made this easy to put together I imagine as well!
Now the tradeoff with high variability is you may not have enough repeated stimuli to warrant specific adaptations the athlete needs so something to be very aware of. A couple of thoughts when programming offseason for an athlete:
- Make sure you have very clear, relevant, and measurable goals for the offseason. Athletes need focus and the more specific, the greater chance you have for high adherence and performance. Otherwise, you may find yourself with an athlete who is apathetic to train in the offseason
- Your program should contain training and conditioning that allow these specific goals to occur. It will help you select the appropriate themes for each day and to be less variable, more specific in your programming.
- Monitor your Workout:WorkIn ratio. With a high Workout:WorkIn ratio, you’ll want to make sure your client is dialed in with their nutrition (may need more calories or specific macro/micro nutrients during this phase) and sleep. More on this in Level 2!
Savannah, I will cover your program in the webinar this week, thank you and well done!
Liz I will review your program this week in the webinar, great work!
Very well done Teresa! Your exercise and acute variables matched the daily themes and I can see this program working well for a skier!
Down the road, you may want to combine Accel and Decel on the same day, which can then free you up to have a second day of Strength Training (maybe muscular endurance focused?) or to scale back to 3 days a week of training instead of 4 if the volume needs to decrease. Lots of ways to modify this program and it was easy to understand. Great work Teresa!
Lance, I got you covered on the webinar this week. Thank you!
Savannah this is excellent. Great justification, easy to understand your logic, and the progression through the session. You selected appropriate exercises for the various subthemes of Power and I can really see this being an effective session.
One consideration to make concerns the rest periods.
With Power Training, ideally, we should be training with near-maximum to maximum efforts/intensities with every rep at some point within the workout. Otherwise, we may not optimize our expected Power adaptations! The challenge here is if we minimize our rest between exercises (circuits), a trade-off ensues between Power and Cardio. By minimizing our rest, we lessen our ability to produce force at high speeds as the metabolic systems require more time to replenish ATP and flush out metabolites. So the session becomes more Cardio than Power. Not a bad thing, but if the goal is Power, we need to Program and Coach that more rest is needed after each set of an exercise (at least 1min assuming the client is putting in high effort with explosive movements).
Liz, great work creating a power session for the older adult who may not be athletic. And glad you enjoyed the session with Aimee, we’re grateful to have her in our community, she’s a rockstar!
A couple of notes for you:
- You did a great job in the description describing how to modify the exercise as the videos may come off as too aggressive
- The Forward/Backward Start Stops place an emphasis on stopping quickly which makes the exercise more Deceleration. Modify this exercise by not stopping abruptly (allow the client to stop at a controlled pace) and focus on the quick steps from a static position to make it more of an Acceleration exercise.
- I’d make the Lateral Lunge Skip the last exercise in the block as it’s probably the most challenging exercise in your accel block
- I like the lower volume with the Deceleration exercises compared to Acceleration as Decel is more demanding on the tissues. Smart!
Excellent Teresa, I’ll review it in the Webinar this week!
Love it, great job Hansel!
Liz, love the goal and I love how you programmed your Group Exercise in the mix. Really important because it can help you manage training load!
One suggestion for your goal: Create a daily habit performing some variation of a Pull Up daily. You can incorporate this habit within a training session or it can be done anytime at your convenience. Here’s an idea:
Monday: Perform 10 Jumping Pull Ups. Let the momentum of the jump help you up with each one, even if you can’t reach the bar.
Tues: 5 Reps of 5 Second Eccentrics. Use assistance to get you over the bar, and then take 5 long seconds to lower yourself with each rep. For example, I use a Step on a low pull up bar to get me over the bar, then I hang and slowly lower myself down.
Wed: 3 sets of 5 Assisted Rep Pull Ups
Thurs: 10 reps of Mid Hang Isometrics. Pull up as high as you can and then hold yourself for at least 5 seconds before dropping down.
Fri, Sat, Sun, repeat any of the above with slight modifications to the Pull Up or Acute Variables or come up with your own daily challenge.
