In this lesson you will learn about how movement occurs through different planes of the body.
- Focus on how you can include functional movement patterns within your class that replicate activities of daily living.
- Think about how members benefit from exercise selection that considers muscle balance and stronger versus weaker muscles.
- Complete the 7 questions and 2 tables on this lesson in the unit study guide.
SilverSneakers classes are designed to challenge participants to improve their fitness. Instructors play an important role in improving function and health through creative exercise selection and progression. For both cardiovascular and resistance training, exercise selection begins with building a strong platform for work to occur. Participants must have a base of stability and mobility before movements are made more complex. Once movement mastery occurs, additional resistance can be added. Participants can train for performance once a high-degree of movement efficiency has been reached.
Basic Movement Principles
Movement principles are the foundation of exercise selection. In traditional exercise programs, we learn basic movement patterns and how bones and joints work together to perform an action. While most actions performed in daily life require a combination of movements that occur simultaneously, we’ll first examine the individual planes of movement, then address exercise programming for functional improvement.
Sagittal – A plane that divides the body left and right. Movements in this plane are flexion and extension. Exercises such as knee lifts and kicks occur in the sagittal plane. Movements in the sagittal plane would be picking up a box from a table and lifting it to the chest, walking, and riding a bicycle.
Frontal – A plane that divides the body front and back. Abduction and adduction occur in the frontal plane during exercises such as jumping jacks. Stepping out of your car or stepping into a bathtub are actions in the frontal plane.
Transverse – A plane that divides the body top and bottom. Pronation, supination, circumduction, and rotation occur in this plane. Putting on a seatbelt and looking to see what’s behind you require movement in the transverse plane.
Scapular – The scapular plane is specific to older adults, and is a plane that is approx. 30 degrees in front of the frontal plane, shoulder height and above. From a rehabilitative point of view, exercising in the scapular plane puts less stress on the shoulder capsule.
Instructor tip: When performing movements such as a lateral deltoid raise, lift arms to the side, but slightly forward to help keep the shoulder safe.
Instructor tip: The SilverSneakers overhead arm position is up and to the front of the body, as though you are placing a box on a shelf.
While it’s possible to examine a handful of movements in a single plane to gain understanding, most actions occur across a number of planes. Multi-planar movement provides a framework for functional training. Activities of daily living are functional, therefore requiring multi-planar training.
Consider the following activities and the planes involved in the movement:
Activity
Action
Planes
Taking off a shirt
Cross your arms and reach hands toward hips. Lift arms over the head. Arms reach wide then release by your sides.
Transverse
Sagittal
Frontal
Getting out of a car
Open the door to your right. Step out with your right foot, turn to the right to shift your weight. Step out and bring the left foot to meet your right.
Frontal
Transverse
Sagittal
Opening a door
Step forward. Lean and reach with one arm toward the nob. Pull the door open and step back.
Sagittal
Transverse
Joint Actions
- Flexion – The angle of two bones is decreased at the articulation site.
- Extension – The angle of two bones is increased at the articulation site.
- Hyperextension – Movement in which a body part is extended beyond the anatomical position.
- Adduction – Refers to the movement of a limb toward the midline of the body.
- Abduction – Refers to the movement of a limb away from the midline of the body.
- Rotation – Movement of a bone or limb around an axis.
- Circumduction – Circular movement of a limb.
- Inversion – A movement at the ankle joint in which the sole of the foot faces medially (inward).
- Eversion – A movement at the ankle joint in which the sole of the foot faces laterally (outward).
- Medial – Toward the midline of the body, or the inside.
- Lateral – Away from the midline of the body, or the outside.
- Anterior – The front side, or to the front side of the body.
- Posterior – Toward the back, or dorsal side of the body.
- Dorsiflexion – Movement of the foot up toward the shin.
- Plantarflexion – Movement of the foot toward the sole of the foot (to point the toes).
- Supine – Refers to lying down in a “face up” position.
- Prone – Refers to lying in a “face down” position.
Muscle Actions
Muscles contract in different ways to perform movement, support movement, or oppose the movement. With isotonic contraction, the length of the muscle changes with varying levels of tension while the load remains constant. During a concentric contraction, the muscle visibly shortens. During an eccentric contraction, the muscle visibly lengthens. For example, during a biceps curl with hand-held weights, the biceps concentrically contract to lift the weight, and eccentrically contracts to lower the weight.
