When new clients start at Range of Motion, we start them slow.

Regardless of their background or experience, we take them right back to the basics.

Even if they already have a solid foundation of fitness, and even if they already have good movement patterns, we go right back to square one.

You see, we’re big believers in the importance of a stable base.

We’re big believers that if you can build solid habits and movement patterns in the short term, they will continue to serve you well long in to the future.

But there’s a problem with this. And the problem is, humans, by nature, like to get results quickly. They like immediate return. And instant gratification.

And all-too-often, that means they sometimes believe that ‘doing more things, more quickly’ is the best way to arrive at your destination faster.

We don’t share this belief.

We believe that not only is a slow start, a safer start, but that it’s also actually the best way to get to your goals FASTER.

The easiest way to understand this is graphically.

In the first image, we have someone who starts a new exercise program in a hurry. They take shortcuts and look for instant gratification. They fail to build the foundation that will cause long-term success. This is called logarithmic growth.

In the second image, we have our approach. A smart approach in the first few sessions, which lays the groundwork for long term improvements. Although the start may be slow, it ensures there’s no ‘ceiling’ on the potential of how far you can go. This is called exponential growth.

So what does this ACTUALLY look like at Range of Motion.

Well, it’s all about the first three one-on-one session our clients do with their Personal Coach (read: ‘Why we focus on one-on-one Personal Coaching at Range of Motion‘).

There are two key factors in these sessions.

The first is ‘learning our alphabet’. These are the six key movements we teach our clients, from which we can build almost everything else. Achieving a high level of quality in these movements opens up almost limitless exercises we can do going forward. This is just like learning the alphabet of a language. If we can learn the letter, we can build the words.

The second key factor is our focus on progressing through sound movement mechanics (moving well), then consistency (moving well over multiple repetitions), then intensity (moving well over multiple repetitions with more weight or more speed). We don’t believe any of these three steps are more important than the others (they’re all important for different facets of your health), but we are adamant that they occur in this order. Check out ‘Why we prioritise movement quality at Range of Motion‘.

During these first three sessions, we also teach the systems that will continue to serve our clients well, long in to the future.

After these three sessions, our clients begin on their exercise program – unique to them and individualised for their needs (learn about this individualisation by reading ‘Why we have an individualised approach to exercise at Range of Motion). As part of this, they complete some testing to set a baseline for their current ability. Over time they can retest, which gives a great overview of how much they’re improving.

The exercise program is where the gradual approach rapidly begins to pay dividends. Learn about how this exercise program is constructed at ‘Why we profile your health and fitness at Range of Motion‘.

By taking a smart and measured initial approach, the long-term results speak for themselves. And in the end, it’s the long-term improvements we’re really chasing.