You use the TRX to train. But have you mastered the art of using it to coach?  Get your fish out of the water and get suspended. In doing so, you'll amp up your value as a coach and open up a whole new world of dryland training. Seasoned swimmers require ample cross training, or dryland training as we call it.  In addition to providing an alternative to the monotonous ‘down and back’ in the pool, dryland training allows swimmers to work a multitude of movements essential to fast swimming, but in a different medium.

While many competitive swimmers have a good feel for the water and can make adjustments based on verbal feedback, some lack that proprioception and changes get lost in the translation.  As a coach, I sometimes need to physically move the swimmer the right way or demonstrate, which necessitates getting in the water.  This is not always appealing or even feasible for most coaching staffs since the coach to swimmer ratio is typically very high.  TRX Suspension Training helps one coach effectively teach large groups swimming specific movements without getting in the water.

So many TRX exercises correlate directly to a teaching concept, stroke, streamline, start, or turn.  Coaches can demonstrate and/or physically move the swimmer into the right position and give verbal cues throughout the movement.  The following 4 exercises are just a few of my favorites for swimmers and coaches:

1. TRX Plank
   This exercise reinforces the most basic element in swimming: maintaining a neutral spine through core stability. This translates into “floating” correctly in the water and thus moving efficiently from stroke to stroke without losing velocity and distance per stroke from a poor body position.  By adding a Pike-up, we train for the power needed in our short-axis strokes, and by making it a Side Plank with Rotations, we train the obliques to drive our long-axis strokes.  Plank progressions cover a lot!
   
   
2. TRX Postural Squat
   This is the same movement we use when we push off the wall and streamline and also what we do upon entering the water from our standing starts.  Maintaining good alignment and body tone from the fingers all the way down through the core, legs, and toes is exactly what we focus on while streamlining. I like to add a Calf Raise after extending and even a Jump to mimic the plyometric movement off the start and turn.
   
   
3. TRX Single Arm Power Pull
   This is my favorite exercise for freestylers.  Freestyle is now taught with a much more open shoulder and arm swing into the recovery.  The Power Pull trains swimmers to ‘preload’ the pecs by rotating and opening up the shoulder and torso.  The single handle enables swimmers to rotate fluidly as a single unit while working acceleration from the core to ‘load’ into the catch.
   
   
4. TRX Swimmer’s Pull
   This exercise really applies to all four strokes. While seemingly obvious as a swimming exercise of choice, it’s not my favorite because of the name, or the fact that you are ‘swimming’ by moving your arms front to back.  In fact, one of the most difficult concepts I teach younger swimmers is how to “Connect the Catch to the Core,” and how to find something solid in the water to hold while you’re pulling.  We don’t, in fact, pull our arms through the water at all, just like we really aren’t moving our arms on the TRX.  We anchor our catch and move our bodies past our hands.  In TRX terms, we anchor by maintaining tension on the TRX handles and straps, and we move our bodies by applying force to the handles (best achieved with an open grip), which we ultimately feel throughout the core.  We learn to accelerate by connecting our limbs to our core.

Every athlete needs constant reinforcement, and visual demonstrations undoubtedly work best when trying to teach and hone skills.  Combine that with verbal cueing and immediate feedback, and you are now utilizing the TRX as so much more than a physical training tool.  Your fish will feel, and therefore learn, how body positioning, core connection, and other minor adjustments can make a major impact.

Kari swam at UNC-Chapel Hill and continued to swim professionally and was on the US National Swimming Team several years.  After retiring from competition, she coached Division I Swimming for 11 years before leaving to stay at home more with her kids. Her passion lies in coaching and motivating groups, so she eventually began running her own swimming clinics and fitness boot camps.

For more information about how Swimming Coaches can get Swim-Specific with the TRX, visit www.WoodallTraining.com. 

For years, Centers for Athletic Performance (CAP) has been looking for shoulder, hip and core progressions (done in a group setting) that would work for athletes aged 10-14 with no prior training experience. For almost 10 years, we have been creating progressions off of bodyweight squats, step ups and lunge exercises, but we found that many of our younger athletes had positioning and body control issues that delayed their progression through the program.

Lack of shoulder stability and core strength made it hard to get into good athletic positions with medballs and dumbbells, which limited us in our exercise selection. We were desperately searching for something that could lay a foundation in core strength, shoulder stability, postural control, glute and hamstring strength without the use of dumbbells... until we discovered TRX® Suspension Training®.

The TRX makes this all possible, as we have been able to progress (and regress) exercises to add intensity by simply changing their body position. This ability to increase intensity, variety and complexity within a group setting has not only set the athletes up with a stronger foundation, but it has also increased their knowledge of their own body and how to control, balance and stabilize in various positions.

We have selected a few common areas of concern from our youth population, and the table below shows how we have modified some of our standard bodyweight exercises to incorporate the TRX. The table also refers to the progressions and regressions that can be made off of each exercise within a group setting to progress each individual at his own pace...

Download the full article >>

Scott Moody founded Centers for Athletic Performance, Inc. (CAP) in 1999. Moody also owns the educational resource site, AthleteFIT.com, and acts as the CEO for the 501c3, not for profit, Soccer FIT Academy.

