If you’ve been following us for any length of time, then you know we’re big on movement.
HUGE, actually.
We believe it’s a requirement for great health. Without it your body will suffer and break down.
With that said, not all movement was created equal.
All exercise has benefits. But the positive effects can differ depending on what you’re doing, from cardiovascular improvements, to strength improvements, etc.
Exercise can also contribute to imbalance, injury, and degeneration.
Repetitious movements, exercise containing complicated movements, or movements that are executed under a time constraint (where speed and number of reps are stressed) can cause imbalance and damage. Now, before I go to far, I don’t believe any of these exercises are inherently bad.
They become problematic when they are applied to a person who does not have a proper foundation to build on.
Let’s take crossfit for example. I don’t think crossfit is bad. In fact, it’s based on some rock-solid principles.
However, the average person going to a crossfit gym in Denver is someone who has spent all day sitting at a desk, or working their job from 9-5. When the day is over they hop on I-25, get to their box, and knock out a workout designed for olympic level athletes.
Typically, during these workouts, speed and increasing weight is encouraged. Even if this doesn’t happen, the environment is inherently competitive and causes the members to push themselves further than they normally would.
Again, nothing wrong with it, as long as you’ve trained your body to handle this type of force, and have started with a solid foundation.
The problem lies in the fact that most have not. For example, someone who woks 8-hours per day in an office will have gluteus muscles (butt muscles) that are turned off from sitting all day.
When they get to the gym and do their burpees, instead of relying on their glutes to do a majority of the work while popping up, they have to recruit other muscles. Muscles that aren’t ready to handle that kind of force and load. The next thing they know, they have excruciating back pain, and don’t know why. Or, the same exercise could cause a shoulder injury that keeps them out of the gym for a couple months.
I’m one to talk.
I played basketball through college. This sport requires more complex movements than any other sport I can think of.
Growing up I thought sports kept me healthy.
And, I guess in certain ways it did. But it also caused significatn damage and degeneration.
I was lucky enough never to suffer a major injury while playing. However, after all those years, I developed severe imbalances in my structural and muscular systems.
These problems have led to a torn labrum in my shoulder, as well as a bad knee.
The reason I’m sharing this story is to hopefully keep others from suffering through what I’ve had to deal with. Learn from me. Don’t learn the hard way.
It’s my belief that sports like basketball can still be played, safely. But you need to have a solid foundation before attempting them. Otherwise, injury is inevitable.
Which leads me into my interview with Muv Lab.
When I first arrived in Denver, I began a search for the best gym I could find.
I needed somewhere I could trust and recommend my own practice members visit.
With my background and ideas about movement, and what it takes to be healthy, this wasn’t an easy task. I looked at over 40+ gyms in Denver.
Finally, I stumbled upon Muv Lab.
The thing that caught my eye about this gym is their focus on 3 essentials:
1) Mobility (If you’d like a great resource to work on mobility at your home, check out: Mobility Wod)
2) Strength
3) Progression
All of these are key strategies for proper movement.
Most gyms I researched focus on strength and/or hypertrophy training. There are also some that focus on progression or mobility. But hardly any that have a strong focus on all three.
Side note: There is a difference between strength training and hypertrophy training. Strength training focuses on generating more force over time, in a functional way. The goal isn’t necessarily to grow more muscles mass, however the training typically does.
On the flip side, hypertrophy training is meant to build bigger muscles. That’s it.
The reason I don’t focus on hypertrophy training is due to the likelihood of developing imbalances. If growing bigger muscles is the goal, typically function is sacrificed. Meaning, the body doesn’t move as well as it once did, due to the enormous muscle mass, or imbalances created by the training.
In order to have a balanced body that functions at the highest level, I believe we need to incorporate all three of these strategies into our workouts.
Muv Lab meets you where you’re at and doesn’t just plug you into their system.
The trainers know what they’re doing and make sure to give you what you need, rather than pushing you to do more than you should.
The classes are not competitions. You’re encouraged throughout the workout, but not forced to move out of your comfort zone, or push through pain.
Many of the workouts don’t require weights at all. This is important to note. Strength doesn’t require a significant amount of weight to build.
Different exercises, using only body weight can be just as effective as an exercise involving dumbbells, or kettlebells.
Finally, they have programs set up to train in a traditional one-on-one format, or in a group setting. I find there are advantages to both. It depends on the person and their goals/history.
Muv Lab was built for the people looking to improve their health and function in a safe and effective way, with the added bonus of working out in an engaging environment.
If you are a professional in the Denver Tech Center, or an someone looking to improve your movement, this may be the perfect situation for you.
Make sure you check out Muv Lab.
It gets the Prime Chiropractic stamp of approval!
The other day, I did an interview with Jared and Ryan from Muv Lab. We talked about their approach, some of the common injuries they see, and what goals people should expect to hit once starting at the gym.
Check it out…
