certification Archives - Personal Training, Sports Performance, Weight Loss, Continuing Education, CEU Provider

Primitive Initiative™- Getting Up Progressions

May 19, 2015 By Garrett

After we learn to crawl and before we learn to walk, we must learn to get-up off of the ground. This may seem simple to some, but for others this becomes very difficult without the aid of holding onto something. And to certain populations, falling to the ground is quite scary because they are just not strong or mobile enough to get up on their own (queue the cliché “help, I’ve fallen and can’t get-up” commercial). This is a real fear, something that may be inevitable, but can certainly be delayed through training. As always, progressions of getting up off the floor is crucial. There are several ways to “bring the body up off of the ground from a laying position to an upright position”. I will go through the progressions of one of the more common ways of doing this: the Turkish get-up.

Reach Crunch– Lay face up. Feet will be on the ground, knees in the air. Take your right arm and reach it straight to the ceiling. Keep your low back on the ground but lift the right shoulder off of the ground.

Reach and Roll– Lay face up. Keep your left leg straight on the floor and left elbow out on the floor perpendicular to the body. Keep your right foot on the ground with you right knee in the air. With your right arm reach it straight to the ceiling, lifting your entire torso up off the ground by rolling to your left elbow.

Reach and Roll w/Bridge– Do the reach and roll. At the end of the reach and roll, press into the ground with your right foot to lift your hips in the air, while rolling to your left hand. Make sure you are still reaching your right arm straight to the ceiling.

Half Turkish Get-up– Do the reach and roll w/bridge. Pull your left leg underneath your body so that your left knee ends up directly underneath your hips. End in a kneeling lunge stance. Make sure you are still reaching your right arm straight to the ceiling.

Split Squats– In a standing position, place your right foot in front of your hips and you left foot behind your hips. Lower your hips so that your left knee is about an inch away from the ground. Make sure that both knees come to 90 degree angles and you torso remains perpendicular to the ground.

Lunge Kneel to Stand– Kneel on the ground with your right foot in front and your left knee down underneath your hips. Stand up from this position and bring your feet together.

Full Turkish Get-up– Do the half Turkish get-up and then the lunge kneel to stand. Make sure you are still reaching your right arm straight to the ceiling.

Getting Up Video

Keep in mind that all of these progressions are done unloaded. The most important thing is the form and the ability to get up off the floor. Loading will come later, and would have more steps to add in the progression so that the participant will be able to do this safely and effectively. Check out the video on our Facebook page to see the progressions.

Primitive Initiative™- Biomechanical Training

March 26, 2015 By Garrett

As mentioned in the previous blog the Primitive Initiative® is a movement oriented training model based on 14 fundamental movement patterns arranged in a specific sequence to maximize results. It combines biomechanical training with energy system sequencing to provide real life fitness for real life movements. This can be an “end all be all” program or can be supplemented into current training programs. Because this is a real life program it is specific to each person. If someone likes to do bodybuilding, power lifting, distance running etc. many of these movement patterns can still be implemented in each person’s training regimen for better results and less injuries.

So let’s get started……..what is “Biomechanical Training”? Well, that’s just a fancy way of me saying human movement training. I have identified 14 human movement patterns that are common throughout life. As young children we incorporate many of these as we learn to move and play. As we become older we either begin to become sedentary or very specific in the nature of our training. In either situation, we start to lose or neglect certain movement patterns. This gets worse and worse as we go through our life. The biomechanical training is designed to help reestablish the mobility and movement of the early years in our life.

Here are the 14 movement patterns that I have grouped into 3 categories:

Manipulative:

Throwing/Catching: To propel an object through the air from a limb and then to grasp and hold onto an object as it propels back to the body.
Picking up: Bringing an object up off of the ground and then bringing it back to the ground.
Pushing- To press against an object with force in order to drive or impel in the direction of the force.
Pulling- To exert force upon an object so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the force.
Chopping- To make a quick stroke or repeated stroke in an arcing motion.
Carrying- To move an object through a distance while supporting it.

Locomotive:

Reaching- ability to touch, pick up, or grab by moving, stretching, or extending limbs.
Jumping/Landing: To spring into the air and then absorbing impact as the body is brought back to the surface.
Getting up: Bringing the body up off of the ground from a laying position to an upright position.
Crawling: To advance in a prone or supine position where hands and feet are in contact with the ground.
Climbing: Moving suspended from the ground with gradual continued process.
Crouching: To lower the body stance while bending at the legs.

