Two Movement Ideas For Your Program

Now that we’ve covered the “why” of moving well, let’s have a more in-depth discussion of what that means.  Last week I referred to moving well as maintaining optimal optimal biomechanics, which is a fancy word for joint positions and muscle activations.  While this is critically important, it’s not the whole story. Yes, in all circumstances we must understand how to use our muscles and joints properly.  In fitness programming, however, we must go a step further and perform exercises that actually transfer to real life movements. This prompts a conversation about optimal biomechanics and movement specificity.

Ooo...biomechanics...such a hot word.  Optimal biomechanics refer to the joint positions and muscle activations that are universally correct across all movements.  For example, knees are never supposed to collapse inwardly. We should always strive to maintain a stable, neutral position in the knees.  So whether you’re squatting, running, jumping, etc., you should always strive for a stable position in the knees. In this way, you can think of optimal biomechanics as the correct use of each isolated body segment no matter what the movement is.

Moving (pun) onto the second piece of the puzzle, movement specificity simply means that we should use exercises in the gym that mimic the activities we do in real life.  By doing so, we reinforce and enhance the capacity of motor patterns that are used during actual performances. If you’re a rock climber, it’d be a lot more effective to do pullups instead of bench press.  If you’re a soccer player, running and plyometric drills are much more useful then heavy deadlifts. If you’re an Average Joe that doesn’t participate in any specific physical activities, then you should read our next article.  In THIS article, though, I want you to understand that exercises in the gym should resemble the movements that we do in real life.

In summary, functional fitness programming includes both optimizing biomechanics and movement specificity.  Optimal biomechanics apply to any movement we perform. Movement specificity applies to doing exercises in the gym that resemble outside activities as a means of getting better at those activities.  These two training principles optimize the body as a general structure, as well as a specific performance machine, and that is exactly why we’re here.