Exercise modifications are adjusting variables to meet your body exactly where it is at. It is essentially a variation of an exercise to compliment your fitness level and your body.
Have you ever heard the phrase "work smarter, not harder?"
By listening to your body, you are removing any barriers and make workouts more accessible. It is important to know that everyone has different anatomy, making some exercises look different compared to someone else. People generally correlate a modification with it being "easier." But this usually is not the case! Modifications tend to keep form in check and end up actually making it harder!
Read below some of the benefits of exercise modifications!
Decreases your risk for injury.
By taking a variation that meets your body where it's at, you are keeping yourself safe! A lot of the time, people get injured because they are pushing an exercise that doesn't necessarily work for them right now. This causes form to break and strain on the muscle resulting in an injury.
Helps you to build confidence in the gym.
If you are constantly discouraged by something that doesn't feel right, you won't want to do it, right? By helping your body get comfortable in a movement, you build your confidence in it! This in time will help keep you consistent in your routine!
Keeps you consistent with your workouts.
Working out consistently can already be hard to keep up with. Why make it any harder or less maintainable with injury set backs.
Overall allows for safe progressing.
When you start out with modifications, you can still keep improving!
For example, you start on a barbell for your push-ups (like in the picture above). Slowly making the level lower, eventually ending up on knee push-ups. This is safe progress and allows you to build the muscles with correct form.
Closing Statement
Remember, work smarter not harder! Not sure how to modify your workouts? Let us help! Contact us through our website or call us at 330-952-1728.