Movement Assessment
The Functional Movement Screen
The Functional Movement Screen is a 7-part assessment we run before we ever hand you a weight. It shows us where your body moves well, where it doesn't, and why — so your program is built around your actual movement, not a template.
01
What the screen actually measures
The FMS scores seven fundamental movement patterns on a 0–3 scale. It isn't a fitness test — it doesn't measure strength or endurance. It measures the quality and symmetry of movement: mobility, stability, and how well the two sides of your body work together.
Each pattern is scored individually, and asymmetries between your left and right side are flagged regardless of the raw score. A "good enough" score of 2 on one side and a 1 on the other tells us more than two matching 2s — it points to a compensation pattern that's usually invisible until it causes pain or a plateau.
We use those results to sequence your program: corrective work first, load second.
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Performs without compensation.
The pattern is clean. This becomes a movement we can load and progress.
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Completes with compensation.
The movement happens, but the body finds a workaround. We address this before adding load.
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Unable to complete the pattern.
A mobility or stability gap needs targeted correction first.
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Pain during the movement.
Screened out and referred out — we don't train through pain.
02
The seven patterns
Every screen covers the same seven movements, in the same order, scored the same way — which is what makes it useful to repeat over time.
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Bilateral mobility of the hips, knees, and ankles, plus shoulder and thoracic mobility overhead.
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Single-leg stability and hip mobility under a stepping motion.
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Hip and ankle mobility with quad flexibility, tested in a narrow base.
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Combined internal and external rotation, reach, and scapular control.
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Hamstring and calf flexibility while the opposite hip stays stable.Item description
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The core's ability to stabilize the spine during a symmetrical upper-body movement.Item description
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Multi-plane core control, coordinating the upper and lower body together.Item description
03
Why we screen before we program
A generic 12-week program assumes everyone's body is starting from the same place. It isn't. The screen replaces that assumption with data specific to you.
Fewer Setbacks.
Loading a pattern before it's ready is the most common way a client ends up sidelined. Corrective work up front means the sessions after it actually build on each other instead of getting interrupted.
A Program Built on You.
Your results shape your warmup, your exercise selection, and what we hold back until a limitation clears. Two clients with the same goal can end up with very different plans.
Something to Measure Against.
We rescreen periodically. Watching a 1 become a 2, or an asymmetry close, is proof the program is working — beyond how a lift feels that day.
04
How it fits into your training
The system is meant to be approachable, efficient, and repeatable throughout your fitness cycle.
About 20-25 minutes within your intake or at a separately scheduled time, we go through all seven movements, scored on the spot, no equipment required beyond a hurdle rail and dowel.
The Screening
During your session, which is day 1 of a phase of training, we go over the objectives of the work we will do throughout the program to address goals but also incorporate improvements to your movement along the way. We begin warmups, activation drills, and corrective exercises on day 1.
Session 1
Corrective-based programming.
Warmups and accessory work target your specific limitations while your main lifts progress within a range your body can actually support. We measure and adjust your ability to perform based on how your mobility and stability are improving throughout the program.
Training Phase 1
Rescreen
Periodic re-screens confirm the corrective work is closing the gaps we uncovered, and adjust the program to shift toward pure performance work.
Ongoing