Have We Been Training Corrective Exercise All Wrong?: A Neurological Perspective for Fitness Pros
Jan 09, 2024
Warning - Reading This Might Change Your Approach to Coaching Forever
Answer this question truthfully; Of all the posture and corrective exercise work you do, what is the success rate of changing those clients so they don’t have the same poor posture every time you see them again?
I pose this question to you respectfully, because I had to ask myself the same question;
‘What if the traditional methods we were taught to "correct" these issues miss the mark entirely?’
Coaches and fitness professionals, brace yourselves for a paradigm shift in how we view corrective exercises, particularly when it comes to posture and balance.
The Brain's Role in Posture and Balance
Have you ever considered that the brain utilizes a different region for posture and balance than the one we typically engage in when correcting poor posture or balance? In other words, the term "corrective exercise" might not be as corrective as we assumed.
#truth
We've been inadvertently training the wrong area of the brain responsible for the reflexive response to posture, leading to potential inefficacy in our coaching methods.
The Common Pitfall: "Fixing" Posture
How many times have you told your clients that you need to "fix" their posture? It's a common refrain in the fitness industry, and many of us, including myself, have been using it for years. However, what if this approach is fundamentally flawed and science proves it?
Blaming poor posture on the so-called "sitting disease" became a convenient scapegoat for coaches when clients kept returning with the same issues despite corrective efforts. But what if there's more to the story?
The Revelatory Moment
This realization led to a personal "%$^@#" moment for me, prompting an admission that I had been coaching and educating incorrectly for two decades. It's time to acknowledge our past mistakes and evolve our way of thinking.
It gets to be this simple for the coaching industry…..
**WE MUST BE BETTER**
As an industry, we must accept that we don’t have all the answers and there are new scientifically based reasons for how we can be better.
Neurological Insights: Voluntary vs. Involuntary Control
The critical distinction lies in understanding that posture is an involuntary or reflexive output from the brain, controlled by what is often referred to as the "old brain." This center manages vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, proprioception, posture, balance, muscle tone, involuntary control, and more.
In contrast, the "new brain" governs voluntary conscious movement, such as lifting weights or engaging in muscle development. The old brain gets the first say in interpreting inputs from the surroundings and produces involuntary outputs.
Bridging the Gap: Neurological Training vs. Biomechanical Training
Corrective exercises often focus on biomechanical, voluntary actions, attempting to consciously train muscles to adopt the desired posture. However, posture is inherently involuntary and reflexive. The discrepancy lies in training an involuntary reaction using voluntary actions, leading to the persistence of issues.
A Call to Question Traditions
It's time to question the norms and ask the unasked questions. The revelation that posture is governed by a different part of the brain necessitates a shift towards understanding and EMBRACING neurological training instead of solely relying on biomechanical approaches.
Join the Conversation
Disagree, agree, or unsure? Your thoughts matter. Let's engage in a dialogue and collectively explore this uncharted territory. It's time to be the ones asking the questions nobody thought to ask.
Are you ready to revolutionize your approach to corrective exercise?
Share your insights and let's embark on this journey of redefining how we coach, assess, and, ultimately, transform the lives of our clients.
*Listen, it's time to ask questions nobody thought to ask, so I decided to be the one to ask.*
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