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Hi, my name is Sebastien Lagree; I am the creator and founder of Lagree Fitness. Lagree Fitness has evolved tremendously in the past 20 years. In addition to the method and the equipment, I created this online training database based on the science, studies, research, and many years of personal experience in the fitness industry both as a Bodybuilder and a teacher. Lagree started about 20 years ago (although it wasn't named Lagree at the time); today over a million people do Lagree! There are over 350 locations operating worldwide and the method is continuing to expand aggressively through the licensing program
Lagree is a very unique workout. It's the first and only workout that effectively combines Strength, Endurance, Core, Cardio, Balance and Flexibility. In addition, the method and equipment are constantly evolving. I teach on a weekly basis; I try new things; I filter what is popular and what is not. New exercises and new training technique are added as needed and some other exercises and training technique are removed as they are no longer beneficial. The objective of this site is for you to understand the method and the equipment, but most importantly: their evolution. We are not interested in you memorizing the content and there will be no test. The quizzes are there to ensure that you do read and understand the content. Please take a moment to read this page as it contains the "essence" of Lagree and you will see this information repeated through the website and through time. You must be familiar with the materials before participating in the teacher training. All the info contained in this website is PROPRIETARY, please do not share...
The reproduction of any of the content provided on this website is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
I designed the Lagree workout specifically to be a high intensity but low impact training. Over the years, the method has morphed into a Muscular Endurance Training Type.
Lagree Fitness is a High Intensity, Low Impact Muscular Endurance Training.
When people ask me what is Lagree? I say that it's the perfect healthy alternative to other High Intensity Training such as Crossfit.
Please note that Lagree Fitness is a method that I have been developing for the past 20 years, the method is still being developed. Nothing on this website should be considered "set in stone" as the method is adjusted from time to time.
Fitness is multi facet. My mission is to find, integrate, and exploit all the facets into one effective and efficient high intensity but low impact fitness training program. Currently, Lagree effectively stimulates Strength, Endurance, Cardiorespiratory Health, Body Composition, Flexibility; Core and Balance. There is also a strong mind/body connection when doing Lagree.
Lagree Fitness is designed to test and improve your Cardio, Strength, Endurance, Core, Balance, and Flexibility. You should expect to sweat and feel your muscles shake. It is a workout that leaves you feeling energized and stronger.
Here is a list of other benefits:
I created the workout and the equipment so that it is adaptable to all fitness levels.
The Machine and The Method are both evolutionary—They are constantly and gradually developing and improving. They are in a constant state of R&D. There is no plateau with Lagree Fitness. Evolution and adaptability will ensure that it never stays the same.
The Lagree Fitness evolves to keep challenging the students, motivating the teachers, and optimizing the effectiveness and efficiency of the workout. We do not want YOU, the teacher, to ever get bored when teaching Lagree.
Don’t ever expect a printed manual. The training materials are all online because the information is constantly changing—We are adding more components such as the new 3D page; and features to the equipment. We are creating new generations of machines. Printed Manuals would be quickly outdated or obsolete. Plan on staying up-to-date by either attending the Teacher Training Weekends or checking this website regularly.
As stated earlier, Lagree Fitness was specifically engineered to be a high-intensity, low-impact, Muscular Endurance workout. Lagree will challenges the muscles without putting strain or pressure on the spine and the joints. In addition to hitting all 5 elements of physical fitness, Lagree Fitness reinforces the mind/body connection. Lagree Fitness also has some of the best movements for the body on planet Earth— Movements that are super effective and fun.
Some say it feels like magic, but it's really science. Lagree Fitness has been developed from over 30 years of personal experience in fitness, tried and proven training techniques, research, and studies. Lagree Fitness trains the muscles to contract stronger in the whole kinetic chain, with the joints in alignment. And Lagree trains at a slow tempo for the body to reprogram neuromuscular patterns, so when you go out and do anything else that you do, the body remembers how to do it more efficiently.
