Weight Training: Exercise Selection and Progression

At the core of every resistance programme are the exercises within it. This is why exercise selection is one of the most important considerations we  make when designing  programmes for ourselves or others.

With so many options available, finding the perfect mix of exercises can seem a near impossible task – especially for new trainers.

Which squat is best?

Should I do press ups or bench press?

Does it even matter, aren’t they all working the same muscles anyway?

Can’t I just add more weight for progression?

This article aims to take some of the guess work out of exercise selection and progression with a closer look at the Neuromechancial Continuum.

The what!?

Yep, that was my response too when first hearing about this unique process for selecting and progressing (or regressing) resistance exercises. In many ways this technique was a gamechanger for how I looked at programme design.

By learning how to use the Neuromechanical Continuum also, you may never view exercise selection the same again.

Let’s take a look at the thoughtful art of exercise selection and progression.

Out with the old

Here’s a common approach when selecting exercises for a resistance training programme.

We might slue through the exercise library in our head, weigh up a few different exercise options and after a bit of umming and ahh-ing settle on a series of exercises to proudly call a programme.

Usually, we’re making decisions based on an individual’s level of experience in the gym, how well conditioned they are, their movement capabilities, and their exercise preferences.

However, one thing we tend to overlook is the Neuromechanical Continuum.

In with the new

The Neuromechanical Continuum is a way of comparing how hard a group of similar exercises are in relation to each other. Including from the point of view of the person doing the lifting.

The process involves brainstorming as many exercises as you can think of that fit within a movement pattern and ordering them from easiest to hardest.

Sounds pretty straight forward right? So let’s get into a bit more detail.

Exercise complexity on a continuum

When we perform an exercise, there is always a level of complexity required to perform the movement safely, efficiently, and effectively.

Some exercises are quite easy to learn and perform. Others require a greater level of physical development before they can be performed well. Even then, they may still be highly challenging.

In terms of the Neuromechanical Continuum, there are three main factors which influence how hard someone will find an exercise.

These factors include the;

• Complexity of the movement
• Novelty of the movement
• Familiarity with the movement

Movement complexity

Complex movements require a large number of neural signals to be sent to various parts of the body in quick succession and in the correct order of firing.

Generally speaking, the complexity of an exercise is determined by;

• The number of joints and muscles required in the movement (isolation vs compound movement)
• The level of accuracy or precision required during the movement when producing force (machine vs free-weights)
• The stability requirement around the joints at any moment
• The lever arms and torque created during the movement and the stability required to manage those forces.

Complexity increases when there are;

• More joints
• Longer lever arms / more torque
• More planes to stabilise a joint across
• More changes of position and loading during a movement.

Tricep extension vs Barbell bench press

An example is in comparing a tricep extension to a Barbell bench press.

With the tricep extension, we are primarily focused on muscle activation around a single joint – the elbow.

Therefore, the brains only major task is to tell the tricep muscle to contract with enough force to lift the weight, then return it.

In a barbell bench press however, the brain has a few more tasks at hand.

This time we require movement at the shoulder and elbow. The brain has to send signals to the triceps, and the larger chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor). Furthermore, if we want to protect the shoulder joint, we’ll also instruct the rotator cuff muscles to lock in and stabilise.

The brain must send these signals in a highly coordinated fashion. Recruiting enough muscle fibers to generate sufficient force to lift the loaded barbell into the air and control any wayward drift.

As you can tell, in this case there’s so much more going on here. Therefore, the barbell bench press is a more complex exercise.

Movement novelty

Novel exercises are the quirky little add-on exercises you might see from time to time.

They generally involve taking a standard exercise and then adjusting the body position, or how the limbs are moved to create a slightly different take on an otherwise common exercise.

Often this entails adapting a standard movement that occurs in a linear plane by adding multiple planes or rotation to the movement. This increases the neural activation and coordination demands for the exercise.

The Plank

A simple example would be a standard plank – lying face down bridging yourself from toes to hands/elbows.

Now instead of holding the plank position – you decide to raise one leg and move it from side to side. Or raise one leg and the opposite arm. Or both arms and one leg 😂.

Ok that last one was just to see if you were paying attention!

The point is novel exercises are an extension of a standard exercise. The positioning of the body (limbs, posture, balance) affects how hard it is to perform the exercise without either losing form, falling over, or recruiting help from other non-targeted muscles.

In the fitness world some trainers get very focused on learning and prescribing novel exercises for themselves, or even worse, beginner clients.

Whilst there is certainly an impressive visual element when watching an acrobatic movement display, clowns belong in the circus, not the gym.

Approach novel exercises with caution. A trainer’s job is to select exercises that are ‘fit for purpose’. As such, unless your client needs to be balanced on one leg while hovering over a flaming pit and plucking apples from boiling water – novel exercises like the one pictured above are not required.

