How Can Movement Flow Exercises Improve Strength and Mobility?
Physiotherapists and exercise physiologists are movement and exercise science specialists who are dedicated to helping people heal their bodies by correcting dysfunctional movement, increasing their strength, mobility and flexibility, and getting them moving properly.
A good way to achieve this is by recommending a type of therapy called ‘Movement Flow’ and guiding a person through Movement Flow techniques to target their unique problems and address areas in which their body can be strengthened.
What is Movement Flow?
Movement Flow is a technique that has been developed to enhance an individual’s movement development through exercises that build the individual’s movement flow, increasing their strength and mobility so that they can maintain and control fluid movements of muscles and joints.
After identifying an individual’s strengths and weaknesses, the principles and techniques of Movement Flow enable the physiotherapist or exercise physiologist to provide the individual with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to address their weaknesses and improve their muscle control and fluidity of movement.
What are Movement Flow Exercises?
Movement Flow exercises are designed to build and improve an individual’s strength, coordination, flexibility and awareness of the connection between their mind and body.
‘Flows’ are combinations of highly-functional exercises that are sequenced to allow for a smooth transition from one movement to the next, with the aim of enhancing fluidity of motion. Each individual exercise requires some level of ability, ranging from basic to advanced, aimed at strength, control and coordination.
Combining these exercises in a fluid sequence also requires a degree of concentration, especially when performed with a focus on proper execution and the aim of increasing speed, duration, and numbers/sets of repetitions.
Movement Flow Exercises
Movements and exercises that may be included in a Movement Flow program are:
Dynamic movements
Dynamic movements involve moving side to side, backwards and forwards, and rotating. These three-dimensional movement patterns involve moving the body through a series of range of motion stretches or exercises, which mimic the movements that the human body’s muscles and joints perform on a daily basis.
Dynamic movement exercises engage the entire body as a single, integrated unit and can be built up over time to improve functional strength and efficiency of movement and increase aerobic endurance and anaerobic capability.
Examples include lunges with a trunk twist and cartwheels.
Balancing Exercises
Balance training involves strengthening the muscles that help improve stability and keep the body upright, such as legs and core (and some back muscles) and usually involves slow and methodical movements. Yoga and tai chi are examples of balance exercises.
Examples include balancing on one leg then squatting, holding a plank position or a handstand.
Strength exercises
Movement Flows that are designed to build strength often include a combination of bodyweight exercises. The complexity and intensity of these exercises will vary depending upon the individual’s physiological capacity and current level of strength, and may include:
- Leg Thrusts and Hip Thrusts
- Squats (basic) through to Deep Squats and Explosive Deck Squats (advanced)
- Knee-Touch Push-Ups
- L-Sits (using dumb-bells, parallettes or parallel bars)
Movement Flow and Planes of Motion
Human joints have the ability to move in three planes of motion:
Sagittal
The body is dissected into left and right halves. Movements are forward and backward, up and down, using basic flexion and extension, e.g., bicep curls, squats, pull-ups and push-ups.
Frontal
The body is dissected into front and back halves. Movements are side to side, using abduction and adduction, e.g., star jumps, side lunges, abduction of hips when swimming breaststroke, adduction of hips when squeezing an exercise ball between knees.
Transverse
The body is dissected into top and bottom halves and movements are rotational. Examples include rotation during a golf swing and the Russian twist (sitting on the floor, knees bent to create a ‘V’ shape, then twisting at the waist – often while holding an exercise ball).
Movement Flow utilises the body’s natural three-dimensional movement patterns, combining including dynamic movement, strengthening and balancing exercises, all while requiring smooth, fluid transitions from one exercise to the next.
Why Choose Movement Flow Over Other Exercise Training Programs?
Traditional exercise training programs tend to focus on movements in the sagittal plane only, are often based on an outdated understanding of anatomy, and suggest methods of training that have been scientifically proven to result in muscle and joint dysfunction and chronic pain.
Traditional gym equipment generally works isolated muscles or muscle groups and employs a fixed range of motion. Training muscles in isolation is known to produce muscle hypertrophy in certain muscle groups and although this increases muscle mass in that specific muscle, it can result in muscle wastage in others.
Traditional gym training methods do not provide multi-faceted stimuli to multiple muscle groups in unison, meaning the body isn’t getting the training it requires to perform functional movements effectively.
Movement Flow, however, develops balance and stability, strength, control and coordination and improves the connection between mind and body. The result is that the body is able to achieve easier and more efficient functional movement, can control movements to produce fluid motion and smoothly transition from one movement to another while avoiding injury, and can reduce chronic pain.
How Can Physiotherapists and Exercise Physiologists Help with Movement Flow?
Physiotherapists and exercise physiologists are movement and exercise science specialists who will take the time to analyse an individual’s biomechanics, to evaluate their anatomy, neuromuscular skills, and physiological capacity and gain an understanding of how and why the person’s body moves in the way it does.
Physiotherapists and exercise physiologists are experts in functional movement, which is what Movement Flow is all about. They have the knowledge and experience to coach clients and design functional movement programs or Movement Flows that have the ability to get individuals moving with purpose and utilising the body’s natural movement patterns to improve functional strength and mobility.
Learn More About Movement Flow at Transcend Health
When a client visits the physiotherapists and exercise science specialists at Transcend Health a careful biomechanical assessment is performed to determine the client’s unique movement technique and identify any anatomical or functional abnormalities and incorrect techniques that are impacting on their body’s ability to engage in proper muscle and joint function. This enables our team to work with the person to increase the efficiency and effectiveness their movement technique through a carefully designed Movement Flow program.
Transcend Health offer a range of services to help individuals improve their movement control, strength and mobility, including:
- One-on-one sessions with physiotherapists and accredited exercise physiologists
- Small group movement classes
- Exercise physiology classes
All you need to do to benefit from this ground-breaking program is contact Transcend Health on 02 4961 3399 or fill out our contact form to have one of our friendly staff contact you. Alternatively, use our online booking system to make an appointment today.