Recently I was asked to comment on the factors of transverse training and it’s importance in improving performance and more fundamentally in injury prevention. What is the big thing about working in the transverse (rotational) plane? It’s something that is often neglected in our quest for big lifts, physical gains and big movements. As people we twist, spiral, cross, invert, evert, hyperextend, reach, pivot and turn in so many ways that neglecting rotational movement in our training and exercise programs is a sure recipe for limiting mobility and impeded performance. Furthermore, making movement stable in the transverse plane should be fundamentally part of any good movement training program as it prevents injury.
We are the only organism that utilizes rotation during our gait patter (to mention only a few of the rotational purposes) so it would make sense to include and emphasize this fact in our training.
Moving in the transverse plane involves a whole network of stabilising factors that you just don’t get in frontal (side to side) or sagittal (front and back) planes of motion. Rotational movements have implications on what muscle is active in stabilising as you rotate against an axis bringing together a network of muscular and soft tissue contractions and counter contractions to enable rotational movement. This can occur across multiple or even across singular joint spaces. The incorporation of rotation also brings into play the fascial system of the body, the connective tissue that does two important things:
creates torsional stability
dissipates impact on our joints and muscles.
This is something that I have fundamentally believed in and understood from a movement perspective and as a former dance practitioner I know this intrinsically. When I started to be re-introduced to the multitude of movements that we are capable of across multiple joint spaces, and the importance to be stable and open in the small spaces as well as the large, I found myself reflecting on how at times one can become a little complacent in working all angles and possibilities of movement. It’s so vital to ensure sound practice and even more to prevent the big movements from creating problems.
SO - What is the actual science behind why we should be rotating and twisting not only bodies, but our joints?
The stabilising of muscles in movement is vital to provide stability for action. Part of the role of stability is to prevent unwanted movement or unwanted rotation. Dr Stuart McGill, the notable professor from University of Waterloo and author on back pain and rehabilitation, talks about the importance of rotational strength in incorporating hips and the upper body in movement and preventing back injury. A stable spine and hip alignment makes for a better platform against which to perform gross motor movements - big lifts or power movements like jumps or throws. Without this core strength involving obliques and lower back muscles, there is a lack of total body co-ordination in explosive based movements.
Mike Dewar a notable strength and conditioning coach from NYC talks about ‘the ability to promote rotational force working hand in hand with the ability to resist unwanted rotational forces that impedes performance in large lifts and power movements’. Preventing unwarranted movement or instability in joints means you are harnessing the power that you can generate in large maximal lifts. I use the analogy of a catapult. If the base of a catapult is solid, it can generate power to throw a certain distance. If the base or foundation is not secure, that unwarranted movement doesn’t allow the catapult to throw as far as power (or force) is dissipated in that extra movement.
Perhaps the most important aspect and adjunct of introducing rotational movement is not to improve performance but to prevent Injury - “Primarily, transverse training helps prevent injury,” says Ben Bruno, a strength coach at Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning in North Andover, Massachusetts. When developing strong muscles part of the point of strength is in being able to control movement - fundamentally STOP IT. If you are putting all your effort and strength into a tennis swing, that torsional power has to be controlled otherwise your body will continue to swing in a wild rapid rotation and you may well end up looking like a character out of Death Becomes Her (it’s a Disney movie - go watch it). Without the strength to arrest movement, powerful explosions of contraction would rip soft tissues and joints apart. The ability to arrest and decelerate movement force makes for healthy joints and keeps the body in tact. This is where eccentric contraction becomes so important in stabilising and controlling power. It’s no good being able to generate power if it throws you off balance. You’ll fall over - literally.
In gross movements there is a large degree of rotational stability and co-ordination of movement, but this can also occur on a single joint space as well. Our joints can rotate inward and outwards on their own and so we should be encouraging this in our small movements as well as our large movements. Working with the foot in medial or lateral rotation may not be encouraged due to incorrect foot alignment in lunges etc. This adherence to correct form and alignment though may be detrimental to our movement capability if we don’t train in ALL the positions. It is important to be open and flexible in various positions as we have an inward rotation in our ankle when we walk. It’s fundamental to our simplest action. How many time do we work our small joints in medial and lateral rotation rather than paying strict adherence to forward and backward alignment? Not many. And yet our most basic of movements (walking) has an undulating medial and lateral rotation evident in the foot.
Small movements that ask our joint spaces to be strong in these positions again helps to create stability when and if we find ourselves in awkward positions when we might be kicking a soccer ball or running on uneven turf. Another example is the ability to inward and outwardly rotate on our shoulder. How important is this in a throwing action. Working on rotation around a joint space and providing stability in all these directions is vital to creating functional strength. Exercises such as a Turkish Get Up or Camatkarasana work this rotational ability on the shoulder and provide stable and functional strength in a multi directional plane. This is vital if you move outside of the frontal or sagittal movement plane - which let’s face it - EVERYONE does with the shoulder at some point.
There is also the concept that rotational training activates and trains our fascial system. This uniques system that serves to stabilise and create torsional strength in movement and holds our body together, dissipating impact forces and torsional force on our joint spaces is vital to ensuring sound joint operation and remaining free from injury. The inclusion of the debate is too large to discuss in this article but it is a vital part of ensuring sound movement practice. Working the fascia and utilising it’s dynamic force in power and stability is vital and this is done best by loading the joint spaces in mutli plane directions. The doyen of Fascial Kinetics Thomas Myers probably says it best himself:
“Training myofascial lines with whole-body exercises has unique benefits. It dissipates force throughout the entire system, minimizing excessive isolated joint tension while giving our joints freedom to move in all three planes of motion and improving total-body awareness and coordination. Choosing exercises that vary in direction, force and speed also promotes fascial health ”
Any training should always incorporate some rotational movements to ensure that these systems and aspects get the load bearing they need to ensure true stability and health. So that when we go out and pick up the groceries from the boot of the car, we don’t put our backs out because our stabilising muscles don’t know how to activate in a rotational movement - even if we can deadlift 200kg. Three dimensional movement efficiency is vital to help us move well and generate stability for power and perhaps more importantly, prevent injury.
