Decreasing Athlete Fragility with Multi-planar Movement

If we’re not careful, movement in the gym can begin to take on slight variations of patterns that all have the same plane of motion. While there are three distinct planes of motion (sagittal, frontal, and transverse), most of the training you see in the gym is dominated by the sagittal plane. 

This sagittal motion is best understood as the movement that is executed in the front-to-back motion of deadlifts, squats, swings, running, etc. While building capacities in this plane is forever paramount, it’s in neglecting the other planes of motion that leads to the emergence of imbalances and ultimately vulnerabilities for injury. 

We deliberately include both transverse and frontal plane movement patterns in our training so that our students embody a resilience that allows them to not just perform better but as insurance for injury from compensation or over usage of certain patterns. If you ever find yourself moving in new and “unconventional” ways, don’t get discouraged. It’s likely an important step in making you a more anti-fragile human.