I believe strongly in the Functional Movement System. That’s why I’m spending these 6 weeks stripping back some physical training to test out two surprising principles of truly foundational strength: Do Less. Breathe Better.
Attending Brett Jones’ Foundational Strength seminar recently was a no-brainer: the FMS review was timely, kettlebells were used, StrongFirst style, to illustrate many exercises, and he’s a leading name in the field.
They say experts present the basics perfectly, which was indeed the case! Brett embodied clarity in his instruction, and he kept pulling us back to the basic principles. His expertise really shone when he went even deeper than what we’d usually think of as “basic.”
Remove the Negatives
One principle that Brett particularly focused on: “Remove the negatives.” Probe: what activities chronically exacerbate your problematic movements? One example would be a receptionist whose ergonomics involve constantly craning their neck when turning from greeting people to using a keyboard.
Breathing and Movement Quality
My other huge takeaway was the importance of breathing, not only as an indicator of movement quality, but also as something that has an immediate effect on movement, for better or for worse.
In our breakout work, we found that the “crocodile breathing” in particular (i.e. prone / face down) positively impacted about half of us for either shoulder mobility or the active straight leg raise.
In Practical Terms
For myself personally, that means devoting some time to my shoulder asymmetry to truly fix it, hopefully. No overhead pressing, pullups, or front crawl when in the pool, and I’m integrating breathing practice through various postures and movements.
Two weeks in, and I’m already noticing gains in daily life similar to when I was introduced to FMS years ago. For example, I have a greater range of motion when shoulder-checking on my bicycle.
Lather, Rinse, and Repeat.
Test, try a correction, re-test, and do it again. Everybody and every body reacts differently to various approaches, so some tinkering is necessary. This is where art vs. science comes into play.
The Implications for Yourself?
Get screened, do some work and fix your underlying issues. Then those gains will support you within a more effective strength training program, foundational and beyond.
Contact me for help in setting this up.