Tag: personal training

Functional Exercise and Natural Human Movement

Posted on by Michael Devon

When it comes to fitness, one of the most effective approaches to building strength, mobility, and resilience is functional exercise. Unlike traditional training that focuses on isolating muscles, functional exercise mimics the natural movements of daily life and ancestral human activity. Movements like walking, running, throwing, and lifting objects reflect our evolutionary design and ensure that our bodies perform optimally. Two fundamental aspects of this approach are the gait cycle and contralateral reciprocation, both of which are rooted in our natural biomechanics.

Functional exercise emphasizes training movements rather than muscles. It focuses on multi-joint, multi-plane motions that mirror the activities we perform in our daily lives. The benefits include improved coordination, balance, and strength while reducing the risk of injury.

This type of training is rooted in the premise that human movement evolved to navigate complex, natural environments. To understand its significance, let’s delve into two key elements that contribute to functional motion: the gait cycle and contralateral reciprocation.

The gait cycle refers to the sequence of movements that occur during walking or running. It’s a rhythmic, repetitive process that involves:

1. Foot Strike: The foot contacts the ground, initiating the cycle.

2. Midstance: The body balances over the supporting leg.

3. Push-Off: The foot pushes off, propelling the body forward.

4. Swing Phase: The opposite leg swings forward to repeat the process.

Functional exercises that align with the gait cycle build strength, stability, and mobility in the necessary muscles, while enhancing joint health and motor control in what you do naturally everyday.

This intent behind exercising, supports efficient movement patterns and protects against imbalances caused by sedentary lifestyles or improper training.

Contralateral reciprocation refers to the natural coordination of opposite limbs. For example, when you walk, your right leg swings forward as your left arm moves in tandem, creating balance and momentum. This cross-pattern movement is essential for efficient energy transfer and stability.

Functional exercises that incorporate contralateral patterns activate deep core muscles, improve coordination, and simulate real-world tasks. By training these patterns, you prepare your body to handle dynamic movements like running, climbing stairs, or even balancing while carrying groceries.

Why Train Natural Movements?

Modern life often limits our physical activity to repetitive, linear motions (e.g., sitting, typing, driving). Over time, this can lead to muscular imbalances, poor posture, and joint stiffness. Functional exercise rooted in natural movement helps to:

• Improve overall athleticism and resilience.

• Enhance mobility and joint stability.

• Prevent injuries by reinforcing balanced movement patterns.

• Foster a connection between mind and body for better proprioception (body awareness).

How to Incorporate Functional Exercises into Your Routine

1. Focus on Multi-Plane Movements: Incorporate exercises that move through all planes of motion (sagittal, frontal, and transverse).

2. Prioritize Core Stability: Exercises like planks and proper rotational movements build a strong foundation for all movement.

3. Train Unilaterally: Single-leg or single-arm exercises replicate real-world tasks and correct imbalances.

Functional exercise compliments natural human movement by aligning fitness goals with how our bodies were designed to move. Training with an emphasis on the gait cycle and contralateral reciprocation not only boosts strength and stability but also enhances your ability to navigate daily life with ease.

So, next time you step into the gym, think beyond isolated biceps curls or stationary machines. Instead, embrace exercises that flow with your body’s innate rhythms and help you move through life as nature intended.

The Biology of Movement: How Bipedalism Shapes Our Lives

Posted on by Michael Devon

Human movement is deeply rooted in our biology, particularly in our evolution as bipedal creatures. Walking on two legs—bipedalism—is a defining characteristic of humans, setting us apart from our primate ancestors and other animals. But what does this mean for our movement, and how does it impact our overall health?

Bipedalism evolved millions of years ago, offering early humans several advantages. By walking upright, our ancestors could cover long distances more efficiently, conserve energy, and free up their hands for tool use, carrying objects, and gesturing—key factors in our development as a species.

This shift also changed our skeletal structure, leading to the development of a unique spine curvature, a broader pelvis, and stronger leg muscles. These adaptations have made us incredibly efficient walkers and runners, capable of sustained physical activity that other species find challenging.

Despite our evolutionary advantages, modern lifestyles often clash with our biology. Our bodies are designed for movement, yet many of us spend hours each day sitting, which can lead to health issues like back pain, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Bipedalism is meant to keep us active, not sedentary.

Regular movement—whether walking, or more intense exercise—helps counteract the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. It engages the muscles and joints designed for movement, promoting better posture, balance, and overall physical health.

Embracing our bipedal nature has numerous health benefits. Moving regularly helps maintain a healthy weight, supports cardiovascular health, and strengthens bones and muscles. It also improves circulation, delivering oxygen and nutrients more efficiently throughout the body.

Beyond the physical, movement also positively impacts mental health. Physical activity reduces stress, anxiety, and depression, boosting mood and cognitive function. It’s a natural way to align with our biology and keep our minds sharp.

