What are the signs that your client is ready for advanced exercises?

1 Assess your client's movement

Before you introduce any advanced exercises, you need to assess your client's movement quality and identify any limitations or dysfunctions. One of the best tools for this is the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), a standardized system that evaluates seven fundamental movement patterns and their related joints and muscles. The SFMA helps you pinpoint the root cause of your client's pain or movement impairment and design a corrective exercise program to address it. If your client can perform all the SFMA movement patterns without pain or compensation, they are likely ready for advanced functional training.

2 Monitor your client's performance

Another sign that your client is ready for advanced exercises is their performance level and progress. You can use various metrics to measure your client's performance, such as strength, power, speed, endurance, agility, balance, coordination, and flexibility. You can also use functional tests, such as the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), the Y Balance Test, or the High-Intensity Interval Test (HIIT), to evaluate your client's functional fitness and readiness for high-intensity training. If your client can consistently achieve or exceed their performance goals and show improvement in their functional tests, they are likely ready for advanced functional training.

3 Challenge your client's stability

One of the key components of advanced functional training is stability, which is the ability to maintain control and alignment of your body segments during movement. Stability is essential for preventing injuries, enhancing movement efficiency, and transferring force. To challenge your client's stability, you can use various methods, such as unstable surfaces, external perturbations, asymmetrical loads, or multiplanar movements. If your client can demonstrate good stability and posture under these conditions, they are likely ready for advanced functional training.

4 Vary your client's complexity

Another way to progress your client to advanced functional training is to vary the complexity of their exercises. Complexity refers to the cognitive and motor demands of a task, such as the number of joints involved, the speed of movement, the sequence of actions, or the environmental cues. To increase the complexity of your client's exercises, you can use various strategies, such as combining movements, changing directions, adding transitions, or incorporating reaction time. If your client can perform complex exercises with accuracy, fluidity, and confidence, they are likely ready for advanced functional training.

5 Respect your client's individuality

Finally, remember that every client is different and has their own goals, preferences, abilities, and limitations. Therefore, you need to respect your client's individuality and tailor your advanced functional training program to their specific needs and wants. You also need to communicate with your client and get their feedback and consent before introducing any advanced exercises. If your client is motivated, engaged, and satisfied with their advanced functional training program, they are likely ready for it and will benefit from it.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?