Strength Training Results a Little “Meh”?

For this to happen, you need to be critical about your technique. You need to know WHY you are doing a strength training exercise - especially when it comes to getting the required results when strengthening your dog for sport.

The most common mistakes I see with good-intentioned handlers when strengthening their dogs are encapsulated around the following observations:

• If your technique is off, you will not be targeting the muscles you need to target.
• If your dog's posture is incorrect when you start, you may be making the posture worse by the time you finish.
• If your starting point and endpoint postures are incorrect, you may be creating imbalances in muscle, strength and/or flexibility.
• Rushing through repetitions too fast, forgoing technique and form.

Strength training results are not about complicated exercises.

It's about doing foundation exercises concisely in form and technique.

Mistakes in form, posture and technique cause exercises to become ineffective with unexceptional results and negligible strength gains - Meh.

At worst these mistakes can make your dog's posture worse and create imbalances.

When we rush through repetitions too fast - " heck yeah, let's get in those 20 reps!!" - we forget one of the more crucial factors for results: the time that the muscle is under tension. Slower speed and pace of repetitions with proper form is a game changer.

So, what is best to do?

Instead, start with fewer reps with better quality of movement.

Be critical of form and technique so that you always get the most out of your strength training exercises for your dog.

That is your precious time and effort well spent.

Next time you exercise your dog, try doing the repetitions slower and notice how much more challenging it is for them to do.

This is what makes those "simple" exercises not so easy anymore. 😉👍

Happy Training!