Introduction
Today's personal trainer is armed with an arsenal of exercises, stretches, and stabilization exercise at their finger tips to teach a client. Today's client is eager learn and get results however, is more savvy wanting to learn the "right way." Personal training is merely more than counting reps and sets, it is about showing competency and expertise in exercise programming and exercise selection. It is about watching a client's form, motivating them and showing expertise. Training is more than assessing; it is understanding the science behind the movement. Following these simple tips will not only keep your clients' motivated but will keep them pain free!
Corrective exercise training tips for common upper and lower body exercises performed incorrectly
There are several exercises that are effective for strengthening the upper back. The seated mid-row machine is an excellent exercise that targets the rhomboids. The exercise is easy for a client to learn while being relatively safe. As seen in the picture below, watch that the client's form avoiding shrugging their upper traps. Another note to remember, is to have the client stop at neutral(when the elbows are at 90 degrees) and avoid hyperextension of the lower lumbar spine.
Chest press and chest flyes are two effective exercises that strengthen and tone the pectoralis major and minor. One myth that I would like to clarify is that going deeper or bring the weights or cable past neutral, builds a better chest. This is incorrect. On the contrary, this stresses the glenohumeral joint, anterior joint capsule, and superior/middle and inferior glenohumeral ligaments. Remember, watch that that client stays neutral or when their arms are parallel to the floor(3 o'clock and 9 o'clock) as seen in the picture below.
Lunges are an effective exercise both for building strength as well as incorporating into a client's core program. Two things to remember. Monitor the client's spine ensuring he/she is maintaining neutral spine as seen on the right picture. Secondly, always monitor the position of the knee in relation to the toe as seen in the picture on the left. When the knee pasts the toe, there is compression force applied to the inferior patella and patellar tendon. Repeated stress can create patellofemoral pain and potentially tendonitis.
Another effective exercise to build and tone the thighs is the squat. It is vital to show and monitor that the client is maintaining neutral spine as to avoid stressing the lower lumbar spine. Be cautious of deep squatting as seen in the following picture. Repeated deep squat can place unnecessary stress/compression to the patellofemoral joint and patellar tendon.
In Part 2, discussion of exercises that hurt more than help will be reviewed with biomechanical and scientific justification.
