8 WAYS FOR EXERCISE SPECIALISTS TO IMPROVE TRAINING OUTCOMES
I recently read this great article by Wackerhage and Schoenfeld (2021) and decided to add some reflections based on our experiences at Qinematic, as well as the experiences of our customers. Our customers are all exercise specialists who use Moovmentpro 3D markerless motion capture to assess, design and monitor functional improvements using the S.M.A.R.T criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
1. Personalized Workouts
‘Personalized training plans are shown to be more effective because they are tailored to individual needs, goals, and fitness levels, leading to better adherence and outcomes’ (1). This is still debated today in medical circles – some saying that general exercise is fine for improving physical and mental health. But these studies are not really focussed on achieving specific goals. They are primarily focussed on pain reduction and mental health changes due to the undeniable positive effects of physical activity on mood and in pain modulation.
A properly constructed ‘training plan is a complex mix of many interventions that often change over time due to periodization. In contrast to a “drug or no drug” decision in medicine, it is virtually impossible to base all the underlying decisions on scientific evidence’ (1). This is not because single interventions do not work, it is because it is hard to study things that involve many variables.
Therefore, ‘an alternative to a fully evidence-based approach is an evidence-informed approach where only some training plan decisions are based on the currently best available evidence’ (1).
When it comes to function, evidence-informed assessments, and a set of evidence-informed interventions are often the best we can do to make decisions on behalf of health seekers. The assessment should be objective, and the interventions selected based on scientific merit or first principle thinking.
If the personal trainer next door cannot perform the same assessment, in the same way, and get the same result, then the assessment is not likely to be objective nor informed by evidence.
If the personal trainer next door does not choose the same or similar intervention/training for the same person with the same goals or expected functional outcomes, then the trainer (and/or the intervention) is not likely to be informed by evidence.
One might like to think that workouts are personalised for the recipient, but often they are personalised for the trainer. We have seen trainers and physical therapists fall back on their favourite exercises, even though the assessment results suggest otherwise.
2. Expert Guidance
‘Professional guidance ensures exercises are performed correctly and safely, reducing the risk of injury and improving overall effectiveness’ (1).
Dr. YouTube is a trap for the uninitiated in the training world. Everyone is an expert these days because they can publish whatever they want, and consumers expect popular posts to be the magic bullet. This is not the S.M.A.R.T way to design or participate in a personalised training program.
There is a great rule of training – Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand (S.A.I.D). It says you need to know what you want/need and how to get there to get the best result, safely and in the shortest amount of time.
If you pay peanuts to a trainer, you will generally get a monkey giving you advice. Experts charge a premium because they have great tools, deep knowledge through expensive education and experience, and they know how to apply it.
3. Motivation and Accountability
The human body is a complex machine made of muscles, levers, and a very sophisticated motor control system that is essential for us to perform even the most basic tasks - like standing on one leg and walking. Measuring the mechanical part (biomechanics) is relatively easy compared to measuring, understanding, and modifying behaviour – that is a real can of worms!
‘The presence of a fitness coach significantly boosts motivation, commitment, and enjoyment of exercise, leading to better long-term adherence’ (2).
Self Determination Theory was given a lot of attention when Qinematic built the Moovment Pro application. We published this in one of our studies (4) about designing software for physiotherapy:
Korhonen, O., Väyrynen, K., Krautwald, T., Bilby, G., Broers, H. A. T., Giunti, G., & Isomursu, M. (2020). Data-Driven Personalization of a Physiotherapy Care Pathway: Case Study of Posture Scanning. JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies. https://doi.org/10.2196/18508
In another study (2) “goal setting” was found to be of greater importance in the initial training period (three months). Successful outcomes are related to the exerciser’s self-awareness of their needs (creating competence and agency) and the ability of the coach to prescribe exercises (based on knowledge and insight into the specific needs of an individual).
This study stated that ‘overall, competence, enjoyment, and exercise planning and prescription are the categories with the greatest predictive capacity for exercisers’ outcomes’.
So, if you want good outcomes, you need to perform baseline measures, show in/capabilities based on the measurements, educate the client to improve self-efficacy, measure the outcomes of the intervention, and then show the improvement to motivate the client (and the trainer!).
4. S.M.A.R.T - Goal Setting and Achievement
‘Setting specific, challenging goals is linked to higher performance and psychological benefits. Regular fitness center use is associated with higher goal achievement’ (1). Not everyone likes to train at the gym or with a club, but there is something to be said for having a very deliberate plan, having other people help you to stick to the plan, and doing so in an environment that lives and breathes training without distraction, and preferably with a physical or digital coach supervising.
