By Jeff Butler
Before starting Realign U in October of 2016, I had spent almost 5 years training, observing, and talking with people at the Kirkwood/Webster YMCA, leading me to my current beliefs upon which Realign U has been founded. During those five years I had noticed that many people were doing exercises that they should not have been doing, taking into consideration their frame health. Many people were in pain when they got to the gym, felt some degree of pain during their workouts, and then left the gym after their workout in pain. Through much study, and training and observing my clients throughout these years, I came to the conclusion that this did not need to be the case in many of these situations.
The key variables that were being missed by too many were where to start, and also how to progress their exercise programs once they had gotten started. Most people were completely ignoring myofascial release exercises, and few spent anywhere near enough time properly and adequately stretching their muscles to best prepare for the load and performance training they were doing in their workouts at the Y. Many were in habitual patterns of doing the same exercises in the same way, day after day, week after week, and year after year, and it was fairly typical to observe people in the weight room focused on strengthening just the "mirror muscles" at the exclusion of the smaller muscles that could not be seen.
It was fairly typical to have conversations with folks who were coming off a recent surgery, usually pertaining to the knee, hip, or shoulder, and as a result of that had been through physical therapy and/or were currently working with a chiropractor. But they were in the gym doing exercises they really weren't ready for yet, maybe 50-60 % recovered, thus delaying what could have been an injury that would have been healed within weeks, to one that would now take months or even years.
So the Realign U protocol of exercises was eventually formulated, derived from these experiences with a heavy emphasis on more global stretching and myofascial release, corrective exercises, and balanced strengthening.
Clients are obtained primarily through a "referral network" consisting of local professionals and satisfied clients.The goal is to have them complete the Realign U protocol within a 12 week timeframe, and after the completion of these 12 weeks all clients should feel and function better and should have developed a "fitness lifestyle" which will carry them forward.
Top photograph by Andrew Pons via Unsplash.
Used with permission.
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