Week 7 – Exercise Programming & The Rule of Opposites

7th March 2022

• Hours: 2

Participants

• 10

Education 

• Exercise and programming
  • FIIT principles
  • Do what you enjoy and don’t over complicate things
• The rule of opposites
  • How can you make your emotional wellbeing suffer?
    • Do the opposite e.g. refuse invites>accepting invites
  • Discussion around the over-simplified rule of opposites.

Exercise Class – CV circuits & Functional Mobility

CV Circuit

• Warm Up – 3 x 30s each exercise
  • Marching on the spot
  • Half Squats
  • Arm Circles
  • Chest Swings
  • Torso Rotations
• Main Session 40 secs on, 20 secs rest x 3
  • Body Weight Squat Thrusters
  • Walking
  • Side Step with Knee Lift
  • Seated Running
  • Hands to toes > hands to sky with stability ball
• Warm Down – Static Stretches, 30 secs per muscle group
  • Glutes
  • Hamstrings
  • Back
  • Chest
  • Shoulders

Balance and Stability

• Warm Up – 3 x 30s each exercise
  • Marching on the spot
  • Half Squats
  • Arm Circles
  • Chest Swings
  • Torso Rotation

• Main Session 40 secs on, 20 secs rest x 3
  • Single leg step ups
  • Stability ball arm circles
  • Seated or standing calf raises
  • Wall supported plank
  • Glute kick backs
  • Stability ball leg extensions
  • Single leg balance
• Warm Down – Static Stretches, 30 secs per muscle group
  • Glutes
  •  Hamstrings
  •  Back
  •  Chest
  • Shoulders

Analysis & Evaluation 

• Participants really appreciated the conversation on the principles of exercise design. Many of them reported that they believed exercise had to be intense and vigorous to count and as they couldn’t do this they had resigned themselves to being unable to exercise.
  • As discussed in previous sessions, exercise is beneficial for reducing pain and  increasing function.  So, being able to do some even at lower intensities will have a positive impact.
• The rule of opposites was a really interesting discussion. We talked about how it can be insightful into patterns of behaviour, e.g. avoiding social situations. However, simply doing the opposite is an over-simplified approach. Therefore, we spoke about what barriers might be in the way of somebody being able to do the opposite of their unhealthy habits. This discussion allowed participants to explore their own barriers and identify ways to address them, e.g. financial constraints can be addressed by exercising at home. Participants appreciated the open and honest conversation and felt heard rather than feeling like advice that worked for one person should work for them.
  • ‘Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who exercise regularly and those who do not, report similar barriers to physical activity and exercise but different coping strategies’ (Veldhuijzen van Zanten, et al, 2015, p.1401.) – This finding highlights why it is important to discuss barriers and allow participants to explore methods to overcome these barriers or view them differently.

Conclusion 

• Working in the field of sport, health and exercise, it can be easier to forget that the general population can have beliefs/perceptions that present as a barrier to improved emotional and physical wellbeing, e.g. carbohydrates are bad for you, exercise will aggravate my joint pain, etc. Therefore, it is important to discuss barriers with patients and address any that need to be identified.

Revisiting Reflection

References

• Veldhuijzen van Zanten, J. J., Rouse, P. C., Hale, E. D., Ntoumanis, N., Metsios, G. S., Duda, J. L., & Kitas, G. D. (2015). Perceived Barriers, Facilitators and Benefits for Regular Physical Activity and Exercise in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Review of the Literature. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(10), 1401–1412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0363-2