Have you been having trouble getting back into sport since the start of the year? Good news: a new method, promoted by fitness trainer Jennifer Jacobs, appears to combine movement and progression, without pressure. Here are its advantages and limits deciphered by Sabrina Oliveira, sports and well-being coach.
What is the 4-2-3K method?
The 4-2-3K method is based on a relatively simple combination of exercises: four strength training sessions, two core strengthening or mobility sessions, and 3,000 steps per day, every week. By doing a little sport every day, you will gain muscle mass and energy.
“The goal is to develop muscle mass, improve mobility and maintain regular physical activity.”confirms Alex Prostano, fitness coach, on the website HuffPost US.
In terms of timing, each session lasts around 30 minutes, making it easy to fit them into a busy schedule.
“This method has the advantage of being very quick, of balancing all aspects of physical fitness (cardiovascular, strength, mobility and flexibility) and of allowing realistic goals to be set.confides Zack Dzingle, co-director of a fitness center, in the columns of Marie Claire magazine.
But is this a “miracle” method for getting back into shape easily? Or does it have some limitations? Here’s what our specialist thinks.
Our coach’s opinion on this method: the risk of “dropping out” is real
Sabrina Oliveira finds said method “interesting“, in particular to put back “movement in your daily lifen”.
“The positive points are the progression, the format of short sessions and the idea of establishing a routine without aiming for performance. This is reassuring for people who want to slowly resume“, she admits.
However, the coach believes that setting up this sports routine can be quite complex for a real beginner. Even if the sessions last 30 minutes, six sessions per week
“represent a significant volume, especially for someone who hasn’t done sport for a long time, who lacks time or energy. As a result, the 4-2-3K method can quickly become restrictive and create pressure, with a risk of dropping out.”
Sabrina Oliveira therefore invites everyone to adapt this method to their own needs and abilities, rather than going (too) quickly and giving up.
“In my opinion, for a lasting recovery, the priority must be adherence and regularity, even if it means starting with fewer well-adapted sessions, then gradually increasing. And for objectives such as weight loss, energy or overall health, this approach really benefits from being integrated into more global support (diet, recovery, individualization)”, says the sports coach.
In summary, it is therefore a good basis for “put back into motion, but to be adjusted and completed according to its profile and its objectives”, she concludes.