The physical fitness level depends greatly on any person’s muscle and joint strength, with respect to the range of motion, flexibility, and more. These aspects are parameters that help define the present state of any person’s fitness level. To assess and examine the level of fitness, many fitness centers have a team of physiotherapists that conduct functional movement assessment tests on the clients to understand their mobility and stability deficits.
These tests are exceptionally helpful for athletes and their trainers to see their movement competency and plan their training sessions accordingly. The main aim of this assessment is to gain insight into all essential aspects, from health to physical mobility, flexibility to the range of motion, and also the setbacks and issues in certain body parts for better understanding.
The test is a great way of staying true to your body by understanding its needs and boundaries to make up a training plan that suits your present state. This blog will unveil everything about the Portsmouth functional movement assessment test to help you understand what it is and how you can make the most of it!
Functional Movement Examination: Types and Benefits
Movement screening is an elaborative process that thoroughly tests physical functionality and explains how people use their bodies. How a person moves to go about his life, does everyday tasks, and moves his limbs and body results from a certain movement strategy that he adopts over time.
This adopted strategy contributes to their physical performance level or movements leading to injuries. Our body has a network of bones, ligaments, tendons, and joints that help it move in a certain way and direction. But this complex system can experience unbearable stress and stiffness due to poor coordination and movement techniques, causing pain and injuries in the long run.
Age is a prominent factor affecting coordination, balance, and body control. As we age, our body loses its strength, making the bones, muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons not as efficient in their functionality as before. But another factor that has an equal impact is body mass index which determines whether or not a person is healthy in terms of body weight.
The intensity of physical movement, activity level, type of activity, sustained postures, limb length, previous injury, weight, etc., are some factors that end up im[pacting body functionality. People who are either athletes or simply want to train usually take this test to understand the training load and intensity they can handle with this test.
Various Types of Functional Movement Tests
The functional movement examination is a set of seven different types of assessments that uncover a person’s fitness level in an elaborative report. So people seeking to increase training, or loading movement, in order to get in shape, improve sports performance, or make activities of daily living easy must go through these series of assessments to get back on track. Here are some types of movement screening tests:
- Deep Squat
The deep squat utilizes our entire body muscles and specifically focuses on clarifying the shoulder stability, ankle mobility, core strength, and body endurance level. Moreover, this screening test assesses the bilateral, symmetrical, and functional mobility of the hips, knees, and ankles to put forward if a person’s bones and coordination are healthy. People who clear this test are fit to engage in core strengthening and other vigorous exercises that otherwise can cause harm to weakened body muscles and bones.
- Hurdle Step
The other functional assessment is the hurdle step which examines the body’s optimal stride mechanism while taking steps. This test helps with the knee bone’s stability and strength to support body weight and provide balance. It engages the hip bones through the closed-kinetic chain while maintaining stance leg stability at the ankle, knee, and hip as a whole.
- In-line Lunge
Revealing if a person can withstand deceleration or slowing down and lowering their body, this test helps the coaches understand if their clients maintain appropriate alignment while retaining the lower extremity in a scissored position. The test showcases muscle and bone health in the lower region of the body.
- Active Straight-leg Raise
Examining the flexibility of the gastroc-soleus tendon in the active hamstring while keeping the pelvis steady and the opposite leg functionally extended, this test observes how well or aggressively someone performs. While one leg moves and the other remains still, screeners can observe how their hips and core function. The results of this test have important ramifications for individuals who enjoy riding, walking, or running. This test focuses on uncovering the balancing power of the body.
All in all, these screening tests are extremely helpful in determining fitness levels and deciding the suitable workout and fitness plan for people. Many fitness centers in Portsmouth offer this facility, and ATX Fitness is among the credible ones to offer this service and much more!
