What Is Corrective Exercise?

Corrective Exercise is a technique that leverages an understanding of anatomy, kinesiology, and biomechanics to address and fix movement compensations and imbalances to improve the overall quality of movement during workouts and in everyday life.

Corrective Exercise is used to help assess and determine the root cause of imbalances and faulty movement patterns that lead to issues with posture, balance, and total body coordination.

Once the issue or issues are identified, a Corrective Exercise Specialist can then develop an exercise routine that addresses the problem through foam rolling, stretching, and total body exercises.

By addressing a client’s functional movement and the issues impeding it, especially at their feet, knees, and hips, it helps reduce the stress put on their body. By properly aligning the body, corrective exercises help it to handle the load that everyday movement puts on it and helps reduce the risk of future injury.

Thanks to these strategies, clients will be able to move better, which will open up a variety of new exercises they will be able to do. It will also give them the ability to take part in a plethora of different activities and sports that they enjoy and may not have been able to do otherwise.

 

Why Is Corrective Exercise Important?

Movement is a reality of everyday life regardless of if you work in an office building or are a professional athlete. Corrective Exercise is imperative in identifying and addressing imbalances that cause posture, stability, and mobility issues. Having a rich understanding of Corrective Exercise allows fitness professionals to identify problems and potential limitations in a client's movements.

One of the most important elements of Corrective Exercise is a proper assessment. Using NASM’s Corrective Exercise Continuum (CEx), professionals can effectively assess their clients and develop personalized solutions to improve the way their clients move, feel, and recover from a workout. Studies show proper Corrective Exercise intervention can improve neuromuscular control, which can reduce risk of future injuries.

Benefits of Corrective Exercise

Increases flexibility

Increases muscle activation

Increases joint stability

Improves neuromuscular efficiency (coordination)

Reduces risk of injury

Improves movement patterns

Increases ability to recover

Prepares the body for higher intensity exercise

Prepares the body for optimal performance

Corrects muscle imbalances

 

What Does a Corrective Exercise Specialist Do?

A Corrective Exercise Specialist is an expert in human movement assessment. They accurately analyze a client's movement patterns, identify overactive and underactive muscle groups and compensations. Once the assessment process is over, they create programs that optimize clients' ability to move, perform exercises correctly, and reduce tissue tension caused by the load put on the body via training. Corrective Exercise is a terrific complement, if not a necessity, to anyone that works in the fitness or health field.

Personal Trainers

Personal Trainers can help their client’s movement quality, enhance their recovery, and even help make them more resistant to injury caused by physical activity.

 

Massage Therapists

Mastering Corrective Exercise can help a Licensed Massage Therapist further their career by giving them a more targeted way to do soft tissue work as well as help them suggest self-care recovery programming.

 

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