Program Design

Does this sound familiar?

• Warm up and stretch.
• Execute 3 sets of 10-12 reps each.
• Divide each workout into body parts.
• Cardio 3 times a week, 30 minutes each.
• Now, lets get started.

Starting a training program that revolves around these cookie cutter rules sounds archaic, like riding a horse and buggy to work. Times change, and science reveals much about the muscular system. Why should we follow outdated rules?

Take a look around your gym. Witness identical movements, repeated in an almost robotic, thoughtless pattern, by different people with different needs and abilities.

Most of these exercises are copycat exercises found in a magazine, observed in another person in the gym, or taught by a floor trainer, who may prescribe the same one size fits all program to most that come through the door.

Joining a gym usually starts with a free personal training session. This is designed to give you the confidence to work out in that establishment, and with that equipment. This helps to retain you as a paying member.

To be clear, the strength of a gym should come less from the equipment and more from the training staff. Those individuals should be in charge of using the tools to properly progress you.

A seasoned, educated trainer can offer a much more diverse, apparently unconventional program. She may load movement patterns with cables, elastomers, med balls, and your own body weight. This encourages the body to do what it is designed to do: handle resistance in multiple planes and in many directions, corresponding to different muscle fiber alignments.

Adding resistance to the body without first identifying and addressing range limitations will re-enforce compensation patterns, and could open up a host of new issues. Exercise is meant to make you stronger and healthier. It is a powerful tool to keep us functional and mobile. Taking an educated approach is imperative.

Make sure that your trainer pays attention to your range of motion limitations before loading you up with weight. Your trainer should prescribe and progress the appropriate exercises for your specific limitations. She should create a program fit especially to your needs.

One of the foundational tools of a certified Muscle Activation Specialist is the comprehensive range of motion exam. This critical step is a standard practice of Muscle Activation Techniques, and no program would start without it. Your range limitations are identified, and only then will a safe and effective training program be initiated.

If your trainer does not offer a comprehensive range of motion exam, then look for a MAT Specialist in your area. Ask them to provide you with a summary of the results of your range of motion exam, so that you can coordinate with your trainer. The more information you can give to your trainer, the better your exercise program should be.

Here’s an example of a training map I provide to my clients at the Human Motion Lab. It summarizes the results of an example range of motion exam. It serves as the basis for a series of focused correctional training sessions.

Intelligent Fitness at 40

I turned 40 on January 8^th. Hitting 40 is a milestone.

The Human Motion Lab is proud to announce its Fitness at 40 programs. 

Fitness at 40 is much different than fitness was at 20. At 20 we are much more resilient. There has been much less wear and tear on the body and the joints. We can lift more aggressively and recover more quickly.

At 40, many of us have settled into our compensation patterns, injuries, and sedentary lifestyles. Reintroducing fitness at 40 requires a more mindful and educated approach. 

Fit 40 is not a mindless workout, but a personalized resistance-training program. It starts with a whole body range of motion exam. This draws the map and leads the way. Then exercise is reintroduced, and micro-progressed as appropriate.

Fit 40 is about taking care of past injuries, taking into account what injured you, and what compensation patterns you acquired while recovering. It’s also about education. Understanding each muscle’s action will help you understand how to properly challenge them.

Sweet Success! Muscle Activation in Daily Candy

We are proud to announce that San Francisco's premier training experience, Human Motion Lab / Muscle Activation Techniques, was featured in Daily Candy today.

In Daily Candy's Wellness Tips for 2009, "Healthy, Wealthy and Thighs", says:

"You had one too many Fat Tires on New Year’s Eve and woke up with a spare. Let the air out with new ways to a new you.

Strength Train
If the only thing you feel burning is a hole in your wallet, it’s time to invest in Human Motion Lab, the Mission’s resistance training studio. During Muscle Activation Techniques, you can play your own music and personalize the LED lights. Strap on the new Bodybugg before workouts to monitor caloric burn."

Read the full article on Muscle Activation Techniques.

Happy Holidays!

Human Motion Lab wishes everyone the Happiest of Holidays and a wonderful New Year in 2009!

Jobi Love the New Studio

The Human Motion Lab mascot, Jobi, is loving the new studio space in the Mission! Happy cat!

Human Motion Lab - New Space Under Construction

Human Motion Lab is moving to it's new space this month. Our new location will be located in the Mission District of San Francisco near Florida and 19th Streets.

The address for Human Motion Lab is 731 Florida St., Suite 204, San Francisco, California 94110. Click here to view map.

Vibration Training

I've been researching vibration training, and I'm excited to dive deeper into this new fitness technology. A variety of claims are made about the capabilities of vibration training, supported by multiple studies.

http://us.powerplate.com/EN/technology/scientific_support.aspx

I recently purchased a Total Vibe vibration platform from HyperGravity. The technology is new, the units are expensive, and there are many varieties to choose from. Getting information from all these sources can confuse even the most seasoned fitness consumer, not to mention the prospective client who just wants to experience a new form of workout.

As a Muscle Activation Specialist, I am trained to analyze forces applied to the body. I can look at things from a mechanical and physiological point of view, and see past slick marketing techniques and witty slogans.

I attended a workshop presented by the Power Plate Company. The workshop described how to introduce clients to this new, and sometimes complicated, world of vibration training. Although the units appear simple, they are very powerful tools that need to be respected. Proper training is imperative.

Power Plate did a fantastic job of explaining the units, and demonstrated a few poses and routines we could do with our beginner clients. It was fantastic. The Rep. was knowledgeable, and the information was well delivered.

As I critically examined the facts presented, and filtered out the marketing, I started to see how I could use this incredible modality in my practice. This technology is clearly powerful.

When I returned to work, I was excited about all the information I had learned. A colleague asked,

“So, do you believe in this vibration thing?”

Vibration is a force. How the body reacts the force could have both positive and negative results. As long as we understand the application method, the duration, the frequency, the intensity of the force, and the current ability of the client, then the answer is simple.

Yes, I believe in this vibration training thing. I'll be implementing it in my practice soon.