Rocking the Sled Drag – think Geisha steps

The Sled Drag is new for me. Not my usual workout. When my trainer first added it to my workout routine, I struggled to drag the weights. Being the driven person that I am, I would not be defeated and took big strong steps to budge the weights.

Now, I know that what works best is tiny Geisha steps. And the similarities to how children learn math struck me.

1. Geisha steps – Kids learn math best in tiny steps too. Math feels so much harder with big steps, when the foundation has not been laid out. How do you know when this is the case? When you keep repeating the same explanation to a child and the child can follow your steps, but can’t do the next problem, and you find yourself repeating the same thing over and over again. You need to step back and take smaller steps.
2. Staggered Learning – My trainer alternates the Sled Drag workout with two other workouts like face pulls or arm weight lifts in an A, B, C, A, B, C pattern. At our math learning center, that’s what we do as well. We call it staggered learning. Example, Equivalent Fractions, Factors & Multiples, Word Problems, then back to Equivalent Fractions. Why? A) That’s how the mind works. When you take a break from something, then return to it, the learning is entrenched more deeply than one straight, long boring shot. B) Variety. It’s more interesting to do a pattern of workout and C) just as a variety of workout reinforces how your body is connected, doing a pattern of math workout also shows you how the skills are connected.
3. Consistency – My transformation in the workout room happens after I started coming regularly. Learning happens best with consistency, not one heroic effort once in a while. My trainer winds me down after 45-50 minutes because it’s much better to do that once every two weeks, than a multi-hour session. That’s so obvious, the kids who make the biggest improvement in our math learning center are those who come regularly.
4. Thank you. My trainer thanks everyone who comes in to work out. I used to think he’s thanking us for keeping the revenue coming the and the bills paid. Now I understand he is really thanking us for taking the time and for working hard. Math workout is work. A child could be home playing video games, but instead she’s in our center pushing pencils improving her skill multiplying fractions, converting decimals to percents, etc. It’s work. Very little instant gratification of the workout’s benefit to your mind. So we thank them and reward them. We give them reward cards with stars that they shade in every time they complete a worksheet. When the card is filled, they exchange them for something from the prize cabinet. Some call it bribery. But seriously, would you keep going to work if you didn’t get paid? So what’s wrong with a little recognition for working on your math muscles.
5. Work with a trainer – We live in a country where you can DIY anything. Change your own faucet, clean your own drains, mow your own grass, even build your own pool in the backyard. You can search for videos on YouTube for strength training routines. You can also tutor your own kids math. If you want results though, working with a trainer who can assess where you are , who can tell you what weight is just right, who can work around your injuries, or strengthen the weak muscles, work with a professional trainer. Same for Math. If you want results, work with an experienced tutor who can assess your weaknesses, prescribe a workout that’s not too hard and not too easy, know how to encourage and motivate your child when she’s feeling discouraged.

A shoutout to my trainer: If you live in Newton, I work out at the Workout Room on Needham Street in Newton Highlands, and my trainer is David Coffin.