Paul Chek has many fantastic catch phrases, but for me this is the best. It is such a simple concept, and once tried irrefutably correct, and yet I am constantly amazed by how many personal trainers still have not come across it. Every personal trainer worth their salt will assess you before starting training, and yet at least 50% of trainers that I interview have confused fitness testing with functionally assessing.
You are an individual, and until a trainer has functionally assessed you and built up a picture of body type, movement skills, biomechanics, flexibility, etc., it is impossible for them to create an effective programme for you. The simplest way to explain how this works is to look at flexibility. Many joints in the body are operated by pairs of muscles, one on each side of the joint. If the muscle on one side is much tighter than the other, then that joint is out of balance. Joints and muscle sets that are out of balance suffer wear and tear, tension trigger points, nerve and blood vessel impingement, and any number of other potential problems. So the starting point is to measure flexibility on each side of the major movements and compare left with right sides of the body. This can be visually assessed within 20 minutes by a trainer that knows what they’re doing. A stretching programme should then be designed stretching only the muscles that are tight/short relative to their pair or opposite side. Only once balance is restored should a general stretching programme be followed.
This principle should also be applied to breathing, balance and proprioception, co-ordination and strength v’s stamina as a starting point to every training programme. It is amazing how many injuries, pains, slow metabolisms, sleep problems, energy problems, weak immune systems and other problems can be completely fixed using this principle. It is a joy that every 4D personal trainer gets to experience watching the benefits that clients can gain from this simple idea. Stop guessing, start assessing – www.chekinstitute.com for more.
By the 4D Personal Trainer in Barnes SW13
