I want to preface this by saying that all movement is good movement, and that I fully endorse any type of physical activity.

But let’s talk today about RESULTS.

Making real and lasting changes to your body, whether that be in strength, mobility, power, or straight up body fat % is one of the most challenging things you can ever go through. Many people want it, very few do it, and even fewer make it last a lifetime.

I spent years and years of doing random exercise. I would be the first person to join the local gym class or do the latest workout video. I was always a fit person, but I began to notice that these programs really didn’t change the outcomes that I wanted to change.

In 2014 I moved back to Canada and joined the Canadian Sport Institute. I had an awesome coach (shout out to Ken) who really got me organized in my approach to physical training. I made more progress in the first 6 months at the CSI, than I had in years otherwise. It all comes down to the fact that I had a coach and that the training was tailored to my needs.

Let me use a case study that I have worked with (different name) to make my point:

Example:

Michelle feels that she has done everything possible (physio, chiro, massage) to avoid knee surgery, but she feels pain on a daily basis, and it is beginning to impact her hobbies like gardening and traveling. She is on her last hope.

For years, she has taken a fairly general approach to fitness. She has worked with some online videos, and she is a regular member of the local Goodlife machine circuit. So, she is active, but admittedly not training with any real purpose.

After conducting some basic movement pattern testing, I knew I could help her. We trained 1x per week, and she trained on her own another 2x per week. Our training was entirely focused on two keys things: teaching knee stability in functional patterns, and creating hamstring mobility through a basic active release technique. Within 3 weeks she was not experiencing pain. Within 4 months she texted me from a ski hill. I did not do anything genius. The only thing that was genius is that we were deliberately practicing the things she needed to work on.

Let me make my case in a slightly different way. If you are an extremely busy person, getting to the gym 3-4x per week is challenging but likely doable. If you do random exercise, I would guess that you will spend 10% of your time actually hitting your weak links. Over the course of 48 weeks (factoring in a little time off for Florida), this means you are spending between 14.4 – 19.2 training hours focused on the things that get you better.

On the other hand, if you work with a coach or have an individualized approach to fitness, I would guess that you will spend 80% of your time productively working on the things that you need. Over the course of the same training year you will now spend between 115.2 – 153.6 training hours directly focused on what you need.

It’s never perfect, but if you could increase your odds of success towards any goal wouldn’t you?