FITNESS Firm foundations for fitness success

Firm foundations - Getting the basics right


Personal trainer
Paul O'Brien

We all know the story of the three little pigs. How the Big, Bad Wolf came and blew down two of their houses, built as they were from flimsy materials with no foundations. The third piggy, though, was a smarter chap: He built his house from bricks. I can’t remember if the story mentioned anything about foundations, but chances are third piggy laid some deep ones before laying down the bricks!
We can learn a lot about exercise and fitness from the third piggy. A solid foundation is vital to a progressive and sustainable exercise program. The problem is, we normally skip the foundation phase, or pay it too little heed.
A classic example of this is the New Year’s resolution. We resolve to get fit. Money is laid out and we’re off like a rocket, barrelling into whatever our chosen form of exercise is. The classic graph for exercise adherence follows a rapidly ascending curve in the early stages from a flat baseline. After four to six weeks, the curve straightens out and then takes a nose-dive. The freefall is caused by a number of factors – loss of motivation, injury, tedium, over-training, heavy schedules. These are all symptoms of the same problem – the lack of a firm foundation.
A foundation for exercise has three interlinked levels – physical, mental and emotional. In other words, a firm foundation is a harmonious integration of mind, body and spirit.

Physical level
Before embarking upon an exercise program, it’s a very good idea to have a check-up. A clean bill of health is the ideal start but your doctor may also contra-indicate some exercises for you. It’s also helpful to have your posture assessed by a qualified trainer. This will help identify any muscular imbalances and postural irregularities. You can then begin a program of corrective exercises for these.
Another good foundation for exercise is core training. The core muscles (muscles of the abdominals, lower back, gluteals and hip) are instrumental in promoting good posture, maintaining correct exercise form and in the transfer of power to the extremities.
Mental level
This concerns your focused attention on what you are exercising for. Being able to clear your mind and dedicate yourself wholly to your exercise, as well as to any other part of your life, is a key skill in determining your success. I will write in more depth about this aspect in a near-future article. For now, a meditative practice, helping to clear your mind, is a good place to start.

Emotional level
The building blocks of this part of your foundation are your inspiration and motivation. Motivation is the fuel that will keep you on track when the going gets tough.

NEXT WEEK Building a solid emotional foundation

Paul O’Brien is a Personal Trainer and Life Coach and runs his own fitness and coaching business in Westport. He is the founder of Bootcamp West, a fitness program running in Westport, Castlebar and Louisburgh. For information about fitness training, coaching, bootcamp programmes and new TRX classes, email Paul at paul@bootcampwest.com or call 086 1674515.