MILO BRYANT: Tests help detail spots to work on

Last week we began to explore the understanding of what we're doing with our workout programs and why we're doing it. We talked about having measurable goals, known strengths and weaknesses, and a program that features checks and balances to make sure we're doing what we're supposed to do.

Measurable goals were the easiest to gauge compared with the other two - until the perfection of the Selective Functional Movement Assessment, or SFMA, and the Functional Movement Screen, or FMS. The SFMA and the FMS are the perfect tools for helping us understand more about how we move and how we can move more efficiently.

Both tests take from two to 30 minutes, depending on the person being screened. The fewer the dysfunctional movement patterns - such as the inability to bend over and touch the toes or do a bodyweight overhead deep squat - the less time the tests take.

The musculoskeletal system should have the ability to move in a basic and functional way. If it doesn't, in the absence of an injury that requires surgery, there is a musculoskeletal issue. The SFMA and the FMS are designed to find the issue.

These tests help eliminate the guesswork, or the trial and error that many in the exercise rehabilitation and fitness profession go through.

Gray Cook, author of "Athletic Body In Balance," is a physical therapist and professor who has taken the ideals of functional movement and functional training to new levels.

Cook, who works with numerous professional sports teams and elite athletes, shows there is genius in simplicity. We want to make things complicated. But the KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle should rule much of what we do. That's what Cook does.

From Cook's Web site, www.functionalmovement.com:

"(The SFMA) should serve as a model to efficiently integrate the concepts of posture, muscle balance and the fundamental patterns of the movement system into musculoskeletal practice. It should also serve as a feedback system for the effectiveness of the therapeutic exercise program, which should target the dysfunctional movement pattern as well as the impairments that have been identified.

"Specifically, the Functional Movement Screen is a ranking and grading system created to document movement patterns that are key to normal function. By screening these patterns, functional limitations and asymmetries are readily identified. Basic movement pattern limitations can reduce the effects of functional training, physical conditioning, and distort proprioception (body awareness)."

How can we improve our musculoskeletal system if we don't understand the origination of our weaknesses? The SFMA and the FMS help us find that understanding. They're not do-it-yourself propositions, though, so find a professional at www .functionalmovement.com to perform the tests.

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Bryant is a former Gazette reporter now living in San Diego. He holds training certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, USA Weightlifting and the Titleist Performance Institute. Reach him through the "contact" link at www.nobullfit.com.