Exercise familiarity

Unfamiliar exercises often include movements that we haven’t encountered much or haven’t used recently. Primarily we need to embed the correct movement or revisit the full and correct movement after some time away from it.

You may see this challenge with beginner exercisers lifting free weights for the first time.

Their movement appears quite jerky and unstable. This is because the signals being sent from the brain to the muscles are not yet refined or well coordinated.

The brain essentially hazards a guess at;

• Which particular muscles are needed
• The order in which these muscles should be activated
• The relative forces of each of the various muscle contractions
• The timing and sequencing of those contractions
• The contraction durations.

Having never encountered such a movement task before, and lacking familiarity with the factors above, our brain just goes…

“Here, have a bunch of neural signals to a bunch of muscles, see how you get on, give me some feedback as you go and I’ll try do better next time”.

The sensory nervous system will be doing a lot of work monitoring and adjusting the imperfect execution of the movement here. There will be a lot of spinal reflexes and interplay between joints and muscles occurring.  This is why the first time learning movements, even with low loads, can be very fatiguing.

As we repeat the same movement more often, the brain and muscles get better coordinated. We’ll begin learning how to fire all the required muscles in the correct sequence, with the correct amount of force to make the movement look smooth.

The Get-Up

Take the kettlebell/dumbbell get-up for example.

The full Get-up is a 7-movement sequence. Someone attempting this exercise for the first time will have a hard time coordinating each movement and remembering the sequence. Not to mention we’ll need to give them a weight to hold at some stage too.

There are also strength and flexibility requirements throughout the body and particularly at the outstretched shoulder and arm.

A novice (and even some regular gym goers) will find this a physically and neurologically challenging exercise to complete. In this context I’d consider this a complex movement.

However, an expert at this movement will have completed this sequence 1000’s of times. As such they have the ability to perform the sequence in a smooth and coordinated fashion. The movement pattern is well embedded. They don’t need to concentrate on their form or memorize the sequence. It’s a more natural and automatic movement and neurologically less demanding.

For someone experienced at performing this exercise we’d consider the movement less complex. “Simple” just doesn’t seem like the right word in this instance. 🤔

The point I’m making, is that a person’s level of experience with any exercise will always have an influence on how simple or complex that movement will feel to them.

So, just because we may think an exercise is easy because we can perform it well, doesn’t mean it is going to be easy for the next person.

Determining neuromechanical complexity

To utilise the neuromechanical continuum within your own exercise selection, you’ll need a framework to help compare exercises. The below table provides some guidance as to whether an exercise will be more simple or complex. I’ll talk through how I use this table with a squat example next.

Let’s walk through an example.

Organising exercises on the Neuromechanical Continuum: Squats

The following approach is an example of how I’d order a group of similar exercises along the Neuromechanical Continuum. I’ve used squats, but you can borrow the same process and logic when applying this to other movement patterns for exercise selection.

Brainstorm

The first thing I do is brainstorm as many exercises as I can think of – within reason. There could literally be hundreds of different squat variations when we think about it!

This works best when we stick to analysing a single movement pattern.

In this case I have selected 7 squat variations as shown below.

Now it’s time to search for any easy wins.

Determine the simplest squat variation

Without too much fuss I can see that the easiest and most neuromechanically simple exercise would be the machine leg press.

For this exercise we are:

• Seated/lying back in a fully supported position. No need to control our posture.
• The range of movement is limited to approx. 90 degrees. This is a safety consideration that limits direct forces into the lower back region. This can cause injury if using a larger range in this exercise.
• Because we are in a machine, the path of the movement is locked in. We press our feet and extend our legs, and the weight goes up in the same fashion each time. We are less reliant on activating stabilising muscles while creating force.
• This literally is the sort of exercise you can do with your eyes close (not recommended!).

With the simplest variation out of the way, I turn my attention to finding the most complex.

Determine the most complex squat variation

In this case, I’d suggest that the hardest – or most neuromechanically complex – would be the pistol squat.

This is because the pistol squat is:

• Using a full range of movement across multiple joints.
• Our body position is shifting outside normal allowances for a squat – with our front leg hiked out in front.
• As we are on one leg, we have the challenge of maintaining balance throughout the full range.
• Plus, we are dealing with the forces of our entire bodyweight through a single leg. This means the neural firing and mechanical loading through the leg is substantial.

For these reasons, I can be pretty certain that the pistol squat is the most complex of the squat variations I’ve brainstormed.

As such, I can now place the leg press and pistol squat variations at opposing ends of my continuum as illustrated below.

Now that we have the outer edges sorted, it’s time to start packing in the middle.

