Why The Level Method?
Since we’ve adopted The Level Method in 2019, we’ve experienced successes in everyone’s fitness and health in terms of the progress we’ve made. The Level Method has been a great system to use here at IMA to Assess, Address, and Progress our students’ fitness and health, and we will continue to use it! We started to use it for objective tracking and progression of our skills in Metabolic Conditioning, Gymnastics, and Weightlifting. There is no other system like it around.
On the Level Method of Athletic Progression (MAP), which is a 4-ft. by 8-ft. laminated poster sheet screwed into the north wall of IMA, there are 15 different categories, organized in 5 different groups listed vertically down the left side of the sheet. Each category of movement/skill/exercise/conditioning piece has 8 different levels arranged from the left side of the sheet to the right side of the sheet: white, yellow, orange, blue, purple, brown, black, and red. With the exception of the white (beginner) and red (elite), all the other levels have a 4-step progression, with the base color, and 3 other “stripes.” The white level has just 1 other “stripe,” while the red level has 5 “stripes.” This system of level progression is based on the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu belt system. In total, from beginner to elite, one can theoretically accomplish all 32 steps, from White, to Red V, in one’s lifetime.
By ensuring we progress one step at a time in our fitness and health journey, we stay true to our tenet of Mechanics, Consistency, and Intensity. We have a safe approach to our learning, practicing, and training of the numerous skills and drills and movements. For example, we have to learn how to, and demonstrate properly our ability to perform ring rows, then hang from a pull-up bar, to being able to elevate and depress our scapulae properly while hanging from the bar, to holding our chin over the bar, to chin-up negatives, and finally strict chin-ups and strict pull-ups. Once we’re capable of doing the pull-up and multiple repetitions of them in a row, then we challenge ourselves by performing weighted pull-ups. One more dynamic version of the pull-up, the kipping pull-up, where we use our whole body in a kip swing with the aid of our shoulder joint to generate momentum to get our chin over the bar faster, can only be done once we’ve achieved Purple II. At that level is where we start to perform weighted pull-ups. We need to make sure our shoulder joint is mobile enough and that we have the strength in order to learn, practice, and train the kipping movement necessary for the kipping pull-up. There are numerous other examples of strict guidelines on progressions to more complex and dynamic movements.
Most everyone here so far at IMA are Yellow and Orange Levels, as we’re just starting in our fitness and health journey here. How we’re using the Level MAP is by first finding our Overall Level through conducting all 15 category assessments over (7) 1-on-1 sessions. After achieving our Overall Level, then we have the ability to not only continue 1-on-1 training, but also have the option of attending group classes. The Overall Level serves as a proxy to our overall fitness level. The Overall Level we get is dependent on the lowest level we have, however. This encourages us to “work on our weaknesses,” in order to improve our overall fitness and health. In our Group Classes, we are reserving some time before and in the beginning few minutes to work on improving our lower level(s), multiple days per week. We’re currently doing this 3 weeks at a time, hoping to improve those lower levels by the end of the 3 weeks after focused and consistent effort. Once we’ve improved our lower level(s) after those 3 weeks, then we select the next lowest level(s) and then work on them for the next 3 weeks. So far so good, with the majority of our students, this year!
One neat aspect of our use of The Level Method is the correlation it has with some of our markers of Metabolic Health. We can consider the White and Yellow Levels as the “Sick” side of the Sickness-Wellness-Fitness Continuum, and the Orange through Purple Levels as the “Well” portion of the Continuum, and the Black and Red Levels as the “Fit” side of the Continuum, as well. As we #LevelUp on the MAP, then we start getting less Sick, and more Well and Fit. At the same time we see our strength and conditioning performance numbers improve, then we also see our Metabolic Health markers improve as well.
It has been a fun ride using the MAP and achieving our Level Promotions over the last year. It is the power of these special moments of success and achievement that keeps us coming back to class, hungry to improve.
You will improve your fitness and health, guaranteed, with this system here at IMA.
Listen to an IMA student’s experience here.
Come check out The Level Method, and the MAP in our Level Method Initial Assessment!