3) Balance underlies all movements
Paul Chek, one of the fitness industry leaders, came up with a basic but marvelous theory that all movements come from primal movements. These movements are the basic movements used and performed in functional training. He believes that you need to train for the movements that you perform in everyday life. An example would be that training on a leg press machine only trains you to become stronger at the leg press. Training primal movements, on the other hand, lets you tackle just about anything life is going to throw you.
Primal movements include:
Squat: sitting on the couch, sitting on the toilet or getting in and out of the car.
Bend: picking something up off the floor, petting your dog or picking up your golf ball.
Lunge: playing tennis, throwing or hiking on ruff terrain.
Push: opening a door, mowing the lawn or pushing a stroller.
Pull: vacuuming, paddling on a surf board or swimming.
Twist: most sports, jobs and daily activities include twisting.
As you can see, primal movements are practiced in many activities that we perform each day. If you are interested in improving your fitness or are recovering from an injury, functional training is the key to health, wellness and strength.
By: Carola Cooper, BS, LMT
Carola Cooper is a personal trainer offering free primal movement evaluations for individuals who are interested in learning how functional training can help them improve their health and wellness. She also offers Integrative Orthopedic Massage at LifeThyme Café and Wellness in Palm Coast.
Published in the Coquina Coast Mar/April 2010
