The Myth Of Bodyweight Training

Jessica Bento, Physical Therapist (Creator DVRT Restoration Certification, Knees Over Toes Course, DVRT Rx Shoulder, Knees, Pelvic Control, & Gait Courses)

People often tell me how much they love body weight training. I get it. It is super accessible to most people, the cost is right, and people like to feel in control of their body. 

However, when people often tell me that body weight training is where people should start, I often say, “well, it depends.” Many naturally assume that bodyweight is the easiest form of training and yet, it also requires the most amount of body awareness. The reality is that most people need some feedback upon where their body is in space and where to apply force.

Josh shows in his rehab how having feedback of weight actually teaches a better squat.

We see it all the time in the body weight squat. Ask a person off the street to squat and it is typically going to look like something in the picture below. However, give them some feedback (a DVRT Squat Press Out is a great example) and all of a sudden they squat really well.

Why?

That feedback taught them how to move, where to move, and how to create the right tension so they COULD move well. These lessons are things we want people to learn, but can be hard to communicate only upon. That is why using the right exercise is very helpful in not just training, but teaching people valuable lessons in movement.

This past weekend I was presenting at a fitness conference and was talking about these ideas and it was new to most in the room. The ideas stem from the principle of proximal stability for distal mobility and though we talk about that often here at DVRT it seems like people might still not be getting it.

Proximal meaning towards the center of the body, so proximal stability meaning a strong/ stable core or foundation. A strong foundation of our core musculature is needed in order for good movement patterns to occur. When we have this our distal extremities (meaning away from the center) feel free to move. If we lack proximal stability then our body will put the brakes on and our distal extremities won’t feel that safe to move. That is where you can start to see issue with range of motion or mobility problems plus another reason to never just look at the site of pain as it can be caused elsewhere in the body.