[FREE DOWNLOAD] Movement Screening Cheat Sheet for PTs

The movement patterns that underlie the daily tasks performed in most people’s lives are called functional movements. Getting up out of bed, moving from sitting to standing (and vice versa), and picking up objects from the ground are just a few examples of movements that are common across most populations. Some clients, such as athletes or those who have a specialised occupational role, will have movement patterns that are more specific to their situation. A javelin thrower, for example, needs to perform lateral stepping and high-velocity throwing as a part of their event. A pest inspector needs to be able to crawl into tiny spaces under houses.

As personal trainers, we need to be able to assess our clients’ capacities as well as their quality of movement so that we can make good decisions in our programs. Assessing all clients on their performance of typical functional movements, range of motion and strength can provide us with valuable insights into their capabilities. The results of these assessments can highlight areas of focus for the client’s program. Regardless of their primary goal, all programs we write should ultimately have our clients moving better with a higher work capacity, improved recovery and less risk of injury.

There are many concepts used to explain movement and dysfunction in the body. One popular concept in the fitness world is the Joint by Joint Approach, created by movement experts Gray Cook and Mike Boyle.

They recognised that both stability and mobility are very important to human movement, and observed that each of the major joints of the body tends to need either stability or mobility to provide optimal movement. Their ‘Joint by Joint Approach’ classifies the primary need of each joint based on its most common role in movement.

Check out the Movement Screening Capacity Breakdown Cheat Sheet below, to help you identify the primary and secondary joints involved in the key functional movement screening exercises.

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AIF

The Australian Institute of Fitness

The Australian Institute of Fitness (AIF) is the largest and longest established fitness training organisation in Australia, with dynamic training methods and expert course coaches nationwide - spanning fitness, massage and nutrition. The AIF qualifies more fitness professionals than any other provider in Australia, as well as offering a broad range of continuing education courses (CEC), upskilling resources and partnership programs for existing industry.