Athletes who compete at the highest levels are always on the move, traveling, changing time zones, altering their sleep patterns, trying to fit in workouts when they can. They need efficient solutions to meet their needs as they often need to work on many things at a time to achieve and maintain peak performance.

A holistic approach, focusing on mindset, nutrition, movement and recovery has to provide athletes with solutions and systems that they can utilize both at their primary training center and on the road.

One of the biggest challenges for our athletes has been maintaining the same high quality training sessions they are used to while traveling. We have recently added a new exercise modality to our methodology—Suspension Training®—that is helping us solve this problem. Using the portable TRX Suspension TrainerTM provides us with a new, cutting-edge way to train our athletes in our facilities or on the road.

Suspension Training allows the athletes to focus on total-body kinematic control and force transfer to improve athletic power generation. It also provides the basic training philosophy of attaining core stability in order to achieve optimal range of motion. Another benefit we are seeing is that strength is improved with greater neuromuscular control, tying in the entire sensorimotor system into the athlete's training, resulting in better mobility and stability.

The net effect is that our athletes improve their performance while reducing their risk for injury. Here are a few key Suspension Training exercises we use with our athletes to improve their throwing velocity and upper body power...

Download the full article >>

Sue Falsone is the Director of Performance Physical Therapy for Athletes’ Performance and a physical therapist for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

Suspension Training for Core Conditioning

 

"All Core All The Time" It might sound like just another tag line that is the concoction of a slick marketing team, but it is actually a simple, apt description of how our bodies must function to succeed in sport and life. And it is exactly how suspension training leverages body weight and gravity to simultaneously develop strength, balance, flexibility,and core stability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a look around the nutrition world. Confusing, isn't it?

Conflicting advice is everywhere, and you're stuck in the middle. You wonder whether anyone out there even knows what they're talking about, or whether the experts will ever reach a consensus on anything. You start to wonder whether you'll need a degree in nutritional biochemistry before you can lose that stubborn abdominal fat.

So what's the deal? Why so much confusion? Why does one expert suggest that high protein is best for everyone, while another expert suggests high carb and yet another expert suggests high fat? Besides, what exactly do high protein, high carb, and high fat really mean? And why are other experts telling us that food choices should be based on our "metabolic type," our "blood type," or our "ancestry"?

One expert says to eat like a Neanderthal and another says eat like a Visigoth, or perhaps a Viking. But while searching for nutritional Valhalla, most people just get lost and eat like a Modern American-and end up looking more Sumo than Samurai.

These days, we have a cacophony of expertise: lots of confusing noise from the experts drowning out the signal of truth.

On the surface, it appears as if today's nutrition technology is quite advanced. After all, we have at our disposal more nutrition information than ever before. More money is being spent on nutrition research than in any time in history. Every day, impressive strides are being made in the field. Dozens of nutrition experts are rising to prominence. Yet simultaneously we're witnessing a steadily increasing rate of obesity, an increase in nutrition-related illness (Diabetes, CVD, and Syndrome X), and an increase in nutrition-related mortality.

Part of the problem is that much of the information hasn't reached the people who need it. Part of the problem is that even when it does reach those people, they often don't use it. And certainly, the problem is multifactorial-there are probably many more reasons than I can list here.

How much more information do we need?

But the curious thing is that many people try to solve the problem by seeking out more information. They know it all and still want more. If there's one thing of which I am absolutely convinced, it's that a lack of good nutrition information isn't what prevents us from reaching our goals. We already know everything we need to know. Sometimes the real problem isn't too little information but too much.

All the fundamental principles you need to achieve good health and optimal body composition are out there already, and have been for years. Unfortunately, with 500 experts for every fundamental principle, and very little money to be made from repeating other people's ideas, experts must continually emphasize the small (and often relatively unimportant) differences between their diet/eating plans and the diet/eating plans of all the other experts out there.

In the world of advertising and marketing, this is called "differentiation." By highlighting the small distinctions and dimming out the large similarities between their program and all the others, they're jostling for your next nutritional dollar.

Now, and let me be clear on this, I'm not accusing nutrition experts of quackery.

Yes, some programs are utter crap. Those are generally quite easy to pick out and don't merit discussion here. But most experts do know what they are talking about, can get results, and wholeheartedly believe in what they're doing. Many of the differences between them are theoretical and not practical, and on the fundamentals they generally agree completely.

It's all good - sorta

In fact, many of the mainstream programs out there, if not most of them, will work. To what extent they work, and for how long, varies. As long as a program is internally consistent, follows a few basic nutritional tenets, and as long as you adhere to it consistently, without hesitation, and without mixing principles haphazardly taken from other programs, you'll get some results. It's that simple, and that hard (as you can see, results depend as much on psychology as on biochemistry).

But if you're like most people, you'll first survey all the most often discussed programs before deciding which to follow. And in this appraisal, you'll get confused, lost, and then do the inevitable. That's right, you'll revert back to your old, ineffectual nutrition habits.

Instead of parsing out the similarities between all the successful plans out there, the common principles that affect positive, long-term change, you get thrown off the trail by the stench of the steaming piles of detail.

The Atkins program works for all patients under the direct care of the Atkins team-as long as patients follow it. The Zone program works for all patients under the direct care of the Sears team -as long as they follow it. The Pritkin Diet works for all patients under the care of the Pritkin team- as long as they follow it.