Variable:

Transit: An act of passing through or over terrain.
Dynamic Methods- Activities that are fluid, connected, and skilled in their patterns. (Ok, I will admit this my catch all category for those movements that were hard for me to classify. Things like dancing, tumbling and fighting will fall in this category)

Some of these are self-explanatory, some are not. I will use future posts to further explore each movement and how to progress people through the movements. Much like any program design, progression is key. After all, if people have come to a point where they have not done a certain movement pattern since their childhood they are just as likely to injure themselves in a gym setting doing it as they would in a real life setting. That is why they need to be progressed. This we will leave for later, but for now, try to absorb the movements and look at your own programs to see what they might be missing. Next week I will discuss another fancy word: Energy System Sequencing.

Primitive Initiative™- The Movement for movement!

March 18, 2015 By Garrett

In my near two decade fitness career I have had the pleasure of working with many clients of varying ages, abilities, dysfunctions, and goals. In that time span I have worked with many Collegiate Athletes, budding youth athletes, obese and overweight populations, post-rehab/surgical clients, elderly populations, medical populations, the generally healthy, and even an Olympic athlete. With this wide spectrum of clients I began to find one common problem within each demographic: the lack of movement within their training programs.

I am sure that it is not a surprise for some of these groups, but it may come as a surprise for other groups. In my experience modern life has made us less and less likely to move. As the human race has evolved we have developed lifestyles of efficiency. Unfortunately this efficiency of life has made us inefficient operators of our bodies.

When we are brought into this world we are a blank slate, ready to absorb as much as we possibly can. Everything we learn is through experimentation and exploration. It is trial and error. The more error there is the quicker we learn. It is an amazing time in our lives. Everything is a new experience. We learn to smile, laugh, talk, crawl, walk, and run. We learn to interact with others. We learn to interact with and manipulate objects. We learn to play. Our play is wide and vast, almost limitless.

At some point in our lives we take one of two tracks. We either become sedentary or we become specialized. We may choose to play video games and watch tv instead of going outside and running around playing. We may choose to play organized sports. If we do play sports we start to specialize very early. Many sports have become year round with the school season sport, AAU sport, Travel leagues, and sport specific training. Our wide and vast movement patterns that we once had begun to disappear.

As we grow even older we go to college and take jobs that have us bound to a desk, hunched over a computer. If we have the time and motivation to go to the gym, we pick select exercises that are inefficient and may cover only a very few of the movement patterns that are woefully missing from our lives.

Due to this slippery slope of non-movement, as we age we are unable to perform certain tasks efficiently. Picking things up off the ground, reaching for a seat belt, getting up off the floor all become arduous tasks. Our joints begin to get immobile, sore, swollen and broken down. Sudden movements become risks of severe injury. If an injury occurs it will take nearly two to three times as it once did to recover fully from it, if at all. Chances are there will always be a limitation from the injury which ultimately will cause a compensation pattern. This will put undue stress upon another system or joint until there is another injury. Once this injury cycle is entered into it is hard to escape. Quality of function and ultimately quality of life is severely diminished.

It has been said that exercise is the only singular thing that reduces the risk of every known disease and illness and prolongs life. I submit that movement is the only singular thing that will enhance and extend functional capacity, reduce injury, and increase quality of life. My aim is to add movement back into fitness and into people’s lives.

Because of this I have created the Primitive Initiative®(notice the that I trademarked it! That’s how strongly I believe this is the direction that the field should be and is going). The Primitive Initiative® is a movement oriented training model based on 14 fundamental movement patterns arranged in a specific sequence to maximize results. It combines biomechanical training with energy system sequencing to provide real life fitness for real life movements. Whether you call it athleticism, mobility or functionality, Primitive Initiative® enables the human body to operate in all planes of motion, in all positions of center of gravity, at all levels of intensity, in varying bases of support with efficiency and proficiency. The Primitive Initiative® aims to add real human movement patterns back into fitness and exercise. This is the movement for movement, and I am excited to share this technique with you over the next several blogs!

The Value of Functional Assessments

March 11, 2015 By Garrett

A couple weeks ago I made mention in my periodization blog about how functional assessments are so important and that I would expand on it later. Well, later has come. I feel functional assessments are an essential part of program design. A functional assessment is basically an assessment of one’s movement quality. It will help the trainer identify the following:

Tight or Shortened Muscles– Muscles can become tight/short a many of ways. It can be a product of repetitive motion or non-motion. For instance, a person who sits all day for their job may have tight hip flexors and hamstrings because those muscles are rarely lengthened throughout the day. On the other hand, someone who is on their feet all day while they work may develop tight calves because they use those muscles so much. Either way, if a muscle is not able to lengthen properly it will affect a person’s ability to move.

