{"id":65841,"date":"2018-02-20T07:15:23","date_gmt":"2018-02-20T12:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=65841"},"modified":"2021-11-02T05:41:20","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T09:41:20","slug":"common-trainer-cues-decoded","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/common-trainer-cues-decoded\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Common Trainer Cues, Decoded"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Square your hips. Tuck your tailbone. Zip your navel to your spine. Listening to your trainer is much like playing a game of \u201cSimon Says.\u201d But if you\u2019re new to exercise or trying a workout for the first time, it\u2019s not uncommon to get tangled up in a trainer\u2019s cues.<\/p>\n

Pete McCall, CSCS, ACE-certified personal trainer and host of the All About Fitness podcast<\/a>, says, \u201cTrainer cues are meant merely to create awareness to movement. They\u2019re there to help people be more mindful of what they\u2019re doing.\u201d With that said, if you\u2019re unsure about something, don\u2019t be afraid to ask your trainer to clarify or explain. After all, these prompts are intended to help you get the most out of your workout and prevent injury. Read on to learn the most common trainer cues and how to decode them.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 15 Most Underrated Exercises, According to Trainers<\/a><\/p>\n

What Your Trainer Really Means When They Say\u2026<\/h3>\n

1. Tuck your tailbone.<\/h3>\n

Trainer translation: <\/strong>OK, so you can\u2019t literally tuck away your tailbone. But this common barre phrase<\/a> is meant to help you bring awareness to the midline of your body, McCall says. Tucking your tailbone means engaging your abs and scooping your hips so that they\u2019re tilted slightly forward. This helps to straighten your spine. \u201cWhen your spine is rounded or rotates the wrong way, it could be a potential risk of injury,\u201d McCall says.<\/p>\n

2. Lead with the hips.<\/h3>\n

Trainer translation: <\/strong>When squatting, you may have heard the cue to \u201cavoid letting your knees go over your toes\u201d or to \u201clead with the hips.\u201d McCall explains, \u201cWhat your trainer really means is that your hips should move before your knees when you perform a squat.\u201d A strong squat<\/a> starts with a hip hinge and shooting your butt back and down to activate your glutes. \u201cWhether you squat or lunge, your glutes should be doing more of the work,\u201d McCall says.<\/p>\n

3. Feel a two-way stretch.<\/h3>\n

Trainer translation: <\/strong>Another common yoga and barre phrase, this cue simply means to lengthen, says Krystal Dwyer, Daily Burn 365<\/a> trainer and FlyBarre instructor. \u201cLengthen out of the top of your head and tailbone, or in some cases, out of your toes,\u201d Dwyer says. \u201cI want people to feel their entire body stretching and lengthening while they\u2019re moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Brace your core.<\/h3>\n

Trainer translation: <\/strong>Whether you\u2019re performing a push-up<\/a> or a plank, this cue is all about contracting your abs. \u201cA more effective cue is to grip the floor with both hands. This gives you more stability in your shoulders and turns your abs on,\u201d McCall says. McCall tells his clients to imagine their older brother punching their stomach. \u201cYou want to keep your entire core tight,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 50 Ab Exercises to Score a Stronger Core<\/a><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Pull your belly button towards the spine.<\/h3>\n

Trainer translation: <\/strong>This is impossible, obviously, but the point of this cue is to activate your transverse abdominis<\/a> (TVA), the deepest layer of your abdominals. From a Pilates 100<\/a> to an ab roll-up, these waist-cinching moves are best known for engaging your TVA. \u201cBy activating your transverse abs, you\u2019re firing up all four layers around your lumbar spine,\u201d McCall says. \u201cThis helps keep your back stable and supports your hips and pelvis,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

6. Pinch your shoulder blades.<\/h3>\n

Trainer translation: <\/strong>Put some back into it! Imagine that there\u2019s a ball between your shoulders on your upper back, and you don\u2019t want that ball to drop. From renegade rows to reverse flies, scapular retraction will allow for better posture, muscle activation and injury prevention. \u201cPulling should come from the elbows. Pinching your shoulders keeps them out of the way so your arms can move safely,\u201d McCall says.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Get Sculpted Shoulders with These 5 Exercises<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Draw your chin back.<\/h3>\n

Trainer translation: <\/strong>It\u2019s all about alignment. Whether you\u2019re doing a plank<\/a> or a push-up, you want to make sure your entire body from the top of your head to your tailbone is aligned. \u201cWhen we press our chin forward, we\u2019re creating a lot of tension in our neck and upper back,\u201d Dwyer says.<\/p>\n

8. Pull up on the pedals.<\/h3>\n

Trainer translation: <\/strong>If you\u2019re sprinting during spin class, McCall says it\u2019s actually more effective to think about pulling up on pedals<\/a> as opposed to pushing them down. Also, he adds, \u201cImagine wiping your shoe on a mat. This takes advantage of the natural motion of your foot muscles, so you move more efficiently and with more control.\u201d Whether you\u2019re sitting in a neutral on the bike or climbing in third position<\/a>, this cue is also a good reminder to engage your glutes<\/a> and hamstrings to pull the pedals away \u2014 and not just your quads.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 SoulCycle Secrets for Proper Form on a Spin Bike<\/a><\/p>\n

9. Open your heart.<\/h3>\n

Trainer translation: <\/strong>Your trainer isn\u2019t trying to get deep into your psyche here. It simply means to keep your chest lifted and open. \u201cThink of having a diamond necklace on and your showing it off,\u201d Dwyer says. Hunching your back over a desk during the day makes your chest less open and more prone to shoulder injury<\/a> while lifting. \u201cPress your shoulder blades down into your back pocket and keep your chin lifted and back,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Read More:
\n<\/strong>Push Through Any Workout with These Trainer Mantras<\/a>
\nThe 25 Craziest Workout Excuses Trainers Have Ever Heard<\/a>
\nJust Not Feeling It Today? 33 Sources of Workout Motivation<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What does your trainer really mean when they say, \u201cTuck your tailbone?\u201d We decode the most common exercise cues to help you get the most out of your workout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":65845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6,14,19],"tags":[434,289,265,56,212,281,341,343,286],"class_list":["post-65841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","category-yoga","tag-barre","tag-exercise","tag-fitness-class","tag-group-fitness","tag-spinning","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-yoga"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}