There is little doubt that the human body is amazing. Amazing by design, amazing by function. This is particularly the case when a new training stimulus is introduced. Your body is so adaptable (particularly for beginners) that it will react accordingly depending what methods or ways you decide to train.
A basic example of the body’s ability to adapt is resistance training whether it be in the form of weights, bodyweight, sandbags etc (remember, resistance is resistance). Due to this new stimulus, the body will adapt by getting stronger, bigger or more powerful. Now think about this. You could be submitting yourself to a rubbish programme, yet still yield some mediocre result. I know countless people who are in this same position. They follow ‘general’ programmes yet fail to address their weaknesses such as muscular imbalances or poor mobility etc. This can be extremely detrimental to an individual’s training goals and more importantly their wellness and health. It is somewhat inevitable that if you continue to follow general programmes your results will plateau or worse you will get injured. The most common reasons for this are due to the general programmes lack of individuality, lack of variety, lack of training the body in balance (i.e. you must train the antagonists), and simply the wrong exercise selection (smith machines anyone). Moreover, in almost all instances, people should train the body for how it moves, as opposed to what a particular muscle group is. Some movement examples include horizontal push/pull, vertical push/pull, hip dominant, posterior chain, quad dominant plus others.
The point I am trying to make at this time is that people will better capitalise and benefit from an individually prescribed programme. All it takes is a bit of research and advice from those who understand correct training principles and correct programme design…any article on elitefts for example is a fantastic and reliable resource. What’s more, everyone can benefit from an experienced and qualified Personal Trainer but for me they have to focus on many matters such as lifestyle, nutrition and be able to identify your weaknesses and strengths (i.e. flexibility, stability, movement patterns, muscle activation) and address them accordingly. What does this lead to? Optimal human functional movement as nature intended and depending on your goals stronger, leaner and more muscular physiques. Only when components such as corrective exercise are applied can real improvements be made in the areas the client wishes.
So ask yourself this…does your programme reflect what is best for you? Is your programme detrimental to your health? Does your programme cater for your weaknesses? Do you know what your weaknesses are? Do you know what your strengths are? Are you meeting your training goals? Do you have training goals?
Now we know the perfect programme simply doesn’t exist and the likelihood is it never will. However programmes which wrongly affect your wellness and health do exist and these are inexcusable. If you feel this may be the case with you, be honest with yourself and you can correct the problem. After all, you owe it to that ‘amazing’ and adaptable body you are blessed to have.
