If you’ve been reading this newsletter, you know we take great pride in our programming. But, I also want to note that nothing we write is set in stone.
We are not married to any specific exercise, but we are married to movement patterns.
What do we mean by this?
Say we have programmed a barbell deadlift (a hinge pattern), but your hinge needs work or the exercise doesn’t quite feel right. We have a plethora of other options for you, from trap bar deadlifts to dumbbell RDLs to hip hinge drills that mimic the same pattern. In these alternatives, you are still working on a hinge pattern and engaging the muscles used for the barbell deadlift.
Or maybe we program back squats, but your current mobility doesn’t allow you to work through the entire range of motion, like reaching below parallel at the bottom of the squat. We may give you sandbag squats or box squats to get the job done. These are just different variations of a squat and, again, you are performing the desired movement pattern.
We meet you where you are.
We want everyone to safely and effectively be able to hinge, squat, press, and pull in different planes, lunge, brace, and carry. Mastering these movements and gaining strength in them is what makes you ready for whatever life throws at you.
So, the point is simple: if there’s an exercise you can’t currently execute well for whatever reason, we have modifications that will help you progress. At any given workout, people are doing different iterations of the same movement pattern, but they are still getting the benefit.
Some people get hung up on not doing exactly what’s prescribed, but we are more concerned about safe alternatives that will eventually get you there. And that, my friends, is progress!
