Pete RohlederWhat’s up, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of More To Movement.
As my student’s know, coffee is my life-blood, and I’m thinking we should start this episode by grabbing some. Let’s head to Starbucks. Are you ready? Here are the directions: ok, go right, then left, then straight, then left again, and you’re there…. Right? A bit of an obvious question, but will you end up at the Starbucks with those directions?
Unless those directions happened to match your current location exactly, then-No. All of you are listening from different places and cities, and maybe even countries, so my instructions mean nothing without a reference point.
Now, If I gave each of you a reference point, I could provide instructions that can help you get where you need to go.
When it comes to movement, and having a better understanding of it, we must have a reference point, and we must have a way of describing and communicating those movements.
One way to achieve that is through the Planes of the body.
Planes are a way to describe movement that occurs in regions of the body. The planes “cut” the body into parts, with specific movements occurring in those regions. These movements are always in relation to “anatomical position,” which is standing upright, facing the observer, arms straight, and feet and palms facing out. So, though we have an endless number of movement possibilities, we can keep it simple by referring to movements within planes in relation to the anatomic position.
An excellent image for the planes is to think of a magician, with a huge glass saw. And imagine that he is using that saw to cut his assistant into halves. Keep that visual as I describe these planes.
When we are evaluating movement in these planes, we know that the movements occurring in those regions are parallel to the plane, or the “saw.” Keep in mind that even though movements can be one-plane dominant, no motion occurs strictly in one plane of motion.
These planes are the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes.
Sagittal Plane
Think of the magician again. His assistant is standing in front of him, facing him. He puts the saw through the center of his assistant, cutting the body into left and right halves. If the assistant were to try to reach across her body to reach her opposite shoulder, she would hit the glass saw. This is the sagittal plane. And like I said earlier, movements occur parallel to this plane, so the actions of flexion and extension at the joints occur in this plane. Examples of those movements would be Arm Curls or Leg Curls.
Frontal Plane
The frontal plane cuts the body into anterior and posteriors halves, or front and back. Now imagine that the magician moves to the side of his assistant. Then, he begins to put the saw through her shoulders and hips, all the way through the opposite side. That leaves the front of her body one side and the back of her body on the other. This is the frontal plane, and the actions that occur in this plane are abduction and adduction. An excellent example of this movement is a side raise, when you raise are your arm up and away from your body.
Transverse Plane
Finally, there is the transverse plane. Now imagine the magician placing the saw right through her belly button, cutting her into top and bottom halves. This image demonstrates the transverse plane, and movements of rotation occur in this plane. Turning your torso from left to right is a great example of movement within this plane.
Now, the movements occurring in all these planes tell us something, especially if you understand the muscles causing the movement. That starts with understanding the axis of rotation. We know that muscles pull bones to rotate at a joint, so if we know the type of rotation that is occurring in the planes, it can help us evaluate the muscles responsible for that movement.
Axis of Rotation
Rotation occurs perpendicular to a plane, meaning it forms a right angle. The axis of rotation is an imaginary line that runs through the pivot point of a joint.
Think of a wheel on a car. The wheel spins, but it turns because of the axis or pivot point in the middle. It’s the same with the body. You can identify a pivot point for every muscle action, and that pivot point is the axis of rotation. This helps us determine the plane the movement is occurring in, and if muscles are contributing to the movement as they should.
Vertical Axis
For the first axis, think of spinning a top. If you were to draw an imaginary line through the middle of the spin, it would run right down the middle, from top to bottom. This is the Vertical (longitudinal) axis. And remember, it forms a 90-degree angle (or a letter “t”) with the plane. So, this axis of rotation would create a letter “t” with the plane that cuts the body into top and bottom, which is the Transverse Plane.
Frontal Axis
For the next axis, think of doing a front flip and imagine drawing a line through where the rotation is occurring. It would run sideways through your body, allowing you to tumble head over feet and feet overhead. This is the Frontal (horizontal, mediolateral) Axis, and it meets the Sagittal Plane we talked about earlier.
Sagittal Axis
Finally, think of a cartwheel- where is the axis? Right through the belly button. If that were a real axis, it would allow you to continue doing cartwheels because you would be spinning around that center pivot point. This is the Sagittal (anteroposterior) Axis, and it meets the Frontal Plane.
Ok, if you’re still with me, you may be asking, “Pete, why is this important?”
Here’s why: if you understand the planes and the movements that occur within those planes, you can identify if a movement pattern is efficient or not. It gives you instant insight into someone’s movement and can help you identify issues that can save you significant time and make your efforts more efficient.
It’s a game-changer.
I can’t tell you how many people I have helped just by using this quick reference. I was able to pinpoint significant movement flaws, just my having a basic understanding of how movements should be occurring in the planes.
Let me give you an example. Let’s look at the squat.
Though most movement is multiplanar, many movements have a primary plane. The squat should be primarily in the sagittal plane because the major movements that occur in the squat are flexion and extension- ankles, knees, hips, and trunk all flex as you descend into the squat and extend as you stand back up.
If you notice someone leaning to one side during their squat pattern, it’s evident that the primary muscles are not engaging as they should, because they are moving in the frontal plane. Immediately, you can start to identify potential muscle discrepancies that are contributing to the movement pattern. For example, adductors and abductors could be the issue, because they are frontal-plane mover but are impacting the squat pattern by adding frontal-plane movement to the sagittal plane.
This is just one more tool in the arsenal to identify and correct movement issues. It’s amazingly helpful and easy to use if you understand what you are looking for and how to address it.
So, what are the takeaways today?
1) Take the time to review muscle actions and what they do.
How can you train them if you don’t know what their job is? You don’t have to know every aspect of muscle, but you should have a basic idea of what the tissue does so you know how to train and correct it.
2) Once you understand what muscles do, start to observe them with specific movements or exercises you perform and document any noticeable deviations.
I gave an example of the squat earlier, but let’s look at another popular exercise- lunges. There are several ways to execute a lunge, but most lunges require stepping forward with one leg and dropping the back leg down to the ground, similar to kneeling on one leg. Lunges occur in the sagittal plane with the ankles, knees, and hips flexing and extending, while the trunk, shoulders, and head remain neutral.
If you notice the torso leaning to one side, twisting, or leaning forward, it may be indicative that the core stabilizers are underactive. It could also mean that there are muscle imbalances in the hips, and the trunk must overcompensate, but more on that later. Regardless, it allows you to immediately identify movement discrepancies and implement corrective strategies, instantly improving your movement quality and efforts.
To summarize today’s, episode, remember that the planes of the body divide the body into regions, so we have a reference point to describe movement, and specific movements occur within these planes. The big takeaway is that if you understand them, you can quickly determine if the movement is efficient or if there is a possible discrepancy, especially if the movement is occurring in the wrong plane.
Thanks so much for listening to today’s episode. I’ve said it before, but your time is valuable, and I’m grateful you’ve chosen to spend some of that with me.
I’ve spoken a lot about muscle actions and observing them, so on the next episode, we’re going to discuss the phases and types of muscle contraction, and further, how they relate to force-velocity profiles and why they are essential for your development.
I look forward to chatting with you next time.
Thanks again and remember-where ever you are: keep moving.
Pete Rohleder