Head-to-head comparisons

My approach here is to complete a few head-to-head comparisons of the remaining exercises.

Using our guidelines from earlier, I assess the criteria against each exercise to determine which is the most neuromechanically complex. Each time that I think the exercise possesses one of the “complex” elements from the table – I give it one complexity rating point. After comparing both exercises, the exercise with the most complexity points wins.

For example; let’s compare the half squat to the standard body weight squat.

In this instance we can see the two exercises are very similar except for the fact that the full squat requires more range of movement.

In terms of complexity, I rated the full squat a 2 versus a single point for the partial squat.

I’ll slot those two exercises into my continuum next based on these ratings.

My squat continuum is starting to take shape.

What if it’s a tie?

Sometimes our head-to-head comparisons are not so straight forward. You might find that two exercises rate exactly the same when using our guidelines. When this happens, a little more understanding of the exercises themselves is required to declare a winner.

Let’s compare the overhead squat to the barbell squat for example.

This time we can see there is essentially a tie. I have rated each exercise a 4 for neuromechanical complexity.

Therefore, I’ll need to consider further specifics of each exercise before I can decide.

Just do it

A good starting point is to physically attempt each exercise – often our ability to do the exercise comfortably (or not) will give us another indication of its complexity.

In this instance, for a barbell squat I would have the bar resting on my upper back. My hands and arms playing a supporting role by lightly gripping the bar and preventing it from rolling off my shoulders.

I could set myself up in this position and comfortably maintain it for quite some time.

Compare this to the overhead squat where I will need to maintain my arms outstretched above my head. I’d actively stabilise the bar position with muscle force and control. I’d need considerable flexibility in my shoulders to ensure the bar remained suitably overhead and an added element of strength to maintain this position throughout the squat movement.

It is unlikely I will be able to hang around all day in this position.

Therefore, I’d rate the overhead squat to be more neuromechanically complex than the Barbell squat.

Furthermore, because I ranked the barbell squat higher for complexity than the standard squat from earlier, I am now able to find a place for that on our continuum too.

Here’s how its looking.

So, as you can see, by using the neuromechanical continuum I’ve been able to create a logical order of similar exercises.

We can apply the same process to any other squat exercise you can think of and slot it into the continuum where appropriate.

Here’s one for you to ponder.

Why you should use the Neuromechanical Continuum for exercise selection

When I need an exercise that targets a certain muscle group, it is very easy to fall into a trap. Thinking that I can just pick the first exercise that comes to mind and slap it onto my resistance training programme is not a best laid plan.

This approach can lead to significant issues.

An approach that focuses on the exercise that is the current favourite for the Personal Trainer means the PT isn’t considering  what is best for their client in terms of  their needs, wants, preferences and current capabilities. All exercise selection requires a careful marriage between the exercise options available and the client’s capability, safety, goals and comfort.

Client centric exercise selection

When you apply the Neuromechanical Continuum and focus on the client in front of you, your exercise selection becomes more client appropriate immediately.

Think about our squat examples above. If you were designing a programme for Grandma, you could reasonably expect to take some of our squat variations off the table at the outset.

Factors such as Grandma’s balance, flexibility, strength, and confidence should be considered. If it were my Grandma, we’d be starting down the left hand side of the continuum for sure.

What about your own personal ability and preferences? How far along the continuum would you be happy to progress to?

How about for an athlete?

A casual gym goer?

Selecting  suitable exercises becomes easier when we consider the specific circumstances of the person the programme is for.

Exercise progression and regression

Using the Neuromechanical Continuum also provides options for progression and regression of exercises beyond the standard approach of increasing or decreasing weight/sets/reps.

If you want to make an exercise harder, just move one step along the continuum.

Need to find a suitable regression, take a step back.

Coupled with an understanding of an individual’s movement mechanics and posture the neuromechanical continuum provides an additional framework for transforming the way we select exercises. It provides for highly customized and effective training approaches.

At NZIHF we provide fitness education for up-and-coming trainers. We help students understand the nuances of applying advanced exercise prescription techniques with clients. The Neuromechanical Continuum is just one piece of the puzzle. One that when applied appropriately brings a new dimension to how we select exercises for resistance training programmes.

Final thought

One of the most useful tools I learned as a Personal Trainer was how to apply the Neuromechanical Continuum to exercise prescription.

It forced me to reassess how I choose to progress or regress client programmes. It allowed me to see the sometimes subtle differences between two or more similar exercises and helped me to choose options that were a better fit for my clients.

When you only have a hammer, you see everything as a nail.

Clients aren’t nails, and a sledge hammer isn’t always the answer.

Choose wisely, design intelligent exercise programmes starting at the core with sensible exercise selection.