Exercise selection can be a minefield without a set of guiding principles to dictate what we start with and how we progress. The majority of people are already doing many of the “good” exercises – good being a very relative term as context is everything – but are not considering if they should be doing them at that time, or if they could be doing them better. It’s easy to say to someone that they need to improve their execution of an exercise, but often it’s not as simple as all that. Muscles are slaves to position (credit to Pat Davidson for instilling me with this idea), and 9 out of 10 times they’ll do the job we’re asking of them if we can ensure that our setup is conducive to allow them to perform their appropriate action.
If our initial set-up is off, it becomes exponentially harder to regain the correct position in which these muscles can perform their job and as a result, this potentially leaves a lot on the table. In fact, with a poor setup, we can actually make a problem worse by reinforcing a poor movement pattern that can take longer to unlearn.
“If your position is off at the start of a set, it’s unlikely that you’ll be targeting the muscles you’re hoping to as well as you could.”
So how do we ensure a set-up that helps us to increase the potential output of a muscle?
Exercise execution is massively contingent on individual ability and experience. If we take a beginner lifter, their ability to execute will be on the lower end of the spectrum, which means that stability needs to be increased to a greater degree to minimise unwanted “background noise” during a movement. Conversely, intermediate to advanced lifter usually requires less external stability to perform an exercise as they already have greater competency in execution and spatial awareness in the gym, though that’s not to say that they wouldn’t benefit from it depending on what the goal is.
This is where constraints come in. Constraints act as ‘safeguards’ to lower the likelihood that an exercise turns into a circus performance. What does this mean in practical terms? Well, a constraint could be a bench, an external support pad on a machine, the floor, the wall, a fixed machine pivot, external contact (holding someone), tempo, rest, etc.
Being able to feel muscles working, and perform movements that look biomechanically ‘good’, requires sensorimotor competency. Sensorimotor quite literally means to feel in motion. If muscles are slaves to position, strategic use of constraints to place joints and limbs into positions that increase their ability to contract is a win-win.
Okay. That’s all well and good, but how can I use this in my training?
Regardless of what equipment you train with, you can probably upgrade the execution of your exercises by using a few smart constraints. Already doing planks and push-ups? Try placing your feet and heels against a wall and apply some pressure to the wall and see what that does to your core. Bonus points if you place a towel or a gym mat only under the heels while they’re against the wall. Bench pressing with your feet behind your knees on the floor and you keep getting a cramp in your back, and your hip flexors feel tight? Move your feet forward in front of the knees or place a step under them to create more plantarflexion at the ankle and see what that does for your pressing.
These things can make a huge difference especially if you’re a beginner lifter because providing external sources of support gives feedback as to where tension should be felt. When starting training, machines are a great tool to have at your disposal because they often have a lot of constraints and restraints built in that minimise mess-ups, not to mention a fixed path. In the absence of machines, you can find other ways to add constraints to exercises to allow you to execute more proficiently, which will then also leave room for progression down the line.
In this case, progression doesn’t simply mean adding more reps and more sets at a heavier weight, especially if the equipment is limited. It can also be in the form of increasing the range of motion, adding in pauses at either end range of a movement, or reducing constraints in favour of more challenging variations. Below is an example of how a movement could be progressed after 4-8 weeks by removing a constraint:
DB Floor Press
Constraint: The floor (which places the pelvis in a more neutral position, gives more reference to the lower back for stability, places feet in a more plantarflexed position, and limits the range of motion at the shoulder)
Progression: DB Bench Press (a more challenging variation due to the increased range of motion at the shoulder and provides less external stability due to a narrower base of support)
The first 4-8 weeks would see an improvement in execution as the Floor Press is placing the body in positions that allow for smoother reps, while simultaneously allowing for load increases with good technique. When progressing to a DB Bench Press, the overall load could be reduced in the first couple of weeks as the more technically demanding exercise and increased range of motion would provide a larger stimulus, and by this point, sensorimotor competency will have improved to the point that tension is felt in the right places.
Some takeaway points to finish off.
Constraints are a tool like any other and should be treated as such. Just because in some cases they can provide more sensory feedback doesn’t mean that they should be used for every exercise all the time. With goals that involve the accruing of a lot of muscle mass or powerlifting, too much sensory feedback can sometimes be a counter-productive thing, though it can be highly useful as a teaching tool to when trying to teach someone movement competency. As with any tool, a constraint should be treated as an extra arrow in the quiver to be used when it becomes useful or necessary.
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