Exercises that mimic the planes of motion frequently invoked in your sport or activities of daily living will enhance your performance. The planes of motion are described as frontal, sagittal and transverse. Incorporating resistance and stretching exercises across these planes strengthens the muscles, joints and bones involved in such movements.
Benefits
Analyzing each movement in your sport or fitness routine enables you to identify the primary plane of motion to create a more effective training routine. Runners move through the sagittal plane, which is forward and backward relative to the front of the body; wind sprints are an excellent exercise for runners. If you play golf, your body moves through the frontal plane, which involves a side to side movement relative to the front of your body; pulley cable movements that cross your body will enhance your golf performance. Tennis players utilize all planes of motion as they shuffle forward and backward and side to side as they swing their tennis rackets across their bodies. Full-body workouts incorporating a variety of exercises and equipment are essential for a tennis player's conditioning.
Body Weight
Body weight lunges strengthen your leg muscles through the sagittal plane. Push ups or wall push offs enhance your pectorals, deltoids and triceps through the frontal plane. Lunges performed by stepping diagonally across the mid-line of your body instead of forward train your muscles through the transverse plane. You may increase the intensity of such exercises by wearing a weighted vest or holding a dumbbell.
Dumbbells
Dumbbells are excellent for focusing on a specific muscle through the planes of motion. Dumbbell curls for your biceps, front dumbbell raises for the anterior of your deltoids and dumbbell extensions for your triceps are exercises moving through the sagittal plane. Dumbbell lateral raises working the medial head of your deltoid muscle is a frontal plane exercise.
Cables
Exercises performed using cable pulleys provide resistance in both directions. While cable pulleys may be used to work through your frontal and sagittal planes, such machines are excellent for training through the transverse plane. Standing cable flies work your pectorals as you draw your arms from an open to a closed position in front of your body. Cable rotations engage your abdominal oblique muscles as you twist your trunk, drawing an arc from above your shoulder toward the opposite hip. One-arm chest punches permit you to twist your trunk as you extend one arm forward and across the mid-line of your body.
References
- "Anatomy & Physiology"; Gary Thibodeau, Ph.D., and Kevin Patton, Ph.D.; 2007
- "Personal Trainer Manual"; American Council on Exercise; 1997
- "Equal But Not The Same, Considerations for Training Females"; C.H.E.K. Institute; 1997
Member Comments