Want to Avoid Injury? Start With This
The real reason that exercise didn’t work…
Don’t blame yourself, or your body.
If you’ve ever tried an exercise that:
• Felt awkward or way too hard
• Left you totally confused about the technique
• Made you extra sore or even injured
• This happens far too often.
And there’s nothing wrong with you!
It probably wasn’t the wrong exercise either.
It just wasn’t the right exercise for you right now.
The real reason why that exercise didn’t work was because your body wasn’t properly prepared for it.
It wasn’t the right fit for where your body is at in THIS moment.
JUST ONE THING
One of the most important aspects of smart training is following progressions.
Your JUST ONE THING to Help You Master Moves
Follow a safe progression plan
Following a progression means more than just easing into a workout or slowly adding intensity.
It’s about going on a step-by-step journey…doing the right moves in the right order.
Think of it like a game.
Each level gets a little harder.
But you can’t move on to the next level until you’ve mastered the one you’re on.
The classic lunge is a great example of this.
If you jump ahead too soon, it might feel shaky or even uncomfortable.
But when you follow a proper progression—starting with simple balance and strength moves—your body learns the right technique and gets stronger safely.
Easy, Beginner-Friendly Exercises to Get Started Strengthening
- Basic Squats - Master these first!
- Offset Squats - Begin training your body in a slightly staggered stance.
- Split Squats - Start to sink into a lunge-like position with feet planted firmly.
- Reverse Lunges (and eventually regular lunges!) - Develop control with adding the stepping action.
Extra Tip: If you feel pain, discomfort, or lack of control at any stage, go back a level and continue strengthening at that phase. Aim to confidently do 3 sets of 10 reps with good form and no issues before moving on to the next step.
Did You Know...
- Following progressions helps avoid injuries by gradually building up the strength of your stabilizing and supporting structures of your limbs - your ligaments, tendons, and fascia.
- Understanding exercise progressions allows you to dial up the difficulty of your exercises or dial them back down based on your circumstances, rather than avoiding exercising all together.
- Want a push-up progression? Try this: Wall push-ups > countertop push-ups > chair/stair push-ups > floor push-ups. The strengthening progression in this video is super helpful, too!
Until next week... Be strong💪
