Mobility, Stability,
Balance, Strength and Power are the five elements that make up the golf
performance pyramid. Mobility and
Stability are the bottom two layers of the base of that pyramid. Build those solid and maintain those
and Balance, Strength and Power will be optimized. Before we start working with the Platinum Golf Fitness
system we need a baseline, we use the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) as the
way to establish that baseline.
Read on to better understand the FMS.
The FMS is designed
for all healthy, active people and for healthy, inactive people who want to
increase physical activity. It is designed for those that do not have pain or
injury.
The FMS itself is a
series of seven different movement patterns and three clearing tests that are
combined into a movement screen. By screen, this does not mean it’s a
diagnostic tool. The FMS is not diagnostic at all. It is a proven tool that
looks objectively at quality of movement patterns. It is extremely objective,
reliable, and reproducible. It used by a wide range of fitness and health care
professionals.
The seven movement
patterns require a balance of mobility and stability. Mobility and stability
are the essential elements of the movement patterns in the FMS. If there are
limitations in either, the FMS will reveal them.
The purpose of this
information is not to go into the details of each of the seven movement
patterns, but to explain the practical application and utility in the athletic
and recreational exercise population. With the increased desire to be fitter,
stronger, and more athletic, people need to realize the importance of having
fundamental movements before advancing into higher-level activities. What often
happens is people are putting exercise and performance on top of dysfunctional
movement patterns, which can impair performance and cause injuries.
There is a saying
that “something is only as strong as its weakest link.” The FMS strives to
identify the weak links and then correct them if present. The FMS looks at
fundamental movement patterns, which are the foundation for fitness and
performance. Once the FMS has
revealed a dysfunction, if there is one, an appropriate exercise strategy can
be implemented to correct the problem. This is part of the magic of the
FMS and corrective exercise system.
WHAT
SHOULD YOU DO NEXT? HOW TO GET A SCREEN
I highly recommend
getting an FMS for the reasons I mention. The screen may score completely
“normal” and that’s a great thing if it does. If it does not, that’s not bad
either, as the next step is in building an appropriate corrective exercise
strategy, which is easily built into your program to correct the underlying
dysfunction.
If you’d like to get
a movement screen, the next step would be to search the FMS website to see where the closest local
certified expert is to you to perform the FMS. There are many functional
movement certified experts that can perform the complete screen, which will
only take about ten to fifteen minutes.
I strongly believe in
the effectiveness and value of the FMS. The last thing any of us wants is to
sustain an injury while exercising. While the FMS does not guarantee that
won’t happen, it does significantly cut that risk. The FMS is a great
evaluation tool to reveal a movement dysfunction or asymmetry that could be the
crack in your exercise foundation.
In summary, the FMS
is simple, but highly reliable and effective.
The main benefits for
getting a screen include:
·
Identifying
individuals at risk for injury.
·
Implementing a
corrective exercise strategy to improve or normalize functional movement
patterns.
·
Providing a tool to
monitor progress in dynamic or changing fitness programs.
·
Establishing a
functional movement baseline for appropriate exercise programming.
The important
consideration to remember is that proper functional movement precedes
performance and may ultimately lead to an injury reduction. If you haven’t
had a screen and you are a beginner or experienced exerciser, this is something
you should give strong consideration.
Remember, you can’t
put fitness on dysfunction. Unfortunately, this happens much too often in
today’s golf fitness climate.
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