Clients incorporate outside muscles when first learning some of the exercises

Q:  I notice many of my clients incorporate outside muscles when first learning some of the exercises.  Should I pay attention to these extraneous movements and call attention to them?

A:  While ultimately we don’t want to have the extraneous or straining movements occurring, we often have to ignore this additional activity with some early exercises, allowing them to focus on the exercise’s main goals. For example, neck strain or shoulder tensing might accompany an early basic exercise. Once they have established that they are able to perform the exercise reasonably well, that is the time to call attention to the unnecessary movements and eliminate them since they will have had the basic early skills under their belt by then.