How to Exercise Smarter then Harder
Some things make so much sense we wonder why they were never thought of before.
We know exercise is good for us yet many people who start exercising eventually stop because of exercise injury.
Foundations of Movement brings a new perspective to the way you exercise that prepares the body to receive the greatest benefits of exercise without facing the risk of injury regardless of whether you are a beginner exerciser or a high level athlete.
Rethinking How to Exercise
The body depends on specific relationships between different muscle groups to function correctly. Typically exercise is thought of as a means to improving fitness by focusing on the progressive strength training of individual muscles. This traditional approach ignores the dynamic nature of muscles within the body and limits the potential value of exercise to improve overall function.
The Foundations of Movement Approach is broader, holistic, and much more relevant to how we move not only in daily life but in how we develop more complex movements needed for sport or performance. It focuses on a methodical approach for evaluation of existing movement patterns and the subsequent correction and retraining of the overall movements themselves.
By focusing on the movement patterns, not only do your muscles get stronger, they get smarter- improving your movement efficiency as a whole and forming a quality foundation for day to day actions as well as a successful progression towards advanced exercise.
When Things Get out of Line
Asymmetries during a movement are the strongest predictor of future injuries.
A musculoskeletal asymmetry is present when one side of the body acts in a different or non-conducive manner to the opposite side of the body. This process leads to inefficiency and the need for another part of the body to compensate for the altered movement pattern.
The breakdown of natural movement pattern can occur from a variety of factors such as weight, pain, anatomical differences, strength discrepancies etc. You will not necessarily feel any pain or be consciously aware if the problem even exists.
Looking Upstream- The exercise assessment
To exercise without a proper assessment is like taking prescription drugs without a diagnosis.
The purpose of an exercise assessment is to exploit muscular compensations to determine if they exist and then provide a process to eliminate the root cause of the imbalance.
It will not matter if your hips are out of line or your foot is pronating during a run if something else is causing that to happen – and it most likely is.
An exercise assessment of movement patterns and symmetry, with the body used as a whole, prior to starting an exercise program will provide the practitioner with a vast amount of knowledge necessary to institute a transformative well designed functional exercise routine aggressive in quality not simply quantity of exercise. A smartly designed approach to exercise will abolish improper movements and decrease the likelihood of pain or injury.
Take your prescriptions from a “physician” of fitness and you will learn a great deal about the way your body moves as a whole!
Assessing Movements with The Functional Movement Screen
The functional movement screen (FMS), invented by Gray Cook, is a qualitative process used to quantify and evaluate basic movement abilities.
During the one hour appointment you will perform seven movements that mimic patterns used everyday in life – for example: squatting, stepping, lunging, trunk stability and shoulder mobility. Anyone can perform these movements as there are adaptations for any level of mobility and stability.
Functional Exercise Program
Your results are used to design a corrective exercise program that can be done either at home or at FM for an additional fee. This process is very technique specific and requires a meeting of its own in order to go over proper technique.
The quality of our movements is universal. Everyone can achieve proper movement patterns if trained correctly.
Once comfortable with the technique of the movements a re-screen will be used to quantify the magnitude of your progression. Re-screens will be performed frequently to assess the level of change and/or maintenance for different patterns – these typically do not involve a full screen but rather the screen for a specific movement.
Foundations of Movement Program $475
- Functional Movement Screen (60 min)
- Musculoskeletal Exercise Prescription (60 min)
- Effectiveness Session and Coaching (20 min)
- Effectiveness Session and Coaching (20 min)
- Functional Movement Screen (60 min)
Typically, for the purpose of ensuring optimal results, the Foundations of Movement Program is combined with Exercise Therapy sessions
