Let’s talk Combo! Our portal description of Combo is that it “Focuses on strengthening the upper body muscles through resistance training, using weights, TRX straps, gliders, and/or ball. It can include isolating and compound movements with added cardio bursts. This section should increase the heart rate and calorie burn and should be the peak intensity level of class.’

So how do we accomplish these goals? There are a lot of suggestions below, so studio leaders – try picking a different focus for your team each week and see how everyone is incorporating these throughout February! Here are some tips I find helpful, please reply with any you have!

1. Focus Upper Body first –  We have two full sections dedicated to just 3 muscle groups (quads, glutes, hamstrings) and just 1 section for up to 5 upper body muscle groups, so let them be the stars! Only program in full body exercises (TRX pistol/deadlift, etc.) if you feel the upper body has been fully attended to. 
2. Incorporate Variety – whether you are teaching a full body or targeted muscle day, there should be variance in at least 2 areas:
   1. Planes of Motion – your arms should be moving in at least 2 different planes of motion (sagittal + frontal) during this section, so we don’t overload one section of the body/muscle and neglect the other 
   2. Resistance – Incorporating heavier weights for “easier” yet more powerful exercises leads to greater strength gains and a confidence boost for clients! Lighter weights are great for building endurance and for not overloading muscles in extended arm postures. It can help to start with your heavier weight postures first and progress to your lighter ones so they are more capable of working with the heavier load when they are fresher. 
   3. Tempo – Deliberately slowing down exercises maximizes muscle activation and time under tension. It also helps increase body awareness of your form, and the muscles being targeted. Using a standard tempo is good for increasing power and functional movement, since this is the tempo we live our life in! 
   4. Location – using different locations of the studio (center of room, at stations, on mats) serve different purposes in weight training. Our typical weight combo choreography are great for lifting the heart rate and utilizing power to complete the exercises. TRX exercises force your core to stabilize your body, engaging multiple muscles at once, which is great for building functional strength. Kneeling or mat exercises are great for isolating the upper body and maximize arm muscle activation.
3. Be Creative . . . – creative combos keep clients engaged physically and mentally. Creativity allows you to be efficient with this section, whether your focus is 2 muscle groups in a posture (Shoulder press + Tricep Extension) or working the same muscle group in different planes ( lateral raise + frontal raise.) Syncing creative combos to upbeat music enhances energy and motivation
4. . . . but not Overly Complicated – (I am personally guilty of this one!) using overly complicated choreo takes clients out of the moment and can be discouraging. It’s also not effective for strength training if you’re doing multiple movements and not getting enough time under tension for the targeted muscle groups. Try to stick with combos you can complete 1 rep within a 2-4 count of music, and that easily flow with the music. (Reel to be posted on this later!)
5. Music Choices – the music should reflect the peak intensity feeling of the movements. For me, Warmup songs have a “peppier” vibe and combo songs have a “harder” vibe (lol does that make sense.) Weighted Combo Choreo has warmup has the same consistent 128-132 bpm throughout where TRX songs are slower remixes or edm to focus on form. Everyone’s choices are a little different, but I typically go for the “Power Music Workout” vibe songs in warmup, whereas combo songs are still sung by the artist with the remixed version in the title (not always but a good place to start for me!)

Combo is the most complicated section to program since there are a lot of variables to consider! So as stated before, take one focus a week and work to implement these tips into your programming. I will try to reflect these tips on the instagram account with combo and programming ideas.

I would love to hear your feedback and what works for you! 

Thanks team!