When should you progress a client from corrective exercises to functional training?

1 Assess your client's goals

Before you plan any exercise program, you need to understand what your client wants to achieve, what their current fitness level is, and what their limitations are. For example, if your client is recovering from a shoulder injury and wants to return to playing tennis, you need to consider their pain level, range of motion, stability, and endurance. You also need to factor in their age, health history, and lifestyle. Based on these factors, you can set realistic and measurable goals for your client and choose the appropriate exercises to help them reach them.

3 Follow the evidence-based practice

Evidence-based practice is the integration of the best available research, your professional expertise, and your client's preferences and values. It means that you use the most reliable and relevant data to inform your decisions, but also tailor your interventions to your client's individual needs and preferences. For example, if the research shows that a certain corrective exercise is effective for improving shoulder mobility, but your client finds it boring or uncomfortable, you can look for alternatives that achieve the same outcome but suit your client better.

4 Progress gradually and safely

The ultimate goal of corrective exercises is to prepare your client for functional training, but that does not mean you should rush the process or skip steps. You need to ensure that your client has mastered the basic movement patterns, achieved optimal alignment and posture, and developed sufficient stability and mobility before introducing more complex and challenging exercises. You also need to monitor your client's response to the exercises, adjust the intensity, volume, and frequency as needed, and provide feedback and encouragement. Progression should be based on performance, not time.

5 Reassess and evaluate

The only way to know if your corrective exercises are working and if your client is ready for functional training is to reassess and evaluate their movement quality, pain level, and goal attainment. You can use the same screening tool that you used initially, such as the FMS, or other methods that are relevant to your client's goals, such as performance tests or subjective measures. You should compare the results with the baseline and look for improvements or changes. You should also ask your client for their feedback and satisfaction with the program.

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?