Yet, not all three plans are identical. How, then, can they all get impressive improvements in health and body composition? Well, either each team somehow magically draws the specific patient subpopulations most in need of their plan (doubtful) or each system possesses some basic fundamental principles that are more important than the ratios of protein to carbs to fats.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs

Here's my take on it. I call these principles, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs," a shameless and possibly illegal play on Steven Covey's book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." (Great book, by the way-you should read it sometime.)

These aren't the newest techniques from the latest cutting-edge plan. Rather, they are simple, time-tested, no nonsense habits that you need to get into when designing a good eating program.

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.

7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks).
So what about calories, or macronutrient ratios, or any number of other things that I've covered in other articles? The short answer is that if you aren't already practicing the above-mentioned habits, and by practicing them I mean putting them to use over 90% of the time (i.e., no more than 4 meals out of an average 42 meals per week violate any of those rules), everything else is pretty pointless.

Moreover, many people can achieve the health and the body composition they desire using the 7 habits alone. No kidding! In fact, with some of my clients I spend the first few months just supervising their adherence to these 7 rules-an effective but costly way to learn them.

If you've reached the 90% threshold, you may need a bit more individualization beyond the 7 habits. If so, search around on this site. Many of these little tricks can be found in my many articles published right here. But before looking for them, before assuming you're ready for individualization; make sure you've truly mastered the 7 habits. Then, while keeping the 7 habits as the consistent foundation, tweak away.

Of course, if you want a complete guide to doing this yourself, I strongly recommend you pick up a copy of Precision Nutrition, where I'll show you in great detail exactly what to do.

Dr. John Berardi is the founder of Science Link, Inc. and is the founder of Storm Training Systems. Through his Precision Nutrition Network (PNN), Dr. Berardi has pioneered a new way of delivering cutting edge nutrition advice to coaches, strength and conditioning specialists, personal trainers, nutritionists, therapists, chiropractors, and physicians across the world. To learn more about Dr. Berardi and PNN, please visit www.precisionnutrition.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you sure that you are getting everything you can out of your core routine? With all of the new developments in core training, it's difficult to keep up with the latest and most effective tools and techniques. Though the core has become a mainstream concept, most exercisers have a clouded view of what exactly the core consists of, its importance and what the best ways are to activate it.

The core includes the following muscles: Transverse Abdominis, Rectus Abdominis, Multifidus, External Obliques, Internal Obliques, Quadratus Lumborum and Erector Spinae. It provides a stable platform which launches all of our movement by stabilizing the spine. The core generates the rotational forces needed for many athletic movements including throwing, swinging, striking and twisting. It acts to resist or neutralize external forces such as gravity, contact or momentum. We are only as strong as our core. A weak core limits our strength capacity.

 

Four Tools to add to your Core Training Routine

TRX Suspension Trainer^TM
The TRX® is one of the most innovative additions to core training in recent years. It's a non-elastic, adjustable harness constructed of industrial-strength, nylon webbing which uses bodyweight as the sole source of variable resistance. The TRX allows for hundreds of exercises that can accommodate all fitness levels. It integrates the core's postural, stabilizer and neutralizer components in all of its exercises and the addition of the suspended planks, crunches and oblique capabilities make it one of the most effective tools on the market.

Stability Ball
The stability ball creates an unstable environment that requires more work from the core. Simple yet demanding, the stability ball can be used to add challenge to many exercises and modify others.

Heavy Ball
Most modern heavy balls are constructed of a textured rubber that is made to bounce. Heavy balls are the perfect exercise tool when training the core to control external forces, to stabilize the body while applying internal forces, and when working at higher speeds.

Balance Devices
Balance devices come in all shapes and sizes: wobble boards, balance discs, Bosu^TM balls, Bongo^TM boards and foam balance surfaces. They all destabilize the surface using a base of support in one way or another, making the core more responsive. A word of caution: Always evaluate possible danger versus potential benefit before attempting any exercise that destabilizes your base of support.

Fun and Challenging Exercises

The following six movements utilize some of the tools outlined above and offer a complete core training package. There are beginner, intermediate and advanced versions to address a broad range of abilities.

Prone Rollout (Stability Ball or TRX)
Click Here for Demo
-->In a kneeling position, place hands on Stability Ball or TRX handles with elbows bent and hands positioned below chest. Assume tall posture and actively engage the core. Tilt body forward slowly transferring the weight into the hands. Slowly extend arms opening body as far as possible. Ensure that the body stays in a straight line and make sure the hips do not sag towards the ground. Stop where the core is challenged, but not overwhelmed and then reverse action, returning to the start position. The entire range of motion is very small (not greater than one foot of movement), and the movement speed is slow and controlled.

Beginner: Small range of motion
Intermediate: Deeper extension and longer holds in extended position
Advanced: On the TRX, move to a roll out in a standing position

Body Saw with Crunch (TRX or Stability Ball)
Click Here for Demo
-->Suspend the toes in the TRX or on top of a stability ball and position body in a prone plank on elbows. Engage core and open up at the shoulder joint, slowly pushing the body back in a saw motion. Do not allow hips to sag toward the ground. Pull body forward, lifting hips and pulling knees to chest in a suspended crunch action and then return to the plank position.

