Move well first; quality before quantity

Einstein once said: Everything must be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.

He might have been speaking about the composition of truths, but his words are wise for strength and movement training.

Movement distinguishes vitality. We are born with the ability to move, to touch, to eventually crawl, walk, run. We are born with mobility. We eventually earn stability and the ability to express more complex movement patterns after laying down the foundations of mobility. Here is a strength and mobility principle:

we must first learn to move well, and then often; seek the right movement, then build quantity.

Make sense, right? Yet we tend to practice the opposite. We try something we saw on Instagram, Youtube, or read in a magazine (side note: if you're asking yourself "am I doing this right?" that's not a good sign); we follow a yoga instructor, fitness influencer or an aerobics instructor. We sweat it out, feel the burn, and pat ourselves on the back when we’ve met our activity goal for the day. This is quantity. We’ve sought volume before quality. There's nothing inherently wrong with this, but in order to improve or strength and mobility and thus our vitality, we need to seek the right movement first.

If you can crawl well, then you walk. If you can walk well, proceed to run. Pattern the foundational movements first. Progress from those, or from these. Try this, learn to roll well - lying on your front, roll onto your back, and reverse. Roll the other way, and reverse. Now, learn to stand-up well - from lying down to standing upright, and return to lying down. Learn to squat, to hinge, to lift something over your head.

Find the most simple ways to move - what you were born to do - then make them harder, add volume, add complexity, add weight. Invest in a trainer to help you learn patterning or seek out a qualified fitness instructor if you prefer the group aspect of fitness. For example, our group classes are lead by certified AFLCA trainers - click here to learn more.

Someone taught you how to drive a car. It’s worth the investment for someone to teach you to move your body. Consider it a wise insurance policy.