As a beginner, the first goal of physical training is to get into a regular rhythm of exercise where we train regularly and do not miss sessions due to lack of motivation or will power e.g. we train even when we do not feel like training in order to push towards a goal that is greater than our temporary mental state.

 

Once we have mastered this (Well done if you have!) then we need to understand that most of our daily life is spent in a sedentary environment (office, lounge room at home etc…) which we need to counteract. To do so we all need to introduce a daily movement practice in to our lives’.

 

Realistically, you can do something EVERYDAY that can contribute towards your physical goals. This does not mean that we need to flog ourselves each day in an intense training session, but we can definitely commit to some form of movement that will benefit us and take us towards our overall goal.

 

What I aim to do in this article is to introduce a concept of Daily Movement into your thought process. A process which, when adopted, changes the rate at which you achieve results forever.

 

The key here is to switch your thinking from “I need to train each week” to “I need to move everyday” – you can do this by realizing that:

 

  • Not all sessions require intensity:

    Training sessions should not be designed with the sole purpose to fatigue your body. You should aim to stimulate your body, not just to create a sense of fatigue. Yes, you may have a hard session one day but you can back that up with a skill based session like a handstand practice the next day. You should not be training to fatigue yourself every day.

 

  • Movement is Diverse:

    Yes, some movements should only be performed sometimes, like deadlifts, but there are a lot of movements that can be performed daily such as mobility based exercises or Handstands. The key is to have a diverse range of movements you can perform daily that are a mixture of strength, skill, mobility and any other disciplines that fit within your current goal praxis.

 

  • Daily Movement = Results:

    When you incorporate movement EVERYDAY results come so quick that you won’t be able to think of new goals fast enough! The difference in development that comes with training everyday vs. a couple of times per week is enormous. I would even go as far as to say that if you are trying to perform skill based movements like many movements in gymnastics (e.g Front Lever, Planche, L-Sit) it would almost be pointless to train them only 1 or 2 times per week as you will not see much progress at all.

 

Case Study: ME

Throughout 2016 for 12 months or so, I thought that practicing my handstands 2 x per week (after my gym sessions) would result in me being able to achieve a good handstand hold. This proved fruitless as I flopped and fumbled around without any reward for the whole year.

 

It was only in NOVEMBER 2016 that I decided that I was going to practice my Handstand DAILY and then after only 2 months I was pumping out 20-second holds consistently.

 

The great thing about Handstands are that they can be trained every day (they do not fatigue you as much as lifting weights for example). I was able to mix this into a daily movement program that would work on combinations of mobility, strength and endurance.

 

One day I would be working on things that were more strength based, followed by a day where I would work on mobility through the shoulders and upper back. Then I would work less intensive drills for longer periods of time to create endurance within the Handstand.

 

This meant I was never over fatigued or under stimulated throughout my daily handstand practice.

 

Above: My daily handstand practice

 

To Conclude:

 

This article is not trying to say that you need to spend 2 hours a day every day if you want a result in your physical training. Most of us do not have the time or the need to do this, unless you are a professional athlete.

 

Above: Sample Daily Movement Practice I have made for one of my clients

What it is trying to say is that WE NEED TO MOVE EVERY DAY in order to overcome our sedentary lifestyle and move closer to the goals we set for ourselves. For some things like gymnastics movements, twice a week just won’t cut it!

 

We can achieve this by having a mixture of daily movement options that are designed to stimulate our body by utilizing a mixture of mobility, strength, intensity, skill and any other discipline that you are looking to move toward.

 

The only thing left to ask now is are you going to make the switch from twice a week thrasher to a Daily Mover!

 

 

 

The following two tabs change content below.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Instagram profile

Michael Grogan

Michael is a Human Performance Coach based in Melbourne, Australia creating high performance human machines since 2009. Michael believes in building physical performance using gymnastic strength, advanced mobility and barbell strength & power. Building mental performance through constant challenge, goal setting and skill based activities. Building lifestyle performance through discipline and mental drive.