The Importance of Prerequisite Joint Function

Prerequisite: a thing that is required as a prior condition for something else to happen or exist

With almost everything in life we need some form of prerequisites to proceed but when it comes to fitness there is little to no thought put into them. The problem is a lack of prerequisites puts you at an increased risk of pain, injuries, plateaus while also limiting your exercise selection.

In this video we show the benefits and consequences of performing a high bar squat with and without ankle prerequisites. As you can see Prisillia is achieving the desired outcome of the exercise because she has the ability to push her knees past her toes. On the other hand Jen is unable to achieve the desired outcome and because of this a lot of stress is being placed on her spine.

When you perform a movement you create force and that force needs to be dispersed. If your joints don't function properly you do not have the ability disperse force in the places you want. You can't load what you can't move and if you can't load it you are missing out on a ton of gains and are likely going to get injured.

Proper Prerequisites = Increased Gains