In essence, our biology as bipedal beings is a reminder that we are built to move. Whether it’s walking, running, or simply standing more throughout the day, embracing our natural movement patterns is crucial for maintaining our health and well-being.

So, listen to your body and move in ways that reflect your natural movement. Your biology is hardwired for it.

Hurting After Exercise Is Not Normal

Posted on by Michael Devon

It’s one of those days, you just finished a grueling workout at the gym and your joints are aching, your lower back is stiff, and your tendonitis is flared up.  Your workout buddies deal with the same aches and pains so you write it off as normal, just part of getting old, and what it takes to stay in shape.

We’re here to tell you that it is not normal, getting old doesn’t have to feel painful, and if you really were “in shape” your body wouldn’t be in a state of chronic aches and pains. Although all the above is commonly experienced by the majority of gym goers, it’s not supposed to be that way. In fact when you move correctly and your muscles contract properly you experience a state of wellbeing.

Imagine this; you just finished an intentional workout, your body is feeling light and springy, you feel a pump all over your body like your muscles are getting stronger, yet you feel like you just stretched out your entire body, your spine feels decompressed, and your shoulder and knees don’t hurt.

This is what your body should feel like after exercising, and it can once you learn how to use your muscles to move correctly. This is what our trainers teach; we don’t count reps, we make sure every rep counts. We train you to intentionally move your body against your default mechanics to override dysfunctional patterns and optimize your movement.

One thing is for sure, our training is not like what you see in the mainstream (maybe that’s why so many people are in pain) or like anything you’ve felt before. Come in and learn what you need to be feeling to fix your body, with our beginner friendly introductory session!

Exercise Less?!

Posted on by Michael Devon

Exercise can be bad when we go through the motions of our default movement patterns. We just pack on more muscle imbalance that causes a subconscious stress on our mental and physical state, affecting our physiology. Then we cope with drugs, alcohol, food, sex, whatever dopamine fix we need to temporarily feel better. We enter the cycle of trying to outwork our coping behavior and beating our body up in the process, but we can only do that for so long until we feel “old” because our habits caught up with us.

Taking a few steps back to heal our body with intentional movement might not feel or look like society’s idea of exercise but it starts to retrain our brain and body to function better, promoting muscle mass that is symmetrical and “balanced” to help us respond to stress better. Then when our muscles are in balance we’re consciously and subconsciously able to handle stress more efficiently- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, etc. and then we don’t feel the need to cope. Then it comes time to break out of the habits that we developed from coping that we no longer need.

This behavior change is painful and uncomfortable but time well spent and can start seeing changes in weeks for little things, months for some bigger things, and sometimes years for habits we’ve built over our entire lives. This is the change that helps our physical health- from muscle strength, weight loss/ weight maintenance, hormone balance- which in turn helps our mental health like anxiety, mood, depression, and the ability to not have to cope the way we used to. And when we do need to cope we are able to be more aware of what we’re doing and why, and maybe not even coping the same way we did in the past because our stress response is improving.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise, as most doctors and so called fitness experts will tell you that you need to eat less and move more to stay healthy. But if you move wrong and use your muscles in a state of imbalance then all of the above cataclysm of events happen- and that’s not healthy. You need to understand more about your body in order to make sure you behave in a way that promotes health. When you’re over exercising and under eating for so long, your body’s hormones get thrown out of whack and it makes it a lot harder to lose weight and body fat. You end up spinning your wheels trying to lose weight or build muscle but you’re fighting an uphill battle, up  a water slide. When you learn to fix your muscle imbalances when you “exercise” instead of just going through the motions of various movements, you’ll be able to address the subconscious stress on your body- aligning your posture and your hormones. This equates to a healthier body inside and, most importantly, outside of the gym!

Contact our gym to learn how our team can help you start and sustain your journey to a healthier you!

Step Into Our Functional Gym

Posted on by Michael Devon

What makes our training different from other gyms is that we don’t let you go through the motions of an exercise, just to say that you exercised.

We prioritize your posture during an exercise to activate muscles that are normally dormant, to support your body in a way that it normally doesn’t get supported.

So no matter where you’re at physically, your body can benefit from this type of training because it’s low impact, corrective, and sustainable.

This lets you build a foundation to progress from, without pain!

Hows That Working For You?

Posted on by Michael Devon

When you work hard in the gym, you expect the exercises you do to carry over to the real world. In the form of strength, flexibility, stamina, energy, health, and overall fitness.

For the genetically gifted ones it does, but what about the average folks who do what they’re supposed to do and still fall short? Why are they busting their butts every day at the gym but still can’t lose weight, still have joints that hurt, still not feeling strong or mobile? To answer those questions you have to ask what they’re doing. Are they really doing the right things or just doing what everyone else is doing and expecting to get lucky with their results. Or are they doing what worked for an athlete that was already born with overall better muscles, minimal body fat, and naturally fit?

