The Unintended Oversight Of 'Inclusive' Classes

The word 'inclusive' is often used in class descriptions with good intentions, however the commonly used teaching strategies for these classes can have unintended outcomes.

The practice of exclusively teaching all clients with the same spring setting can lead to vastly different client experiences.

An example: Any exercise using body weight as the load...

• Clients with significantly more body weight would find these exercises much harder
• Clients with significantly less body weight would find these exercises much easier

The ultimate objective of the instructor is to guarantee every client is receiving the same experience regardless of their body.

To do this the instructor must understand how a clients experience with spring tension is relative to their body mass. 

The oversight... the desire to treat everyone the same in reality creates inequity in the exercise experience. 

A more optimal experience

• Every client loading the same muscle group in every exercise 
• Every client working at the very similar level of intensity at the beginning of every exercise 

To do this the instructor must be able to adapt the spring tension to the individual. 

Fundamentally every exercise can be broken down into:

• Target Muscle Group as a reference point
• Load being used (Body Weight or Spring Tension) 
• Direction of progression 

This understanding is the starting point of achieving amazing client results with reformer workouts. 

- Nathan Ross Rees