Why our program is for you
Have you ever heard the phrase “you don’t know what you don’t know?”
I think this level of understanding is more common than we realize. From time to time, we hear from people just starting our program that it “isn’t for them.” Sometimes this is true when we have goals that don’t align with our approach, but more often it isn’t.
They simply don’t know what they don’t know and leave before exploring all that is there.
Functional Movements
Our program is built around functional and beneficial movements. These are movements that, if performed correctly, can improve our ability to live a more functional life.
A squat resembles sitting in a chair and then standing back up.
A deadlift looks a lot like picking something up off the ground.
A power clean resembles lifting an object into the back of a car or truck.
A burpee involves getting down to the floor in a controlled manner and then getting back up.
At the foundational level, increasing your ability to do these movements will keep you out of an assisted living facility. These movements are the most effective way of ensuring this outcome.
What you don’t know: these movements look different for almost everyone. Everyone has to scale or modify something, and that is exactly how it’s supposed to be. This means we have room to grow. As much benefit as there is from doing these movements, there is just as much benefit in pursuing the ability to do these movements. Even if you never achieve perfection, the benefit lies in the pursuit.
Resistance Training
Over time, as a person develops capacity, we increase the load or resistance with these functional movements. The benefits here are many.
Increased Muscle Mass is correlated with longer life expectancy and higher quality of life. Quality of life encompasses a wide range of activities, from carrying groceries to playing sports to hunting. It means not having to say “no” to the activities you want to do.
Increased Bone Density, which allows us to be less frail and more resilient. The stronger our bones, the more activities we can participate in.
Efficient Central Nervous System, which means the signals our brain sends to the various parts of the body get there faster. This improves reaction time, balance, and coordination, among other benefits.
Increasing resistance or load to our functional movements allows for growth and increased strength. The benefits are directly correlated to the level of difficulty. This is something water aerobics can not deliver.
What you don’t know: Everyone starts with the resistance on our bodies that gravity provides. We try not to assume you're stronger than you are, but we do strive to see what you’re capable of. That means at times we might ask you to lift a little more weight than you feel you can. You might learn that you can, or you might not be there yet. Either is ok, because we’re learning about your abilities together. We’re a team, and we work together to tailor our training to your needs, but sometimes that takes a little while to get everything dialed in.
High Intensity
Moving with speed is always optional. Once you learn how to perform movements correctly and consistently, there is a benefit to increasing the intensity of your workouts. This is part of how we develop speed, stamina, endurance, power, and strength.
This is where elite levels of fitness can be found, but not everyone aspires to such levels of fitness. Moving with speed doesn’t treat everyone the same way. If you’re missing cartilage in your knees, squatting heavy or fast won’t feel good. If you suffer from vertigo, maybe performing burpees quickly makes you want to vomit.
What you don’t know: Just because other people are moving fast doesn’t mean you have to. You have permission to move at a pace that is appropriate for you. While intensity is unparalleled in the results it delivers, it isn’t more important than the movements themselves. It would be a shame to miss out on all the benefits of functional movements because you felt you had to perform them with intensity to see benefits.
I’ve just scratched the surface of how flexible our training at Timber & Steel can be. If something doesn’t treat your body well, you don’t have to do it. We will try our hardest to find a way for you to do it, given the numerous benefits of functional movements I listed above. However, sometimes it’s better to limit certain things.
There are thousands of ways to adjust the exercises we do to accommodate your limitations and current level of fitness. That means these adjustments might be temporary or lifelong, but either is okay. There is a progression built into everything, so no matter what variation of a movement you do, it will be able to grow with you. But we may not get the exact variation right for you the first time.
Let’s work together to find the solution.
