Program Design #7: Planes of Motion
No, no, not planes IN motion, planes OF motion.
Working in planes of motion is a way to make sure you are 1) hitting all the muscles of the body and 2) keeping your training balanced. If you just did a “Push” workout, but you realize all of the exercises you chose were in the horizontal plane, then you left out some basic movement patterns.
Why is this important?
Because your body was meant to move. Your muscles, tendons and ligaments were meant to be contracted and stretched in a variety of ways and if you over do one motion and neglect other motions you are likely to develop imbalances. Initially, this will manifest itself as annoying tightness, but if ignored, imbalances in training can lead to pain and injury.
One common imbalance you likely see is the forward rounded shoulders. This is a sure sign of too much time spent working those muscles of the front of the body which internally rotate the shoulder and protract the shoulder blades. And not enough time spent working the muscles of the back of the body which externally rotate the shoulder and retract the shoulder blades. Or, as grandma would say, “Stop slouching!” Thanks grandma.
Another common imbalance is anterior pelvic tilt. This causes you to look liked you have a little belly regardless of actual body fat levels. And it may be associated with some lower back pain. This is usually due to weak abdominal muscles and glutes. Combined with overactive erector spinae and quads/hip flexors. This is from imbalances in training by prioritizing movements for the quads and often neglecting the glutes, but is also exacerbated by prolonged periods of sitting. Or, as grandma would say, “Get off the couch and go outside!”
Both of these imbalances are made worse by the amount of time our society in general spends in a slouched seated position. However, they are also made worse by our tendency to work out the muscles we see (chest, shoulders, quads) more than the muscles we do not (back and glutes).
Thus, thinking in terms of planes of motion can help you keep your body looking balanced and keep you pain free.
Basic planes of motion plus examples of each are:
Upper Body
Horizontal pushing – bench press
Vertical upward pushing – shoulder press
Vertical downward pushing – dips
Horizontal pulling – rows
Vertical downward pulling – pull-ups
Vertical upward pulling – face pull (I know this is more horizontal, but strict upward pulling is slightly awkward, face pulls are the best approximation)
Lower Body
Quad dominant movement (more knees) – squats, leg extensions
Glute/Hamstring dominant movement (more hips) – deadlifts, leg curls
Variations can also be done in terms of angle. For example, we often use the Incline DB Bench Press which is in between horizontal and vertical.
Working in planes of motion also can help you set up/choose exercises for the opposing supersets which was a previous program design principle discussed.
I hope you found this helpful, be sure to reach out with any questions you may have.
