I’ve started training some high school athletes recently who are fairly new to strength training. When I say fairly new, they haven’t been exposed to any formal training before. This has given me the opportunity to start afresh with them and teach them proper technique. I like this because when individuals are this young, they need a good foundation in the basics. I was fortunate enough to be taught correct form when I started lifting and that definitely made an impression on me. While exercise information is easier to come by these days and anyone can regurgitate it, it takes years of practice to be able to appropriately coach another individual in the movements. As a result, I follow the K.I.S.S. principle when it comes to training beginners. We goblet squat, push, pull, hinge, split squat, plank, and carry. These make up the core of my training sessions. I don’t try anything advanced until these exercises have been mastered. To be honest, this is hard to do. I like to keep things fresh for my clients and feel that boredom starts to creep in if I don’t change things every few workouts. However, this can be dangerous because moving too fast can be a recipe for disaster. Injuries are the primary threat when it comes to moving too quickly because an individual might not have the exercise form down completely before adding weight, reps, or complexity. They might have some cracks in their technique that won’t be transparent with lighter weights. If they rush to add more weight to the bar without consistent and precise practice, it could turn into an avoidable injury. Injuries are the arch enemy of progress, so take the necessary steps to make sure everything is in place before moving onto the next test.
Furthermore, this requires that a gradual, linear progression model be used by the trainer. Personally, I usually make changes to a client’s exercise routine every mesocycle, or every 4 weeks. This could mean changing the actual exercises or staying with the same exercises and continuing to progress with heavier weights as long as the form stays intact. This way you can move in a deliberate manner without rushing the process. Of course, adjustments can be made sooner or later based on other feedback you receive from a client but this is a general recommendation as to how to proceed. This will keep the client happy and safe as they progress towards their desired outcome(s).
Overall, each client that I train is different and needs their own individualized training program based on their goals, abilities, limitations, injury history, etc. Nevertheless, the basic fundamental movements that I mentioned earlier (squat, push, pull, hinge, single leg, plank, carry) will be the cornerstones of the program. They might be progressed or regressed differently, but they will need to be mastered by the client before advancements can be made and new challenges faced. Mastery takes time, so patience will need to be preached to the coach and the athlete.
Overall, these are just a few random thoughts to help you or your clients in their training regimens. Please let me know if you have any reflections to add to this list. Thanks for reading and as always, SETTLE DOWN SLACKERS!!!!!