Side to side, twisting, backwards and forwards, you use all of these movements as you go about your day to day life. Have you ever stopped to think how many different directions do you move in when you are training? It’s easy to keep doing the same exercises – you love doing those bicep curls, clocking up the miles on a run – where one or two movement patterns dominate. Getting out there and exercising is great. But here’s the thing, by experiencing all the ways we can move, we open up many more opportunities to improve our fitness.
So, let’s have a look at the different directions we move in and how we can use all of them in our training to maximise exercise efficiency, achieve better overall athletic performance and enhance daily activities.
The 3 Planes of Motion
There are three main directions your body can move in. So, you must be covering all three in your workouts, right? Let’s break it down and see if your workout routine actually does include all of these. Are you exploiting your body’s movement potential fully?
- Sagittal Plane
Imagine a surface dividing your body into left and right sides. This is the sagittal plane. Movements in this plane involve flexion and extension, forward and backward motion of the body. For example, a squat, bicep curl and cycling. - Frontal Plane
This is a surface that divides your body into front and back. Moving in this plane involves going side to side, adduction and abduction. For example, a lateral raise, jumping jacks and resistance band side step. - Transverse Plane
The transverse plane divides your body into top and bottom halves. To move in this plane, you twist and rotate. For example, a side plank thread, a tennis backhand and a rugby pass.
Does your workout contain movements in all of these planes? Did you find your workouts biased towards one or two planes? That’s a common. Now let’s look at how you could unlock your full training potential by training move 3 dimensionally.
The Benefits of 3 Dimensional Training
1.Enhances Daily Activities
Think about shopping at the supermarket. You squat down to lift the multipack of juice off the bottom shelf (that’s you in the sagittal plane). Down the next isle, you take a step to the side to avoid another shopper (you’re moving in the frontal plane). At the checkout, you twist to place items from the trolley onto the counter (the transverse plane comes into action).
You will find yourself repeating these combinations of movement patterns throughout the day. If your workouts covers all 3 planes too, you will be able to keep up with the activities of day to day life for longer.
2. Boosting Sports Performance
Whether you’re playing netball, cricket, football or rugby, most sports will need you to move in multiple directions. Multi-planar training will prepare you for most of the scenarios that a game will throw at you.
In that weekend football match, you can side step away from a tackle. In netball and rugby, you will be switching between forward runs and twisting passes to the side. To get your opponents service back you’ll be sidestepping towards the ball and twisting to strike the forehand.
So, by training in all 3 planes, you can improve your agility, coordination, stability and help prevent injuries.
3. Maximising Exercise Efficiency
Whether you’re isolating a muscle in a bicep curl, hitting multiple muscles in a compound movement, there are many more muscles involved than you might think, all performing different functions. They all need to be trained to maximise the efficiency of the movement. That's where training in multiple planes comes in.
It all starts with the core. Your core provides the foundation of stability and strength that all your other moves build on. The multiple muscles of the core work together to help you bend forwards and backwards (in the sagittal plane), side to side (in the frontal plane) and twist (in the transverse plane) and to hold you steady against outside forces. This means that to train a strong and stable core you need to exercise in all 3 planes. It’s not just about ab crunches!
Across the whole body, movement is the constant coordination of multiple muscles. Each movement will have a main muscle which contracts to generate the action. But it's not working alone. Another muscle has to relax to let the main muscle contract. Then there are muscles that support and alter the movement of the main muscle. And added to this mix, are muscles that contract to stabilise the joint to allow for efficient movement. All these muscles have to work together to maintain good form and ultimately prevent injury.
Take the squat for example. When doing a squat your knees should tracking over your feet and not cave inwards. Key to achieving this are your hip abductor muscles. When they contract, your leg is pulled sideways in the frontal plane. Isolate those muscles by moving them in the frontal plane and your squat in the sagittal plane will become more efficient and the chance of injury will be reduced.
This squat example demonstrates that how you train in one plane can affect your performance in another. And it goes beyond squats...
4. Varied Training and Balanced Fitness
We all have our favourite exercises and training routines. That makes sense. We’re good at them, we enjoy them. But here’s the thing, your favourite exercises could be favouring one muscle group over another. By widening your selection of movements, you can prevent injuries and overuse further down the line. That means that you can keep doing what you enjoy better and for years to come, future-proofing your fitness.
Take cycling and running, for example. These are great for cardio fitness, muscle endurance and strength. They are also sagittal plane heavy. By adding some twisting and side-to-side exercises to your training you will build in more muscle balance.
Three dimensional training isn’t about stopping the activities you love, it’s about enabling you to do them even better and for many more years.
Let's explore how to make your workouts more 3 dimensional to keep you doing what you enjoy even more effectively and for even longer.
Training with Exercises in the 3 Planes
You need to take a planned approach to including a greater variety of planes into your workout routine. Here are some things to think about:
1. Assess your current training routine. Does one plane dominate? Are there some moves that could benefit from increased strength in all 3 planes?
2. If you’re unsure what exercises to include or the correct form, consult a qualified trainer who can tailor a plan unique to you and give you form prompts.
3. Gradually change the mix of exercises you are using, including choosing a variety of ways of applying resistance to your moves.
4. Complete these exercises consistently over a training cycle.
5. Do the movements smoothly and under control, focusing on form over weight as you familiarise yourself with the movement. Reduce the exercise intensity or difficulty in order to maintain form.
You’re not trying to completely change your routine overnight. It's about gradually expanding your use of the different planes to fit your own needs and goals.
Start Building Your Training in 3 Dimensions
Remember, your body moves in 3 planes – sagittal, frontal and transverse - and training in all 3 planes is your path to enhancing your day to day activities, boosting your performance in other sports, getting the maximum benefit from your training moves in the gym and future proofing your active self. When considering training in all 3 dimensions, think about these essentials: assess your current training routine for areas where you could benefit from adding movement in other planes, consult a qualified trainer if you are unsure of how to include 3D exercises, introduce changes gradually and sustain them and focus on proper technique over weight. Taking a balanced approach across the 3 planes is a smart way to train and will reward you with sustainable fitness success over the long term.
