How do I know if I’m doing the exercises correctly if I’ve never trained before?

Starting any new skill can be quite daunting, especially in a setting like the gym. There are usually people everywhere, loads of very muscle-y people and sometimes limited access to the machines you want to use. There can be a level of stress that comes with stepping into this environment when you’re not used to it! I know, because I’ve been there!

I’ve put many hours of time and thought into addressing this concern for anyone starting their journey. Here are some points that should set your mind at ease:

1. Perfection kills progress. If you think you’ll be doing these exercises absolutely perfectly the first time you train - you are dreaming! This is not realistic. Like with any skill, learning to sew, cook, ride a bike - it takes PRACTICE! If you’re not quite in the right position - this is ACTUALLY a good thing - it means YOU’RE DOING IT, and YOU’VE GOT FEEDBACK about it! If you never tried, you’d never get the feedback to progress you through to the next step.

   If we continue to have unrealistic expectations of ourselves - we are going no where fast. As someone who has had absolutely no strength, pain & tightness, moving in all the wrong positions, doing everything upside down inside out, with terrible technique, in the wrong quantities without the right support - I STILL say that the workout you DID is better than the one you didn’t do because you were not doing it “perfectly”.

   Furthermore, I have designed these programs KNOWING that you won’t fit in all of the workouts every week necessarily! It’s the consistency of showing up for SOMETHING week in and week out that will yield results! The CONSISTENT program will win over the perfect program done inconsistently - every time!

2. Feedback not Failure. You’re worried about injuries, I totally get it! Being in agony with your body is not pleasant - trust me, I KNOW how this feels. But this is WHY you need to move and GET STRONGER! If you don’t get stronger - the cycle will continue, and aches, pains and niggles will likely potentiate!

   STRENGTH FLOW programs are designed KNOWING and UNDERSTANDING where you’re at. I have trained hundreds of clients in your shoes, so I know intimately what works, and what doesn’t work well.

   This experience has informed how I select exercises, and how I bring it all together. PLUS this is why you have access to me via the team chat, and opportunities to send through videos for form checks and questions.

   But let’s get one thing straight from the start - pain and niggles are PART of the process of training. There is no way around it.

   If your body hasn’t moved in a long time - there is going to be stuff trying to squeeze out of you when you start moving - it’s the body’s way of cleaning itself - and unfortunately, there may be some discomfort.

   BUT - these are FEEDBACK moments, not failure. They give us information to work WITH. The more I know, the more I can help you. If an exercise just doesn’t not work for you for any reason, we just swap it out for one that DOES! Can’t lean on your knees? No worries, we sit you on a bench. Can’t squat without knee pain at the moment? No worries, we give you a sit down stand up option on a chair. There is always something you CAN do - using this as an excuse and throwing the baby out with the bath water is the attitude that has landed most people in sedentary living in the first place.

   Getting feedback isn’t looked down upon. It is welcomed and encouraged. I still ask for feedback from my mentor all the time to progress - it’s absolutely INVALUABLE and TRANSFORMATIVE. If you currently don’t have the resources to seek one-on-one assistance from a trainer/physio/ex phys - how else are you going to solve this problem? Forward movement with the resources you currently have available is the recipe for long term success, in any pursuit!

3. 1. This program is also designed KNOWING you’re going to miss a workout here and there. If you think everyone who is fit doesn’t miss a workout now and then - you’re dreaming again! If you haven’t been surrounded by a lot of fit people in your life or gotten to KNOW them and ASK them about their journey, you probably wouldn’t know this about them - we feel exactly the same as you most of the time - we have just changed our habits and thinking to manage our response in a different way - THAT’S IT!

      Your progress won’t come to a halt if you miss a few. Even if you miss a week here and there - it’s all good. I provide resources in the team chat to work on your mindset around these matters, and practical activities to help you with your consistency and approach to training.

6. Of course I promote having excellent technique for your movements, but if I’m honest, this takes time to achieve for most people. It doesn’t mean they will get injured, or get “worse”. We just manage the load, and any feedback we get from our workouts (including tightness or pain in certain areas) and we troubleshoot it and DO something about it. It doesn’t mean you can’t train - it’s just useful feedback not a failure.

7. Feedback not Failure

1. DO something about it- whether it’s adjusting the weight or adjusting the setup. If you’ve never done exercise before or you’re relatively new, you probably don’t know that every movement can be adjusted to suit you - I promise!

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