Tools We Use At Motive Training

At Motive Training, we believe in providing our clients with the best tools to support their fitness journey. Our personal training services and KINSTRETCH classes are designed to help individuals achieve their full potential, improve their mobility, and maintain a pain-free lifestyle. Our programs use various fitness tools to enhance exercises, teach proper posture, and build stability. Below, we’ll explore some of the key tools we use and how they help clients reach their fitness goals.

Tools We Use At Motive Training

Yoga Toes

Yoga Toes, a unique tool at Motive Training, are a game-changer for foot health and fitness. By gently spreading the toes, they correct alignment issues and enhance flexibility in the foot muscles. Whether you’re managing conditions like plantar fasciitis or aiming to boost your feet’s range of motion, Yoga Toes are a must-have. They’re a simple yet powerful way to promote foot health, reduce injury risk, and improve posture from the ground up. Healthy feet are the foundation for strong, stable movement patterns, and Yoga Toes play a pivotal role in achieving this.

Many people underestimate the importance of foot health in their fitness routines. The feet absorb impact, maintain balance, and provide stability during all standing exercises. By using Yoga Toes regularly, clients can take control of their foot health, alleviate foot pain, improve the function of their arches, and address imbalances that might lead to compensatory patterns or injuries elsewhere in the body. Strong, mobile feet are key to ensuring that the rest of the body moves correctly, making Yoga Toes a small but powerful addition to our toolkit.

Yoga Blocks

Yoga blocks are versatile additions to our toolkit and essential parts of our mobility and stretching routines. They provide support for a variety of exercises and are particularly beneficial when working on flexibility, strength, and stability. Yoga blocks offer assistance during both dynamic and static stretches, allowing clients to maintain correct form and reduce the risk of injury. They help clients achieve greater depth in stretches, making them a helpful companion during personal training sessions.

For individuals with limited flexibility, yoga blocks can make exercises accessible, providing an ‘extension’ to reach positions they might not otherwise be able to reach. By offering this extra level of support, yoga blocks allow clients to practice movements they might have thought were out of reach, gradually improving their mobility and balance. Whether focusing on body weight exercises, improving flexibility, or supporting restorative stretches, yoga blocks are critical in enhancing comfort and effectiveness during training, and they can be a source of motivation and encouragement as clients see their progress.

Yoga blocks are also used to support strength development in various muscle groups. When performing exercises like elevated push-ups or certain stretches, yoga blocks help clients practice with proper form, ensuring that they are building strength in the right areas without risking overcompensation or poor posture. The versatility of yoga blocks makes them a highly valuable tool in our training arsenal.

Mobility Sticks

We use two types of mobility sticks at Motive Training:

• Premium Mobility Sticks: These are more expensive but are built to last. Made from high-quality, flexible material, they can bend and handle significant tension, allowing advanced stretching, strength exercises, and functional conditioning drills. Mobility sticks use a range of motion, stability, and overall conditioning, supporting clients looking to push their limits safely. The ability to bend the stick helps activate certain muscle groups and enhances the intensity of stretching exercises. It’s an excellent way to help individuals improve their movement quality.

• Budget-Friendly Mobility Sticks: These sticks are an excellent option for beginners or clients looking to explore mobility work without making a large investment. Despite being budget-friendly, they offer similar benefits for stretching, improving stability, and protecting the joints, making them a versatile addition to any workout routine. They are particularly beneficial for those just starting their fitness journey, as they provide a controlled way to enhance flexibility, build stability, and reduce the risk of injury.

Mobility sticks, a key tool in Motive Training, are used for varievariousses, including shoulder dislocates, thoracic spine mobility drills, and hip openers. They are particularly effective for improving the quality of movement in areas that often become tight or restricted due to prolonged sitting or repetitive motion, such as the shoulders, hips, and upper back. Incorporating mobility stick drills into a workout routine helps improve joint range of motion and enhances neuromuscular control, making movement patterns more efficient and reducing the risk of injury.

Yoga Wedge

During exercise programs, yoga wedges are great for people with wrist discomfort or tight calves. They provide an easy way to modify exercises and achieve improvement while training. A yoga wedge can help elevate the heels during squats, which can be particularly beneficial for individuals with limited ankle mobility. This allows them to achieve greater depth and improve their squat mechanics.

Yoga wedges are also commonly used to alleviate pressure on the wrists during exercises like push-ups or planks. For clients who experience discomfort in their wrists when placing their hands flat on the floor, the yoga wedge provides a more comfortable angle, reducing strain and providing a sense of relief. This allows them to continue to build strength and stability in the upper body without the discomfort they might have felt before. A yoga wedge can help with rehabilitation, reducing strain on wrists and ankles while supporting a wide range of exercises.

