Movement of the body is not an isolated event that occurs at one joint or in one plane of motion. It is a complex event that involves synergists, stabilizers, neutralizers, and antagonists all working together to produce and reproduce efficient movement in all three planes of motion. The cornerstone of functional training and rehabilitation is to train movements, not muscles. The muscles are slaves of the brain. The brain does not recognize isolated muscles; it recognizes patterns of movement in response to sensory input from the environment. Training isolated movements, individual muscles, has the potential to create tremendous neural confusion. This is something to avoid at all costs. It may be more convenient to train an individual muscle, but it is not correct. It complicates the process of getting that muscle to work as part of an integrated whole. Integrated movements are simple because they take advantage of the wisdom of the body to solve movement problems.