With isometric contraction, tension is developed in the muscle, but there is no change in its length (muscular force equals resistive force). Isometric exercise is beneficial when performed on a regular basis, however, isometric exercise, especially when performed with external resistance, may cause an undesirable blood pressure effect.
Instructor Tip: To mitigate the blood pressure response, instructors are encouraged to utilize isometric “pulses” in the group exercise setting versus true isometric exercises.
Isokinetic contractions usually require specialized equipment to perform. During this type of contraction, the speed of the muscle contraction remains the same (resistance varies) while the length changes.
Muscle Balance
With each movement performed, muscles work together as a team. During each movement, there is an agonist or prime mover. This is the muscle responsible for the movement. The antagonist opposes the agonist’s action. Synergists assist the agonist and sometimes fine tune the direction of the movement. Stabilizer muscles provide support and control.
Muscle groups work in pairs to enhance muscle balance and to reduce the possibility of injuries. The opposing pairs are not necessarily equal in strength due to physiological and biomechanical factors. When working one muscle group, be sure to also work its opposing muscle. Consider selecting more strengthening exercises or repetitions for weaker or overstretched parts of the body while incorporating flexibility exercises for parts of the body that are normally strong and tight.
Instructor Tip: Safe movement requires both stability and mobility. Weakened or overly tight muscles influence joint action.
Joint Action by Muscle Group
Hip – Gluteus Maximus-Hip Extension; Hamstrings-Hip Extension and Knee Flexion
- Exercises: Squats and Lunges, Leg Curls, Heel Drags
Abductors – Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Minimus, Tensor Fascia Latae
- Joint Action: Hip Abduction
- Exercises: Side Leg Lifts, Step Touch
Adductors – Adductor Longus, Adductor Brevis, Adductor Magnus, Pectineus
- Joint Action: Hip Adduction
- Exercises: Plié Squats, Side Leg Lifts
Chest – Pectoralis Major
- Joint Action: Shoulder Transverse Adduction, Shoulder Flexion
- Exercises: Ball Squeeze, Tubing Chest Press, Dumbbell Flye
Back – Latissimus Dorsi
- Joint Action: Shoulder Adduction, Shoulder Extension
- Exercises: Tubing Lat Pull Down, Bent Over Row
Back – Rhomboids and Mid- Trapezius Joint Action: Scapular Retraction
- Exercises: Bent Over Flyes, Seated Row
Shoulder – Deltoids (Anterior Deltoid, Medial Deltoid, Posterior Deltoid)
- Joint Action: Middle Deltoid-Shoulder abduction; Anterior Deltoid-Shoulder Flexion; Posterior Deltoid-Shoulder Extension and Transverse Abduction
- Exercises: Overhead Press, Lateral Raise, Front Raise, Rear Flye
Instructor tip: The shoulders are active in most-upper body movement patterns. Provide adequate rest between exercises to avoid overuse.
Arms – Biceps
- Joint Action: Elbow Flexion, Shoulder Flexion (long head)
- Exercises: Curls; Lat Pull Down with Tubing
Arms – Triceps
- Joint Action: Elbow Extension, Shoulder Extension (long head)
- Exercises: Kickbacks, Tubing Push Downs
Calf – Gastrocnemius, Soleus
- Joint Action: Plantar Flexion, Knee Flexion (gastroc)
- Exercises: Heel Raises
Shin – Anterior Tibialis
- Joint Action: Dorsi Flexion
- Exercises: Toe Taps
Abdominals – Rectus Abdominis, Internal & External Obliques
- Joint Action: Spinal Flexion, Spinal Rotation Exercises, Crunches, Crunch with Rotation
- Exercises: Seated Crunch, Crunch with Rotation
Instructor tip: The abdominals have a short range of motion. Many exercises may recruit the hip flexors as the prime mover. Carefully select exercises that target the abdominals.
Hip Flexors – Iliopsoas
- Joint Action: Hip Flexion
- Exercise: Knee Lift, Marching
Erector Spinae – Spinal Erectors
- Joint Action: Spinal Extension
- Exercises: Back Extensions, Stability Exercises
Instructor tip: The hip flexor muscles run from the femur to the lumbar spine. When they contract, they pull on the lumbar spine. Hip flexors get a lot of use in daily activity, such as walking and going upstairs. They do not generally need to be strengthened. Instructors should use caution when participants march in a seated position to avoid the risk of overuse.