The 3 Planes of Motion

As humans, we are meant to move, and we do so in a variety of ways. From walking to jumping jacks, our bodies move through three planes of motion: the sagittal plane, the frontal plane, and the transverse plane. Understanding and incorporating movements in all three planes can help you achieve a well-rounded, functional fitness routine that will keep you healthy, agile, and strong.

The Sagittal Plane

Let's start with the sagittal plane, which divides the body into left and right halves. Movements in this plane involve flexion and extension around a joint, such as bending your knee to do a squat or raising your arm to do a bicep curl. Most traditional exercises fall into this category, which makes sense because we do so much of our daily movement in the sagittal plane.

But it's important not to neglect the other planes of motion! When we only focus on the sagittal plane, we miss out on opportunities to challenge our bodies in different ways. Plus, over-emphasizing the sagittal plane can lead to muscular imbalances and limit our range of motion.

The Frontal Plane

That's where the frontal plane comes in. This plane divides the body into front and back halves and involves abduction and adduction around a joint. Think of jumping jacks, lateral lunges, and side shuffles - all of these movements happen in the frontal plane.

Incorporating frontal plane movements into your workout routine can help strengthen the muscles that support your hips and core, which can improve your posture and balance. It can also challenge your body in new ways, which can help prevent plateaus and keep your workouts interesting.

The Transverse Plane

Finally, we have the transverse plane, which divides the body into upper and lower halves. Movements in this plane involve rotation around a joint, such as twisting your torso to do a cable wood chop or rotating your hips to do a medicine ball slam.

The transverse plane is often the most neglected of the three, but it's incredibly important for functional fitness. When we move through the transverse plane, we challenge our bodies to work together in new ways, which can improve our coordination and stability. Plus, many daily movements, such as twisting to pick up a child or reaching for something behind you, involve the transverse plane.

Incorporating all three of these movements in your program will help insure a balance across the body that will help eliminate strength asymmetries and thus reducing your risk of injury.