I like the framework below (1) for illustrating the cascade of events in the S.M.A.R.T. approach. It all starts with identifying the individual needs and abilities of the person and the tasks they need to perform and then measuring their individual capacity. This ‘gap analysis’ is the best way to highlight the testing and monitoring that is needed. The tests themselves often become the monitoring tool, to see if interventions are working over time, and to guide any short-term modifications on the way to the long-term plan. Decisions informed by evidence are the best way to collect long-term evidence and accumulate learning for the client and the trainer, without self-fulfilling biases that perpetuate training myths (and there are many of those!)
ref: Wackerhage, H., Schoenfeld, B.J. Personalized, Evidence-Informed Training Plans and Exercise Prescriptions for Performance, Fitness and Health. Sports Med 51, 1805–1813 (2021).
5. Efficient Use of Time
‘Time-efficient training programs, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), provide significant health benefits in shorter durations compared to traditional endurance training (3)’.
Lack of time is among the more common excuses for not exercising!
‘Very short and frequent workout sessions can be a viable alternative for individuals reluctant to schedule longer training sessions’ (3). Even 15-minute sessions have some evidence for being a viable alternative to traditional programs. This is especially true for corrective exercise programs, where a little often is commonly recommended.
There do appear to be differences between upper and lower body demands, and between trained and untrained individuals. ‘When time is of the essence, untrained individuals should consider performing more weekly sets for the lower body musculature and restrict time spent on upper-body training. However, the required stimuli for upper-body muscles increase when people become more experienced, and trained individuals appear to achieve superior adaptations from three vs one set of training for both the upper and lower body muscles’ (3).
Regardless, ‘move it or lose it’ is the golden rule, and the loss happens quite quickly. ‘When training is discontinued, muscular gains are preserved for a relatively short period (i.e. < 3 weeks), but prolonged periods of detraining ultimately result in both strength loss and atrophy. However, it can be motivating to know that strength and muscle mass appear to be maintained by even small doses of training’ (3).
6. Adaptability
‘Adaptable training programs that evolve with the individual’s progress ensure continuous improvement and prevent plateaus’ (1).
However, adaptability is highly personalised. It can depend on genetics, age, gender, etc. This is one reason why frequent testing is necessary. Training plans can be modified on an individual basis according to measured outcomes along the way to the long-term goal. If we are not reaching the desired milestones, the training variables may need to be adapted. A poor outcome after 12-26 weeks of training should not come as a surprise to anyone. Especially when lack of time is the primary reason for not training – what A waste of 3-6 months!
7. Specialized Training
‘Specialized training programs for specific needs, such as injury rehabilitation or sport-specific performance, show significant improvements in targeted areas’ (1).
The S.A.I.D. principle is especially important when the demands of a task are very specific (eg. 100m Sprint or baseball pitching), and when a bodily function is compromised. In this case, it is even more important to seek Expert Guidance (Item 2 on the list) for task evaluation, functional capacity testing, and exercise prescription. For this process to be evidence-informed or evidence-based, task evaluation and functional testing need to involve objective measurement. The outcomes of the exercise prescription need to be evaluated periodically, and short-term plans modified accordingly.
8. Long-term Success
‘Personal training fosters long-term success by instilling healthy habits and providing the tools needed for independent fitness maintenance’ (1).
Healthy habits develop over time – they are not overnight. Habit forming starts with self-awareness, and then a commitment. It is easier to commit to reaching tangible goals by performing tangible actions than being vague and doing things ‘because someone told me so’.
Motivation theory makes it clear that participants are more engaged if they are well-informed and have a series of reachable short-term goals. Mount Everest is climbed one step at a time! And only a fool would climb it uninformed and without a leader.
Glenn Bilby
Exercise physiologist and physiotherapist
Founder of Qinematic (R) and Moovment (R) software suite
(1) Ref. Wackerhage, H., Schoenfeld, B.J. Personalized, Evidence-Informed Training Plans and Exercise Prescriptions for Performance, Fitness and Health. Sports Med 51, 1805–1813 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01495-w
(2) Braga-Pereira R, Furtado GE, Campos F, Sampaio AR, Teques P (2024) Impact of fitness coach behavior on exercise motivation, commitment, and enjoyment: A longitudinal study. PLoS ONE 19(12): e0310931. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310931
(3) Iversen, V.M., Norum, M., Schoenfeld, B.J. et al. No Time to Lift? Designing Time-Efficient Training Programs for Strength and Hypertrophy: A Narrative Review. Sports Med 51, 2079–2095 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01490-1
(4) Korhonen, O., Väyrynen, K., Krautwald, T., Bilby, G., Broers, H. A. T., Giunti, G., & Isomursu, M. (2020). Data-Driven Personalization of a Physiotherapy Care Pathway: Case Study of Posture Scanning. JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies. https://doi.org/10.2196/18508
Interested in human movement, exercise prescription, and biomechanics? Take a look at our Moovment Academy tutorials. These tutorials are available with the Moovment software subscription.
People who move well are more successful at achieving their goals!