Agility Ability

Now here was a class that really pushed my boundaries! 

Taught by Andrew Hanley

Although I incorporate agility exercises in to all my client's programs, it's not something I really hone in on because it's more appropriate for athletes, or so I thought.

Some of the outcomes you can expect to see are better body control, improved movement, and enhanced decision making abilities. Those are the kinds of goals we can all benefit from!

Up until this point, I utilized more Change of Direction methods in my coaching, these are pre-planned changes in direction and/or velocity. In other words, the client knows the task at hand. This is a great starting point but while we want to challenge the body, we also want to challenge the mind and that's where agility drills come in.
             Example Change of Direction Exercise: Client steps up on to a box, before they step down, I tell them they will step down and then turn and continue walking to their right.

Agility is a response to a stimulus aka you're being reactive instead of knowing what to do in advance. Since you are placed in an unpredictable environment, you have to visually scan your surroundings and react accordingly. Putting this in every day life terms: let's picture someone elderly, they're on vacation in a place they haven't been before and there's a lot of cobble stones and steps to maneuver around and up. An awareness of the new environment and the confidence to know that if they miss a step (especially if there's nothing around to grab on to), they can recover! Working these types of exercises in to their program can save them from a broken bone!
              Example Agility Exercise: Client steps up on to a box, when stepping down they have to listen for my clap, one clap indicates they turn and continue walking to the right, two claps indicates they turn and continue walking to the left.

In more athletic terms, you can think of Agility as the Defense and Change of Direction as the Offense. In football, the wide receiver knows the route he has to complete but the more challenging role is the corner covering that player. The corner is reacting to the receiver completing the play. 

What I learned the most from this class is that mind and body need to work and react as one. It's not enough to mindlessly lift weights when in the real world or on the field, you need to be able to react in any direction, on any surface, with who knows how many bags of groceries in your hands! 😀

Be sure to check out the video link below, I follow andy_thehive on instagram and he posted some of the footage from this class. Needless to say, I was sweating at the end!

Footage from NASM Optima - Agility Ability