Beginner: Body Saw
Intermediate: Body Saw with Crunch (as described above)
Advanced: Perform Body Saw with a Pike movement or attempt the Body Saw from hands

Heavy Ball Rotational Throw (Partner or Wall)
Stand facing a partner/wall in a lunge stance. The leg nearest to the partner/wall is forward. Maintain a tall posture. Receive the ball with outstretched arms absorbing and controlling the force by activating the core musculature and rotating away from the direction of the ball. Rotate back toward the partner/wall and release the ball with both hands. To progress, come to a narrow stance, increase the movement speed or increase the weight of the heavy ball.

Beginner: Soft throw with a light ball
Intermediate: Hard throw with a light ball or soft throw with a heavy ball
Advanced: Hard throw with a heavy ball

High to Low Tubing Wood Chop (Rubber Tubing with handles)
Wrap your tubing around a pole and loop one handle over the other so that it's in single handle mode. Stand facing the tubing with feet together and arms outstretched at shoulder level. Grasp the tubing handle with a two-handed grip and keep the hips square. Allow the head to move with the hands and twist toward the pull of the tubing with the shoulders and torso. Engage the muscles around the core and stabilize the hips, twisting down and away from the pull of the tubing. The movement finishes with the hands at waist level.

Beginner: Wide stance with light resistance
Intermediate: Narrow stance with light resistance or wide stance with heavy resistance
Advanced: Narrow stance with heavy resistance

Standing Hip Drop (TRX)
Click Here for Demo
-->Stand facing the TRX, assuming a staggered stance where the inside leg is positioned forward. Place the TRX in single-handle mode grabbing with both hands and positioning on the crown of the head. Allow the hip to drop away from the body toward the floor, avoiding rotation of the torso.

Beginner: Shallow position using a slow movement speed
Intermediate: Position body at a steeper angle
Advanced: Keep the body at a steep angle and increase movement speed

Side Plank with Floor Taps-(Elbow, Hand, Feet--Floor/TRX)
Click Here for Demo
-->Turn on your side with one foot stacked on top of the other. Support upper body with one forearm, keeping hips square and core engaged while lifting off the floor. Keep elbow of supporting arm in line with shoulder. Focus on maintaining strong body alignment. An advanced progression is to add a piking action that is coupled with a rotational reach under the body followed by a return to the side plank position with the arm outstretched toward the ceiling.

Beginner: Support on elbow with feet offset (outside leg in front of back leg)
Intermediate: Support on hand with feet offset or support on elbow with
feet in TRX
Advanced: Support on hand with feet stacked on top of one another or support on hand with feet in TRX

Fraser Quelch is the Director of Programming and Education for Fitness Anywhere Inc. and is the founder of Storm Training Systems. He is also featured as an expert on Active Trainer. To get more information on his training plans, click here.

 

 

Whether it's having your training sessions restricted to climate-controlled indoor environments or dealing with inclement weather in your outdoor workouts, many people find winter a challenging time to keep their fitness program on track. But it doesn't have to be that way. With some understanding of how to prepare for the colder temperatures, and a willingness to venture into the cold, the winter season can be transformed into an incredible time of outside fun and training opportunities. So what are the options? We can divide them into two general groups. Gravity-Based Winter Sports tend to be more strength and power-based and appeal to the fun-loving, adventurous type. The exertion is generally short-lived and intense and is usually coupled with great speed. Downhill skiing and snowboarding top the list, but for those with a more self-propelled spirit, ski touring, back-country skiing and ice climbing are great winter options. The more vigorous cousins to Gravity-Based Winter Sports are Cardiovascular-Based Winter Sports. Snow-shoeing, running, skating, x-country skiing and skate skiing are winter activities that can be done in almost any temperatures. There is even the option of winter triathlons that merge trail running with mountain biking and skate skiing. So why do people who love the outdoors hibernate through the cold months as they wait for spring? Most of the time it's because people just don't think they can stay warm, but the following guidelines can help you get beyond the initial obstacles cold weather can present. 10 Winter Training Tips 1. Use base-layer clothing made from fabrics that are designed to wick moisture away from your skin. This will keep you dry and warm for the duration of the workout . 2. Do not overdress. Though this may feel nice and comfortable at the beginning, you will sweat much more than you would otherwise, making your clothes wet. Wet Clothes = Cold Body. Generally speaking, if you feel slightly cool before starting your activity, you have dressed perfectly for the conditions. 3. Dress to your training plan. Hard workouts will require less clothing than easier workouts. If you are unsure how to dress, bring a shell jacket that can be used for your warm-up and cool-down, but can be easily taken off and stowed for the more difficult part of the workout. 4. Wear shades. In most cool or cold weather conditions, sport sunglasses will protect eyes from the bright sun reflecting off of the snow and prevent them from watering due to the cold or wind. 5. Keep it down. The down coat is king when it comes to cold environments and intermittent activities that involve stopping. A light-weight down coat is the perfect solution to keep you toasty during winter sports that incorporate periods of prolonged rest. 6. Staying on your feet and keeping them warm go a long way toward enjoying outdoor winter activities. Over-layering your feet will cause them to sweat, which can lead to cold toes. For cardiovascular-based sports, a single pair of warm, wicking socks will normally do. In very cold conditions or for gravity-based sports, use a double layer of socks. 7. A good trail running shoe provides extra traction for slippery surfaces and many offer waterproof features that help keep your feet dry. In areas with deep snow, a pair of light gators will keep the snow out of your shoes. 8. H2O. One of the biggest challenges for training in cold temperatures is avoiding de-hydration. While it may feel unappealing, drinking regularly during these lower temperature workouts is just as necessary as in warmer weather. Filling water bottles with lukewarm fluids will help to prevent them from freezing or being too cold to drink comfortably. 9. Plan your route ahead of time. Use a loop course to avoid getting too far away from home in the event something were to go wrong during your activity. 10. Avoiding frost bite and hypothermia is the most important consideration when preparing for cold weather activities. Make sure all of your skin is covered and carry an extra layer in case the conditions change during your workout. The cold weather can bring a winter wonderland of training possibilities for the active person. With a little planning and knowledge, along with the right clothing, you will be amazed at how enjoyable the crisp air can feel. Almost as good as the well-deserved hot chocolate in front of a warm fire afterwards. Fraser Quelch is the Director of Programming and Education for Fitness Anywhere Inc. and is the founder of Storm Training Systems. He is also featured as an expert on Active Trainer. To get more information on his training plans, click here. To learn more about Fitness Anywhere Inc. and the TRX® Suspension Trainer™, please visit www.fitnessanywhere.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since the beginning of the modern era of physical training, the accepted thought process on program organization has been a body part approach where the body is divided into its major muscle groups and trained accordingly I E. chest back legs shoulders etc. This arrangement has been an easy, understandable way to segment programs and has brought good results, especially when applied towards a bodybuilding style program.

