Movement Baselines: Understanding Your Starting Point
What is a movement baseline?
A movement baseline is a series of activity-specific assessments that, when analyzed together, provide a snapshot of your movement patterns. It acts as an objective marker that allows you to:
Set personalized goals and targets
Measure meaningful change
Track and evaluate progress
Baselines are the foundation for performance, monitoring, and recovery plans.
When should baseline testing be done?
Baseline testing is essential at any stage, as it gives you a clear understanding of where you’re starting from. Because movement is so individual, a healthy baseline is one of the most valuable tools in the event of an injury, providing a personal benchmark to help guide decision-making. To minimize the effect of external variables, we suggest doing baseline testing at consistent times and days each week (ex., 9:00 AM on recovery days).
What makes up Plantiga’s movement baseline?
Baseline protocols will vary based on the individual and their goals, but in most cases, they include a walk, a run, and one or more types of jumping. Each activity provides a different lens on movement, allowing us to build a complete picture of function, capacity, and health. Here’s an example of a baseline testing session and report:
2 minute walk
1 minute run
5 consecutive countermovement jumps
6 single leg jumps for height (3 on each side)
10 single leg jumps for RSI (5 on each side)
How long does it take to complete a baseline assessment?
A single testing session of running, walking, and jumping takes approximately 10 minutes. Typically, these sessions are repeated 3-5 times to establish a reliable baseline. After you set your baseline, we recommend a period of routine monitoring to evaluate progress and flag any significant changes from your normal.
If you’d like to learn more about the importance of baselining, check out this conversation between our CEO, Quin Sandler, and our Chief Biomechanist, Lauren Fridman.