If you’re already born that way, this post isn’t for you- you can keep doing what you’re doing and succeed in spite of what might be wrong for others. If you’ve tried everything but still can’t make progress then read on.

Our trainers work to address principles of health and fitness that often get overlooked, not given any thought at all, or are sometimes too hard at first to want to learn. The fact is every body is unique and what works for one person might have to be taught completely different to another body. Another little valued fact is that every body has a similar blueprint for how muscles are designed to function. If you don’t follow this blueprint then it’s hard to make progress that is sustainable. If you do follow it (with slight modifications for your individual needs) then you’re able to achieve the strength, flexibility, and fitness that you’re working toward. You need to work smarter not harder.

If you’ve been chasing after health and fitness for years or even decades, look in the mirror and ask yourself… “how’s this working out for me?” You can’t keep doing the same thing (exercises, eating habits, sleep, recovery, etc.) and expecting different results.

Personalized Personal Training

Posted on by Michael Devon

How it started; how it’s going.

Started with numerous issues, most notably was scapular dysfunction that contributed to pain in the upper traps.

The first exercise is conditioning the muscles of the shoulder girdle & thoracic spine to integrate instead of putting all the demand on the traps.

The second exercise is reinforcing the corrective mechanics and putting those muscle connections to work during movement.

The result is a better connected body that can disperse force through the kinetic chain and balance the workload for the muscles.

As we continue to clean up dysfunctional movement patterns, moving correctly will train the body to operate efficiently and handle the demands of the real world without pain and injury.

Functional Strength Training

Posted on by Michael Devon

In most gyms you’ll see lifters moving weights up and down, but that leads to compression on your joints and spine.

In our gym, we prioritize lifting weights through a horizontal force to train the muscles to contract the way they do in the real world.

Weight lifting that you see in most gyms builds muscle through vertical forces, BUT your muscles don’t work like that.

Your muscles function through multiple forces and need to be capable of dispersing force horizontally and vertically to help your body move well through all planes of motion.

So before you pound out rep after rep of barbell squats or bench presses, recognize that your body doesn’t actually move like that on a regular basis.

To learn some functional alternatives check out the Functional Patterns Training System to set your body up for the world it lives in.

Come meet our team, we’re the only trainers in San Antonio who are FP Certified Human Biomechanics Specialists, ready to help you address your dysfunctions and move better!

Exercise for Life

Posted on by Michael Devon

We teach our clients to move intentionally to connect the upper body and lower body contralaterally. Bipedal contralateral movement is what developed our muscles, and why they function the way they do.

Modern times have made it difficult to keep our muscles functioning the way they were designed because we use the wrong lifting patterns when we exercise, we’re sedentary… and then we SIT on an exercise bike for “exercise”, we stretch the wrong way resulting in flaccid muscle tissue. All of these variables effect the way your body functions in real life.

In our gym we train your body to move the way your body naturally moves in life outside the gym. Simple looking, but not so easy to perform (correctly) when your body has been out of touch with these foundational movements. It takes time and repetition to reconnect your muscles and get them working optimally.

Why Do YOU Exercise?

Posted on by Michael Devon

Most people exercise to stay in shape, often not realizing what that actually means. Is staying in shape about looking good, or feeling good? That’s subjective.

To our trainers, “staying in shape” means feeling good. And the looks usually follow. That means understanding why we exercise. It shouldn’t be because you’re beating your body up to outwork negative behavior, like overeating, being sedentary, or managing stress. When you first address the behavior that’s causing you to feel the need to exercise you can then begin to use exercise as a tool to address your physical function.

While exercise is a good behavior, it can also be used to cope. Like having stress run your life and instead of turning to drugs you use exercise. However this can lead to wear and tear on your body if you don’t address what’s causing the stress to begin with, because you become an adrenaline junkie chasing after the endorphins from an intense workout. The intensity causes wear on your joints and you can’t sustain it. So now that you can’t workout like you used to in order to “manage” your stress, you turn to food for comfort. Exacerbating the problem, and never addressing the root cause.

If you decide to modify behavior and get to the root of stress and the way your body responds to it, you can de-stress without having to workout. And then you enter the rare state of using exercise as a way to improve your function, performance, strength, and mobility, all while fixing your joint pain, muscle aches, body stiffness, and old injuries. So exercise becomes a sustainable habit and builds your body up, instead of breaking it down.

Learn to fix your behavior that’s leading you to use exercise as a drug and you’ll solve a lot of the problems holding you back physically and mentally. Our team is here to help guide you through the process!

Check out www.FunctionalPatterns.com for more information.