Strength Training 101 – Training the Kinetic Chain is the Best Way For You to Workout!

So what is the kinetic chain and what is the best way to workout the body? Well, the kinetic chain is basically a group of body segments that are connected by joints so that the segments can work together to provide movement and range of motion for a limb or set of limbs. In other words, your body is connected in every way. Because of this connection of joints and limbs movement patterns are effected from one area to another based on whether or not limbs are over or underdeveloped. Because everything is based on utilizing the ability to create movement a smart strength training program should be comprised of bodily movements that cover every aspect of the human dynamic.

I often get asked about how people should be training their body. Well, the explanation I’m about to give in this article is a start. You see because the human body is connected a problem can arise in one area of the body that originated somewhere else. For instance, I have been a victim of two major knee injuries. The first injury occurred at a very young age, but the second occurred when I was 27. Now 27 is still young, but the discussion about age is for another article at another time. Anyway, the later knee injury that occurred with me caused me a bit of hip pain. I had imbalances in my right hip due to the injury in my left knee. Now if you think about this it was because my right side had to overcompensate for my weaker (injured) side. This is an example of the kinetic chain. You have heard the phrase “A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link.” This couldn’t be further from the truth when discussing the human body.

So in order to correct this problem I had to accomplish 3 different things: 

1. I had to understand why the pain was present.
2. I had to correct the imbalance by implementing the proper strength building exercises to improve my muscular balance.
3. I had to make sure that I made progress!

For this particular example I had to incorporate some isolateral exercises on both legs in order to force each side to solely do the work without allowing any compensation from the other side. This quickly corrected my imbalance and I recovered from a very traumatic knee injury in record time! I know the example that I used to explain the proper training of the kinetic chain involved my injury, however we all should address imbalances and over-compensations to prevent injuries and optimize performance. This is the key to a smart strength and fitness program. Whether you are engaging in a workout to improve your shoulder muscles, chest muscles, or just working to improve your squats you should train to improve the kinetic chain.

Remember that fitness and strength are derived from total body function. This is why I am a big fan of kettlebells, Olympic lifting, and plyometrics. Remember that anyone can train hard, but only the best train smart my friend!