Is your Fitness Program right for you?
Assessing your Fitness Program
Whether you’re new to fitness, returning from injury (or pandemic), or an elite athlete training for your next goal, choosing the right trainer or program for you can be just as important as exercising itself.
But with so many ads promising their approach as the best, how do you choose?
Here are five questions to ask yourself when evaluating a fitness regimen.
1. Is your program individualized?
Does your program/trainer assess you as an individual prior to prescribing an exercise routine, or, at least, offer insight into choosing modifications that may better serve you?
Or, is it a generic program, utilizing a “one size fits all” approach? A thorough assessment combining both objective and subjective measures should ideally be done prior to the prescription of any exercise routine.
Without proper assessment, especially with regards to active joint ROM, you could be setting yourself up for injuries down the line.
2. Does it build you or break you?
Do you leave your class/session feeling worse, or does it energize you for the rest of your day. While every day is different, in general, an exercise or movement regimen should invigorate and empower you, not make you feel worse.
If you're a beginner trying to get into a good routine, a program that just exhausts you is unlikely to stick. Likewise, elite athletes will likely notice a drop in performance if their training does not consistently appeal to all aspects of their being.
3. Does the intensity vary?
I LOVE high intensity workouts, but, no matter how fit you are, too much high intensity without proper recovery and balance in training will likely lead to injury and burnout (just ask my 3 ACL surgeries).
While sports science backs periodization of training (both daily and throughout the year), many programs geared towards everyday people push for high intensity every time.
A great training regimen understands the need to balance high intensity training with lower level aerobic recovery.
4. Similarly, does the focus of your training [on your body AND mind] vary?
If your training regimen or sport only overloads one muscle group without addressing opposing muscle groups, you may find yourself out of balance, achy, and at risk of injury.
Take note of your programming- are you always trying to strengthen your abductors (outside of hips) and external rotation without ever addressing your adductors and internal rotation? Are you always working in the same plane of motion (i.e. always pushing straight in front of yourself without ever pushing up at an angle)? Are you always cycling/spinning or always running?
Do you give yourself permission to take vacations or time off, or do you feel guilty/fearful if you take off any days or weeks off?
While you do need to consistently train at something to see results, your training type and amount should vary for overall health, the mitigation of injury risk, and performance. Even time off is not just acceptable, but beneficial.
5. Is it flexible?
Whether you are training yourself, attend group classes, or have a personal trainer, it is important to note that assessments do not stop at the first session. Feedback should be a constant part of your training regimen. Stress, sleep, soreness, and other subjective and objective measures change daily and should always be accounted for.
Training should be flexible to change accordingly if you want to mitigate injury risk, improve performance, and increase the likelihood of sustained satisfaction with your exercise program.
6. Does it only focus on the physical, or does it incorporate mental, energetic, and spiritual healing as well?
Training that only focus on the physical aspect of your being is missing the big picture. Our bodies do not exist absent of our mind; our bodies do not exist absent of our energetic field; and our bodies do not exist absent of our spirituality- of our faith and belief in something greater.
Training programs that incorporate more than just the physical will yield greater wellness overall, will be sustainable, and may even change your life.