Welp, here we are again. Week 2 – Blog 3. We have started our member check-ins at the gym and are excited to try out the Zoom Meeting yoga. We’re also very excited and proud of how all of you are staying engaged with us. I’d encourage all of you to also stay engaged with fellow members as you can too. Coaches are a small part of the culture, members are at the heart of PDX Strength.
With that said, a short conversation in response to a recurring conversation about – “what do I do now?”
Carrying a theme over from the last blog, many of you have checked out equipment, but maybe not enough weight to do a linear progression or progressive overloading of movements, so we are finding yourself in the situation of not knowing what the next step is.
My advice would be to start from the beginning. Work light, prioritize technique, add volume (as opposed to weight). We have the opportunity to work on our fundamentals because we aren’t confined by class time – some of us may find that we have more or less than that. Since we don’t have face-to-face time:
- Pick a movement.
- Google/YouTube – “How to…”
- Find multiple sources – I’m always an advocate of learning from multiple people. All coaches have different styles. You may find some one that speaks more directly to you than we do. Pro tip – AVOID any “motivational” video or personality.
- Try it out. Really search for feeling priority muscle groups.
- Put it an EMOM – 10 minutes, work intentionally for about :30/minute.
- Try again in a few days.
What we are shooting for here is high quality repetitions to build a better foundational movement pattern and to turn on some of the supporting muscle groups that we may have deconditioned over time. Patterning is an essential component to building strength and one of the biggest limiting factors in our ability to progressively build muscle capacity and strength because poor movement patterns are highlighted under heavier loading.
I’ll be honest this is going to take diligence and discipline. It is a hard move to shift from feeling a heavy squat to feeling a light squat. BUT! Lucky for us, our bodies respond to new stimulus so if we are prioritizing a new feeling over loading we will see results. AND we when come back to the gym re-tooled, we will be more prepared than ever for that squat cycle that never seems to end.
Be Safe. Move Well.
D