Planes of Motion …Explained

One of the most common terms used in the fitness industry today is functional training. However, there seems to be about a million definitions used to explain what functional training is actually all about.

I like to explain it by using the definition of the word functional. Google the word and the part that applies to training is, “of or having a special activity, purpose, or task; relating to the way in which something works or operates. There are important functional differences between left and right brain”

When it come to training I will refer to the part that says, ” the way in which something works or operates “. This implies that you have to know how something operates before you can say you are doing something functional with it.

This is where an understanding of the planes of motion will help with your program design and implementation. We move in different planes; frontal, transverse and sagittal. These three terms are used a lot when talking about functional exercises and I know they can cause confusion. However, once you understand them, it becomes an easy way to communicate how you move or where motion occurs. So, I put together a couple videos. Below I explain those planes in particular and next week I’ll explain how planes can be used to correct alignment when doing common rotator cuff exercises