Elevation (The Anti-Gravity Plane)

There is a fourth plane of movement that the body uses to counteract gravity and hold itself and external weight up which I call the Z-plane. This mechanism is very slight and largely unconscious so once it's lost due to age or injury, people are rarely able to get it back. Our muscles are physically structured on our body to adhere to this anti-gravity plane. It's such a basic function (and largely unconscious) that those that have it (and never lost it) don't realize it exists and those that lose it have extreme trouble finding it.

Anti-Gravity Muscles

All muscles move one way, they contract. This is elementary, but the way we train does not adhere to this principle.  All muscles contract to generate power.  When you are performing a push up, all muscles are contracting (at different magnitudes to establish balance).  When you are performing a pullup, the movers are contracting while stabilizers are making micro adjustments to hold your body together.  Your muscles are moving the same whether pushing something away or pulling something towards your body.  Your muscles only contract, and that is a basic principle.  As a simple example, while reaching the bottom of a lift, say bench, your shoulders should be compressing in slightly above your sternum (center of gravity) not spreading out wider.  Most spread shoulders out wider so the elasticity of the muscle or tendon holds the bar up. It's common practice to obtain depth in the bench by letting your shoulder joint collapse instead of contracting the full muscle chain from hands to chest. (No wonder there are so many shoulder issues)

Origins and Insertions

Medical students have been taught about the origins and insertions of the muscle structure.  The concept behind this is that a muscle needs an origin (an anchor) to pull the insertion (the connection) in order to generate movement.  The contraction (muscle movement) takes place by contracting the insertion to the origin.  This only happens in one direction.  The muscle only contracts from the insertion to the origin.  Now, review a layout of skeletal muscle and notice that there is a pattern of the insertion/origins of the muscles relative to their position on the body.  All insertions are farther away from the origin.  The origin of the muscle is closer to the center of the body.  Mechanically, all muscles are pulling your limbs in and up towards your ribcage.      

All muscles insertions are further from the rib cage than the origins, which means all muscles contract towards the ribcage.  Said another way, contraction means pulling.  Said another way, all muscles pull towards the origin.  Said another way, all muscles are pulling towards the rib cage in order to generate movement. This is conducive to our understanding that the rib cage and brain are the most important aspect of our bodies.  Our muscle structure is literally built to move our torso (rib cage) and our brain throughout our environment. 

Furthermore, the muscles being constructed to only pull towards the rib cage solves another important issue.  If we are to lose a limb, which is more likely since the limbs are more exposed, our body is still completely able to operate because the torso is the center of movement.  If one of our arms or legs were the center of movement, and we were to lose said arm or leg, then our body could not operate. Thus, in order to be the most efficient and effective movers of the torso, our muscle structure is built to derive all movement through the torso.  

This brings us to a very important realization:  If all muscles pull (contract) from insertion to origin, and all insertions are further (more distal) from the rib cage than the origin, then all movement patterns should feel like pulling towards the rib cage.  Yes, even a bench press should feel like pulling. The down motion is a controlled decent of the bar with an inverse pull up motion while the up motion is the chest pulling your humerus into your torso while your triceps are pulling your forearms into a locked position.

The pulling concept sounds a bit silly on "pushing" motions but it's a key (maybe the key) aspect of forming the mental model of the Z-plane. It's one of the ways to consciously envision your body's anti-gravity mechanism. Right now, at your desk imagine pushing the desk while sitting in your chair (hopefully your chair has wheels). Keep your chair stationary. What you feel when you try and push the desk is mostly pressure bubbling out from your abdomen. Now, go to push the desk but instead envision a pulling motion in your triceps and chest. What you'll experience is that you and your chair move away from the desk, you feel no strain in your core, and you actually feel your chest and triceps contract. You have just initiated the anti-gravity plane, and the proper mover muscles were allowed to do their job. When you're doing a bench press, of course your body and the bench don't move backwards. Because the bar is lighter than the earth, the bar will move (if you're strong enough).

Why is this concept so foreign? Because the typical bracing and trying to sling shot the weight up has worked and will continue to work for most professionals.  But this will only work for a limited amount of time.  Why?  Because you are relying on something that in the beginning is fresh and works properly and hasn’t been burnt out through many years of poor movement patterns.  The Golgi Tendon Organ.

Golgi Tendon Organ

Where we have all gone astray is relying entirely on this little guy called the Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO).  The high-level concept of this GTO is that when pressure is sensed on the muscles, a reflex occurs to limit over stretching.  So, when the insertion gets too far away from the origin, the GTO will activate and pull the insertion towards the origin.  This GTO does exactly what I am suggesting we do but what is the difference?  The difference is how you’re moving your body.  You are inherently attempting to push your insertion points away from the origin and hoping that your GTO pulls you back into place.  This is why most lifters act surprised whenever they go into their lifts. Because they honestly have no clue if their GTO will be able to support the increased weight or rep range.  By forcing your body into a reflex (GTO) movement, you are slowly teaching your body how to forget about proper movement.  

In the squat, lifters are taught to “brace” and push air into your core.  This is the most backwards thing I’ve ever heard.  All of the movement and strain is naturally on your hips and core during a squat, and now the professionals are suggesting pushing even more pressure into your core/hips in order to generate power?  What does that accomplish?  If your core pulls up your hips to your rib cage (which it does), then why would pushing weight down be productive at all?  Gravity and the bar are already pulling you down, the true power increase would be from your entire muscle structure counteracting gravity and pulling up into the bar. Resisting the bar! 

As you lower into a squat, your muscles are actually contracting up into the bar as opposed to the typical push down into the floor.  Your muscles don’t push.  Gravity is already pulling you down.  Your muscles are pulling up as the bar is lowered down.  Your feet, legs, hips are pulling into your shoulders.  Your shoulders are being held together by your hands pulling into your rib cage.  Your hands and upper back are pulling inward to support the bar, while your feet/legs/hips are pulling up and in in order to control the weight going down.  This correct sensation will allow you to transfer power correctly from your feet to your shoulders in order to move the weight back up.  

Summary

The concept of elevating your muscular structure to counteract gravity and the weight is central to the Z-plane mental model and why there must be a fourth plane of body movement. The three planes of movement do not take into consideration the movement needed to support weight against gravity. In fact, if there isn't positive muscle tension in counteracting gravity, the bone and joint structure is required to bare this load. Perhaps this is why we have so many joint injuries, we've forgotten (or gotten lazy) with supporting ourselves against gravity.