Are you doing the exercises that are right for you or are you feeding an existing injury or imbalance in your body? Chances are that unless you’ve had a full functional movement assessment, you may be doing more harm than good at the gym. Greg Brookes, a personal trainer and teacher of over 15 years, believes that only by having a full Functional Movement Assessment can you know your strengths and weaknesses .

He says, “There is a simple rule when it comes to correct movement patterns – get it right then add resistance to lock it in. By performing thousands of reps with a muscle imbalance you are locking in a faulty movement pattern. This will take on average 13 times the amount of reps to undo.”

Greg’s movement assessment runs the client through 7 movement screens and 3 clearance tests. Following on from the assessment he then knows all their strengths and weaknesses, and so knows which areas need attention and which areas are clear for further exercise. For example, lets say that your Squat Pattern or Lunge Pattern are faulty then these exercises would be avoided until mobility and stability modifications have been made elsewhere in order to correct these patterns. Single sided exercises with a kettlebell or dumbell will greatly help to level out muscle imbalances but you need to know which movements need more work. Greg believes the body is designed to move in a number of primitive patterns. So we squat when we are sitting and standing, lunge when we are walking and running, bend when we are lifting, twist when we turn to look at something, push and pull as we use our arms. Now. Lets imagine you go to the gym and start to squat and press a barbell over head. What happens to the weaker side and movement pattern? It doesn’t get used as much.  You compensate. So you may press the weight overhead with only 35% of your left and 65% of your right. Over time this will get worse and worse and usually without you knowing it.

Remember adding weight to a dysfunctional body will only “lock in” faulty movement patterns and make them worse. The result is always injury and a compromise that means uneconomical training. Get it right and burn more fat and grow more muscle, it’s as simple as that.

For a complimentary fully functional movement assessment with Greg Brookes, please contact: Suzanne@stunningpr.com, 07957 371840

Have you ever had a functional movement assessment? Do you know whether you are using the correct muscles when you exercise? Chances are your movement patterns are way off and you are making compromises without even realising it. Personal Trainer Greg Brookes of gbpersonaltraining.com believes that when it comes to exercise, most gyms and personal trainers don’t focus on what is of prime importance – functional movement assessment and screening for movement dysfunction.

Why is good functional movement so important?

Because if your movement patterns are incorrect then you are using the wrong muscles when you exercise. For maximum impact you must use your large muscles, your prime movers. It is your large muscles that help you to create optimal calorie expenditure and prolonged afterburn or EPOC. Plus if you are using the wrong muscles you will tire easily leaving even less time to burn fat. You may be thinking, ‘ Oh, I move OK, I’m not in any pain. Well remember your body is a master adapter, it will compromise to get the job done. Most of us do this, even Greg! Chances are you are doing it everyday without knowing it.

The point is, unless you get your functional movement patterns corrected you will not be able to lose weight and burn fat as easily, you will tire and struggle to focus on the larger muscles that really get the job done. This is one of our secrets with fat loss.

Greg Brookes functionally screens all his clients. He corrects bad movement patterns and ensure that the correct muscles are engaged. He will make you bomb proof to injury so you can workout for longer and harder.

Greg is available for interviews and complimentary functional movement assessments in conjunction with feature opportunities. Contact me at suzanne@stunningpr.com or 07957 371840 to arrange.