Coach: It’s important to improve functional movements

Functional movement is any movement that is required to successfully navigate through day-to-day activity.

An example may be lifting a box, walking up or down a flight of steps or even something as simple as sitting in a chair for an extended period of time.

Everyone completes basic movements like these on a daily basis, but many individuals are moving incorrectly, and as a result they greatly increase the likelihood of injury down the road.  

Why we get hurt

What are the normal causes of injuries during functional movements?  Injuries can be the result of many issues, but the three main reasons for injury are inadequate muscle strength, incorrect muscle utilization and lack of concentration.  

Everyone from the age of 20 to 45 should be able to do multiple lifts of their weight as a minimum requirement. Some movements are scaled differently, but the following movements are all based on an individual’s weight. This is a general guideline; it will give a broad idea of adequate muscular strength for functional movements.  

Male:

Squat and deadlift: 100 percent of body weight

Bench press: 75 percent of body weight

Military press: 50 percent of body weight

Female:

Squat and deadlift: 85 percent of body weight

Bench press: 50 percent of body weight

Military press: 30 percent of body weight

Most people have some type of muscle discrepancy, so just because they can perform some of these movements adequately does not mean they have no risk of functional movement injuries.  

Many individuals recruit secondary muscles to aid with primary muscle movements.  For example, an individual may be able to squat their weight, but their glutes may be extremely weak.  Glutes are the primary muscle mover for a squat, but if they are too weak and unable to perform the movement, the body will recruit the hamstrings to take over the needed workload.

As a result, an individual’s hip angle will be off and their body will likely be too far forward.  A bad spine angle during any squatting or lifting movement is an injury waiting to happen. So, that basic activity of lifting a box onto the top shelf may be the everyday activity that causes an injury.  

So how can we minimize the risk of injuries during daily activities?  Increase flexibility and make an effort to stretch after workouts. Yoga classes are a great way to improve strength while also increasing flexibility.  

To increase strength, get on a consistent exercise routine 3 to 5 days a week.  Focus on problem areas; movements that are difficult should not be avoided. They need extra attention.  

Concentration and proper muscle utilization are critical with any movement, so learn what muscles should be activating during specific movements.

Sitting and back problems

An example we all need to focus on is our sitting position.  The majority of us sit for too long during the day, and we get lazy and lose concentration.  We hunch our shoulders and roll our hips forward, putting our weight on our bone structure; this adds to back issues for millions of Americans.

We need to understand the importance of engaging the core while sitting and maintaining good posture.  If we continue to check ourselves during the day, the likelihood of maintaining a proper sitting position will improve our overall movement.

Invest in yourself

I hope you are motivated to invest the needed time and energy into your physical health. I guarantee you will see a return on your investment.

For those of you who want to take on the challenge, I would recommend first identifying issues you may have with specific functional movements.  Once the problem is identified, a course of action can be established to fix the problem.