But has this organizational strategy come with the cost? Consider the following:

• The human body works to produce movement... period.To this end it makes every attempt to use many muscles in concert to create action as efficiently and effectively as possible.
• Life demands that we are able move freely through space and not within the confines of a machine or other restrictive motor pattern. To this point, isolated exercises contradict the nature of how the body has evolved to move.
• Most traditional strengthening programs heavily favor sagittal plane movement. This is a training environment that promotes one dimensional motor patterns, an inability to move effectively in any given direction, and in many cases joint dysfunction.
• Muscle based programs in many cases, unwittingly contribute to muscle imbalances, poorly developed firing patterns, and general movement deficiency in the untrained planes.

Imagine for a moment that there are no individual muscles. No simple groups to target. What if all we had to work with were our various joints and the movements that they are capable of? Letting go of our traditional muscle-based approach to strength training and understanding how the body actually moves are the first steps to integrating a planar training approach to program design.

The central nervous system (CNS) coordinates the muscles in concert to produce specific movements. It does this by using something called motor engrams. These are movement programs that we have developed for all general actions. Familiar movements build detail onto these programs, creating highly developed and refined motor engrams. These well-practiced programs run smoothly at many different speeds and can be executed successfully in changing environments (i.e. off balance, rushed, or form an unusual position).

Unfamiliar movements have incomplete or rough engrams. These programs are a work in progress and can often go awry. We have to slow down and be very cognitive about the action in order to control it properly and we tend to be much less successful. These unpracticed actions often feel "uncoordinated" and in the event that a situation demands that we run an unfamiliar program at higher speed, the chances of failure of injury increase dramatically.

Training using a movement or planar approach results in a complete workout that not only will involve every muscle group around the major joints (the goal of those looking for aesthetics), but will also work though every motor plane, giving balanced training that will help to improve many of our traditionally rough movement patterns, increase overall function and reduce the chance of injury. Integrating more complex and coordinative multi-planar movements into the program will build further on this new foundation to stimulate the CNS to create and refine motor engrams that will then be applied to sport and life.

Let's go back and review the planes of motion. These elements are often the first things taught in basic fitness courses but sadly are promptly forgotten as there was no emphasis placed on applying them.
As the body moves through space, it uses any combination of three planes of motion. These are as follows.

Sagittal Plane of Motion:
Movement forward and back, or through the mid-line of the body. An example of sagittal plane movement is a biceps curl or a step forward lunge.

Frontal Plane of Motion:
Movement side to side or along the frontal plane, such as abduction and adduction. Exercises that work through the frontal plane are the dumbbell lateral raise or side lunge.

Transverse plane of Motion:
Movements that include horizontal abduction or adduction or rotational actions. Examples here are the bench press or a cable wood chop.

Below is an example of a traditional, full body strength training program that is representative of the industry standard. It is comprised of 22 exercises (5 for legs, 3 for chest, 3 for back, 3 for shoulders, 2 for biceps, 2 for triceps and 4 for the core). It could be divided up by muscle group over a two or three day period. The point is to evaluate the exercise selection. View the program while considering only the first two columns.

