YOUR
BODY’S
THREE
PLANES
Sagittal
Transverse Frontal
Exercise in 3-D
Fitness Incorporate all three dimensions into your routine for a better full-body workout
all three dimensions into your
exercise program forces different
muscle groups to work together,
much as they do in real life,
particularly when you’re playing
tennis or golf. Multiplanar
routines also help strengthen
bones and improve balance.
Marta Montenegro, a Miami,
Florida–based exercise physiologist, recommends mastering
each component of a three-dimensional exercise, then putting them all together. Try two
sets of 10 to 12 repetitions of the
moves below. —Linda Melone
Twists
( Transverse plane) Stand
with feet shoulder-width
apart and both hands
together in front at shoul-
der height. Rotate upper
body to one side; pause
and repeat on other side.
We live in a three-dimensional
world, yet most of our workout routines are oddly one-dimensional. For instance, biceps
curls and crunches work the
sagittal plane (see above)—the
plane that separates the body into
right and left halves. Twisting or
other rotational movements work
the transverse plane, which splits
the body into upper and lower
halves. And side lunges and lateral shoulder-raises work the
frontal plane—this divides the
body into front and back.
“Exercising in only one plane
can create overuse problems over
time,” says Peter J. Millett, M.D.,
a sports-medicine physician in
Vail, Colorado. Incorporating
Squat with arm-raise
(Sagittal plane) Stand
with feet shoulder-width
apart, arms out in front.
Bend at the hips and
knees and lower yourself
into a squat, then rise to
the starting position.
Overhead press
(Frontal plane) Stand
with feet shoulder-width
apart, holding light
dumbbells at right angles,
wrists directly above
elbows. Raise hands
overhead, then lower.
Total body
(Combines all three planes) Stand with feet
shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball.
Rotate your torso to one side and squat, while
simultaneously lowering your arms until the ball
is positioned on the outside of your knee. Rise
back up, gently twisting to the other side and
raising the ball overhead and to the side. ;
