In this video from the NSCA's 2014 Movement Performance Clinic, Gray Cook, OCS, CSCS, introduces the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), and discusses the importance of testing and assessing your athletes' and clients' ability to move well.

Darcie Burde, Assistant Director for Fitness at University of Florida, demonstrates how to translate movement assessments into training clients from all walks of life.

Robert dos Remedios identifies essential movement patterns and describes multiple exercises for each movement category in this session from the 2015 NSCA Personal Trainers Conference. Learn program designs that are effective, efficient, and balanced in nature, as well as how to improve your coaching and cueing abilities.

This article provides the first academic history of the barbell back squat and its evolution from a bodyweight exercise in the 19th century to a loaded exercise used for a variety of purposes in the present age. In doing so, the article highlights three key drivers in the evolution of the back squat—changes in equipment, the diversification of strength sports, and scientific communication concerning the safety and efficacy of the movement. The goal of this article was not to provide a dry and irrelevant history but rather to stress the complexity of the squat’s prominence within fitness programs and the need to hold a nuanced view toward the “optimal” way to approach this movement. It examines how the movement evolved from being primarily done on the tips of one’s toes, to a loaded movement on tippy toes, to a flat-footed movement. By contextualizing the back squat’s history, this article challenges rigid notions of “correct” squatting technique and encourages a more nuanced understanding of exercise selection in strength and conditioning practice. It concludes by highlighting the importance of critically examining the social construction of knowledge in fitness and sport, and the value of historical perspective in informing contemporary training practices

As a podiatrist, human movement specialist, and worldwide leader in barefoot science and rehabilitation, Emily Splichal has developed a keen eye for movement dysfunction and neuromuscular control during gait. In this session from the NSCA’s 2018 National Conference, Splichal discusses reflexive stabilization, macro- and micro-stability and how it relates to injury risk, and a ground-up approach to activation.

Gray Cook, MSPT, OCS, CSCS, presented at the 2013 TSAC Conference on the concept of "functional movement" for athletes.

This article discusses using the principle of specificity as an important component in tactical training programs to enhance performance, decrease injuries, and improve functional longevity of a tactical athlete.

Developing a program for a general population client requires understanding their movement needs. Expand your training programs by implementing all ten of the major human movement patterns.