Pete RohlederHey movers! Welcome back to the show, and thanks for joining me today.
It’s episode #9 today! I’ve been so excited to start this next phase of my podcast episodes because we are going to start pulling everything together and start chatting about big concepts and topics that make significant improvements to your movement quality, health, and fitness goals.
For the exercise professionals listening, it will up your game to the next level.
To be honest, I was also a bit overwhelmed. I have so many topics I want to talk about, and I didn’t know where to go next. I knew I wanted to set the foundation with principles of movement, so that kept me on the straight and narrow.
And I’m glad I did because it’s vital to grasp for optimal development, but now, it’s time to build on it, and there are so many places I want to go! This is where we start discussing all the things that enhance outcomes and put purpose in what we do.
Now, I’m adding more hands-on topics. Of course, it will be science-backed, and I’ll discuss the “why” behind what we do because, as you know, I believe that the best changes and improvements, we must have a specific purpose behind everything we do.
Some of the specifics I’m adding include improving technique, fixing movement issues, addressing ways to move better, and maximize your specific results. On Instagram, I’ll be posting movement sequences to improve mobility and enhance the quality of your movement patterns, so be on the lookout for that.
In a nutshell, it’s time to focus on methods to add purpose to your training and take ownership of your health, fitness, and life.
It’s an exciting shift, and I’m so ready for this next phase. But before I do, I want to discuss two major concepts I’d like you to consider from here on out, that can take your results and life to the next level.
Let me start by telling you a story.
I started in this business as a personal trainer. I have incredibly fond memories of that time, and to this day, I think it’s fantastic. I still consult as a trainer, so it is very much in the fabric of my professional career. I took a lot of pride in my efforts as a trainer. I worked really hard and did my best to help my clients improve their fitness and achieve their goals.
And I did! I helped a lot of people, and I did a good job. The same goes for my fitness- I worked really hard and had good results.
The longer I trained, the more I started getting specific questions from my clients. The questions used to be like, “how can I lose weight?” or “what’s a good exercise for my chest?” But they started to evolve. Questions like, “why are my feet turning out when I squat?” or “why have my strength gains stalled?”
I found that my responses were surface at best- “you may have some weak muscles,” or “you’re not working hard enough or doing the right set and rep ranges.” It could be true, but it’s not really evaluating and addressing the possible issues. I was limited.
The same went for my training. I worked hard- harder than most- and got great results. I’d spend hours in the gym, six days a week, because I thought that’s what it took for great results. But I started asking myself similar questions that my clients asked. “Why aren’t these muscles developing as well?”. “Why do I seem to use my left side of my body more than the other?” “Why this?” “Why that?” And finally, “why is it taking so long to achieve my results?” It takes time to develop, but we’re talking months and months to see a little improvement.
What I realized is that I knew great workouts that provided great challenges and helped improve general development. But what I lacked was an in-depth understanding of how those workouts elicited changes, and how to precisely modify the physiology to enhance adaptation for everyone’s unique body and situation—even my own.
I thought hard work was enough. In short, my scope was very narrow. I wanted to help more people at higher levels, and I realized I had to invest in my knowledge base to provide more to my clients, and myself.
This leads to the second theme of this story. You see, a part of me was content. What I had and what I was doing was comfortable. Yeah, it could be better, but to do that, meant conflict, challenge, and inevitable struggle. And initially, I wasn’t ready.
You’ve heard the phrase, “ignorance is bliss,” and that was true for me, except I would change the wording to “choice ignorance is faux-bliss.” I was happy focusing on what I was good at and conveniently ignoring or making excuses for the things that needed improvement. It was okay until I stopped moving forward in my life.
Complacency only sufficed for so long, but I wanted more. I needed more. It took time, encouragement, and strength, but I had to step outside of my comfort zone to make a change. And it just wasn’t in one area.
I had to systematically address the things holding me back in all domains of life. I had to address my weaknesses and habits to grow. Thought it was trying and scary, I cannot tell you how enriching it was and has been for my personal growth.
So I pursued a graduate degree, better certifications, and more diverse clients with specific needs to challenge my development in the field. But it didn’t stop there. I found resources to help me deal with obstacles, cope with stress, and find ways to see life through a positive lens. The change in perspective helped me establish a mindset- one that influences everything I do.
This story leads us today, and the two major concepts I’ve adopted that have optimized my success and development. I call them The Know-How to How-To Sequence and The Movement Mindset.
The first: The Know-How to How-To Sequence
If you know me, or if you’ve listened to me for a bit now, you know my favorite two words: optimal and efficient. Hopefully, if any of you are or were one of my students, you rattled that off before I finished! What those two words mean is that you first understand a concept (The Know-How) and second, how to execute it and apply it appropriately to your unique physiological needs (The How-To). Why? Why is this so important?
BECAUSE MOVEMENT IS RELATIVE.
