Are You Maintaining Your Fitness Foundation?

If you've lived in Texas for even a short amount of time you've probably heard a commercial for foundation repair. The ground in Texas can be extremely hard and with summer droughts will contract as it dries up. Unless proper care is given to the foundation of a house, watering it, checking for cracks, checking for roots growing underneath, the chance is high that a foundation repair would be needed in the future.

As trainers we always talk about building a solid foundation for our clients, but how often do we revisit the foundation that was laid? Even as a personal trainer I have to get after myself at times when I find myself slipping into old/lazy patterns. If it can happen to trainers, it will definitely happen to clients. With my classes, I'll program a basic workout usually every month to two months so my clients can revisit those foundational movements. With my personal training clients it's usually every two to three months as they are getting a closer look during sessions.

As trainers our responsibility is to not only help our clients build a solid foundation, but to also ensure that foundation is looked after and maintained. How often do we get comfortable with client and our programming and let sloppy form, skipping warmups/cool downs happen? The same can be said about checking in on our clients diets and eating habits. We must ensure we are following up with our clients so that they can maintain the foundation that was laid when they first started with us. That will not only ensure future success, but will also help slow down any potential setbacks in their progress.