What are the best ways to incorporate FMS into your career development plan?

In my experience, FMS can be a useful tool for identifying weaknesses and areas of improvement in an initial evaluation/movement screen. However the more a client performs the test the more the client can learn the desired outcome and can “win/beat” the test. It is a good starting point, but long term and with higher functioning individuals there’s diminishing value.

FMS is a great skill to have in your toolkit. In certain situations it is beneficial to use with clients to address functional movements, movements that may be due to weakness or restriction. Remember, this is a tool that can aid you in your critical thinking. Not the basis of a treatment program.

In my experience, movement screens do not disclose a lot, especially if clients have gone through them before. We’re literally only evaluating how our client’s are intentionally moving trying to pass the screen. Not the actual movement pattern they do during their sport or everyday movement. I’ve had several clients pass the FMS only to see their flaws in our basic resistant training program exercises.

Functional Movement Screening (FMS) enhances trainers' effectiveness by identifying movement dysfunctions and injury risks. This quick and objective assessment informs personalized programs, improving client engagement and trust. FMS allows for time-efficient yet comprehensive evaluations, aiding in tracking progress objectively. Trainers can address imbalances, leading to improved performance, enhanced joint health, and a preventative training approach. In sum, It's a great starting point for assessing your client and can give you a lot of information to tackle in their training program.

FMS is a great tool to have. That being said it's not the only way to approach your clients needs. You need to be selective on when it is appropriate to use it. As the human bodies are extremely adaptable and everyone is different, be careful not to pigeon hole individuals into certain labels because the FMS screen flags it. There will be individuals who are inherently tight and experience no disfunction or pain.