Options. I like options, especially in my workouts. Options allow you to customize the workout to how you are feeling that day. It doesn’t mean that you do nothing, it means that you do what works for you. Example: my left knee hurts. I’m not going to avoid squats, but I need an option that doesn’t hurt. So, I squat in socked feet so that I can really focus on grabbing the floor with my toes and I put an XL mini band above my knees to force me to press my knees out as my hips go back. If I can stabilize the joint above and below the knee, the knee won’t hurt. And you know what? That works! I can do a 20KG goblet squat with no knee pain for 60 seconds! Options make me smile!
In our program we give many options on body position, load placement, & plane of motion. Today I want to talk about body position. This is your body’s position while you are doing the movement. Going from most stable to least stable, this is the progression:
UPPER BODY MOVEMENTS
- Parallel
- Military (close feet)
- Staggered
- Tall kneeling
- 1/2 Kneeling
- 1/2 Kneeling Hover
LOWER BODY MOVEMENTS
- Parallel
- Staggered
- Rear Step
- Lateral Step
- Forward Step
- Cross behind Step
Changing body position while performing an exercise will change the intensity of the movement. Let’s take the overhead press for example. It’s way easier to press two KBs overhead with your feet parallel than to do it in the 1/2 kneeling position. With two feet parallel you have two solid points of contact on the ground. You also have a wide base of support (just outside your hips). This gives you stability when pressing the KBs up. In the 1/2 kneeling position, your stability is compromised. Any deficits in core and muscle coordination are evident in this position. If you “cheat” in this position and try to use your lower back or hips to move the weight, you will fall over. This 1/2 kneeling position requires more core strength (remember, that’s not your abs, that’s your entire middle!) and a greater ground engagement with your feet and glute activation. If comparing the two body positions in the same workout, you will be able to press more weight in the parallel foot position than 1/2 kneeling position, assuming you keep super awesome form in both movements.
Progression with proper form is the key to this program and keeping your body safe.