CHAPTER 9 FUNCTIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR STABILITY-MOBILITY AND MOVEMENT | ACE PERSONAL TRAINER MANUAL
Given the directional pull of gravity, the intensity of the hay baler is perhaps greater due to the need to lift against the force of gravity (concentric) versus resisting or slowing the effects of gravity (eccentric), as is done during the wood chop. Trainers need to remember that the thoracic spine offers greater mobility than the lumbar spine. Therefore, they need to emphasize lumbar stability and control of lumbar rotation while promoting movement within the thoracic spine.
SUMMARY
THIS CHAPTER INTRODUCES TWO ESSENTIAL PREREQUISITE STAGES TO training clients that are frequently overlooked. Traditional training focuses on strengthening muscles or improving their endurance capacity in isolation and generally disregards the relationship of the entire kinetic chain (stability-mobility relationship) with reference to postural alignment of the joints. Trainers should always emphasize these two stages during the initial phase of a client’s training program to “straighten the body before strengthening it,” and restore good joint alignment and muscle balance across joints. Good joint alignment facilitates effective muscle action and joint movement, serving as the platform from which good exercise technique is built. Given the complexity of current exercise equipment and the advanced nature of many exercises, trainers must stress the importance of learning how to perform the five primary movement patterns correctly, as they represent the foundation to all movement. Proper execution of these movements enhances the potential to promote movement efficiency, as well as long-term maintenance and integrity of the joint structures, muscles, connective tissues, and nerves of the musculoskeletal system.
