When Has a Unique Training Method Significantly Improved a Client's Performance?
In the quest for peak performance, fitness professionals often employ innovative techniques to break through their clients' barriers. From a fitness expert's scapula training that enhances a climber's strength to a certified personal trainer's powerlifting routine aiding weight-loss goals, here are four unique training experiences shared by seasoned pros.
- Scapula Training Enhances Climber's Strength
- Volume Training Breaks Bench Press Plateaus
- HIIT Boosts Endurance and Fitness
- Powerlifting Routine Aids Weight-Loss Goals
Scapula Training Enhances Climber's Strength
Turning the spotlight on training the scapula marked a radical shift in my strategy for boosting upper-body strength and balance for my clients. I remember helping a climber, wrestling with shoulder pain and stamina for extended hanging-on-the-wall sessions.
We launched a unique scapula program, selecting particular exercises like scapular pull-ups, wall slides, and serratus anterior hits. Before many weeks had passed, he was seeing leaps and bounds in his rock-scaling process. He felt as if he had become one with the wall, standing his ground even when thoroughly drained from overhead descents.
This revelation emphasized the utmost importance of mastering scapular control for optimal utilization of the upper body—a commonly neglected factor. Ever since, I've added dedicated scapula exercises to every client's regimen, irrespective of what they aim to achieve with fitness. It's proven to be extremely beneficial for swimmers and baseball athletes—not forgetting those chained to their desks grappling with problems of posture.
Volume Training Breaks Bench Press Plateaus
I've repeatedly used this unique training method to significantly improve client performance, especially for those struggling with long-term plateaus in exercises like the bench press or dealing with recurring injuries.
For clients aiming to build strength, increasing training volume—while carefully managing fatigue—has been key. More experienced clients often need higher volumes to continue progressing, but this should be done incrementally to avoid overuse.
One effective strategy I use is to reduce the intensity of each set by staying 3-4 reps shy of failure. This reduction in intensity lowers fatigue, allowing us to reinvest energy into significantly increasing the training volume beyond what the client has ever been able to handle. The result? We're able to break through stubborn plateaus by achieving high training volumes at a lower fatigue cost.
This approach goes against the grain of what some trainers recommend, but the results have been consistently positive for my clients. Of course, this isn't a one-size-fits-all method, but often it can make a huge difference.
HIIT Boosts Endurance and Fitness
One unique training method that notably boosted a client's performance was incorporating high-intensity interval training (HIIT) into their routine. A client struggling with endurance and overall fitness saw remarkable improvements after we integrated short, intense bursts of exercise followed by brief rest periods. This approach enhanced their cardiovascular fitness and significantly increased their stamina and strength. The combination of varied exercises and intense intervals kept the workouts engaging and efficient, ultimately leading to better results and higher motivation.
Powerlifting Routine Aids Weight-Loss Goals
One of the most unique training methods I employ is a powerlifting-style routine for a client who wants to lose body fat. Powerlifting training is not unique in itself, but it's definitely unique within the weight-loss demographic.
This approach works best with Type-A clients; people who live stressful lives, eat 1,200 calories or less, and work out six days a week to achieve their fitness goals. One client in particular was doing all three of these on top of being a mother of five children and volunteering most days at a church. Her life was always on 'Go, go, go!' mode. And of course, she came to me wanting to decrease her body fat by 10%.
I bet most of my colleagues would go the intensity route: harder workouts, fewer calories, etc. I went the complete opposite with a powerlifting routine because her metabolism was way too slow to get any good results. To fix this, I reduced her workouts from six days to just three, reduced her reps from 20+ to just five with about three minutes of rest in between, and focused on strength more than anything.
The result? She was able to eat over 2,500 calories a day while maintaining her body weight. And in the process, she actually lost a couple percent of body fat. It wasn't long before we started a normal cut that allowed her to shred through the rest of her body fat goal.
Today, she's not only maintaining her body fat goal, but she's also working out half as much and eating almost twice as much as before.