In our KINSTRETCH classes, yoga wedges support better alignment during stretching exercises. Whether we’re targeting the calves, hamstrings, or shoulders, using a yoga wedge can help ensure that clients maintain proper alignment and reduce compensation patterns that might hinder progress. This tool makes stretching more accessible and effective, providing extra support and allowing clients to push their limits safely.

Lacrosse Balls Or Yoga Tune-Up Balls

Lacrosse balls and Yoga Tune-Up Balls are tools we use for self-myofascial release, a technique used to alleviate muscle tension and improve tissue quality. These tools are highly effective for breaking up adhesions and improving the mobility of the soft tissues. Our clients often use them to work on tight areas, such as the back, glutes, calves, and shoulders, as part of their personalized exercise prescription. They’re compact, easy to use, and an excellent tool for maintaining mobility and easing muscle soreness.

Self-myofascial release helps improve blood flow to the muscles and reduces tension, which can be especially beneficial for individuals dealing with chronic pain, muscle tightness, or joint stiffness. Regularly using lacrosse balls or Yoga Tune-Up Balls can help clients recover faster from intense workouts and maintain better joint health, ultimately contributing to better performance and reduced risk of injury. We often guide clients on specific trigger points to target, depending on their unique needs and areas of tension.

These tools are used for recovery and as part of our warm-up routines to prepare the body for movement. Clients can improve their range of motion and activate key muscle groups more effectively by using a lacrosse ball to release tension in tight areas before starting a workout. This helps them get more out of their workouts, improving both performance and safety.

Yoga Straps

Yoga straps are instrumental in helping clients achieve greater flexibility. In our KINSTRETCH classes, yoga straps are used to assist with deeper stretches and improve joint range of motion. These straps benefit clients with limited mobility or those working through a health condition, such as arthritis or tightness resulting from an injury. They provide a safe way to extend the reach and work on flexibility without overstressing the muscles or joints.

Yoga straps are often used for stretching the hamstrings, shoulders, and hips. Yoga straps help clients hold a stretch for more extended periods and maintain proper alignment, helping to improve flexibility in a controlled manner. This is particularly important for clients who may be at higher risk for injury or who are working on rehabilitating specific areas of their body. Yoga straps are also helpful for creating gentle tension, which can be used to improve strength at end ranges of motion—a key focus in our KINSTRETCH classes.

For clients working on improving their posture, yoga straps can also be used to practice retraction and extension exercises for the shoulders. By using a strap to pull the shoulders back and down, clients can develop better awareness of their posture and strengthen the muscles that help maintain good alignment throughout the day. This can significantly reduce back and neck pain, particularly for individuals who spend a lot of time sitting at a desk.

Superbands

Superbands are versatile resistance bands used for strength training and stretching. They help provide additional resistance for bodyweight exercises, improving power and conditioning. Superbands are also commonly used to assist with pull-ups, support clients who are building upper body strength and work towards performing unassisted pull-ups.

Superbands are also excellent for rehabilitative work, offering a low-impact way to strengthen muscles and maintain stability. The bands can target specific muscle groups, such as the glutes, shoulders, and core, in a challenging and supportive way. They are ideal for banded squats, glute bridges, and shoulder external rotations, which help build strength and stability while minimizing joint stress.

In both personal training and group KINSTRETCH sessions, superbands add resistance to stretches, helping clients develop strength at their end ranges of motion. This approach is crucial for improving joint health and preventing injuries, as it ensures that clients are flexible and strong throughout their entire range of motion. Superbands are used to help clients progress toward their fitness goals, whether they are working on strength, mobility, or a combination of both.

RMT® Rope

The RMT Rope is a dynamic fitness tool that enhances strength, coordination, and mobility through rotational movement training. With its weighted, flexible design, it allows users to perform swinging and rotational exercises that challenge the body’s ability to generate and control power. These movements improve athletic performance and build functional strength and joint stability, making the RMT Rope a versatile addition to any fitness program, whether it’s in a gym, a personal training session, or a tailored mobility program.

At Motive Training, the RMT Rope plays a crucial role in improving movement patterns, addressing imbalances, and developing overall resilience. By incorporating rotational and fluid motions, the rope encourages better coordination and control across multiple planes of movement. This approach, unique to the RMT Rope, helps clients strengthen their core, improve joint health, and reduce pain, all while promoting efficient, natural movement patterns.

