When you remove the obligation to try to get your athlete to complete a speicifc movement, you unlock an infinite number of scaling options, gamifcations, or other ways to engage with your athlete. Our goal isn't to get them to performan a specific exercise, our goal is to get them to perform a vareity of movement patterns.This is the simplest breakdown of patterns in a way that covers every muscle in the body. The more experienced you get, the more you can begin to break this down into muscle groups and other details - but to start, learn to understand the major patterns of the body rather than trying to memorize specific exercises.Not everyone can squat, but almost everyone can perform SOME type of 'Lower push' exercise. If you can walk up stairs, sit on the toilette, or even just bend your knees through any range of motion - then you're able to perform the lower push pattern. The goal isn't exercise for the sake of exercise, the goal is to accomplish a broad variety of movements and to work just 10% harder than they want to or have before. With this approach, there is an infinite number of ways to engage your athlete in a way that is fun rather than a chore.The best workout for your athlete is the one that they do. Don't overcomplicate it or set the bar unnattainably high. 30 minutes once a week is 1,000x better than nothing, and 30 minutes 2x / week consistently over an extended period is enough to make some major life changes for athletes of any age or ability.Exposing our body to stress in a controlled enviornment, whether physical or emotional, is how we adapt and grow as human beings. Teaching regulation to athletes through their phyiscal body is MUCH easier then trying to get inside their heads, but as they learn physical regulation, the emotion regulation follows right behind.If you're working with an athlete who spends a lot of time already doing a specific sport (or movement pattern) then if you remember our goal of ensuring athletes complete a broad range of patterns - then our most effective use of time to ensure a balanced and health athlete is to train the ones they're not already doing. The goal is long term progression, not short term goals. Don't scare them off by making it too hard. As long as you can get your athlete to do 10% more than they wanted to, or have before - then the workout was a win. Maintain this approach over extended periods of time, and the results will speak for themselves.
My SCHOOLS.FIT web-app of Resources
Check-0ut the full list of resources, with on demand workout videos, movement demos, workout builders and more coming soon on my web app I'm building specifically for educators, parents, and anyone who works with youth.
