“Am I doing this right….?”

In what context and for what purpose? Is your motivation fat loss, injury rehabilitation, to build a more positive relationship with food and exercise?

Once you have decided what you are trying to achieve, you can then hone your personal method on how to get there.

There is no one exercise, method or movement which is perfect for everyone. We are all wonderfully different.. Long legs, Short legs (That’s me sadly..), Short torso, broad shoulders, wider pelvis, flat feet… the list goes on.

Logic would then dictate, we should not prescribe the same exercises for everyone, as this could never be optimal for everyone.

I was teaching my Pilates class recently and one of my lovely clients wailed.. “Everyone else is resting on their elbows and I want to rest on my palms.. Is this ok? Am I doing it right…?” I cheerfully responded with “Yes, you are doing it right for you.”

To have choices is wonderful.

It is such an important aspect of exercise/ movement which sadly lots of trainers/ coaches and exercisers seem not to pay proper attention. If the movement feels wrong, it is most likely wrong for you. This “ass to grass”, “no pain, no gain”, “If you aren’t going through the full range of movement, you are cheating” mentality drives me nuts, it is plain ignorant!

It doesn’t allow for natural deviations in bio mechanics, injuries or even personal taste.

A one size fits all gym workout doesn’t encourage the exerciser to understand or question if the exercise feels appropriate/ pain free or optimal for their specific goals.

On the positive side of things, there are usually a few tweaks to the exercises, which will make it “right” for you.

For instance, let’s take a Squat. You experience back and/ or knee pain when you squat with knees beneath your hips in parallel. This is super common. It may be you need to adopt a wider foot stance and push your butt back further, hinging or bending at the hip/ pelvis, rather than the knee.

It is not that you can’t squat, it is just you haven’t found your squat yet, OR… to further compound the confusion, it may be that squatting is just not for you, in which case there are a whole host of alternatives which will facilitate an excellent lower body workout!

When you open your mind to the notion, you are not doing it wrong, it just needs a little personal adaptation/ optimisation, movement and exercise become way more accessible.

Trust and have confidence in yourself. You are the boss of your body, you know it best and therefore are best qualified to decide what is “right”.

There are also so many variable circumstances to factor in when you are exercising. You may have had a horrid nights sleep, a rubbish day at work or have some family stress.

If this is the case, it is perfectly reasonable you feel less enthusiasm or fatigue sets in faster. Be kind to yourself and sensitive to your personal circumstances on any given day.

So next time you come across “The Perfect Summer Bikini Body Workout ….” Execute the instructions with an enquiring, open mind and don’t be afraid to go “off piste” if a little deviation feels better for you!