The RMT Rope is particularly effective for enhancing mobility and functional strength, targeting areas of the body often overlooked in traditional training. By integrating it into workouts, clients experience improved range of motion, better posture, and a stronger connection between their body’s movements. Whether used in personal training sessions or as part of a tailored mobility program, the RMT Rope provides a fun, challenging, and highly effective way to support fitness and health goals, instilling confidence in its users.

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Vivobarefoot Shoes

We highly recommend Vivobarefoot shoes as an essential tool for enhancing foot health and overall movement quality. These shoes are meticulously designed to allow your feet to move naturally, featuring a wide toe box, thin and flexible soles, and minimal cushioning. Unlike traditional footwear that can restrict movement, compress the toes, and weaken the intrinsic muscles of the feet, Vivobarefoot shoes empower your feet to function the way they were intended—free, strong, and adaptable.

Foot health is the foundation of healthy movement patterns, as the feet play a crucial role in absorbing impact, maintaining balance, and providing stability during every activity, from walking and running to strength training. Switching to Vivobarefoot shoes encourages the natural spread of your toes, improves the alignment of the feet and ankles, and improves proprioception, which is your body’s ability to sense and respond to changes in position and movement. Over time, this can lead to stronger arches, reduced risk of common foot conditions like plantar fasciitis, and improved overall posture.

Vivobarefoot shoes are not just footwear—they invest in long-term joint health and functional movement. Whether working out, participating in a KINSTRETCH class, or simply going about your daily routine, these shoes help reconnect you with the ground, encouraging more efficient mechanics throughout the body. Many of our clients find that transitioning to Vivobarefoot shoes has a ripple effect on their fitness and mobility, as the improved connection to the ground helps alleviate pain, prevent injuries, and unlock new levels of strength and stability.

At Motive Training, we believe in providing the best tools to support our clients’ fitness and wellness journeys. Vivobarefoot shoes align perfectly with our philosophy of addressing the root causes of pain and dysfunction, not just the symptoms. By creating a strong, stable foundation, these shoes empower you to move, feel, and perform better in every aspect of your life.

Read Our Article On Barefoot Shoes, Here.

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How These Tools Benefit Your Fitness Journey

The tools we use at Motive Training are specifically chosen to support each client’s needs. Whether you’re working with a personal trainer, joining our KINSTRETCH classes, or following an exercise program designed to improve your mobility, these tools provide the guidance, support, and resistance needed to make meaningful progress. Our approach is grounded in teaching clients how to use these tools to achieve their goals, improve their posture, and reduce the risk of injury.

Fitness is more than just exercising; it’s about using the right tools to help you move, feel, and live better. Each of the tools affects how you move, ensuring your body can handle the demands of exercise and daily life. From mobility sticks to yoga blocks, these tools provide the support and resistance needed to progress safely and effectively, regardless of your starting point.

These tools help provide modifications and support that make movement accessible and beneficial for individuals dealing with pain or recovering from an injury. By focusing on proper alignment, controlled movement, and gradual progressions, we help clients build a strong foundation that supports their long-term health and fitness. Our personal trainers are experienced in using these tools to create customized exercise prescriptions that address each client’s unique needs, helping them overcome challenges and achieve their full potential.

The use of these tools also promotes accountability and consistency. By incorporating equipment like yoga straps, lacrosse balls, and mobility sticks into home routines, clients can take ownership of their fitness journey and continue progressing outside the gym. This sense of accountability is key to long-term success, as it ensures that clients are consistently working towards their goals and making the necessary efforts to improve their health and well-being.

Join Us at Motive Training

If you want to improve your fitness, work on your mobility, or receive personalized guidance from experienced trainers, our team at Motive Training is here to help. We use these tools to enhance our workout routines, build strength, and help you reach your full potential. Whether you’re just beginning your fitness journey or looking to push your limits, our programs can be tailored to your needs and goals.

Our KINSTRETCH classes are designed to help you improve your range of motion, strengthen your joints, and reduce the risk of injury, all while using the best tools available to support your progress. We invite you to join us at Motive Training and experience the difference that using the right tools can make in your fitness journey. Our trainers are here to guide you every step of the way, providing the support, knowledge, and accountability you need to achieve your goals and live a healthier, more active life.

Written by:

Brian Murray, FRA, FRSC

Founder of Motive Training

We’ll teach you both how to move with purpose so you can lead a healthy, strong, and pain-free life. Our headquarters are in Austin, TX, but you can work with us online by signing up for KINSTRETCH Online or digging deep into one of our Motive Mobility Blueprints.