The Lagree Method focuses on 6-key Training Elements to effectively stimulate the muscle fibers. The term "Effective" is important to understand. When it comes to training the body, we need the precise amount of intensity to encourage and inspire change. As you study the articles, please take extra care to understand the 6 -key Training Elements. This will be your toolkit for effectively teaching all of the movements in the Lagree Fitness arsenal. [Study Course 101: The Science Behind Lagree Fitness]. You must understand the following:
Body alignment/angle is the optimal placement of the hands and feet to optimize muscle fiber recruitment and minimize any excessive stress on the joints and the spine. What angle should you perform an exercise at? Form always prevails over everything else
What's the Range of Motion for each exercise? Is there a difference between the range of motion of a muscle vs the range of motion of the movement? Now that you have perfect form, you must stay withing the effective range of motion
How much resistance do you need to trigger a positive adaptive response? How does variable tension allowing us to train a wide variety of ability levels? The resistance must be challenging but not so challenging that is compromises Form, ROM, Duration, and Tempo.
How long does it take for an exercise to be effective? How can we train both aerobically and anaerobically? You must be able to keep proper Form and ROM throughout the entire duration of an exercise; otherwise the intention is lost.
Why is speed such an important factor in Lagree? How does slow-twitch muscle fiber training benefit us? You must work without momentum.
I called these 5 first keys "the Magic 5." There is one more key but this one is more specific to the Supra.
Effective Planes of Motion deal primarily with the Supra, so you will not study this in this course. To really understand about planes of motions, you have to learn how your body responds to exercise if it's up, tilted, or a combination of the two.
The Lagree Fitness line of Equipment thrives on variable tension. Whether it is from springs or electronic, the tension throughout an exercise is never the same. The tension will change with the movement of the carriage—On the Mega, as you move the carriage out, the spring stretches and the tension increases. As the carriage moves back in, the spring compresses and the tension decreases. It’s a universal law of physics and it is a consideration for everything in the Lagree Method: modifications, variation, range of motion, etc.
This type of tension is often referred to as "gradual," "variable," or "accommodating" tension. The variable tension is different from the tension you get from weights. Weights are static. A dumbbell does not become heavier as you pick it up and move it.
Spring Tension works smarter than Static Tension — When you look at your muscles, and examine each effective range of motion, the variable tension is especially accommodating to the strength curve of the muscle. And just as there is an effective range of motion for the muscles and movement, there is a strength curve for both the muscles and movements.
Example 1: The Biceps Muscles have a strength curve that increases as the muscle contracts and peaks toward the end of the range of motion.
Example 2: The Wheelbarrow Exercise has a curve that is strongest as set-up and then becomes challenging and then too stressful on the spine as you press the carriage away.
In both of these examples the spring-tension can effectively stimulate the muscles better than static-weight because the springs will support the muscles when the exercise is the most difficult, and create more resistance where the body is most resilient. Spring-tension can provide more intensity than weight and with zero impact on the joint. It is the perfect balance of High Intensity & Low Impact.
That is why variable tension is the Future of Fitness—
You can have a hundred people working out at the same time and everyone is training at their own Effective Intensity. It is easy for you to manage now! Everybody can exercise in the same setting, and on the same spring load, but each individual will perceive the resistance from the spring differently depending on their different body positions, body proportions, and range of motion!
This is exactly what people are looking for! Consumers are becoming smarter about how to train their bodies, and they want to find Effective Intensity. We seek intensity but don't want to bust our joints and connective tissues. Consumers figured out that intensity is important for change, but more people now in their 20’s and 30’s get knee and hip-replacement surgeries than ever a time before. Lagree Fitness does this smarter.
The Variable Tension allows for the following:
Lastly, the springs turn the equipment into three machines in one!