Traditional "Body Part" Based Training Program

 

Muscle Group	Exercise		Primary Joint(s)	Movement Plane(s)
Legs	Squats		Hip, Knee & Spine	Sagittal
Legs	Lunges		Hip & Knee	Sagittal
Quadriceps	Leg Extension		Knee	Sagittal
Hamstrings	Leg Curl		Knee	Sagittal
Calves	Standing Calf Raise		Ankle	Sagittal
Chest	Bench Press		Shoulder & Elbow	Transverse
Chest	Incline Dumbbell Press		Shoulder & Elbow	Transverse
Chest	Dumbbell Flies		Shoulder	Transverse
Back	Close Grip Pull Up		Shoulder & Elbow	Sagittal
Back	Seated High Row		Shoulder & Elbow	Transverse
Back	Bent Dumbbell Row		Shoulder & Elbow	Sagittal
Shoulders	Military Press		Shoulder & Elbow	Frontal
Shoulders	Lateral Dumbbell Raise		Shoulder	Frontal
Shoulders	Front Dumbbell Raise		Shoulder	Sagittal
Biceps	Dumbbell Curl		Elbow	Sagittal
Biceps	Preacher Curl		Elbow	Sagittal
Triceps	Lying Triceps Extension		Elbow	Sagittal
Triceps	Cable Press Down		Elbow	Sagittal
Core	Stability Ball Crunch		Spine	Sagittal
Core	Oblique Crunch		Spine	Transverse
Core	Leg Raise		Spine	Sagittal
Core	Chest Raise		Spine	Sagittal

 

On the surface it appears to be well-balanced and would result in good aesthetic results. Now take into consideration the last 2 columns of information. The key stats are as follows:

Hip is primarily involved in only 2 of 22 exercises
Shoulder is primarily involved in 9 of 22 exercises
Spine is primarily involved in only 5 of 23 exercises
Elbow is primarily involved in 9 of 23 exercises more than the Hip and the Spine combined

15 (68%)occur in the sagittal plane
2 (9%)occur in the frontal plane, both at the shoulder joint.
5 (23%)occur in the transverse plane, but the majority of these were also at the shoulder and none at the hip.

While this program seems well-put together at first glance, the glaring imbalances are apparent under the "planar lens". While likely to create great aesthetics, by not utilizing a planar approach during the planning phase, this program is also poised to reinforce an inability to move effectively in the frontal or transverse plane with the lower body, act in the frontal plane with the trunk and contribute to muscle imbalances, joint tightness and movement dysfunction.

So how is a planar program planned? Below are the basic guidelines.

• Base the program around the major joints of the body. Begin with joints that have significant multi-planar movement capabilities (hips, shoulders, and trunk) and progress through to the uni-planar joints (knees, ankles, elbows).
• In most cases the uni-planar joints will be trained as part of the bigger movements associated with the multi-joint actions used to train the hips, shoulders and trunk. Any gaps left in the program can be filled in using smaller more targeted exercises that are normally associated with movements at the knees, ankles and elbows.
• Focus on providing an exercise for every plane of motion (sagittal, frontal, transverse), in every direction (flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, R-rotation, L-rotation) in which a joint is capable of moving.
• Emphasize movements that integrate multiple joints
• Integrate functional actions that require full body and joint stabilization.
• As the ability of the client increases, use an increasing number of multi-joint and multi-planar movements or movement combinations. These complex actions require a more coordinative effort from the client but will result in highly trained movement abilities and time efficient programs.
• Add isolation exercises after complex actions have been programmed to ensure that all planes of motion at each joint are being moved through, or to target a specific area of weakness / focus.
• Integrate different equipment modalities if possible. There are increasingly amazing arrays of functional training tools that emphasize multi-planar movement. Strategically utilizing a variety of these maximizes their strengths while providing varying environments for the body to work in.
• Do not think about muscle groups. If you focus on the joints and planes of motion, the muscle groups will take care of themselves.

The program below uses a planar approach to break down the body, ensuring balanced training for every joint across all planes of movement. The program is written to integrate traditional exercises with functional actions, and utilizes some of the innovative equipment mentioned above. The approach promotes the aesthetic improvements that are associated with first traditional program and creates a heightened state of bodily readiness and function for movement in sport and in life. Below the program is an easy to use checklist to track what movements have been included in the program.

Planar Training Program

Exercise	Major Joint(s)	Plane(s) of Motion	Direction	Body Part(s)
Squat	Hip	Sagittal	flexion / extension	Legs
TRX Suspended Lunge	Hip	Sagittal	flexion / extension	Legs
Lateral Lunge	Hip	Frontal	adduction	Legs
Hip Abduction	Hip	Frontal	abduction	Legs
Lateral Step Up	Hip	Frontal, Transverse	adduction, horizontal. exten.	Legs
Transverse Plane Lunge	Hip	Transverse	horizontal flexion / exten.	Legs
Close Grip Chin Up	Shoulder	Sagittal	extension	Back
Incline Dumbbell Press (narrow)	Shoulder	Sagittal	flexion	Chest
Wide Grip Pull Up	Shoulder	Frontal	adduction	Back
Military Dumbbell Press	Shoulder	Frontal	abduction	Shoulders
TRX High Row	Shoulder	Transverse	horizontal extension	Back
Chest Press	Shoulder	Transverse	horizontal flexion	Chest
Prone Chest Raise	Trunk	Sagittal	extension	Core
TRX Suspended Pike	Trunk	Sagittal	flexion	Core
Lateral Trunk Flexions	Trunk	Frontal	lateral flexion	Core
TRX Side Plank with Reach	Trunk	Frontal, Transverse	lateral flexion & rotation	Core
Cable Wood Chops	Trunk	Transverse	R & L rotation	Core
Heavy Ball Diagonal Rotations	Trunk	Transverse	R & L rotation	Core

