With power lifting, body building and basic strength training exercises, we lift a weight in a linear motion against gravitational pull. Some personal trainers for instance love the squat... Every client must do squats in their routines! During this movement, the load or weight is lifted in an up and down fashion. This is good for developing power and strength, however doesn't imitate real life. It also is isolated to the specific muscles involved in the particular lift. This holds true for most exercises whether it be a bench press, squat, pulldown etc. The weight is moved in an up and down or linear motion.
Now let's look at real life movement. We often lift, move and transport objects. Whether it be carrying groceries from the car to the house to carrying a child, weight is lifted in a multi-plane movement. Loaded Movement Training is designed to strengthen and increase muscle and joint mobility. Each exercise creates stimulus working and stabilizing muscles during transitional movement lifts.
Again, during a barbell squat, we develop strength to lift a particular weight in a single plane - upward motion against gravitational pull. When lifting objects in actual daily life activities, we move in a multi-plane range of motion. For instance picking up a child or bag of groceries... We lift the object from the ground, rotate, and set it back down in another space whether it be right next to it's original spot or carry it and place it down in a further location.
Loaded Movement Training trains our bodies to be equipped for every day tasks while shaping and toning muscles as well! Our bodies are designed to perform tasks through a greater range of motion than just linear. Now don't get me wrong, I am an old school bodybuilder at heart. I love training with linear exercises. I like to build and strengthen isolated muscle groups. But, while training for Jui Jitsu, Karate and MMA, I developed a few workouts to maximize not only cardio endurance but exercises that strengthen the entire muscular system as a unit... the way our bodies were designed to move.
SHOULDER TO HIP MOVEMENT
Just about every movement we perform in life involves shoulder to opposite hip movement. Just walking, our left leg moves forward while our right shoulder rotates toward it. Any sport such as golf, hockey etc. our opposite hip and shoulder move toward one another. This integrates primarily the core muscles. By exercising with Loaded Movement Training we not only move in a similar fashion with weight increasing functional strength but we increase agility and balance as well! This all creates an energy demand which will also burn a ton more calories than performing a linear exercise as well. Burn more calories.... Burn more body fat!
Focusing on weighted movements using various muscles in a multi plane range of motion reinforces a chain reaction of biomechanical movement our bodies are designed to perform. The entire body functions as a unit to move the load placed upon it. By changing the center of weight's mass as it's lifted, we increase not only functional strength but the range in which we can move our bodies under the stress of a load. This in turn will condition our bodies. When we train our bodies with the shoulder to hip movement in mind, we can then increase lower back and core strength which helps minimize lower back strain.
BOTTOM LINE
Loaded Movement Training will place a greater demand on our entire muscular system. It is more functional than basic linear strength training and will burn a lot more calories during each movement. Plus, with most of the movements requiring balance, coordination and simultaneous muscle recruitment, it is a more efficient training method toward everyday function and fitness.
EXAMPLES OF LOADED MOVEMENT TRAINING
Many of you who have trained with me have already been exposed to Loaded Movement Training. Exercises such as Barbell Landmine Exercises, Weight Plate Halos, Side Lunge with side Bodybar dips, Reverse Lunge with Medicine Ball Wood Choppers etc. are all examples of this type of training.