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The Pre-Flight Checklist: Mastering The Minimal

The Pre-Flight Checklist: Mastering The Minimal

Movement is Essential, Exercise is Optional.

What does that mean?

When all else is equal, those who can manage Ground Reaction Forces optimally Feel, Move, and Perform Better. In other words:

Movement Minimums are Essential, Exercise Maximums are Optional.

Gravity and biological processes are constants within our lives. You can do many things in terms of nutrition and lifestyle that can speed up those finite biological processes or slow them down. In order to be durable and able to move and experience this physical world comfortably you require a minimal level of health and fitness ability. If long-term health, fitness, and quality of life are a concern, try a long-term “sustainable” view. Perhaps rather than moving harder and exercising more, you may consider economy.

The Minimal Effective Dose:
The Minimal Effective Dose (MED) is defined simply: the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome.

In everyday life we instinctively understand that anything beyond the MED is wasteful. For example- to boil water, the MED is 212°F (100°C) at standard air pressure. Boiled is boiled. Higher temperatures will not make it “more boiled.” Higher temperatures just consume more resources that could be used for something else more productive.

In the field of Performance Training we look at Minimal Effective Dose  as it relates to load, speed, FORCE, complexity, volume, and frequency. At UpRight Movement, we carefully consider precise “dosing” of both exercise and nutrition for all of our clients.

  • Roughly 80% of your improvements can be attributed to 20% of your efforts.
  • Manage efficient movements for maximum benefit, while balancing vital resources to elicit Regeneration and Adaptation = Better Life Performance.
  • Result: Greatest Return On Investment

Think about that old saying: “learn to walk before you run.” After a long lay-off from regular activity, many people may try to start out with running as a first exercise without considering the basic movement foundation essential for proper form and injury prevention. As a result, joint pain, knee injuries, plantar fasciitis and pre-workout NSAIDs use are becoming more and more common. Instead of setting yourself up for further inactivity due to preventable injury, consider working with Upright Movement to conduct a “pre-flight checklist” of movement and performance abilities.

At UpRight Movement we view the following movement skills as the foundation of Human Movement and Performance:

Fundamental: Breathing, Gripping, Head-Eye Tracking, Reaching, Leg Raising, Supine, Rolling, Prone, Hip Flexion/Extension, Short Foot Posture.

Transitional: Quadruped, Rotary Stability, Trunk Stability, Crawling, Half Kneeling, Full Kneeling.

Functional: Lunging, Stepping, Squatting, Carrying, Gait, Skipping, Running, Deceleration, Acceleration, Jumping, and Hopping.

To get the most out of your exercise, think of UpRight Movement’s Training Phases, Developmental Goals, and Regeneration Guidelines when considering your level of exercise readiness. The minimums will be with us much longer throughout our lives, as they are the foundation of higher-demand physical activities. We are more likely to be able to walk 3 MPH than be able to run a 6 min. mile when we are ninety years old.

UpRight Movement is on a mission to help change lives for the better. We provide athletic education for everyone with a focus on pain-free movement and health. We are dedicated to providing post-rehab, injury reduction, and performance training for people who live life to the fullest. Major focus is placed on decreasing injury risk and enhancing performance for life.