 

Planar Training Program Movement Checklist

Joint	Plane of Motion	Movement	Check Box
Hip	Sagittal	Flexion	√√
		Extension	√√
	Frontal	Abduction	√
		Adduction	√√
	Transverse	Horizontal Flexion	√
		Horizontal Extension	√√
Shoulder	Sagittal	Flexion	√
		Extension	√
	Frontal	Abduction	√
		Adduction	√
	Transverse	Horizontal Flexion	√
		Horizontal Extension	√
Trunk	Sagittal	Flexion	√
		Extension	√
	Frontal	Right Lateral Flexion	√√
		Left Lateral Flexion	√√
	Transverse	Right Rotation	√√√
		Left  Rotation	√√√

 

The key stats are listed below:

The hip is primarily involved in 6 of 18 exercises
The shoulder is primarily involved in 6 of 18 exercises
The trunk is primarily involved in 6 of 18 exercises
The knee is involved in 5 of 18 exercises
The elbow is involved in 6 of 18 exercises
The ankle is secondarily involved with all of the lower body movements except one

6(33%) occur in the sagittal plane
7(39%) have frontal plane elements
7(39%) have transverse plane elements

If this planar training program is evaluated under a body part based lens, we find an even distribution of exercises for all body parts using 4 less exercises. The exception to this is while the biceps, triceps and calves are not targeted specifically, they are very much involved in many of the more compound movements. If we wanted to address these components specifically it is very easy to add in specific exercises after the main part of the program is complete.

In comparison to the first sample program, it is clear how a planar approach results in a much more complete and effective training plan that facilitates both aesthetic improvement and supports human movement and improves athletic development and functional fitness. This program could easily be made shorter and more coordinatively challenging and functional by integrating more multi-joint and multi-planar exercises. In this case the approach and evaluation process is the same but made a little more complicated due to the complexity of these types of actions.

A planar approach to training organization is challenging at first. It represents a major shift away from the way the fitness industry as a whole has been conditioned to think. While considering its validity, it is important to remember the adage of functional training... "The body knows only movement, not muscle." ...and ask the question "Why then are we training using a muscle based approach?"

Those who attempt this shift will be rewarded with effective programming that works on an entirely new level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years ago I had the wonderful experience of leading nature walks in the Canadian Rockies. One of the games we would teach the kids (much to their parents dismay) to help them remember the name of one of the common trees (the trembling aspen) was to ask them loudly “How’s your aspen?” to which they would shout back with the glee of knowing they were saying something their parents would disapprove of... "TREMBLIN"

One of the hottest topics of discussion in the fitness industry recently has been centered on how to optimize glute function. As we begin to recognize the massive roll that this muscle group plays in most movement, it is no wonder that it is one of the largest muscle groups in the human body. The glutes are heavily involved in movements like the golf swing, throwing and striking actions along with running, jumping and direction changes. This huge posterior power center is in many ways the key to producing smooth and powerful movement.

Before we look at how to optimize their function we must first understand how they act in normal movement if they are contributing properly. If we were to look into any anatomy text we would be sure to find the following:

Muscle Name	Origin	Insertion	Joint	Concentric Action(s)
Gluteus Maximus	Ilium (posterior crest) Sacrum (posterior) Lumbar Fascia	Femur (gluteal line) Tibia (lateral condyle)	Hip	extension external rotation abduction transverse abduction
Gluteus Medius	Ilium (external process below crest)	Femur (greater trochanter)	Hip	abduction transverse abduction internal rotation external rotation (during abduction)
Gluteus Minimus	Ilium (below gluteus medius)	Femur (greater trochanter)	Hip	abduction transverse abduction internal rotation (during abduction)

 

On the surface this chart seems to sum up the glutes as a group. It covers where they start and finish, what joint they cross and what they do. The reality is that this is only the beginning of the true picture and in many ways is somewhat misleading as to how the glutes actual function. While they certainly can perform all of the actions described above, a more important piece of information is what they actually do in day to day function.

How do they do it?
From which position do they move from?
Do they act in a primarily eccentric or concentric way?
What actions do the glutes use to load in order to truly explode?

It is this final point that potentially has the most bearing on our approach to activate them so that they are truly firing at full capacity. One of the most important characteristics to understand about every muscle is that they have to load in all three planes of motion before they can unload maximally. The human body has evolved in such a way as to capitalize on the unwavering affect of gravity to assist it in this function. This is especially true for the glutes and we need only look as far as a simple step for proof.

While our anatomy chart provides us an excellent overview of how the glutes act concentrically and in an open kinetic chain, it fails to take into consideration that one of the primary functions of the group is to eccentrically decelerate the forces generated by gravity and ground reaction. The following is an example of how the body is designed to load the glutes in 3 planes of motion.

• As the foot strikes the ground, the impact force causes the calcaneous to roll inward into eversion setting off a chain reaction that goes all the way up the leg.
• The talus that sits on top of the calcaneous has no choice but to fall down and in.
• This causes the tibia (that sits on top of it) to internally rotate.
• This movement also drives the femur into internal rotation to an extent that even though the action of pelvis would create external rotation, the femur is rotating in the same direction faster which causes this internal rotation in the hip.
• This chain reaction of shock absorption continues up into the pelvis and through the body but we will stop for now at the hip.

