The Kinetic Chain Checkpoints is a concept used by physical therapist in rehabilitation, as well as by fitness instructors when dealing with the range of motion of the body. The Kinetic Chain Checkpoints has been known to be incredibly effective in bringing out positive outcomes, whether that’s during healing or overall just improving one’s physical abilities.
Having a basic understanding of the Kinetic Chain principle for different muscle groups will allow you to see where your client needs to improve, as well as showing you how you can take their fitness to the next level. It comes from the idea that our muscles and joints are a system, similar to an artificial machine, and that’s used to effectively and professionally describe the movement process of the human body.
Here are some of the major links in the chain where most of the systems are formed from bottom to top: the feet and ankles, the knees, the hip and pelvis, the shoulders, and then the head. These are all connecting points for the kinetic chain. The muscles in the body are the core component, but the interactions between the joints and the muscles are essentially the basis of the kinetic chain concept.
You might be wondering why all this matters. As the old saying goes, “if you are not assessing, then you are guessing.” As much as we like to pretend in modern western society that people are all the same, the truth is that when dealing with client issues, no two people are the same, and your program must reflect that. You must examine the body like a map before you can do any corrective exercises to help with any imbalances.
What gets measured, gets accomplished. This is why the Kinetic Chain Checkpoints are essential.
