The human body is capable of moving in many different ways, but there are certain planes that are particularly important. The three most important planes are the sagittal plane, frontal plane and transverse plane. This article will explain what each one is and how they relate to exercise.
What is the sagittal plane?
The sagittal plane is a vertical plane that divides the body into right and left halves. It runs from front to back, as shown in Figure 1. The sagittal plane is also known as the frontal plane because it's parallel to your face when you stand upright.
When we talk about exercises that involve this axis of rotation (like squats), we're referring to movements that occur along these lines: they move up and down, side-to-side or forward/backward but not around an axis at right angles with respect to them (think rotational exercises).
What is frontal plane?
The frontal plane is the axis of motion that divides the body into left and right halves. It is perpendicular to both the sagittal plane and transverse planes, as shown in Figure 1.
The most common exercises performed on this plane involve pushing or pulling an object in front of you (e.g., pushups).
The transverse plane is perpendicular to both the frontal and sagittal planes. It divides the body into front-to-back halves, and it’s a great way to isolate specific muscles when performing exercises (e.g., leg raises).
What is the transverse plane?
- The transverse plane is the plane that divides the body into left and right halves. It is perpendicular to both the frontal and sagittal planes, as shown in Figure 1.
- Because it's perpendicular to both of these other planes, it's easy for us to visualize how movement occurs within this space: When we move from one side of our body toward another (e.g., when we raise our arm), we are moving along this third axis of space (Figure 2).
For example, if you hold a dumbbell in each hand and squat down, your knees will bend forward and back as well as up and down. Your hips will move from side to side (glute activation) as well as up and down. Also, because you're holding something in each hand, the arms are moving around an axis at right angles with respect to the sagittal plane.
The sagittal, frontal and transverse planes are all important when it comes to understanding how exercise works.
The sagittal plane is a vertical plane that divides the body into left and right sides. The frontal plane is a horizontal plane that divides the body into front and back. The transverse plane is a horizontal plane that divides the body into top and bottom.
The exercise you perform will determine which of these planes are involved in your workout, so it's important to understand how each one works!
The transverse plane is the axis of motion that divides the body into front and back halves. It is perpendicular to both the sagittal plane and frontal plane, as shown in Figure 1. The most common exercises performed on this plane involve twisting or rotating your torso from side to side (e.g., situps).
Conclusion
The sagittal plane, frontal plane and transverse plane are all important when it comes to understanding how exercise works. The sagittal plane is the plane that divides your body into left and right halves, while the frontal plane divides it into front and back halves. The transverse plane cuts through both these planes at right angles, so it divides your body into four quadrants (upper left quadrant vs lower right quadrant).
The transverse plane is a horizontal plane that divides the body into upper and lower halves. It runs from side-to-side. The transverse plane is also known as the horizontal plane because it's parallel to your body when you stand upright. When we talk about exercises that involve this axis of rotation (like lateral raises), we're referring to movements that occur along these lines: they move up and down, side-to-side or forward/backward but not around an axis at right angles with respect to them (think rotational exercises).
The transverse plane is also useful for describing movement in the sagittal plane, because it describes the direction and extent of movement (e.g., when we bend our arm). The easiest way to visualize this is to think about how we move our hands when we're driving: When we turn a corner, the car rotates on its axis, but there's also some forward motion along this third axis.
The three planes are used to describe the location of an object or body part. Each plane divides the body in a different way, so knowing which one is which can help you understand how your muscles work and what exercises might be best for you.
