Why we do it - Functional Movement Screen

The First Contact - Functional Movement Screen

You wouldn't build a house without checking the foundation first, right? The same idea applies to building a fitness program.

When you come to Method Fitness for your initial consultation, we don't immediately hand you a pair of dumbbells and tell you to start lifting. Instead, we take some time to get to know you, discuss your goals, and see how your body moves.

One of the tools we use is called the Functional Movement Screen (FMS).

When you perform the FMS, you will be stepping over a hurdle, balancing in a lunge position, and trying to squat while holding a dowel overhead, among other tasks. 

The entire test only takes about 10-15 minutes, but gives your trainer a lot information about your baseline body awareness

So, what's the point of all this?

Everyone Moves Differently

Think about two people who both want to get stronger: One spends most of their day sitting at a desk and hasn't exercised consistently in years. The other plays recreational sports every weekend, but hasn't spent much time in the gym.

They have the same goal, but it doesn’t make sense to give them the exact same workout.

Our bodies adapt to the things we do regularly. Our jobs, hobbies, previous injuries, and exercise habits can all influence how we move.

The FMS gives our trainers a way to look at seven basic movement patterns that involve different combinations of mobility, stability, balance, and coordination.

The FMS is made up of 7 main movements 

1. Overhead Squat

2. Hurdle Step

3. In-Line Lunge

4. Shoulder Mobility

5. Active Straight Leg Raise

6. Trunk Stability Push Up

7. Rotary Stability

Each movement is scored on a 0-3 Scale 

  0.   Pain is present with the movement pattern

1. Cannot perform the movement pattern

2. Can perform the movement pattern with some compensations

3. Can perform the movement pattern with no compensations

Compensations are varied and depend on the movement pattern and provide insight regarding what your trainer should address in your workouts. 

For example, hip hiking or trunk movement during the Hurdle Step can suggest needing to work on core strength and stability; inability to maintain all points of contact and upright posture during the In-Line Lunge might indicate reduced shoulder and/or upper back mobility.

You Are More Than A Score

A passing score on the FMS is 14 / 21 points, which means 2’s in each test are passing. You can also pass with a mixture of 3’s and 1’s. If that is the case, then we would celebrate your 3’s and address the 1’s in your programming. 

A score of 14 or greater indicates that you are at a lower risk of injury when you exercise, while a score of 13 or lower indicates that you may be at a higher risk of injury. That does NOT mean that you cannot work out, rather it means we want to address the risk factors that could contribute to that higher injury risk. 

For example, someone who scores low on the Deep Squat, Hurdle Step, and Active Straight Leg Raise tests may have lower mobility and stability in their ankles and hips. During that client’s workout, their trainer may use their Warm Up Block to work on their ankles and hips. Then, in the Strength Blocks of their workouts the trainer may have them do their goblet squats with their heels raised on wedges, which assists the range-of-motion of the ankles. 

Over time, as ankle mobility improves, their trainer will decrease the height of the wedge until they are squatting with their feet flat on the floor. 

The client is still able to progress, get stronger, and now they will also have greater mobility and control over the entire movement pattern. 

Where Do We Go From Here?

The Functional Movement Screen is just the starting point!

Once we've completed your consultation, your trainer will use what they've learned about your goals, exercise history, and movement patterns to help build a program specifically for you.

As you train, we'll continue to evaluate how you move, adjusting exercises, increasing resistance, and introducing new challenges as your strength, mobility, and stability improve.

The goal isn't to get a perfect score on the FMS. We use it to establish a baseline, a starting point. From there, your trainer works with you to help you move better, get stronger, and make consistent progress toward your goals.

At Method Fitness, we don't expect you to move perfectly on day one. We just want to make sure we're helping you move better on day two, three, and beyond.