Over our ten years in business, we have noticed that the majority of our new athletes come to us from periods of inactivity or inconsistent attendance at bigger chain or higher-intensity gyms. When we dig into their stories, we often find that a lack of discernible progress, consistent issues with pain, or both issues at the same time underpin their frustration and a desire to make a change.
Everyone has a unique history, of course, but looking back at our intake processes over the last few months has really helped us pinpoint five specific areas where folks are in need of help when they begin with us. The good news? This stuff is simple to address:
1. Resolving Knee Pain. I’d estimate that more than half of our intakes report knee pain. For some, this is an annoyance; for others, this is a significant quality of life issue. Maintaining a healthy weight can help, of course, but the primary driver of the knee pain we see is an everyday overreliance on the anterior chain: our knees, quadriceps…the front of us. We are a forward-leaning culture, after all. Learning how to use your posterior chain, however–your glutes, hamstrings, calves, the muscles in your back–and then strengthening those areas generally helps mitigate and in many cases resolve recurrent knee pain. We start this process on Day 1 of an athlete’s time here.
2. Upping Low Energy. Most of us try hard enough. Our schedules are overstuffed, our lives are stressful, and when we go to the gym we have been acculturated to believe that we need to make up for lost time by going at maximum intensity. The problem is that most of our lives don’t accommodate maximum intensity; when we add undue stressors to an already-taxed recovery system, this can result in consistently low energy, poor sleep, and a general feeling of crappola. (Scientific term.) Most folks need to get better at moving for longer durations at a steady pace; after our new athletes have been here for 4-6 weeks working through our beginner segments of their sixty minute classes, most report a marked change in energy levels and wellness.
3. Preventing Injury. This one is relatively simple. Your workouts should make you stronger and more resilient. Most folks do not do enough consistent strength work on their own, and that results in muscles, supportive structures, and joints that aren’t as ready as they could be for an active or intermittently active lifestyle. You need to move, carry things, climb, get in and out of vehicles, and as we age these things take on an added degree of difficulty. Consistent, planned, and progressive strength work is a great hedge against injury.
4. Establishing a Routine. The great majority of folks who attend our group classes depend upon the accountability and structure we offer through coaching and community. This makes it so much easier to establish an exercise routine. The extra trick is that the workouts have to keep folks safe while they progress; gym injuries in your forties and fifties can be incredibly discouraging and are a far different beast than the bumps and bruises you might have sustained in your twenties. The best routine won’t hold steady if your workouts hurt all the time. That’s not how this should go.
5. Choosing Your Future. Most of our new athletes come to us because they’re looking down the road a piece. Some are looking to their kids’ weddings; others are looking to their retirements; and many are just looking for a better tomorrow. Your workouts should be fun, make you feel awesome, and benefit you in the moment, of course, but if you aren’t looking for your training to compound your financial and temporal investment, you’re missing the big picture. Intelligent, planned, and progressive strength and conditioning work changes the arc of your future. You put strength in the bank, add conditioning to your system, and change you who will become in ten years. Workouts that are focused solely on how they feel TODAY don’t hit that mark consistently.
Missing any of this stuff? Curious about how we can help you resolve any of these issues?
Reach out–click here to book a No Sweat Intro. We’ll sit down and talk about where you are, where you want to go, and how we will get you there.
It’s that simple.
