Exercise

The squat involves a straight and rigid back, with the bottom being dropped toward the ground. The deep squat (where the butoocks touch the heels) is king as it takes the joints to their end squatting-range, stretching out the muscle and connective tissue.

In order to move forward, we need to place our centre of gravity ahead of an anchoring leg. The anchoring limb is left behind as we move forward creating a lunge. This allows us to reach forward and grab things, as well as to translate walking into running.

Most lifting should actually be initiated from the hip rather than flexion / extension of the lumbar spine (lower back). But we bend over all the time in order in order to reach objects.

In walking we leave our anchoring leg behind. The body must then balance us by twisting our torso acround our spines if we are to remain upright.

We move objects away by pushing (open kinetic chain) and move ourselves off objects (closed kinetic chain).

We pull objects closer to us within comfortable range of our limbs & sensory organs (open kinetic chain), and pull ourselves towards objects (closed kinetic chain).

THE 6 FUNDAMENTAL FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS

The human body was design for movement. Establishing strong, fluid, biomechanically efficient movement patterns should be the first step of any weight-loss, performance or rehab training programme.

Dynamic Posture (Movement) Screens are used to detect patterning problems, for rapid correction (click).

These are the natural movement and development patterns seen in toddlers and children. Provided our development as infants and children is allowed to proceed unhampered, we naturally master these patterns. The alterations in in lifestyle after an adolescent enters the workforce has in the past signaled the decline of healthy dynamic posture. Today we are even see this in children due to lack of physical activity and poor nutritional habits.

Train fundamentals movement patterns (the primal movements) which the body blends to accomplish more complex patterns.

SQUAT¦
LUNGE¦
BEND ¦
TORSO TWIST ¦
PUSH ¦
PULL

Do them standing, prone and supine, work all available vectors and utlise the full range of the joints.
Start using your body weight, then up the resistance using band, ropes chains, sand bags, medicine balls and free weights.

The machines found in gyms are genereally only suited to rehab and hypertrophic (bulking) work. The bulking is rarely functional and can result in muscular imbalance and dysfunction when not carefully monitored.

Resistance training in these movement patterns stimulates muscle growth, corrects connective tissue (fascia) alignment and trains the nervous system to communicate with the muscular system more effectively (via improved neural recruitment and proprioception).

Olympic weightlifting is great at loading resistance in various movement patterns.

Functional Training Resources:
›› View basic functional movement patterns.
›› View intermediate functional movement patterns.
›› Yes, functional training is no different for woman!
›› Channels (regularly updated functional movement training patterns).
›› Functional training tools.