We all know life is unpredictable, and so is sport. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, things just don’t go as planned. But how do you prepare your body to adapt and bounce back when things go wrong? Building physical resilience can make all the difference. Resilience is more than just avoiding injury; it’s about preparing our bodies to handle and recover from unplanned challenges.

As Dr. Mel Siff once argued, the traditional approach to injury prevention—avoiding “dangerous” exercises and excessive loads—is inadequate. Sooner or later, we’ll all find ourselves in an unexpected situation, whether it’s landing a jump awkwardly, misstepping on a curb, or experiencing sudden imbalance in a game. The question isn’t if it will happen, but when—and how your body will respond.

Will your body roll with the challenge and come out unharmed? Or will it succumb, leading to months of recovery and rehab? The answer lies in resilience—the ability of your body to adapt to and absorb unexpected stress. The good news is that resilience can be trained and improved, and it can be fun. Here’s how.

Why Train for Unpredictability?

Train Your Body in Unique Positions to Build “In-Between” Strength

Conventional exercises have their place, but they don’t always address the unpredictable stresses of real-life movements. Traditional training keeps us within safe, predictable ranges of motion, but life and sport often put us in awkward, less-than-ideal positions. By practicing exercises outside our usual routine, we can:

• Strengthen Weak Links: Unconventional movements reveal areas of our bodies that may be prone to breaking down under stress. Building strength in these “in-between” positions helps us stay robust and resilient.
• Improve Range of Motion (ROM): Practicing diverse movements expands your current range of motion, giving you greater flexibility to adapt when your body moves unexpectedly.
• Reduce Injury Risk: Training for imperfection or “imperfection training” challenges your body to manage awkward, unexpected stresses safely.

Key Strategies for Building Resilience

Here are some effective exercises that will expand your “buffer zone” and boost your ability to handle unpredictable situations:

1. Hack Squat: Building on the foundation of the kettlebell goblet squat, this exercise targets your legs and core, teaching your body to handle various loads and ranges.
2. Jefferson Curl: These movements challenge traditional deadlift rules, providing extra mobility and strength in non-traditional angles.
3. Resilient Get-up Series: This variation on the classic get-up incorporates unconventional arm and body positions to train stability in “incorrect” positions, making you more adaptable.
4. Hanging Series: Focusing on straight-arm pull strength, this series provides a counterpart to the pushing strength in the get-up, improving shoulder and grip stability.
5. Gymnastic Bridge Series: These progressions help counteract the effects of prolonged sitting, stretching your spine and shoulders while reinforcing the hollow body position.
6. Neck Series: Direct neck strengthening is crucial for resilience, particularly if you’re involved in any contact sports, but beneficial for everyone.
7. Foot & Ankle Series: Often overlooked, strong, resilient feet and ankles are essential for handling uneven terrain and unplanned movements without injury.

Through these exercises, you’ll cover the whole body, addressing everything from the neck and spine to the ankles and feet.

Embrace Orderly Disorder

Incorporating these unconventional movements into your training doesn’t mean abandoning correct technique. Instead, it’s about gradually stepping outside the lines of traditional movement, exploring the edges of your abilities safely and intentionally. With these movements, you’ll expand your comfort zone and increase your resilience to handle unexpected challenges.

By building “in-between” strength, you can minimize your downtime, reduce injury risk, and maximize the time doing what you love. Resilience training helps you prepare for the unpredictable and empowers you to take on whatever comes your way—strong, confident, and ready.