Sideways

Recently I've noticed people walking sideways on the treadmill and Stairmasters. This might seem silly and it might be a fad, but I think people might actually be trying something that really works! The gym is often the scene of many fads and trendy workout protocols. Good examples include Kettlebells, kickboxing classes, and Bosu balls. It shouldn't be that way. Exercise science shouldn't be be like clothes and fashion. It shouldn't be based on what looks good and what doesn't. Instead, it should be based on results.

I think there is some validity to walking sideways. I need to establish some basic physiology for you. Movement patterns are divided into three planes: the sagittal, frontal, and transverse plane. The sagittal plane divides the body into the left/right side. The frontal plane divides the body into the front and back half. The transverse plane divides the body into the top and bottom. Almost all human movement involves the sagittal plane: running, walking, racking, shoveling, cycling, swimming, rowing, etc. So the frontal plane often gets neglected. We might bend sideways to grab something, but most of the time we will bend over forwards or reach backwards. Most people in the gym do things in the sagittal plane, because there are few cardio or weight machines that actually allow you to move sideways: treadmills, preacher curl machines, t-supported rows, bicycles, rowing machines.

Some sports, however, give us the chance to work the frontal plane. Good examples include hockey (imagine a player moving his skates back and forth), soccer, rugby, tennis, and basketball. Those sports require rapid change in direction and agility. That's probably why ACL tears almost always occur during those sports. Even so, very few people play those sports for an appreciable amount of time to really work the frontal plane. And most of the time, they're in the sagittal plane.

Anyway, running or hopping sideways can be beneficial. If you think walking sideways on a treadmill looks silly, even though it might be effective, you can also incorporate frontal plane work into your strength training routine. Instead of doing traditional squats, do side squats. Step to the left with your left leg, and then stretch your right leg and bend your left leg. You can also do sideways lunges. I prefer to do these exercises with bands and pulleys attached to a weight belt.

Even if you incorporate frontal plane work into your routine, you're still going to be in the sagittal plane most of the time. If you play soccer or any other explosive sport, then you must incorporate frontal plane work into your training. By not doing so, you're setting yourself up for injury. You have to train for the demands of your sport.

As a triathlete, I have to question how important it is to train the frontal plane. After all, swimmers, bikers, runners, and rowers don't spend much time going sideways! So how important is it that endurance athletes incorporate the frontal plane? I imagine it's not going to improve performance much, but it's never a bad thing to train all patterns of movement, muscles, and to perform different muscles. This is especially true during the offseason. Athletes have spent the last eight or nine months doing the same repetitive movements, so going sideways couldn't hurt.

So don't laugh at people walking sideways. They have science to support them. But I feel moving sideways is just another fad. It's only cool when only a few people do it.

Kevin