A key strategy for improving movement performance is to use a two string approach and strengthen both:

• Inter muscular coordination.
• Intra muscular coordination.

Inter-muscular coordination is an indication of how well different muscles in your body work together.

Inter-muscular coordination is improved by using whole body exercises like squats, deadlifts, cleans, snatches and jerks.

Intra-muscular coordination is an indication of how well the different parts of one specific muscle work together to produce force.

Intra-muscular coordination is improved mainly by using exercises where the force production is focused around specific joints. Examples of such exercises are calf raises, hamstring curls, back extensions or biceps curls.

The mantra in bodybuilding is "train the muscle, not the movement". The mantra for some sports coaches is "train the movement, not the muscle"

The reality is that the force production in the entire chain (your body) must be perfectly coordinated. At the same time, this chain cannot be stronger than the weakest link.

Therefore, the best approach is to "train the muscle AND the movement".

The first part of a macrocycle should focus on bringing up weak links, while the latter parts should focus on improving whole body coordination and strength.

Another way to say this is, "Train the muscle THEN the movement."

This shift in exercise selection is called periodization of exercises and is closely connected to mastering the development of bio-motor abilities.

Move With Passion,
Karsten Jensen