Exercising Through Planes Of Motion.

 

When you exercise, you do so many different movements.  You bend, twist, lift up, and so many more things.  While moving around, you move through the three planes of motion and when you exercise, the best and most effective exercises have you moving through these planes.

The first plane of motion is the sagittal plane. This is an imaginary line that divides the body into the left and right sides. This is the plane that most of the exercises use.  Deadlifts, squats, rows, pull ups and presses are the ones that use it most. 

Movements that occur when moving the first plane of motion include flexion or the decreasing of movement between two bones, extension or the increasing of movement between two bones, dorsiflexion or where you move the toes towards the shins and plantarflexion where you flex the toes so the sole moves towards the floor and you are pointing the toes.

The second plane of motion involves the frontal plane.  This is where an imaginary line divides the body into front and back segments.  This is the plane where lateral movements take place and is often part of the warm-up.  Arm raises, leg raises, and side shuffles use this plane of motion.

Movements in this plane include adduction which is movement towards the midline, abduction or the opposite where movement is away form the midline, elevation or raising into a superior position at the scapula,  depression, the opposite, is movement into the inferior position at the scapula.  inversion which is lifting the foot on the side with the big toe and eversion is lifting the side of the foot with the pinkie toe. 

The third or final plane, is the transverse plane.  This plane is also divided into half but along the middle so your body is divided into the top and bottom planes. This plane runs perpendicular to the other two planes.  Movements in this plane are responsible for any twisting or rotational movements.  Examples of exercises which use this movement mostly are the clamshell, or twisting lunges.  

In general, an exercise program will have exercises that are in the sagittal plane of movement.  Exercises in the transverse plane are more for activation, warmups or as an accessory.  Movements in the frontal plane are more for warm-ups and accessory movements towards the end of the work out.  

Movements in this plane include rotation both inward and outward, the pronation which is rotation of the wrist and hand in the direction of the thumb, supination or the rotation of the wrist and hand in the direction of the pinkie, and the horizontal flexion and extension.

This is probably a bit more than you wanted to know.  I heard this term on one of my exercise DVD's and as I write this entry, I can see how each exercise is effecting which part of the body and which movement it is using.  I find that so cool.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.