Our joint capsule is the first layer of tissue which surrounds the joint and communicates directly with our Central Nervous System. It is one of the first pathways of communication telling us where our body is in space, and how our hand, head, pelvis, etc. is positioned in relationship with the rest of our body. If our joints are not healthy, they cannot send clear communication, and our proprioception, balance, muscle firing, coordination, range of motion, strength, and basic general movement is impacted.

Many of us may have a stretching regimen or a desire to be more flexible, however, if you have passive range of motion (the ability to put your joint in a stretch position with assistance such as gravity, a weight, or another outside force), greater than your mobility (the ability to actively use your muscles, without outside assistance, to reach your end range), then you lack control at your end ranges and this puts you at greater risk for injury. Functional Range Conditioning is the training that closes that gap.

We are weakest at our end ranges (both long and short), and it is here that we need to train to increase strength, and improve mobility and control. I don’t mean train the range of motion of an exercise, I mean train the full range of motion of the joint. The more strength and control we have at our joint end ranges, the more mobility and stability we will have for whatever activities we do.

FRC® can be used in all stages and phases of joint training from rehabilitation, (applying frequent, low levels of directional force to direct the proper reconstruction of tissue), to daily maintenance, (ensuring that you do not lose your strength, conditioning, and range of motion), to strength training, (increasing strength, mobility, and stability).