In previous blogs we discussed the steps needed to develop successful corrective exercise programs. We learned how to identify musculoskeletal imbalances, how to identify which muscles and other soft-tissue structures are causing or contributing to these imbalances, and how to decide which types of corrective exercises are best for targeting these issues.
The next step in the process involves selecting the specific corrective exercises that will prove most successful for each client’s condition.
The Problem with Standard Exercises
A common mistake professionals make is assuming that one specific stretch or move works for everyone with a similar symptom or complaint. For example, if a client has lower back pain or tightness, many trainers immediately recommend a stretch for the lower back. But if that client also has an underlying injury, musculoskeletal imbalances or restrictions, then a standard lower back stretch might actually cause them more harm than good.
To be effective, a corrective exercise specialist must move beyond a limited corrective exercise repertoire or short list of techniques and develop a comprehensive library of progressions, regressions, and alternatives to ensure they can modify and adapt their programs to meet the needs of the individual.
The Anatomy of a Corrective Exercise
When building a library of corrective exercises, every movement should be categorized by its objective of how it relates to the client’s underlying imbalances and program requirements. A comprehensive corrective exercise library isn’t just a list of movements; it is a system of exercises that involves consideration of many important variables:
- Modality: Is this a self-myofascial release (SMR) technique using a foam roller, a passive stretch, or an eccentric strengthening move?
- Imbalance(s): Which identified musculoskeletal issues are being targeted with this exercise?
- Target Structure(s): Which specific structure or group of muscles are being addressed?
- Performance: How is this exercise performed and how do I communicate these movements effectively to a client?
- Benefits: What are the functional benefits of this exercise from both my perspective and the client’s?
- Regressions: If the client experiences guarding (the nervous system tightening up to protect a joint), how do you simplify the move to keep them safe?
- Progressions: Once the client gains control, how do you add load or complexity without losing the benefit of this exercise?
Precision Teaching: What to Look For
Teaching corrective exercises requires a different eye than traditional personal training. Instead of looking for “max effort,” you are looking for integrity of movement. For example, if you are coaching a calf stretch to address overpronation, you aren’t just looking at the lower leg. You are watching the position of the foot, the alignment of the knee, and ensuring the pelvis hasn’t tilted forward to cheat the range of motion.
Knowledge as a Resource
In the professional world, your value is tied to your ability to provide solutions when the obvious path fails. Having a wide-ranging library of corrective options allows you to pivot instantly during a session. If a client finds a certain position painful or awkward, you don’t have to abandon the goal; you simply reach for a different tool in the library that achieves the same outcome.
This level of detail is why The Complete Corrective Exercise Library exists as a standalone education pillar and also the fourth module in The BioMechanics Method CES certification. It provides the step-by-step video demonstrations, exercise instructions and cueing nuances needed to ensure that the exercise phases of your client’s corrective exercise program are executed with absolute precision.
Completing the Process
From this blog, and the first three blogs in this series, you now understand that effective corrective programming involves knowing how to assess the imbalance, identify the muscles involved, and select and sequence exercises to build corrective exercise sessions.
In the final blog of this series, we will explore how to build complete corrective exercise programs, where we turn these individual tools into a cohesive long-term plan that helps clients move out of pain and back to those activities they love.
