Active Straight Leg Raise Pattern Breakdown

I am pretty lucky. As a strength coach I have the access to some great minds ing functional training, as I get to work with the likes of Gray Cook and Lee Burton of FMS. Funny enough, I had Lee as a teacher while in college, but I wasn’t ready to absorb the insights that FMS offered. It wouldn’t be until later and hearing the information again (isn’t that always the case, we need to hear the really good stuff more than once) it all made so much more sense to me. Over the years I have had a chance to delve much deeper and really appreciate both the message and methods of FMS. However, I also am a coach and hear the issues that my colleagues share. Often I hear about struggles in really understanding what each screen teaches us and what we do with the information that the screens provide.

That motivated me to want to share what I have learned and how I build success through FMS and the integration of functional training. Over the next several months, we will explore the seven patterns of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). In these articles, we will cover the purpose of each movement, break down the parts of each movement, and in the attached videos, we will demonstrate and explain some corrective exercises that will serve to improve the movement pattern and help you, the practitioner, expand your catalog and knowledge base in the FMS correctives. Along with covering the FMS, Josh Henkin (utmost appreciation to Josh for sharing this space to collaborate!) will present DVRT exercises that support improvement in the associated FMS pattern. By creating this joint column, we hope to show the similarities in the two systems and how they support each other in program design and how good training is about integrating powerful systems.

In the FMS hierarchy, the most fundamental movement pattern is the Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR). This means dysfunction in this pattern is addressed before any others if there are multiple below-standard (score of 1) or asymmetrical movement patterns. The ASLR is a reciprocal motion pattern, screening for flexion on one hip with concurrent extension on the other hip, while maintaining lower core stabilization and pelvic motor control. This pattern is essential for athletes and general population clients. For athletes, most of our competitive movements (running, cutting, change of direction, etc.) are performed in a single-leg or split-leg stance. These stances require dissociation at the hips (the flexion/extension relationship) and the requisite core stabilization and motor control (lower core stability and pelvic floor control to prevent anterior rotation of the hips, which causes a lordotic spine and lengthened hamstrings) to optimize movement. For the general population client, playing with family, kneeling down to tie shoes, and walking up and down stairs all demonstrate why an ideal (at least symmetrical 2s) Active Straight Leg Raise pattern is essential, in regard to movement, for maintaining a high quality of life.

In the event there is an asymmetry or below-standard ASLR, there are many correctives that can help set the athlete/client on a path back to functional movement. The purposes of corrective exercises are to place the body in positions that create awareness of the dysfunction and allow the athlete/client to explore mobility within the pattern. Often, these corrective exercises alert the athlete/client to a flawed breathing pattern. Improving the breathing patterns within the movement pattern is a major focus of the corrective exercises. Combining the exploration of mobility with better breathing creates a recipe for progression out of correctives and into externally loaded exercises. The correctives introduced in the video are the Band Resisted Leg Raise and the Happy Baby. The Band Resisted Leg Raise uses the band to teach core engagement (stabilization and pelvic motor control) and breathing synchronization with a leg raise similar to the leg raise pattern used in the screen. The Happy Baby raises awareness to asymmetries in movement as the athlete/client rolls side-to-side in the first part of the exercise. When progressing to the second part of the exercise, the athlete/client adds a leg extension to each side roll. The leg extension adds an increased demand for core stability, while stretching the hamstrings and adductors. The final piece of the Happy Baby is the side roll with pulling “nose to toes.” This stretches the lumbo/pelvic/hip complex to relieve tightness through the posterior chain.

The Happy Baby is a three-part corrective exercise that allows the athlete/client to connect the hands and feet to remove tension in the core. The Happy Baby raises awareness to asymmetries in movement as the athlete/client rolls side-to-side in the first part of the exercise. When progressing to the second part of the exercise, the athlete/client adds a leg extension to each side roll. The leg extension adds an increased demand for core stability, while stretching the hamstrings and adductors. The final piece of the Happy Baby is the side roll with pulling “nose to toes.” These drills will help remove the restrictions in the ASLR movement pattern. Remember, first move well. Then, move often.

Thanks to Trey for that wonderful explanation and break down. I think the synergy of DVRT with FMS (a lot of acronyms going on here;) becomes obvious the more we understand about the body. It is never an either or scenario, but looking for connections and how layers can be built to greater movement.

Tall kneeling Around the Worlds place us in a position where we look for the reflexive core action that is being screened in the ASLR. We don’t want to rely on the high tension that we teach to create the brace in heavy lifts, instead, we are challenging the body to breathe, stabilize, and react all at the same time. What the Ultimate Sandbag allows us for over other tools is the ability to have a longer range of motion to emphasize the qualities of a lift/chop combined with a plank that this drill provides.

Moving to more complex patterns often requires us to teach how to create stability while we learn how to be more efficient in these patterns. While movements like squatting should be well engrained in our nervous system, the reality is that due to our societies change in not moving, we have lost these skills.

Drills like our Press Out Squats are designed to help people learn to use their bodies smarter again. Many times we see poor squats and assume they are a byproduct of parts being dysfunctional (like a tight hip). While these can be the case, they are often more related to a lack of proper integration of chains and how we use important means of teaching movement like core stability and ground interaction. People are often shocked about how fast we can improve one’s ability to squat and pattern the squat through such easy means.

Lifts/chops make up a big part of the correctives in FMS for good reason. These drills derived from the extensive system of PNF, they tap into the diagonal patterning that our body prefers as well as helps train the reflexive nature of the core that can be hard to “feel_ but is essential in developing proper movement and strength. Using these strategies from half kneeling and in-line lunge positions is extremely effective, but using that thought process, we can eventually move into more dynamic situations in the lift/chop lunge series.

The point is to show how a great system of providing us information about movement in FMS has an highly accessible and systematic means of telling us how to help people move and perform better quickly. We hope that you see this bridge from the most foundational skills to more higher level movements. Everything should be on a continuum and by better understanding the systems we have (FMS and DVRT are great examples) create synergy, we have a greater ability to develop better solutions for our clients.

Josh Henkin

Josh is an international presenter and strength coach who has taught in over 13 countries worldwide and consulted with some of the top fitness and performance programs in the world. You can check out his DVRT online fitness educational certifications/courses HERE and get 20% off with code “pb20”

Trey Belcher

Trey Belcher, CSCS is the owner of Trey Belcher Training, LLC, in Danville, VA. You can follow him on Facebook and Instagram @treybelchertraining or at his website www.treybelchertraining.com