Full Body Movement Strength Training Burns More Fat
Strength train your movements and not just your muscles. You will burn more fat because you will be training all muscle groups. Some call this functional strength training.
If you are "strong as an ox" but rigid in your movements, you are headed for injuries. You can't burn fat if you're injured. Bodyweight exercises are good for improving your strength and range of motion in all planes.
Functional training is basically training your body for how you want to live and play. For example, a recreational athlete will train differently from someone who just wants to maintain general fitness.
What does it mean to strength train your body in all three planes of motion? It is important to remember that although an activity might be one-plane dominant (running straight ahead is sagittal plane dominate), the other two planes of motion must be stable in order to perform the activity efficiently. Also, no motion occurs in one plane only.
The three planes are explained below:
1. Frontal Plane – imaginary bisector that divides the body into equal front and back halves. The motions primarily involve abduction and adduction (side-to-side motions). Abduction takes a limb away from the midline of the body and adduction takes the limb closer to the midline of the body.
Below is a good strength and fat burning frontal plane exercise: side lunge
Other frontal plane strength movements would be hip abductor/adductor exercises, dumbbell lateral shoulder raises, lateral step ups, side squats and lateral spinal flexion.
Quickness and agility movements that require adequate frontal plane stability, strength, power, flexibility and balance are lateral shuffles, lateral bounding and side-to-side hops.
2. Sagittal Plane – imaginary bisector that divides the body into left and right halves. The motions involve forward-backward and up-down movements relative to the body and/or joint. Examples would be walking, running, bicep curls, leg curls and seated back rows.
Traditional training techniques (such as training with machine weights) have focused on the sagittal plane of motion. This is not an effective training technique if the other planes of motion are ignored during training.
3. Transverse Plane – imaginary bisector that divides the body into top and bottom halves. The motions are primarily rotational. Obviously, this will be a dominate plane of motion for many athletes and everyone in general.
Turning, pivoting, rotating and swinging your body are all movements that we do every day. If you play a sport such as baseball or softball, this will be a dominant plane of motion for you.
Below is a good exercise that incorporates the transverse plane of motion: medicine ball rotational throw
Other good transverse plane dominant exercises are: hip rotations, hip turns, transverse lunges.
Walking lunges with medicine ball rotation use both the sagittal and transverse planes of motion (pictured below):
Be strong, lean and flexible by using more movement strength training.
If you are "strong as an ox" but rigid in your movements, you are headed for injuries. You can't burn fat if you're injured. Bodyweight exercises are good for improving your strength and range of motion in all planes.
Functional training is basically training your body for how you want to live and play. For example, a recreational athlete will train differently from someone who just wants to maintain general fitness.
What does it mean to strength train your body in all three planes of motion? It is important to remember that although an activity might be one-plane dominant (running straight ahead is sagittal plane dominate), the other two planes of motion must be stable in order to perform the activity efficiently. Also, no motion occurs in one plane only.
The three planes are explained below:
1. Frontal Plane – imaginary bisector that divides the body into equal front and back halves. The motions primarily involve abduction and adduction (side-to-side motions). Abduction takes a limb away from the midline of the body and adduction takes the limb closer to the midline of the body.
Below is a good strength and fat burning frontal plane exercise: side lunge
Other frontal plane strength movements would be hip abductor/adductor exercises, dumbbell lateral shoulder raises, lateral step ups, side squats and lateral spinal flexion.
Quickness and agility movements that require adequate frontal plane stability, strength, power, flexibility and balance are lateral shuffles, lateral bounding and side-to-side hops.
2. Sagittal Plane – imaginary bisector that divides the body into left and right halves. The motions involve forward-backward and up-down movements relative to the body and/or joint. Examples would be walking, running, bicep curls, leg curls and seated back rows.
Traditional training techniques (such as training with machine weights) have focused on the sagittal plane of motion. This is not an effective training technique if the other planes of motion are ignored during training.
3. Transverse Plane – imaginary bisector that divides the body into top and bottom halves. The motions are primarily rotational. Obviously, this will be a dominate plane of motion for many athletes and everyone in general.
Turning, pivoting, rotating and swinging your body are all movements that we do every day. If you play a sport such as baseball or softball, this will be a dominant plane of motion for you.
Below is a good exercise that incorporates the transverse plane of motion: medicine ball rotational throw
Other good transverse plane dominant exercises are: hip rotations, hip turns, transverse lunges.
Walking lunges with medicine ball rotation use both the sagittal and transverse planes of motion (pictured below):
Be strong, lean and flexible by using more movement strength training.
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