Weak or Lengthened Muscles– Muscles general become weak/lengthened when they are underused or placed in an extended lengthened state. Those who work at a computer may have lengthened and weak muscles of the upper back because they are constantly rounding forward. This position underutilizes the muscles of the upper back, but also keeps them in a lengthened position. If a muscle is over lengthened and underutilized it will definitely affect movement.

Postural Dysfunctions– The combination of the above two issues will general result in postural issues. Posture includes the entire body. If some muscles are tight/short and some muscles are weak/long it will cause the body to look a certain way. For instance a tight chest and a weak upper back will have a person slouching forward in appearance. The more postural dysfunctions one has the more movement dysfunctions they will have.

Movement Dysfunctions– Movements are a product of the muscles that are responsible for the movement. When we move most all muscles are involved somehow, someway all the time. When there are muscles that are either tight/short or weak/long they are not operating properly. This generally means that movement patterns are not efficient. Forces are not able to be produced or absorbed properly. When this happens at the very least we are as effective in out movements and at the very worst we become injured.

Compensation Patterns– Many times, movement dysfunctions are caused because we have developed compensations patterns. That is to say, we have developed a way that we can make certain movements possible by not using the muscles that are supposed to make those movements possible. This becomes an issue because we start to over load the muscles being used and they can become damaged or dysfunctional.

Movement Ranges- There will be certain movement ranges that are possible without dysfunction or compensation, but as a movement moves past a certain point the body will compensate. A perfect example of this is a squat. Everyone can do a squat to a certain depth. Some can go hips to heels with no dysfunction, while others may only be able to get a slight hip drop before dysfunction occurs. There are ranges to still train a client that are safe while you continue to work on the dysfunctions themselves.

Functional assessments will give the trainer so much valuable information. The biggest thing is for the trainer to identify and deal with areas of restriction. Restrictions will hold back the client form truly becoming better. Without the assessment, it really is a guessing game.

Is it important for a trainer to be certified?

February 6, 2015 By Garrett

Is it important for a trainer to be certified? This seems to be a hot topic these days with the growth of the fitness industry and all the different training methodologies and varying standards to meet those methodologies. I will be the first to say that the certification doesn’t make the trainer and the trainer is not representative of the certification. I have seen great trainers with certifications that I have never heard of, and I have seen bad trainers with the best certifications out there. However, I feel that it is of the upmost importance that a person who trains another to be certified!

A certification will teach the basics of human anatomy, function, physiology, program design and methodology. It won’t make a trainer all knowing, but it will lay a sound foundation that will give them guidance on providing their clients with safe and effective programs. Without this foundation, where would they get this information? Well any combination of their own personal workout history, workout videos, fitness magazine, youtube videos etc is where. Quite frankly, I don’t trust any of these as sound foundational sources. So, basically, these “trainers” are using broscience or what I call “the sexy”. “The sexy” pertains to all of those exercises that look really cool and exciting to do, and have their place with a particular person in a particular situation, but most people have no business doing. Most of the time this is a conditioning based program where the only goal seems to be how hard you can push your client until they throw up. Well, I can make anybody throw up in 5 minutes if I wanted to. The only thing that gets accomplished with this mentality is that a person threw up. Congrats! Nothing was accomplished. No goals were met and in fact that persons goals have been pushed farther away.

So from just having basic knowledge of how to properly train a client is more than enough reason to require a certification for someone to train another person. Equally important it shows that the person is serious about their profession. Personal trainers are professionals. Would you go to a guy that took one accounting class in college to do your taxes? Probably not. Then why go to a guy that lifted in college to train you. Yes there is some knowledge there, but not enough to do something very specific for a specific goal. Taking that step to get certified shows that a person is committing themselves to a profession, committing themselves to better serve their clients.

This commitment is what will determine if the trainer will be a good one or not. But this commitment, this initial skin in the game, is just the beginning of a good trainer. It is how they perpetuate their commitment is what will make them great. All certifications require a certain level of continuing education to maintain the certification. This continuing education will help the trainer learn the latest in research and training techniques. It keeps them on top of their game. The certification requires this.

Those who go beyond this base level of continuing education are usually the better trainers as you would expect of anyone going beyond the minimum. Those who hone their skills by gaining other certifications/specializations, going to industry conferences, entering into mentorship programs, and studying reputable and researched based literature are the trainers that will make an impact on this world. So to say it is important to have a certification to train someone is quite the understatement!

Primitive Initiative™- Getting Up Progressions

Primitive Initiative™- Biomechanical Training

Primitive Initiative™- The Movement for movement!

The Value of Functional Assessments

Is it important for a trainer to be certified?

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