Achieving Foundational Strength

In various health and fitness articles, achieving foundational strength is often emphasized. Enthusiasts and those who frequent the gym to improve and/or maintain their physical fitness are reminded and guided to perform foundational exercises to get them stronger.

“The foundational movements of an exercise program are the most basic movements you perform, but they're often parts of more complex movements or exercises too. Learning how to do these basic movements correctly can help prevent injuries and enable you to do more advanced movements as you get stronger.”

We are also told that “foundational weight training exercises serve as the basis for more advanced and challenging routines — mastering them will help you build strength and power, becoming the strongest, best version of yourself.”

Based on the guidance and instructions of fitness trainers, it is quite clear that going back and doing basic exercises is how we improve foundational strength. Trainers, coaches and mentors are actually have lamented the tendency or trainees and athletes to forget the basics, and fall prey to suddenly jumping into advanced exercises and gimmickry.

Go back to the basics, they say. Build your foundational strength, they say. And how do we achieve this? First, ensure mobility.

According to fitness gurus, “mobility should be a staple in everyone’s program. Continually working to improve/maintain mobility will keep muscles and joints healthy and keep you training pain free.”

Second, strive for structural balance. It has been correctly observed that “one of the most common reasons for injury and pain is structural imbalance. x x x It is important that in the early stages of your training you set about correcting these imbalances.”

Third, develop stability. Stability in physical fitness parlance normally refers creating a solid position. Indeed, “whether you are squatting, dead-lifting or benching you are trying to create as much tension throughout your body so that you can hold a solid position under the load of the lift.”

In fine, mobility, developing structural balance and stability play a key role in achieving foundational strength and physical fitness. But come to think of it, the same principles and learnings can actually and equally be applied towards achieving a healthy Rotary Club.