Oak Trees do not Communicate in Kilos

My goal as a trainer is to train myself and others how to get the most out of their body for the largest proportion of our lives. That said, in my mind, the goal of all training is to achieve maximum control over the body. A body in control performs with mastery. When I need to perform at maximum strength, I want to do so throughout my full range. I want every part of my body to contribute so that I may produce the maximum amount of force and the most stable environment possible. I want to be a Mighty Oak. Strong roots, unwavering trunk, and branches that bend but don't break.

So, how do we arrive in such a reality?

Your body does not speak the language of pounds and kilos. The language of your body is force and tension.

When attempting a new lift (or even a new yoga pose for that matter)for the first time--or when first approaching your training with this mindset--always start with the easiest variation/lighter weight and see how much full body engagement you can achieve/how difficult you can make it by internal means. When it becomes easy again, level up.

An example I recently did a reel on is the "dead bug" exercise. Done with minimal engagement, the dead bug is very easy and can go on and on with little fatigue and little reward. But when we press the arms forward, muscles contracted, hands active; when we engage the upper abdominals to keep the shoulder blades off of the ground; when we engage the mid-abdominals to keep the spine behind the diaphragm grounded throughout the movement; when we lock in the lower abdominals to keep a neutral or even a slightly tucked tail; when we perhaps even begin to introduce engagement to the legs as we flex and extend the hips...the dead bug is a crusher.

So here's the challenge...

Take a lift that at which you are perhaps relatively strong but with which you have plateaued or are not seeing any further progress. Reduce your repping weight by 30+ percent and see how you can make it more difficult, internally. Ask each, less involved part of the body how it can be further engaged to create greater tension throughout so that the primary branch is connected to a stronger trunk. Become a Mighty Oak.

Have questions? Shoot them my way and let's work on it together.

#líkamsrækt #weighttraining #strengthtraining #controlyourself #personaltrainer