I have always been eager to learn more about human function. And I have never been afraid of asking for help when I don’t know the answer.

The more I learn, the more I realize how much I still don’t know. That is why I love my job as a physical therapist and personal trainer. I can always learn more. It is a journey without an end.

Early on I realized that human function is so complex, with all the joints, muscles, fascia and systems in the body, that we need tools to figure out how it works.

That is why we at Athletic1080, in 2011, came up with 1080 Movement Assessment Profile (1080MAP™). A 3D testing system of functional movement patterns.

We wanted to figure out how the joints, muscles and fascia in the body work together and how they compensate for each other.
We wanted to find out how ridged or unstable joint can affect the rest of the chain.

With the help of 1080MAP we have been able to see the connection between the foot, hip, trunk and shoulder.

How to use 1080MAP as a physical therapist and personal trainer?

As a physical therapist and personal trainer I have always asked myself: what exercise should I give to whom and when?

In personal training, many times the goal of a client is to look good and be strong. Why not look good, be strong and function optimally without pain?

That is where the hard part comes in. It is not difficult to come up with exercises that will make them work hard, sweat and feel good about themselves for working so hard. The hard part is making them function optimally without compensation patterns, and to stay pain free.

The key is not the exercise itself. It is WHEN to give a certain exercise and to WHOM.

The first step in any personal training or rehab session should be to find out where the clients is at, what state their body is in, before we can give them any individualized exercises.

We have to make sure that the client/patient has good mobility and stability before we add any exercises. If we start doing heavy weight training before good mobility and stability is in place, we will just reinforce wrong movement patterns and compensation patterns that may cause pain.

1080MAP is not only good for the trainer/therapist. It is also an excellent tool to motivate the client and patient to do the exercises given.

When the mobility and stability is in place, we can start adding weights.

The last step is performance exercises that are task and sport specific. What is the goal of the client/patient? It can be anything from hitting the golf ball further or being able to work in the garden.

A common mistake is to start too soon at this level.

If we start to give sport and task specific exercises before mobility, stability and strength is in place we will just reinforce wrong movement patterns, which can actually lead to them performing worse than before.

If you are interested in quick and measurable results, and in learning more about integrated and linked human function, I can really recommend our 1080MAP courses.

// Jessica Parnevik-Muth