We have over 300 internal staff education documents.
A large percentage of them are training-related.
But despite all of that material, a few concepts come up again and again.
And one of the most important is what we call the 4 R’s of Exercise Correction.
It is such a big part of how we coach that I thought it would be helpful for you to understand it too.
Why?
Because if an exercise ever feels uncomfortable, awkward, or just off, we do not want you wondering what happens next. We want you to feel confident that there is a clear thought process behind how we adjust things. 
Here are the 4 R’s:
1. Re-Coach
This is always the first step.
Before changing the exercise, we first want the trainer to coach it better.
That may mean:
- giving you a clearer verbal cue
- changing your setup
- getting hands-on to help position you better
- helping you slow down and feel the right muscles working
At this stage, we are trying to improve the exercise without changing the exercise itself.
Sometimes a small coaching adjustment is all it takes.
2. Reduce
If re-coaching does not solve the issue, the next step is to reduce something.
That could mean reducing:
- range of motion — not going quite as deep or as far
- weight — using less load
- reps — stopping before discomfort starts
- speed — slowing the movement down for more control
A lot of times, the exercise itself is fine. It just needs to be made a little more manageable.
3. Regress
If the exercise still is not going well, then we regress it.
This means we move to a simpler version of the same general pattern.
For example, if a goblet squat is not going well, we may move to:
- a bodyweight squat
- a pendulum squat
- a step-up
We are still training a similar movement, just with an easier variation that better fits you.
4. Replace
If the first three R’s do not solve the problem, then we replace the exercise.
At that point, we decide that this exercise category is just not the right fit for you that day.
So instead of forcing it, we move to something else that still keeps you training.
For example, if multiple squat variations are bothering your knee, we may replace them with:
- a core exercise
- a glute exercise
- a hamstring exercise
The goal is not to force one exact exercise.
The goal is to help you train safely, effectively, and confidently. 
That is why it is so important to let your trainer know when something feels painful, uncomfortable, or just wrong.
We do not view that as a problem.
We view it as part of coaching.
And we have a specific system for handling it.
Takeaways:
1. If an exercise is not going well, we do not guess. We follow a system.
2. The first step is usually to improve the coaching before changing the exercise.
3. We can reduce, regress, or replace an exercise depending on what your body needs.
4. Pain, discomfort, or poor technique should always be communicated to your trainer.
5. The goal is not to force exercises. The goal is to keep you training successfully.
– James Pratt