How The Kinetic Chain Affects Training

It’s no surprise that the human body is a series of interconnected parts. This fact is the reason why humans are alive and functional. From a fitness perspective, seeing the body as a single moving unit can be very beneficial when exercising. It’s a matter of understanding that you’re most likely working out muscles beyond the ones you think you’re working out. So, what is the human kinetic chain and why is it important to understand when exercising.

From a scientific standpoint, the kinetic chain theory describes how all of the body’s segments are interconnected during movement. When we move our bodies, this concept becomes important in order to get the most out of the exercise and also to remain injury-free. 

So, what does awareness of the kinetic chain look like when working out? Think about a time when you did a squat (if you’ve never done a squat, then go do one and report back) and what muscles you were working out. Where were your feet and did you feel them driving into the floor? Where were your knees in relation to your toes? Was your core engaged? Where were your shoulders in relation to the rest of your body? Most likely, you didn’t consider all of these checkpoints when you did your last squat, and that’s okay! It’s a lot to think about, especially when your body is fatigued near the end of your workout. However, it does highlight the importance of understanding that there is probably more involved in your movement patterns than you may have originally thought.

This brings us back to why understanding the kinetic chain is so important. If you were to do a squat with just your legs, you’re not getting as much out of the movement as you would if you did a squat with your feet, legs, hips, core, and shoulders. Obviously, all of these body parts would still be involved, but it is the awareness that you’re actually engaging and using ALL of these muscles that will get you the most out of your movement. Additionally, when you do engage the correct body parts, this will help you to stay healthy and injury-free. 

Knowledge of the kinetic chain isn’t just important during movement, but also for understanding injury and pain. Injury and pain sites in the body often arise due to tightness or misalignment at other anatomical sites. For example, if you have low back pain after completing a challenging workout, it could be due to tightness in a variety of other anatomical locations such as your hips, legs, calves, and even as far down as your feet. Recognizing this interconnectedness allows us to understand the importance of frequent mobility practice and having a good warm-up routine that encompasses the WHOLE body regardless of what type of workout you are performing.

Another importance of kinetic chain knowledge when discussing injury and pain is knowing what to do differently the next time you exercise in order to avoid these things. If your pain is not linked to muscular tightness then it is probably linked to the fact that your body was misaligned during your movement. Taking it back to the squat example, if you experience knee pain after squatting, one reason could be that you’re squatting out of the balls of your feet rather than your heels. This will cause your knees to protrude over your toes which puts a lot of strain on the tendons and ligaments in your knees. Moving up the kinetic chain, it is likely that your hips and shoulders will also be out of alignment due to your base (your feet) being problematic. You can probably sense that this will then lead to the possibility of more injuries and problems in the future. 

Thinking about your body as a chain of interconnected parts can help to avoid injury and pain. See how focusing on all of the involved muscles and body parts changes the way you perform different movements.