Functional Resistance Training | Myofascial Sling Systems

Originally Published Nov 30, 2020

As sports physiotherapists, we often see people with muscle imbalances or other health problems, which occurred not as a result of a sedentary life: instead traditional isolation training was the cause! Traditional gym training focusses on single muscles or single muscle groups. It’s great for a body builder to develop a large amount of muscle mass. But it doesn’t meet functional needs because our muscles are interconnected and they work simultaneously to assist our daily function. Traditional isolation training doesn’t improve musculoskeletal balance and indeed may result in muscle imbalance; and it doesn’t help with athletic performance. For that, you need functional training following the myofascial lines of the body, like Kinetic Link Training.

What is Kinetic Link Training?

KLT is a copyrighted system of biomechanically balanced training, focusing on movements rather than muscles, and using multiple planes. That means you work on multiple muscles groups simultaneously, as well as coordination. Below we’ll show you four key myofascial slings involved in kinetic link training and the relevant exercises that helps you to strengthen the muscles involved in the slings.

1. Anterior Oblique Sling

The muscles in the anterior oblique sling system are the external oblique, internal oblique, and inner thigh adductor muscles. They are connected via the adductor abdominal fascia. When the muscles in the anterior oblique sling system co-contract, it acts as an abdominal binder and provide stability to the pelvis. The anterior oblique sling system is also important in multi-directional sports such as tennis, soccer and basketball, as it helps changing directions, rotating, accelerating, and decelerating the body.

Here are some of the exercises that help to work on your anterior oblique sling system.

• Bent leg knee fall outs

• Ball squeeze + Oblique Sit-Ups

2. Posterior Oblique Sling

The posterior oblique sling connects the shoulder joint to your hip. It consists of Latissimus dorsi (back muscles), the opposite gluteus maximus (butt muscles) and they are connected via the thoracolumbar fascia. During walking, the muscles in the posterior oblique sling system co-contract and provide stability to your back when you swing your arm backwards.

Exercises for Posterior Oblique sling:

• Split squat + rowing

• Step up + shoulder extension

3. Deep Longitudinal Sling

The muscles in the deep longitudinal sling system are the back extensors, thoracolumbar facia, sacrotuberous ligament (pelvic ligament), and hamstring. This sling system activates constantly for postural control, but it activates to a different degree depending on the activities performed. When the muscles in this sling co-contract, it triggers a series of actions that enhance the stability in the lumbo-pelvic region.

Exercises for Deep longitudinal sling:

• Forward Lunges

• Single Leg Bridging

4. Lateral Sling System

The lateral sling system consists of the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, tensor fascia latae and iliotibial band. It connects the hip and knee joint and helps to provide stability during single leg activities such as lunges, stair climbing and running. Failure of this sling system will result in pelvic drop on the opposite side of the hip.

Exercises for lateral sling:

• Single leg squat

• Step ups

At Physio Inq our mission is to help people feel stronger and move better! So this kind of functional training is perfectly aligned. Learn these eight functional fitness exercises across four myofascial lines of the body to have training that is focused on movement and function, balance and coordination. If you are struggling with muscle imbalance or consistent athletic performance, contact us today!