The strong and fast internal rotation of the femur must be decelerated eccentrically by the function of the glute. As this is happening, the hip is also going through adduction and flexion, both of which further load the glutes, demanding them to decelerate these actions as well. At this point in gait it is safe to say that the glutes have been stretched and loaded eccentrically in all three planes of motion and should be in a very excited state and ready to fire.

So what if they don't?

A common approach is to lie down and using a focused and cognitive isolation method, work the glutes through all of their concentric actions. While this will certainly fire the glutes it will not necessarily translate into normal function in a standing position as “everything changes when your foot hits the ground.” This means that while an exercise may be effective for increasing strength and causing a burn, it does not necessarily equate to the increased coordinative function and timing that the body uses in natural movement.

So how can we train this functionally?

Our strategy is seeded in our understanding of how the glutes load naturally and capitalizing on this natural reaction by emphasizing one or more of these elements. We know that in gait the glutes load eccentrically in 3 planes of motion.

1. Internal rotation of the hip in the transverse plane.
2. Flexion of the hip in the sagittal plane.
3. Adduction of the hip in the frontal plane.

It is important to note that all of these actions occur in a closed kinetic chain environment with the foot on the ground. So how can we accentuate these actions to increase the natural loading? By using other parts of our body to drive us further into these positions, accentuating the load and forcing the "proprioceptors to turn the muscle on".

Let's take the common lunge as an example. Traditionally this exercise is done with the torso in as upright a position as possible with hands either on hips, holding dumbbells at sides or holding a bar on shoulders. Regardless of the implement or the load, the torso has most always been coached to stay upright and positioned over the hips.

Our goals are simple.

1. Increase internal rotation of the hip.
2. Increase flexion of the hip.
3. Increase lateral flexion of the pelvis.

If we are trying to accentuate glute loading, we can achieve this by adapting the traditional lunge using a bilateral reach with the hands toward the ground as though we were lunging forward to pick something up that is in front of our lunging leg. This reach drives the pelvis to rotate forward and increases hip flexion. This action increases the stretch or loading of the glutes and causes them to forcefully and eccentrically decelerate the movement which also results in a more forceful explosion out of the lunge with reach position. We can increase loading further by adding resistance such as a medicine ball or light dumbbells.

Lunge with Forward Reach

We can apply the same technique using a different arm driver to accentuate the frontal plane load in the lunge. In this case we are trying to increase adduction of the hip of the stepping leg by increasing the lateral flexion of the pelvis. Take a lunge step forward with the right leg. As the foot hits the ground, reach as far to the side with the left arm as possible at hip height. This reach will cause a displacement of the center of gravity which is countered by a lateral flexion of the pelvis. This increases the adduction of the lead leg, putting the glutes under stretch, increasing the demands on them to decelerate the movement and loading them more effectively.

Lunge with Side Reach

We could achieve the same effect by using a leg driver in a crossing balance lunge that is also pictured below.

Crossing Balance Lunge

Increasing internal rotation of the hip using an arm driver can be achieved simply by rotating into the lead leg during the lunge.

Lunge with Rotational Reach

Another strategy is to use an unstable surface during a normal lunge such as an Airex pad which will increase the amplitude and challenge of the initial pronation that is described earlier. This causes an even greater chain reaction up the chain to the internal rotation of the hip above.

We can use similar techniques from a squat stance to help increase the loading of the glutes from this position.

Squat with Rotational Reach

Squat with Side Reach

Below is a simple exercise plan that lists the exercises outlined above and puts them into a basic structure. Be sure to start with a single set and light load before progressing.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Lunge with Forward Reach	1 to 2	10 to 12
Lunge with Side Reach	1 to 2	10 to 12
Crossing Balance Lunge	1 to 2	10 to 12
Lunge with Rotational Reach	1 to 2	10 to 12
Deep Squat	1 to 2	10 to 12
Squat with Rotational Reach	1 to 2	10 to 12
Squat with Side Reach	1 to 2	10 to 12

Now that we have got the glutes firing to full capacity, our end goal is to bring this neuromuscular learning back to regular function. We can do this by slowly approximating our drivers back until we are getting the same peak activation without the assistance of the drivers. Once we have discovered the amplitude required to fully activate our target muscle successfully, we need to gradually reduce this amplitude over time until we are able to perform the basic actions while still maintaining good glute involvement. We can look at this process of approximation using the Crossing Balance Lunge as an example. If driving the free leg as far to the other side of the ground leg in a deep lunge causing a much exaggerated lateral flexion of the pelvis is on one end of the continuum, driving the free leg straight back which results in very average pelvic lateral flexion is on the other. The key is to start at the one end of the continuum (in this case the lateral leg driver) and slowly work toward the other.

To begin with we might have to drive the foot far to the other side of the ground leg in a deep lunge to feel the kind of activation that we are looking for. As we progress we should slowly use more oblique angles until we are able to get full activation even when driving the leg straight back.

The effectiveness of this type of training is tremendous, not only in activating the target areas but also in increasing range of motion, strength and balance. One thing is certain. Integrate the program above into your training and the next time someone asks you “How’s your aspen?” You will be able to tell them and show them… "TREMBLIN'!"