Yes, we all share common movement traits, but how we perform the movements is mitigated by several uniquely specific variables that influence our outcomes. If they aren’t appropriately addressed, we fall short of optimal development.
For example, let’s take a squat. If you were to teach it to someone, we all would share the same basic traits- get a good base, control the weight, stay tight, and forcefully stand up with it. There is nothing wrong with that. But from there, so many factors come into play.
What is the best stance for that person, and why?
What if they have muscle imbalance and cannot perform the exercise the way you described?
Where should the barbell be placed on the individual?
Should they use a barbell or switch to dumbbells at this point?
How does the person’s height and limb lengths affect the movement quality?
And so on.
You see, there’s More to Movement. There’s more to it than the exercises themselves. The exercises by themselves have great benefits, don’t get me wrong. You can still develop and improve in big ways, no doubt, so I don’t want you thinking I am dissing anyone posting or promoting great workouts. Not at all.
What I’m saying is that I’m in the business of making workouts work for you.
The goal is to get the absolute most out of your efforts, and that means teaching and modifying movements and exercises, and making them as effective as possible for you, based on you.
It takes insight and an ability to deduce from a set of factors what is needed and how to execute it efficiently.
This makes me think of Sherlock Holmes. (A quick shout out to my students, Lach and Tiffany, for chatting with me when I was hit with this analogy! I hope you’re listening to this one!) Sherlock Holmes can observe and evaluate a scenario and find the solution by connecting all the dots.
To optimize your efforts, you need to do the same to some degree. It means being observant, knowledgeable, and detail-oriented. You know, I was told recently that I am “too detailed oriented.” I know I can be a bit idealistic, but it also produces significant results. Call me too detailed all day- I know what I do and how I do it helps people improve and grow, so, sorry not sorry, I’m not going to change it.
Success Concept #1: The Know-How to How-To Sequence
Invest in the knowledge base that can maximize your success. Immerse yourself in it. Then, find a way to apply the concepts I present to fit your unique needs. Take the time to understand the topics and play around with it, so it works for you. If you’re struggling with that, reach out! That’s why I’m here, and I’d be ecstatic to answer your questions. I’m on Instagram at pete.rohleder.
The second: The Movement Mindset
With this approach comes another aspect that I will encourage you to consider daily. It’s a concept I introduced in Episode #1. It’s The Movement Mindset.
To reach your optimal potential, in whatever domain of life, Master the Movement Mindset.
This has become my motto, as well as the most prominent theme I encourage with my clients and students. The Movement Mindset is going to be a reoccurring theme because, without it, your efforts are likened to running on a hamster wheel: you’re putting in the effort, but you’re not really going anywhere. Not efficiently, anyways. The goal is to reach your fullest potential, and the best way to do it is to make sure that all your efforts move you somewhere. Get off the proverbial hamster wheel and hit the open road.
What is the Movement Mindset? In a word, it’s a lifestyle.
Meaning it isn’t a trend, or something you do until you reach your goals, but something that becomes a part of you, and you invest in throughout your life. It’s multilayered, with a focus on moving forward and avoiding stagnation.
Physically, that means aiming to progress in all aspects that contribute to improved movement and being proactive in addressing barriers in the way of your optimal development. Mentally, it’s a focus on working to view setbacks and obstacles as stepping stones to growth, embracing the challenge, and knowing that the struggle is what refines you.
How will I address the movement mindset? I’ll focus on three significant factors:
- Encourage you to work on adopting the pillars of movement success, including proper training, correcting movement problems, nutrition, recovery and mobility, and stress management
- Encourage you to create habits that revolve around movement awareness
- Encourage you to address roadblocks that hinder your physical and mental progress
Success Concept #2: Master the Movement Mindset
I hope that you realize that optimal results, in fitness and life, come from focused, efficient, and intentional effort to improve and that the movement mindset is a great tool to help you achieve your goals.
These success concepts are simple but not easy. It takes time to makes these changes, but they start one step at a time. Make a goal to implement one thing daily to challenge your status quo and take a step forward. Work to find the courage to confront the areas holding you back, and find excitement in the fact that every time you are proactive, you are improving. And that is the path to success and happiness.
So how are you taking action? What areas are you working to grow and improve? Is it your knowledge base on how to exercise? Is it your attention to details in areas you’ve neglected, like nutrition or mobility? Or is it a trait, like reducing excuses or being more attentive to details? Please share it with me! Here we’re a community of movers, and we can all encourage each other. I’d love to hear how you’re moving forward. Show me on Instagram! Leave a comment or tag me on a photo!
Thanks so much for listening to the episode! Next time, I’m jumping into my top 3 go-to movement assessments to pinpoint areas of improvement. These can be done anywhere and can quickly be performed and evaluated so you can start working on fixing those movement issues.
I am looking forward to it!
Thanks again, y’all. Take care of yourself, and remember, wherever you are, keep moving.
Pete Rohleder
