Six points to ponder when you train, Dr. Ed Thomas

Post date: Mar 5, 2016 5:04:07 PM

“Train to develop joint integrity, joint mobility and movement efficiency through progression, variety and precision of movement.”-- Dr. Ed Thomas

General Exercise Guidelines

• • Begin slowly, work at own pace, concentrate on proper form.

  • If you feel discomfort, cease the activity immediately.

Purpose

• • You must have a reason for every exercise you include in training. It must fulfill a purpose.

    1. Templates allow us to incorporate variety while staying focused on the purpose. Every exercise chosen needs to fill a bucket.

  • Six Points (First three relate to purpose. Second three relate to means.)

• • 1. Joint Integrity

       1. The body is one piece. The entire body performs the movement.

       2. Alignment matters: the entire body benefits from good movement, the entire body suffers from poor movement.

       3. Training should help put the body back into good alignment, not take us out of alignment.

       4. Training means nothing if you don’t breathe, sit, stand and move with proper alignment.

    2. Mobility

• • • 1. If everything is where it belongs, you can begin to move through full ranges of motion.

• • 3. Efficiency

• • • 1. Motor Control. The connection between the brain and the body.

         1. Work to clean up and strengthen the messages back and forth between the brain and the body

         2. Strive to perform movements with maximum efficiency and minimum effort = graceful movement

• • 4. Progression

• • • 1. Slow it down. Build your own ramp. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Strive for mastery of basics before you move to harder movements or heavier apparatus.

• • 5. Variety

• • • 1. Sample from the complete spectrum of the human movement families.

• • 6. Precision

• • • 1. Mastery can only be earned through deep focused practice: Attention to detail and focus on principled, exacting movement.

      2. Practice daily and strive to perform the movements more efficiently each time you practice. Consistency is the secret sauce.