Crossing the mid-line

The FMS and SFMA models have defined the current standard for movement patterns - i.e. what's acceptable, awesome and what's not ok.

When we test and measure our movement patterns under these models, movement restrictions or causations are defined as either tissue, joint or motor control.  When we know where the restriction comes from then half the battle is won because you can now target the weakest link.  It's now up to the practitioner or trainer to use whatever tools in the toolbox to address these issues.  Tissue and joint for another day but the easiest way to quickly check our motor control function is to have a look at some of our basic rolling patterns.  

Essentially, there's a 4-quadrant sequence aimed at being able to disassociate our upper and lower body components from one another.  For example, lying supine (on your back) rolling over using only your upper body in a certain way - ie. you're pretending to be paralysed from the waist down.  Any muscle engagement from  the 'paralysed' zone equates to motor control dysfunction.   It's a quick way to hold the trainer accountable in their directives because if the corrective exercise is the right one for the right part of the puzzle, then you'll see immediate improvement in the rolling patterns.  So it's a mighty fine road map for the educated trainer.

There's a mountain of exercises that target motor control and it sure is an art form and a matrix for the skilled practitioner.  One exercise that seems consistent for many motor control issues is what's called the chop and lift. It's introduced at various stages depending on physical stabilisation requirements (i.e.. symmetrical or asymmetrical stances, 1/2 kneeling positions, supine etc).  For example, if you're finding a symmetrical stance to difficult to maintain the pattern, digress to symmetrical 1/2 kneeling for increased stabilisation. Inversely, you can increase the degree of difficulty through load and more challenged stability positioning.  

I'm not exactly sure why there's such a positive effect but it's there.  

Where this exercise is actually replicated in real-life activities made me rack my brain.  It's a specific movement sequence performed under constant load  which demands stabilisation through the full range of positions.  Whilst similar in looks, wood chopping doesn't demand the same. Not much does. Perhaps that's a part of it's magic?  What it does is cross the bodies' midline and our brain loves it in a particular way and our brain loves it..

So if I was to simply recommend one exercise to add to the regular program no matter age or what general exercise program you're doing, this is it.  The proof's in the pudding.