Functional Strength Training Concepts

All KLT exercises and workouts adhere to several basic functional strength training concepts:

• Stand up to train - this means no seats and no benches. When you remove all external supports, you have to use your own lower body strength and endurance plus core strength and control for every repetition of every exercise.

• Perform integrated movements - this means to concurrently move the upper body and the lower body for every exercise. In the science of biomechanics we learn that the body is perfectly designed to spread forces across as many muscles and joints as possible to perform functional tasks - this is known as The Kinetic Link Principle. For example, when we lift a heavy box above our heads we use our legs to help with the lift, not just to protect our spines, but because the majority of the strength of the lift comes from the gluteals and leg muscles not just the upper body muscles. When you throw a ball it is totally natural to both step forward and rotate the trunk to assist the power of the action - this is not something we need to be taught - it is just the way the body wants to move.

• Demonstrate appropriate levels of stability and posture control - this means you should only train the prime movers (the big superficial muscles) to the extent that the stabilisers (the deep, small, often hidden muscles) can provide sufficient support to adequately control the core and peripheral joints. KLT exercises should always performed with excellent posture, looking smooth and graceful.

Strenghtening Natural Human Movements

When performing Kinetic Link Training you will exercise in a way which creates progressive strengthening of natural human movements in multiple planes of motion. This is achieved by performing a wide variety of integrated and co-ordinated upper and lower body movements through a stable core.

All KLT exercises and workouts promote your ability to:

• Move with ease (pain-free motion through an appropriate range of motion).
• Move with efficiency (multiple muscles all contributing to the performance of every exercise).
• Move with strength (the capacity to generate force through full-body movement patterns).
• Move with control (strong, stable and fluid motions with safe and precise exercise technique).