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With all of the education and research which has been poured into the Strength and Conditioning field over the past twenty years; injury trends in sports continue to be static or rising. If we continue to copy the great trainers in the field, we will never grow or advance our field. The FMS and other injury risk assessments have done wonders for preventing some injuries; Can improving our Strength and Conditioning take our field to the next level? For this to occur, we must think outside of the box and dare to look differently at our past endeavors and dare to be different.
The theory or thought process of Functional/Core training through the years has be polluted by the implementation of carnival style balance tricks and usage of new training equipment designed to challenge the athlete kinesthetic awareness and proprioception. Though these exercises and tools have their place in various training programs, most athletes, in competition, spend an overwhelming majority of the time on flat, firm services with pure balance challenges being at a minimal. An often overlooked athletic quality is the ability for the body to handle the stress/torsion specific to the sport. The elite athletes tend to produce unthinkable amounts of power and with this production the body must be able to properly handle the forces to ensure the body does not start to experience breakdown.
The question which remains is “How we optimally train our athletes to produce power and then handle the stress/torsion for which they produce?” Some think it is with balance training, others Olympic training, but have we actually ever delved into how exactly our muscles handle the stresses placed upon them during dynamic activities. Our bodies with regards to producing superhuman feat do not work in a straight line; With the evolution of human movement individuals are asked to accelerate and decelerate the body with the end goal being optimal performance.
When discussing performance (i.e. running, throwing, kicking, etc.) the biomechanical discussion leads into a dialogue of lever arms and torque. With torque comes angular motion which by definition means rotational motion. In examining our power developing lifts, we look towards the basics of the squat, bench and deadlift which all focus on sagittal plane force production, thus minimizing carry-over into rotations capabilities. The benefits of these lifts are not being negated, but I would like to pose a question, “If the addition of a lever arm leads to increases in torque/stress production; Why does our power/strength training revolve around single plane lifts?”
The transverse plane is often forgotten in many training programs, despite all muscles of the body having a rotary component. The rotational component of muscles (creation of Torque) ensures proper joint centration at the primary engines of the upper and lower extremities. By mathematical laws, working in the transverse plane will require a larger production of core strength to ensure the body can handle the increase in stress/torsion placed on the body. Working in a single plane (pushing/pulling) will require less core muscle strength meaning that training in these planes will not adequately prepare the body for the demands placed upon during athletic performance.
For these reasons and more, it is my belief that the transverse plan is the key to optimal athletic development and performance. Research shows that bench press values do not reflect throwing speed and if examined I believe that squat values will not reflect kicking power. The body must work in all planes to create world class performances. It is time that our training methods match the requirements of our athletes. Prepare them to play and we will prepare them to perform. This is how you prevent injuries.
Hopefully, this article makes you second guess your current training methods encourages you to think outside the box. Multi-planar training will allow for optimal performance and health. For questions, comments or further information on this topic, Contact the Integrated Performance team.