Expanding on Progressions: Essentials of Coaching & Training Functional Continuums Part 2

Exercise Continuums:

What is your Movement Vital Sign?

Gray Cook. Setting the Rules for moving along the continuum.Gray next gives us an example of setting rules for training and exercise: When determining if the individual in front of us is appropriate for developing kettlebell swings they should, at a minimum, 1) be pain free in both forward bending and backward bending, 2) ensure they have adequate hip mobility available by scoring a 2 on the Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR), 3) ensure they have proper straight leg deadlift technique, 4) ensure that they are taught a kettlebell swing by a competent instructor or coach trained in the maneuver.

Continuum- a continuum is about “progressing somebody safely through a simple movement pattern to a complex movement pattern”.  Two such exercises that follow this concept of progression are the above mentioned kettlebell swing and the push-press.

Common language

The absence of:                       Requires:

Movement Health                  Rehabilitation

Movement Competency        Correctives

Movement Capacity              General Fitness

Movement Complexity         Specific Fitness

Progression- a progression is about understanding that every individual in front of us is constantly oscillating between further away or closer to the health and fitness continuum.   As our clients and patients move in life we, as master coaches and clinicians, need to be able to accurately locate them and intervene appropriately. Gray continues to develop the rules and reasoning surrounding them.

Key thoughts: What considerations do you have for your clients before implementing programs?

Breathe, Bend, Balance, Bounce-

Play, Practice, Train-

Determining when your athletes and clients are ready for progressions: They need to demonstrate “alignment with integrity” first.

What criteria are you using to determine minimum competencies in your client and patients prior to progression?