Congratulations on progressing to level 4 of the Healthy Posture Club. At this level of neutral spine conditioning, you are ready to safely strengthen your shoulders, hips and knees at fitness levels that match your sport and recreational activities.
You will need to purchase a Maintenance Membership at this transition point of the program to obtain the virtual training required for advancement. You will also need to purchase the HPC VOD subscription to access your workout video at this level of conditioning. Please schedule your Level 4 Virtual Coaching Session before starting these workouts. You can schedule your virtual workouts with the scheduling widget below.
Level 4 Workout Schedule
Lower Body Workout
Monday + Thursday
Perform your Joint Clearing Routine each morning and before your daily workout.
Daily Workout
Perform your Joint Clearing Routine before going to sleep to reduce the muscle tension you have in the morning.
Cardiovascular Workout
Wed. + Saturday
We recommend the Elliptical and walking/hiking over bike and treadmill.
Don’t forget your joint clearing routines on your cardio days. If you back or hips are stiff perform your lower body joint clearing. If your neck or shoulders are stiff perform your upper body joint clearing.
Upper Body Workout
Tuesday + Friday
Perform your Joint Clearing Routine each morning and before your daily workout.
Daily Workout
Perform your Joint Clearing Routine before going to sleep to reduce the muscle tension you have in the morning.
Don’t forget your hourly mobility exercise!
Perform 4 seated Chest Lifts, 4 Spine Twists and 4 Side bends every hour.
Most clients require 2 to 3 weeks of level 4 conditioning to safely progress to level 5 of the Healthy Posture Club. When you can hold Plank on Toes for 12 seconds without losing Chest Lift® or Nead Nod® posture you are likely ready to schedule your level 5 virtual workout session. Please visit the level 5 workout page to prepare for your next virtual training session.
Scheduling
Never work through an injury!
Even the slightest injury can compromise your ability to get into neutral spine alignment. If you have suffered an injury, please schedule a $50 Injury Severity Screen before your next workout so that we can confirm you are able to get the most out of the next workout. Remember, workouts performed outside of neutral spine alignment only reinforce the faulty loading patterns that cause the joint misalignments that serve as the foundation for most chronic pain conditions.
Knowledge is Power!
As you transition into fitness level conditioning, we want to clarify the different types of exercises. Up to this point you have been asked to perform only isotonic strengthening exercises.
- Isokinetic (Machines) – any exercise performed on a piece of exercise equipment that is fixed to the ground is referred to as a machine-based strengthening (aka isokinetic training).
- Isotonic – Isotonic exercises are functional exercises where you keep the same tension on the joint/muscle targeting throughout the movement.
- Free Weights– you have been doing this type of workout in the HPC when you are using the exercises bar and kettlebells. Any type of exercise that challenges your ability to perform some functional movement against a resistance not attached to anything is referred to as a free weight exercise
- Closed Chain Strengthening – any exercise that uses your own body weight as the resistance.
The HPC believes a balanced fitness program combines all 3 types of exercises above. As you transition back to the gym at level 4 we suggest you start with Isokinetic strengthening before progressing into Isotonic. Let your HPC NSC Specialist put a program in place that matches your goals and needs. Here is a good article from Shape Magazine that discussed the pros and cons of machines versus free weights.
Commonly Asked Questions:
Why do I have to pay for my workout videos now?
At this level of the program, you will settle into your ideal level of conditioning and stay there for months if not years. Although we want everyone to get level 6 neutral spine fit, it is not necessary to meet most client’s goals and needs. Also, at this level workout videos change as we develop new modifications. New workout videos are added periodically to keep you motivated and engaged.
Should I work through pain?
It depends. If you are unable to get into neutral spine alignment because of pain, stop the program and schedule a virtual screening with a HPC physical therapist to explore the pain source. If the first few repetitions of an exercise performed from neutral spine alignment are “stiff” but that tightness resolves as you perform repetitions #3 and #4 then you are most likely safe to continue.
What Should I be doing for Cardio?
You are now conditioned to do the elliptical, treadmill and bike from neutral spine alignment. Of these three options we prefer the elliptical with hands on the handles alternating between forward and backward walking. There is no substitute for hiking or walking. You are not able to run without faulty loading in the low back or neck yet. Sorry!
We also suggest walking backward (retropulsion) as often as it is safe to do so. It is great for balance, glute strengthening and overall symmetrical conditioning of the legs.
Should I also be doing the Upper Body Conditioning Workout?
Absolutely.
