​

Hey Friend , this is one of my longer " waxing poetic" kind of newsletters, designed for the "trainer peoples". If that's not you, or you're just not feeling a longer read, scroll down towards the bottom for a 22 minute video chock full of awesome cues you can do with a simple theraband, strung together into a lovely little routine ;)

​

Reader,

I'm gonna get real with you for a minute here. As a personal trainer for over 30 years, I can tell you that at some point, we ALL have struggled with "Playing God". Tasking yourself with delivering ultimate physical transformation for the human being(s) in front of you in a single hour.

Maybe it's a group class, and you feel people dropping off by the time you're working on back extensions, or maybe it's a one-on-one session with a client who is hoping you'll relieve the chronic pain they've carried for 20 years. You know what their bodies need, but don't know how to get them there.

In the intricate dance of mind and body, sometimes our physical self knows truths our conscious mind hasn't yet grasped. How many times have you watched a client struggle with verbal descriptions, only to see their body instantly respond to the right prop? That moment when understanding floods their eyes - that's the mind catching up to what the body already knew. It's in these moments that we, as instructors, become translators of the body's wisdom.

​

The Power of "Easy Wins"

When we focus on simply teaching the pattern of an exercise, the student will often wonder "Why are we doing this?" But when we can relate the movements executed in the exercise itself to a goal they have - be it external (such as improving their golf game or lifting their grandchildren) or internal (reducing pain, or taking pressure off of a compressed disc) - their practice becomes much more personal in nature. They become emotionally invested in their workout.

Finding the right cue can be a game changer. When you change their physical experience in a way that can help them focus on cultivating the right "feeling" (aka quality of movement), then you've thrown them a lifeline. An anchor for what is "right".

​

How many times have we been asked "Am I doing this right?"

I love a props-based cue for this. Giving someone something to squeeze, or push into throughout the duration of a movement empowers them to create that experience for themselves, repeating the pattern until their bodies can do it on their own and building strength and confidence.

​

Props-based cues are the ultimate "Easy Win".

​

Instead of overwhelming your client with a barrage of words, you simply give your client a theraband or a yoga block and a couple of clear instructions and then step away, allowing them to create the experience for themselves. Of course, the expertise is in how you arrange the prop, and what words you choose.

Everyone wants to feel like they're successful, that they understand, that they're "doing it right". And a great trainer knows how to create that experience without diluting the challenge of the exercise itself. The more we are able to exercise word economy and empower our clients to have their own "aha" moments in training, the better we are at doing our jobs.

An Easy Win cue is versatile. Not limited to one specific exercise, it can become an anchor for an entire session, moving with you from stage to stage as you focus on nurturing the quality of movement, instead of just making shapes.

It's simple enough to not distract from the practice. In contrast to complex equipment setups, it appears minimal in nature. It's easy to understand. Something your client feels like they could recreate at home, or at the gym.

​

A Short list of My Favorites

• The Theraband Back Support: Take a long theraband with loops tied at each end and place it behind your back, with your hands in the loops. The tension of the band supports the arms and engages the back and shoulder muscles, while connecting the arms to the abdominal muscles. It lifts the upper body, supports head and neck extension, decompresses the lumbar spine and even enhances pelvis mobility.

• The Yoga Block Squeeze: Have your client squeeze a yoga block between their thighs. This simple action engages the inner thighs and pelvic floor, promoting stability and proper alignment in various poses or movements.

• The Squishy Ball: Use a partially inflated fitness ball as a seat or lean-in support. This unstable surface challenges core stability, improves posture, and can be used in seated exercises or as a support for back extensions.

​

I took a Deep Dive this week into The Theraband Back Support - just to share where this can go with you…

Here's how it works:

Take a long theraband with loops tied at each end and place it behind your back, with your hands in the loops. The tension of the band supports the arms and engages the back and shoulder muscles, while connecting the arms to the abdominal muscles. It lifts the upper body, supports head and neck extension, decompresses the lumbar spine and even enhances pelvis mobility.

To see this Easy Win in action and learn how to incorporate it into your practice, check out the 22-minute routine I created for you below. If you'd prefer selected shorts, just hop on over to my YouTube channel. Snack at your leisure ;)

​

​

​

Empowering Your Clients

Remember, we're not here to perform miracles or "play God". We're here to guide, to translate the body's wisdom, and to provide those Easy Wins that empower our clients to discover their own potential. In doing so, we might just find that we've achieved something miraculous after all.

The expertise in using these Easy Wins lies in how you arrange the prop and what words you choose. Weaving these techniques into your sessions, you move from giving a workout to empowering your clients to understand and connect with their bodies in new ways.

I encourage you to explore and develop your own Easy Wins. Share them with your clients and fellow instructors. Let's create a community of practice where we all benefit from these simple yet powerful teaching tools.

​

Take a Deep Dive with Me: "Supple-Up" Gyrotonic Intensive

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm opening up a waitlist to register for the "Supple-Up" Gyrotonic intensive. In November, we'll explore the physical attributes of "supple-ing" within both the Gyrotonic workout and human movement. And of course, it's going to be chock full of "Easy Win" cues to bring this specific quality of movement home.

To join the waitlist, get mini-freebies and be the first to know when registration opens, click here. ​

Stay tuned for more videos demonstrating these Easy Wins in action.

​

Until then, happy teaching, and may your sessions be filled with those rewarding "aha" moments!

​

Domini Anne

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​