That makes 3 machines, each with its own set of rules. You need to understand the 3 hidden machines because you have to explain to people why you have them moving on the machine, and you need to share that knowledge in a very simple way without being technical and scientific about it. After all, we want you to be great teachers and motivators, and understanding WHY and HOW these concepts work are important for you to teach an effective and intense Lagree Fitness workout.
The purpose of the Teacher Training is not for you to memorize every single exercise; or memorize anything at all for that matter! The exercises are infinite and the possibilities endless. Instead, the purpose is to understand the Lagree Method which is very simple in and of itself. Set a strong foundation to understand why the method is developed as it is, and everything else you need to know you will learn through practice and application!
During the Week-end Teacher Training, we will focus on applying the Lagree Method through two Essential Series.
An Essential Series, or an Essential Exercise is a type of movement that applies to every generation of the equipment I create, will transcend the current generations, and stay applicable to the next generations. We are now on the third generation of the Lagree Fitness Equipment, the Supra, but there are more generations coming. I can tell you right now that any exercises laying on the back, and overly specific or isolating exercises are all going out. For example, on the Supra, you can’t do The Mermaid. This exercise is gone. There are a lot of similar exercises now that can be done and easily replicated elsewhere. They have disappeared, because to me, they are not symbolic of what an efficient movement should be. You are going to learn the most important series: The Wheelbarrow and Lunge Series. These are the exercises that started it all and continue to be the cornerstone of a Lagree Fitness Workout.
The Wheelbarrow [Study Course 110: The Wheelbarrow Series] is important because the Wheelbarrow is the best type of exercise for trunk stabilization. Trunk-Stabilizing exercises train the body to keep its natural S-Shape curve during an exercise. No bowing, no bending, no arching. The Wheelbarrow itself has many derivatives such as The Catfish and The Cobra. When you learn to teach one, you can teach them all.
The Lunge [Study Course 120: The Lunge Series] is a great exercise because if you want to work your legs, the lunge hits every muscle. The lunge works everything: Works your quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, inner thighs, outer thigh... Talk about efficiency! But keep in mind, the lunge performed the Lagree Fitness way is not an exercise done at the gym on the floor, or with any explosive movement— That would exert too much force on the knees and on the hips. That could compromise form and training good body mechanics. On the Lagree Fitness Equipment you have the assistance of the spring when you do these exercises. You can keep good form. And because the lunge so closely mimics the mechanics of walking, The Lunge is definitely an exercise that is transcending all the generations.
You're not going to be tested on, “What is this exercise called?” Whatever. What I want you to understand is if you do a Wheelbarrow, a Catfish, and a Bear, why are they so effective together? Why do we put them in a sequence? Why do these exercises work well together? You don’t have to know all the exercises, but you have to understand the connection between each exercise to put the routines together. There is a flow to Lagree Fitness. That's a very important to understand.
I've seen people try to replicate Lagree on other machines, and it's not working because they don't understand the essence, the logic, or the evolution. There's no “monkey training” where you do an exercise and than a stretch, then you work another body part that has no relation to this one. People will take a class like that elsewhere, and it just doesn't work. They'll say, "There's no magic." Again, all these things that I share in this training did not come about in one night. It's been an evolution for the last 20 years that is growing worldwide.
All this stuff is important. It works.
Many of you are interested in continuing education; especially on how to become a Lagree Master Trainer.
Here are the steps:
1st, you need to obtain your Basic Training.
2nd, you need to become an Advanced Trainer. There will be several advanced training each focusing on a different topic.
3rd, you need to take the "Specialty Trainings;" for these, you will not have to participate in a class. These courses will be done on line.
4th, After all the trainings are obtained, you will qualify for the Master Training. A Master Trainer will be able to offer Lagree Fitness Teacher Training.
(more info will be shared on this as we have all the courses ready for you to study)
Please take the time to read through the Training Website and spend time studying the videos. Bring questions you have to training. And don’t let yourself get too overwhelmed. Learning is a process. It takes practice and application to make permanent. And if we can be any of help, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Sincerely,
Sebastien Lagree
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