THE BEST TRAINING PLAN FOR YOU
Whether you’re looking at building muscle OR burning fat we should be looking at the SAME training goals: improving our movement in areas that we struggle in, whilst also getting as strong as possible across as many ranges as we can safely perform. If you happen to be an athlete then there are additional considerations as well, but for now let’s focus on PHYSIQUE GOALS.
Unless you are training at a high level, then there is no need for the typical muscle part split - going a full week between training a muscle group just isn’t optimal. A full body plan focusing on skill acquisition through big compound movements will be the best option. This gives us the ability to progress using a low volume approach, meaning we won’t be as likely to exceed capacity of a muscle, or the nervous system. This tends to happen with higher volume training where form starts to fail unless the trainee is very advanced. This also gives us the ability to progress skill more quickly as each movement is performed more frequently, this solidifies the pattern we build in our brain (neural plasticity). However, the brain does like new movements, so I would have a couple of rotations of this session with the same movement pattern but different variation. As far as rep ranges go, this is highly individual and depends on things such as: skill level, previous training, equipment available and other factors BUT anywhere from 5-30 reps could be selected depending on where you can get the best progress.
GAIT – Might seem simple but WALKING is obviously one of our primary functions. We have specific neurological reflexes that are designed to assist our gait cycle. The cross-cord reflex is a reflexive action in which: as one shoulder comes up into flexion, the other should move backwards into extension. Too much one-dimensional movement can impact our neurology and limit our movement. Once we can move freely without dysfunction, we can progress our gait patterning to include drills such as symmetrical loaded carries, asymmetrical loaded carries, front loaded carries and overhead carries.
From a HEALTH viewpoint too, getting your 10,000 steps daily can help to regulate blood glucose, improve digestion and gastric emptying, improve blood flow AND improve your mood and cognition!
ROTATION – As we rarely use these on a day to day base, we are typically weak at rotational based movements. Movements such as a kettlebell windmill or Turkish get up are rotation focused while training greater stability. They are also a great warm up, stimulating the cerebellum as well as providing a full body exercise.
SQUAT – Some form of squat patterning should be included, BUT this doesn’t mean jumping straight to barbell back squats. This involves a high level of skill and requires ankle mobility and stability, hip mobility and stability and core strength. You need to master bodyweight before progressing to a barbell back squat. However, this on its own will not get you strong or progress your fitness. Therefore you will need to make relevant adjustments such as: a heel elevation for those of you who have poor ankle mobility. Work on getting stronger, improving ankle movement and squat technique.
DEADLIFT – As a movement for training nearly every part of the body, there is nothing quite like the deadlift, BUT is the traditional deadlift the best option for you? As it is such a big movement it has a very high demand on the nervous system which, for some, (especially beginner trainees) can be overkill and detract from the rest of the session. Deadlifts also requires a high level of skill and mobility in order to perform them safely and effectively. To transition into deadlifts: if your range is poor, a reduction in range can still help us train the movement more effectively: begin with rack pull variants and progress towards pulling from the floor.
LUNGE – Single leg movements are often overlooked but are ESSENTIAL to how we move. This has big carryover to identifying weaknesses that are hidden in bilateral movements and should not be ignored. Start from static variations with both feet on the floor and progress through to having either the front or back foot elevated. You could also progress into a walking lunge when you have the coordination for it.
HORIZONTAL PUSH – Pushing objects away from the body or yourself away from other objects. Press ups fall into this second category and allow our shoulder blades more natural movement. However, we are generally limited in the progression of weight that we can use. Pressing of barbells away from the body allows us to increase loading BUT may not be as natural a fit, i.e. not everyone’s wrists and shoulders rotate enough to safely press a barbell. This is where dumbbells can come in handy: they give us more freedom of movement and still allow us to progress load.
VERTICAL PUSH – There is a lot more going into a vertical push than most people realise when they jump straight into a standing military press. How good is your shoulder flexion? How good is your hip extension? As a basic test: if you can’t stand with your heels 10cm away from a wall, while maintaining a neutral spine and reach both arms overhead without compensation, then it’s probably not the best idea to be loading this pattern! Couldn’t achieve this position? Try sitting down on a vertically inclined bench and reach arms overhead. If you can achieve this, your hip extension was the limiting factor, so work on improving this whilst getting strong on seated overhead variants with barbell or dumbbells. If you still couldn’t reach overhead without compensation? Then there is likely a scapula motion and/or shoulder range issue. But in the meantime, find a range of incline, maybe 75 or 60 degrees or lower that you can still train overhead positions without compensating. Get strong at this first.
HORIZONTAL PULL – Jumping straight to the barbell bent over row is typically where most people go. BUT is this the best alignment for you? If you are struggling with wrist or shoulder rotation then a barbell probably isn’t the best option. So again, dumbbells might be a better bet. Core stability in the bent over position could also be the problem - lower back pain is a regular complaint from people unable to stabilise the ribcage. If this is you, then using a chest supported row instead, will take away some stability requirement and allow you to focus just on the rowing action.
VERTICAL PULL – Again, so many people try to jump straight to bodyweight chin ups, without understanding just how much is involved in this movement. The same overhead position needs to be achievable as for the overhead push. If hip extension is the limiting factor, then a pulldown puts us into a position to allow vertical pulling strength to be trained. If shoulder range is also a limiting factor, then we must adjust to work within a range that we can achieve without compensation.
If you are interested in learning how your body moves, then contact me. We will go through a full assessment of muscle length, strength and other deeper systems at play to come up with a completely individualised programme to suit your needs and meet your goals.
Are you ready to feel and move better? CONTACT ME NOW FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION!
The lymphatic system is becoming increasingly more talked about but is still, in my opinion, one of the least appreciated and under utilised systems in restoration of movement dysfunctions and chronic health complaints.