Coaching & Programming
If A Client Wants A Stronger Core, Ask Which Movement They Want It Stronger In
From the FASTER syllabus: this article is taught in full in Core & Pelvic Floor, where this lesson lives →
In short: Core & Pelvic Floor teaches dynamic correspondence, the idea that training should closely match the movement a person wants to get better at, and its wider sibling, training specificity: the body adapts to the demands placed on it. For a client who says they want a stronger core, the course's own advice is to find out in which movements they want their core to feel stronger, and where they feel their core strength is letting them down. If the goal is lifting and carrying children, the trainer then asks whether planks and crunches would transfer to that. The course text also lists the limits of dynamic correspondence, including individual differences and the value of general preparation, so the idea is a way of asking better questions rather than a rule.
Start with the movement, not the muscle
A client says they want a stronger core. Core & Pelvic Floor gives the trainer a first question that beats any exercise list: in which movements do they want their core to feel stronger?
The course adds a second one. Where do they feel their core strength is letting them down? A client's answer to that is a movement, and a movement is something a trainer can look at, describe and build towards.
The idea underneath it
The lesson covers dynamic correspondence, introduced by the Soviet sports scientist Yuri Verkhoshansky. The core idea is that training exercises should closely mimic the dynamic characteristics of the movement a person is preparing for: its direction, its speed, the forces involved and the time it takes.
Its wider cousin is training specificity, a fundamental principle of exercise science: the body adapts to the specific demands placed on it. Put together, the most useful way to improve at something is to train in a manner that resembles what that something asks of the body.
The course's own example
The lesson gives a client who wants to feel stronger lifting and carrying their children. It then asks the trainer to consider whether planks and crunches would transfer to that. It suggests searching for the classic core exercises people recommend for a few goals and reading the results with three questions in mind: who would these help, and what would they help them get better at?
The course leaves the trainer to work out the answer for each client. That is the point. A trainer who has asked the movement question has something specific to build, and something specific to measure afterwards.
It is a way of asking, and the course says so
The same lesson lists the limits of dynamic correspondence. Matching a movement exactly can be complex and impractical. Too much focus on specificity can neglect general preparation. Athletes differ, and the evidence for the idea over other methods is limited. So a trainer uses it to ask better questions, and keeps the rest of the toolbox.
Point it at anything
Nothing about the question belongs to the core. A client who wants stronger legs, a stronger back or better balance can be asked the same thing: in which movements, and where does it let them down? The answer sets the exercises.
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See what the course covers →Frequently asked
What is dynamic correspondence?
It is the idea, from the Soviet sports scientist Yuri Verkhoshansky, that training exercises should closely match the dynamic characteristics of the movement a person wants to improve, including direction, speed and force.
Is it a rule to follow every time?
No. The course text lists limits, including how complex it is to match a movement perfectly, the value of general preparation and the differences between individuals, so it works as a way of asking better questions.
Where is this taught?
In FASTER's Core & Pelvic Floor specialist course. PT Manager opens the moment you sign up with any FASTER course, and adding real clients unlocks once you pass one.
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