Did you know that helping your clients become “intentionally inefficient” can enhance and expand their physical abilities? In fact, intentionally seeking out inefficiency in your clients’ trainings will help make them more likely to be prepared to handle the inevitable physical challenges that tend to occur in real life. 

Consider this: A car on a highway facing strong winds is inefficient, which means it has to consume more fuel to maintain a certain speed. Humans, however, are biological rather than mechanical, and we adapt to inefficiency by developing greater ability, which then leads to greater efficiency. 

It is the essence of learning. When we expose ourselves to a novel challenge, our bodies adapt to better handle the challenge. 

Research Says…

Of course, the effectiveness of any workout depends on individual goals. Previous research on unstable forms of resistance training suggests that strength or force production are actually hindered by performing exercises on unstable surfaces, largely because the amount of weight one is able to use is lower. However, some characteristics of instability resistance-training exercises that are not conducive to optimal strength or power training for athletes may, in fact, be favorable for rehabilitation or movement quality. The instability-induced deficits on the target areas are counterbalanced by increased trunk muscle activation, for example. Thus, greater coordination-training challenges with instability exercises should promote motor control adaptations.

The principle of specificity states that the adaptations to training will be specific to the imposed training demands. Therefore, if a client’s goal is to consistently gain strength in the standing overhead barbell press, he or she should spend time doing that exercise. If, however, the goal is to get better at moving things overhead from various stance positions (putting carry-on luggage in the overhead bins of an airplane, putting away holiday decorations, etc.), the client should spend time doing overhead presses with barbells, dumbbells and other handheld weights while in a variety of stance positions (staggered, single leg, narrow, etc.).  

While we can’t plan and train our clients for everything, we can help them train for a lot of things instead of only one or two specific things. And there are a lot of things life can throw at them. Whether they know it or not, many of our clients are likely training for the randomness of life rather than for performance on a specific lift.

So, how can you create these types of exercises for your clients? Combine a primary movement with a secondary resistance—applied to either a single limb or the center of mass—which can be either in a different plane as the primary movement or in the same plane. You may also use variable vectors of secondary resistance by moving to slightly different positions within the set. This allows for the introduction of some “intentional inefficiency” to your resistance training to prepare clients to perform the movements at more angles and in more unpredictable conditions. 

Bring the ACE Integrated Fitness Training^® Model to Life

The following workout features the NT Loop and was created using the ACE Integrated Fitness Training (ACE IFT^®) Model as a guide. The best products solve a problem, and the problem with most rubber super bands is that they are unstable, uncomfortable when placed against the skin and dangerous if they snap. The NT Loop is comprised of elastic nylon, is longer than most super bands and has a built-in anchor strap for attaching it to a fixed object.

The ACE IFT Model provides a framework for movement-based training where we develop stability and mobility as appropriate in a specific area of the body, integrate it into a full-body movement and add external load, creating a stimulus for strength gains, and increasing movement speed to develop bodily control (final phase). 

In this workout, the five foundational movements featured in the ACE IFT Model (listed below) are progressed by incorporating instability:

1. Bend-and-lift: A bilateral hip or glute-dominant movement (e.g., squat or deadlift)
2. Single-leg: A unilateral or asymmetrical lower-body movement (e.g., single-leg squat or lunge)
3. Push: A vertical or horizontal pushing movement, either bilateral or unilateral
4. Pull: A vertical or horizontal pulling movement, either bilateral or unilateral
5. Rotation: A limb, torso or whole-body axial rotation

THE WORKOUT

There are two rounds, each of which includes all five of the foundational movements. If you have time, have your client perform both rounds. If you have less time, have your client perform round 1 as a first workout and round 2 as his or her next workout. 

Complete three to four sets of each exercise as instructed below, resting for 45 to 60 seconds between sets. Use a timer to keep the rest between sets at the alloted time. 

Round 1

Round 2

Specific Movement Notes

Bent-over Kettlebell Row 

Set-up: Run one end of the NT Loop through the kettlebell handle. Place one foot through each end of the band, keeping slight tension on it. Hip hinge forward to grasp the kettlebell with one hand.
Performance: Perform a single-arm row movement while maintaining the hip hinge, allowing a natural (albeit slight) amount of torso rotation. The band adds dynamic resistance to the movement, increasing as more stretch is applied and reaching its highest at the end range. The effect creates a kind of “drag” on the kettlebell and minimizes the influence of momentum from the beginning pull of the motion, which is a common occurrence when rowing. 

Single-leg Straight-leg Deadlift

Set-up: Step the left foot through one end of the NT Loop. Pull the other end up and over the left shoulder. Pick up a kettlebell or dumbbell with the right hand.
Performance: Stand on the right leg and perform a hip hinge, maintaining consistent tension on the NT Loop. This provides feedback as to the quality of the movement. Slack forming in the band is an indication of a loss of neutral position in the spine or of a loss of alignment of the left leg and torso. Move slowly enough to sense the appropriate range of motion, taking care to avoid compensatory motion of hip rotation or bending the knee of the stance leg (it should be straight but not locked/hyperextended).