If you want to Pull up, you have to work on it daily, just like any other goal so it would be great to see that daily challenge in your program which then you can turn around and use for any client that sees value in it as well! I would label a block in your Workout or WorkIn day as “Pull Up Daily Challenge” so it sits apart from the other structured activities you have on that day to make it clear for the client. Hope that helps!
Alex, really important you highlighted the client’s value system. Something we cover in Modules 10-11 which helps to drive your programming. It makes sense to blend both Muscle and Movement-Based Strength based on your client’s desires and needs combined with specific aerobic conditioning that may translate to their sport. Plus, leveraging content that you’ve made or that IoM has in the library makes putting together a program quick and easy. Nicely done!
Great stuff Savannah, I will review it in the webinar this week!
Lance, well done selecting premade content and just dropping them in on the appropriate day. Should make for very fast programming! The more content we create, the more we stay organized, the easier programming becomes, and the more fruitful and valuable your business becomes!
You have plenty of variability and it’s a good idea to repeat some days so the client can develop motor learning around some activities. Something to be mindful of is the Workout:Recovery Ratio being 5:2. There are many factors that influence this ratio, especially the client’s age and training experience. Something you may want to consider are more extended cooldowns on Workout days that can be done later in the day to combat the near-daily demand of exercise, especially if this is to be done with a beginner. Food for thought!
Teresa, well done as always! You selected appropriate themes for each scheduled day and I can understand how they would benefit a horseback rider. And your exercise selection matched your themes which demonstrates a good understanding of how to achieve your intentions.
Having not worked with a Horseback rider, I’m curious if some Muscle-Based Strength training may also be important? I’m also wondering if Core Activation strategies should be considered with a high amount of perturbations that occur during this activity. Curious about your thoughts!
Hansel this is fantastic. Science is starting to unpack more and more on how exercise can help combat cancer. We discuss this in greater detail in Level 3 but one note for you now is that Mechanical Stress may directly slow the growth and reduce the potential of cancer spreading so you’re doing a great thing for your client! https://www.nature.com/articles/srep39975
Not sure I would change much with your program. Your logic is very sound and I agree with your points of
- extended Warm-Up and Cooldown times on Workout days
- High reps with lower intensities to begin, especially during chemo
- Utilizing exercises to enhance blood pressure and increase parasympathetic tone
My only question is why did you select Movement instead of Muscle-based Strength (not that you made a wrong/bad choice)? Aside from combating Cancer, what motivators does your client have that Movement-Based Strength would be more appropriate? Identifying this is key as exercising simply to combat cancer may not be enough. Anchoring exercise to passion is vital for sustainability!
Savannah, much like Teresa’s post, you also blend the Muscle and Movement approach well. It’s Muscle because you have blocks dedicated to body parts instead of Movements however, you’ve selected WBI exercises to accentuate the muscle-focused stress. Nothing wrong with blending so long as you know how to drive your intent towards one side of the continuum vs the other when you need to!
This session is very well organized with clear intention with each block. Your exercises match the intent along with good acute variable selection and you have a nice blend of all 4Q throughout.
One suggestion with the Rest time: if the intent is to circuit your exercises, you’ll most likely want to have minimal rest between exercises (0-30s) and then finish the last exercise with the more extended rest period. So for each Tri Set, the first two exercises should read 30s with the last exercise reading 90s.
All good Alex, the beauty behind this experience is it’s yours to make and you get back what you put in!
Excellent Lance, I will review your session in this week’s webinar as well!
Hansel this is great, I will review it in this week’s webinar!
Teresa, this blends both Muscle and Movement based Strength well!
It’s Muscle because the theme of the day is “Leg Day” and Movement because you’re using WBI exercises that emphasize the Leg musculature. To make it more “Movement” driven, your intent would need to shift away from “Leg Day” and think about what patterns your client needs to develop strength in. The intent is what really drives the narrative of Muscle vs Movement!
Is this to be done as one long circuit? I might consider splitting it into 2 blocks. Much easier to teach for the coach and easier to digest for the client. I guess it depends on what type of Strength you’re looking to enhance (Submax, Endurance, Hypertrophy)?
