I like to hang out for a few minutes after each Boot Camp session at Fun Intelligent Training.  There are a few reasons why I like to do this.  One of these reasons is the simple fact that I

Ali and Pat

like to cool down a little, catch my breath, drink a few cups of water, and generally just take it easy before I jump outside into the ever-cooler New Hampshire evening.  Another reason is because I like to have the opportunity to talk to some people before I go (here’s a shout-out to Patrick) because I like to get to know people and so far the people at F.I.T. are a pretty awesome group.

There is, however, another reason.  This reason is probably the biggest: I like to hear people’s thoughts about the workout they just had and hear their questions and the comments that they pose to Eric.  Don’t worry.  I’m not doing anything creepy like

listening from inside the bathroom or hiding on the other side of the door taking notes.  You don’t need to take a long look around for the college kid before you ask questions or make sure there’s water running in the background or anything.  I just like to hear (and jump into) the conversations that flow after any given workout.

A few nights ago I heard Eric talking to one the folks after Boot Camp about how a large part of what the training at F.I.T. seeks to accomplish is prevention of injuries.  This made sense to me in light of my experiences thus far.  So many of the exercises that we do involve balance, quick movement of the body, manipulation of weights while in motion, as well as teaching our muscles to work in unison to accomplish a common goal rather than just perform some mundane task over and over.  Eric then used a pretty cool term: “prehabilitation.”  It’s funny; even as I type that word my computer tells me that I used the wrong spelling.  I clicked on it to see what it suggested and it said

I should have written “rehabilitation.”  I guess that my computer, like most of us, has never heard of the word.  That’s because we are taught by society and even most gyms to do what we do and when we need to be fixed we can go and have our knees replaced and our shoulders and back operated on and then we can do physical therapy for a few months, slow down, and eventually do it all again.  That’s called “aging”, right?  Or does aging have to be like that?

The idea of prehabilitation came to Eric’s mind early on in his pursuit of athletics and fitness, particularly when he was dealing with an injury of his own.  As he researched the concept, however, he found that it was not a new one.  Eric stumbled across the work and research of a man name Mark Verstegen and received only more confirmation of the fact that prehabilitation is something that every trainer should have in mind.  The idea is essentially (according to my own understanding) that we, as proactive exercisers, should train in a way that prevents injuries from happening, rather than caters to injuries or possibly even causes them.  The training done at F.I.T. does just that.  The body is strengthened as a whole, muscles are knit together, and joints are made stronger.  Rather than be a loosely held together contraption (like some sort of puppet), the body becomes a machine with each part knowing its place and purpose, and communicating seamlessly with the other parts.

Cool, huh?  I thought so.  I’ll follow up with more on the concept later…

Eric’s note: I am continually amazed at how quickly Adam catches on  to the concepts, as often times it is only a very brief conversation on the topic.  Plan to learn much more about Prehabilitation and many associated topics in the future.  If you are interested in learning more in the meantime, check out Core Performance by Mark Verstegen.

The Core Performance: The Revolutionary Workout Program to Transform Your Body & Your Life

One of the best places to start learning about this concept and if you have been training with us for any time you will see many familiar concepts in this book.

Tags: Adam Zobel, Bootcamp, Common Questions, Education, exercise, fitness, informational, results, Workout