No two people are identical and no two people will move the same.

Not one person is built identically to the next and as such it would be futile to attempt to create lifters who all move in the same exact patterns. When it comes to lifting weights and completing the powerlifts there are no cement rules at which we must ensure everyone moves to. We have performance rules in regards to depth, contact points and such but there is no guidelines on how you achieve these positions. At Ares Strength Gym we understand that we are all built differently and as such we will all have small intricacies about how we move, our own little quirks and occasionally patterns which are unconventional. This is ok and we foster an approach to coaching the lifts amongst all our coaches to handle every athlete as uniquely individual.

In saying this, there are still desirable and undesirable patterns of movement. First and foremost all lifts need to completed in a manner that is safe and preserving to the athlete in the long term. Lumbar flexion on the deadlift and valgus knees in the squat are safe to a degree but there is a level of excessive movement which places the athlete at immediate risk or will lead to chronic problems down the track. These are the undesirables, these are the movements we will beat out of you with a 6 foot steel rod. Yet slight knee cave, some rolling of the wrist on the bench, as long as it is safe is permitted. We do not seek perfect movement according to a definition, we seek optimal and safe movement according to the individual.

To achieve this we apply the general principles of a movement in accordance to you. We assess how you move, the positions you can achieve and the way you achieve these positions. This in conjunction with desired movement is cross referenced and a happy medium is found. Only through compromise of definition and your own body can we achieve the best positions of movement for you. We then drill the movement, address the weaknesses of that movement and provide structure to secondary work to allow the entire system to strengthen in order to make your movements progress forward in the long term. It isn't complicated. It only takes some experience and a bit of thought processing to get results for an athlete. General principles, individual movement ability and smart programming is all it takes.

There are too many coaches who get wrapped up on what they define as best movement, we think best movement is so individualised that to encapsulate it in a diagram or video saying these are the only rules would be folly. That is why we assess every athlete, every individual, every mom and dad according to their body, their leverages and their movement history. We paint every person who walks through the doors in their own brush and seek to improve their lifting in accordance with their God given anatomy.

To lift your best, you need to move the best according to what you're given. We can help you achieve that. There is no replacement for experience and having coached hundreds of individuals over a decade we get that. Treat yourself as unique, apply general principles and attack weaknesses to your movement. This is a repeatable recipe for success.

Coach Mat