Carrie Underwood’s Workout…is NOT your Workout!
3 Reasons Why Carrie Underwood’s Workout Isn’t “Your” Workout
I recently came across an article titled “Yes, You Can Do Carrie Underwood’s Exact Leg Workout”, on Yahoo’s homepage. Yes, I’m an old man and still use a Yahoo email. But being a fitness professional, it peaked my fancy, and I clicked on it. The title made me skeptical since I believe in tailoring training programs to each individual’s specific needs and training experience.
And my skepticism came to light. The article is on E! news website, and a reporter from E! was interviewing Carrie Underwood’s fitness coach. I’m sure she’s great at what she does and is very successful, but I question her motive of using this platform with a title like that. And sure enough, at the end of the article she was promoting her own fitness app with parts of Carrie Underwood’s training regime. I’m a firm believer that every “body’s” different. The way each of our bodies is structured leads to different movement capabilities. So yes, it may seem awesome to see that you can do Carrie Underwood’s workout, but here are…
3 main things to consider first:
1. Fitness Level and Training History
I rank this as my number one because it is the main thing I think about when tailoring a fitness program. There’s a huge difference between being sedentary, being moderately active, and being extremely active. When designing a program, my knowledge of a person’s fitness level and training experience is crucial to making decisions on exercise selection, intensity, and proper progressions in order to attain that individual’s health and fitness goals. So, before you grab a set of 25 lb. dumbbells and mimic Carrie Underwood’s squats and lunges, consider she is a celebrity and training is part of her job, while you are coming off balancing your own job, family, stress, and other factors to make training part of your life.
2. Injury History and Movement Limitations
Imagine opening a fitness app for the first time, excited and motivated to get started, and the first movement is a dumbbell walking lunge. You try it and instantly collapse because of knee and low back pain. Now you are discouraged you can’t perform the movement and even worse yet, get injured. Knowing your own injury history and movement limitations is key to what exercises to perform. At FE, we are firm believers that everyone should be able to perform the 6 Foundational Movements (squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull, carry), but most importantly perform them effectively and pain free. If you are not efficient at them, we need to find out why, and it’s probably one of, or a combination of these 3 things: lack of strength, lack of stability, or lack of mobility. If you feel pain, we need to identify the pain and modify the movement to be able to do it pain free. These 6 movements are critical to daily living, so it’s important to find ways to modify the movement and not just dismiss and ignore it.
3. Goals and Lifestyle
Ok, I cheated and included two factors in #3. But both are important in designing a proper training program. Goals are key because a person looking for strictly weight loss and a person looking for strictly strength and power gain will have different programs and progressions (of course, nutrition is also key in attaining these goals). Lifestyle and time considerations are also important. I always ask clients who are deciding how many times a week they should strength train, and what they can consistently commit to training. If an individual optimistically says they can strength train 4 times a week, but realistically, they are only doing 2 times a week, the program I designed for 4 times a week is not going to work as well as if I designed a program for 2 times a week. So, consider your own goals and time commitment in order to have a successful training routine.
One of the coolest things I see at FE, is seeing a new client coming off years of being sedentary. They come looking just to improve their overall health and fitness, lose weight, and just being able to move better. They work hard and commit to their training. After several months of strength training 2 times a week, with daily walking, they see their bodies and energy levels change, and their goals change as well. Now, they look to gain more strength, increase skeletal muscle mass, and be more athletic and train 3-4 times per week. And it all starts with tailoring a training program for your own needs and goals, not from trying to mimic Carrie Underwood.
Need help in creating a training program for you? We’re here. And remember… GIVE YOUR
BODY WHAT IT NEEDS, WHEN IT NEEDS IT!
Tony Muyco III, CSCS, PPSC, PPSC*KB, CFSC
Functional Elements Training and Nutrition
TRAIN FOR LIFE
(c) 314.518.4875
http://www.functionalelements.net
If you need a kickstart to get your fitness, nutrition and recovery program properly synched, we can help. It's what we do. Check out our 14-day 360° to get you motivated, educated and aligned with the very best Functional Elements Training & Nutrition has to offer over a period of just 14 days.
