Structural Balance: Training To Attain Your Full Potential
You will never be pain free and reach your full potential without attaining structural balance.
After a detailed initial assessment, a knowledgeable personal trainer can pinpoint your weaknesses and help you correct any imbalances you may have within 6-12 weeks.
Structural balance is of the utmost importance for any age group, ranging from the 16-year old athlete to the 70-year-old senior citizen. If your body is out of balance, the kinetic chain of movement is disrupted. Bad posture develops, overhead range of motion is limited, knee issues occur, tennis elbow is more prevalent and a host of other issues may develop as well.
You are only as strong as your weakest link! You cannot fire a cannon in a canoe.
Your body is not much different. Deficient muscle stability will inhibit quality movement and prevent you from completing certain exercises. For example, if your external rotator is lacking, it will inhibit how much weight you can bench press and may even make it painful for you to do.
I view training as being very different from just exercise and movement. There is not a cookie cutter program that works for everyone. In order to be most effective you need a personalized plan that fits your unique needs and capabilities.
What does a tailored training plan look like?
First and foremost, a specific and measurable goal must be established. Limitations, exercise history, dietary habits, sleep, digestive health and stress levels all must be taken into consideration.
A structural evaluation must take place before the training begins. This establishes a foundation and gives the coach the insight to design a safe and goal oriented training program. Our structural evaluation looks at flexibility discrepancies between the right and left limbs. It gives us insight as to which muscles are overactive and tight and which ones are underachieving and weak. After this, we run a series of simple tests that show muscle imbalances that are contributing to strength discrepancies. These discrepancies create pain, limit movement and can dramatically affect quality of life.
Next, we employ a periodization model to accomplish a specific outcome in a 12 week time frame. Periodization is the process of allocating a training plan into specific blocks. Each block is specifically designed to provide various types of stressors, while having particular goals to train towards.
Macrocycle – 12 Weeks
The macrocycle is the longest of the three cycles. This is the specific end goal within a 12-week block.
Mesocycle – 3 Weeks
The mesocycle represents a specific phase of training (typically 3 weeks) within the macrocycle. These 3-week phases are specifically designated towards achieving a specific outcome that must happen in order to achieve the 12-week goal.
Microcycle – 1 Week
A microcycle is the shortest training cycle, and it is represented by your weekly training split within the selected periodization model. Each microcycle can vary from week to week based on the client’s desired outcome and capabilities.
Finally, we compile all of the data and use the periodization model to achieve the client’s desired outcome. There are tons of training variables that must be taken into consideration – exercise selection and progression, order of execution, reps, sets, rest intervals and tempo prescription all play a huge part in the result for the client.
“Specific Training Yields Specific Results!”
I am striving to build a convenient and effective method for you to achieve greater health. The best thing in the world is sustainable results. We want that for everyone. Our comprehensive evaluation is the starting point on your journey to greater health, taking into account the peaks and valleys of your progression.
