Why Personalised Exercise Plans are so important
Years ago, I used to buy my jeans from an independent menswear shop in Chiswick. The reason I used to return there to shop was mostly due to my first experience. While I was searching the jeans racks, I distinctly remember a shop attendant coming over and saying:
‘You’re not into skinny fit / hipster jeans are you? I can tell from your shoulders and thighs – you’re either a rower or a rugby player. I’ve got another jeans rack here where we’ve got a really good deal on some brand name jeans that would suit your frame and should feel pretty comfortable.’
Good sales eh?! Normally, I like to browse quietly in a shop without too much hassle from shop attendants, but it was the fact that the guy was attentive. He wasn’t too pushy, but had already observed my physical frame after seeing me browsing through the clothes racks. He obviously had good experience of helping people find ‘what they wanted.’
Fashion cultures, exercise fads and diets come and go. Sometimes, they’ll suit us, and sometimes they won’t. Much of the guidance we read in the press, social media, or even general health guidance is based on a ‘one size fits all’ approach. ‘Do this, take that, or try this out’ – but do they really get to the root cause of a problem?
There are so many variables that affect us human beings, so why shouldn’t we ask for a much more personalised approach?
We’re all very different!
If you take a careful look at the postures above, you’ll notice they are all different. Observe the pelvis and spinal positions. Some hips are tilted forwards, some backwards. Some spines are more hunched and curved in the upper back; one of them doesn’t even seem to have a natural curve.
You, me and everyone else may not necessarily fit the ‘ideal posture’ graphic. We’ve all inherited certain traits from our parents and ancestors. We are products of time and our day-to-day living environments and activities.
Some of the postures above are commonly linked with painful issues, e.g. herniated discs, sciatica, neck and shoulder tension, hip and ankle tightness etc. But imagine, if you had one of these posture types, and you were desperate to reduce pain, tension and improve well-being. You wanted to feel fitter, but were tired of getting repetitive injuries – despite seeking basic help.
You read somewhere that back pain could be improved significantly from ‘corrective exercise’. But who do you go to for such advice? You might start off with a physio or an osteopath and a masseur who knows what they’re doing – but what if you’re in it for the long run? You’ve had enough and you don’t want these issues to come back at all. Someone may have mentioned that corrective strengthening and stretching exercise is a beneficial way forward.
But which type? Isn’t there a quagmire of different exercises and routines out there? Do all of the exercises work and benefit you in the same way? Do you think all of the postural issues above would benefit from the same routine as for the next person?
The answer is no!
Let’s pick out some posture types from the graphic:
Posture #4 - the person with a flat back condition, commonly might have a pelvis that’s tilted backwards, as well as tight hamstrings and potentially weak hip flexor muscles.
Posture #5 – the person with a deep lower back curve, commonly might have a forward tilted pelvis, an excessive outward, upper back curve. These might also relate to shortened or tight hip flexor muscles and weak gluteals (buttock muscles).
It’s pretty clear that if you were trying to balance muscle strength and flexibility for both posture types – it would be wise not to offer the same corrective exercise and stretch plan. In some cases, we could be making things worse!
So far, we’ve only observed postures from the side, but we can’t see what’s going on from other positions, or see their movements yet.
We could also make assumptions that each of these body types all have the same height and weight; the same gender and age; and have the same size and bone lengths including the spine, arms and legs; even the same flexibility in their joints.
But what else? What if you wanted to improve stamina, strength and suppleness goals? You would have to consider:
personal motor skills – neuromuscular movement and coordination;
your heart and lung function / capacity and current cardiovascular health;
specific health conditions you might have had from birth or inherited family traits;
your general lifestyle, including type of work that you do;
physical life changes, such as pregnancy, an injury or surgery; and
level of confidence and mindset.
Just like those jeans I mentioned, we can’t just pop into any shop and just pick up any pair of jeans and hope that they fit! The same applies with exercise. There are some great exercise programme ideas on the web, Instagram, magazines, books etc – but it doesn’t necessarily mean they will be right for you, or that you’re conducting them safely.
Isn’t it important to get a valuable, comprehensive check before you exercise or before you consider a significant lifestyle change?
This is one of the reasons why a short health check isn’t enough for my 1-1 clients. We go the extra mile!
If you want to resolve a weight issue or other fitness problem – you need time to get to the heart of the matter. This is the true value of a completely personalised approach for achieving real long-term fitness success.
If you live in the Surrey Hills and you think it’s time you took a personalised exercise approach instead of a ‘one size fits all’ one, or you just want to review your current plan – you know who to get in touch with! : )
