We’ve all been there.
You are in a class and all of a sudden the intensity ramps up, the progression of a movement series gets super hard and you feel like you have no clue what to do other than stop.
Not fun.
Movement layers or progressions are a fantastic tool to add challenge, promote muscle memory, and to get super strong but sometimes a progression goes too far for our personal capacity.
So what do we do when we need to quickly and efficiently dial the intensity down?
We do these three simple things:
- Adjust the range of motion. AKA, make it smaller! Simply adjsuting how big you are moving is a fantastic way to quickly make an exercise more manageable.
- Decrease the load. Using a heavy weight or theraband and it’s too much? Make it a little lighter. Working with a straight leg in ab work and feeling it in your back? Bend your knee to reduce the lever load on your abs. Adjusting the load and lever force will still build the strength you need in a more accessible way.
- Increase your base of support. This one is a little tricky but basically, you’ll want to make your body more stable. When in doubt, put more body parts in contact with the floor such as standing on two legs instead of one or removing props that make an exercise wobbly.
The really awesome thing about these rules is that they work the opposite way too! Want to make exercises harder and more challenging? Just increase the range, increase the load, and decrease the base of support.
For an in-depth look at these three tips check out the “How to Modify Exercises” workshop in the Evergreen Membership.
CLICK HERE TO BECOME A MEMBER and get instant access to the workshop plus weekly live stream class and over 200 workout videos you can do anytime, anywhere.
Can’t wait to move with you and help you find your perfect level of challenge!
My Favorite Props to Modify Any Exercise:
