Progressions - What they are and why they matter
When we speak of progression in the world of fitness, we are referring to increasing the difficulty over time of a particular strength or flexibility movement. There are hundreds of ways to move through an exercise or stretch progression series. Why does progression matter? Progression keeps the challenge coming. It can help you break through a plateau you might be experiencing and maybe most important of all, it keeps your fitness program interesting.

I like to think of progression as moving through three major phases; fundamentals, functional and finally sports specific. Each of these phases in turn have progressions within them. Blending these major phases and the progressions within them provide for endless permutations and fun in training! Following a proper series of progressions is important in preventing injury as you move from level to level.

There are a few overriding golden rules to keep in mind as you move through progressions. Keep it simple in the beginning, master the form and mobility first before loading the exercise with weight or introducing the power aspect to the exercise. When you are ready to add functional movement patterns, start slowly through the movement patterns, and don't add multiple movement patterns (e.g. lunges with rotation) until you have mastered the first movement pattern. Always follow the correct progressions and your strength will improve without injury.

So what is the correct progression path? Below I show a series of exercises for your shoulder that move you from the fundamental phase through to the functional phase. Functional training mirrors the way we move in every day life. It often uses instability platforms (a stability ball in this case below) to engage your core and proprioceptive awareness while you are performing the fundamental muscle training (shoulder muscles). The more functional training you can do, the better prepared you will be for your everyday life.