Lance, you do a great job of blending Muscle and Movement-Based Strength with your exercise selection with a bias towards Movement Strength considering you enjoy a more Whole-Body Integrated (WBI) approach. With that said, I would challenge you to make this session more “muscle-isolated” to take advantage of the unique training stimulus that muscle training provides relative to WBI training (continuum-based thinking!). I do understand where you’re coming from though!
Otherwise, I like how complementary your supersets are. With the Legs, you have an Anterior Focused, Linear exercise followed by something that is more Posterior and Multiplanar. And of course, Pushing complementing Pulling. One suggestion from a delivery perspective is it may be easier to coach and execute if you make the whole session Loaded or Unloaded using the same equipment throughout. This is especially important for your clients that work out at home or in a crowded environment. Some food for thought, keep up the good work!
Liz, great work putting this together! Here are a few of my thoughts:
- With 4 Giant Sets, you have a total of 16 exercises. With 2 sets, that’s a total of 32 Total Sets in one workout. That is a beast of a workout! While it certainly can be done, this also may be a bit much and probably only considerable for a well-trained individual. So keep that in mind.
- I might consider splitting this into two Workouts: Legs and Pushing one day, and then Legs and Pulling on another.
- For the Pulling Giant Set, I would recommend Pull Ups go first as for most people, they are the most stressful (forceful) exercise. Also, the ViPR back pedal exercise probably isn’t the best strength/hypertrophy exercise as Time Under Tension is key (this exercise is Light Tension for very short Time and primarily challenges the leg/hip musculature). A traditional Bentover Row would be a simple replacement to keep it LLT!
- Make sure you add the desired Rest Period after the completion of a Giant Set (Minimum 2 min).
Well done Alex, I will review it in the Webinar this week!
Teresa, this looks great, I will review it in the Webinar this week!
Esther, one of the biggest consequences of a “stuck” kyphotic spine is the loss of dynamism in the spine, i.e. the ability to move through a myriad of different postures and planes of motion so I think this is a great sequence to begin the restoration of a healthy moving spine. I understand omitting the Excitation and Stimulation at the end as you know your client’s personality and sounds like this is a smart judgment call. If possible, I would still look to integrate a couple of SMUR exercises before and after your Mobility drills as it’s a great complement to fostering both stability and mobility to any movement/joint you’re looking to enhance.
Let me know if you’re still having trouble finding specific exercises. We have so many now that I may need to go back and re-tag certain exercises to make sure they filter correctly. Some of these exercises were added before we had the ability to filter so no doubt some exercises have fallen through the crack so I would love your help!
Well done Lance, I will review your prep in this week’s webinar!
Savannah, a lot to like here. Aside from your firm grasp of the benefits of the 7-Step Prep and exercise selection, I also like the idea of a Level system so your strategies can match the capabilities of your clientele. Makes it even easier to find your content and integrate it within your program building.
And I agree, this would be for a Level 3 client for sure! Great work integrating your own videos, you’re killing it!
Alex, a real pleasure and honor to provide you all feedback!
I agree, you have a nice selection of exercises here. Not sure I would change much other than a couple of the acute variables:
- The side lying 90-90, try adding a long breath at end range and lessen the reps to 5 per side. The nervous system will respond quickly and allow for gains in ROM without needing to spend so many reps to achieve it.
- For the OH Rotational Press, you have “Heavy” selected. Light to medium load may be more appropriate to lessen neural threat and explore greater ROM.
Nicely done!
Hansel, very thorough and a great intent behind your exercises. Well done!
A couple of suggestions:
- For the band chest press, I would recommend pressing at an incline instead of straight out or progress to incline once the mechanics have been mastered. This promotes a greater stability demand in thoracic extension which most people need.
- I really like the swing exercise for my advanced clients. Otherwise, I might switch it out for something like this as it allows more time for the nervous system to figure out how to stabilize the shoulder OH at end range: https://platform.instituteofmotion.com/library/activity/5e236rxo/
Liz, great work I will review your prep in this week’s webinar, stay tuned!
Teresa, this is very well thought out. You’re demonstrating a great grasp of the material and creating practical solutions, love it!
My only suggestion would be to switch the order of your mobility drills. If you mobilize the foot before the SL Balance drill, you may get more out of that exercise!
It does Savannah, way to improvise and glad you felt the benefits!
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