In today’s sports performance world, we often focus on developing more power, speed, and muscle. But what happens when that “engine” outpaces the body’s ability to support it? Just like dropping a Bugatti engine into a Toyota Camry, building brute strength without reinforcing the fascia—the body’s “chassis”—can lead to breakdowns. Enter the concept of submaximal omnidirectional loading: a fascia-aware training strategy designed to build resilient, high-performance athletes.

The Fascia System: The Body’s Inner Wet Suit

Fascia is more than just connective tissue. It’s an intelligent system that distributes force, enables elastic energy transfer, and stabilizes the body in motion. But it adapts slower than muscle. That’s why injuries often occur a few months into a new program—muscles get stronger faster than the fascia that supports them. Without appropriate fascia development, athletes risk overloading tendons, ligaments, and connective tissues.

This is where submaximal omnidirectional loading (SMOL) becomes critical. Unlike traditional training focused on isolated muscles and heavy loads, SMOL uses lighter loads across three planes of motion—frontal, sagittal, and transverse. This stimulates fascia along natural movement patterns, helping athletes develop shape stability, proprioception, and injury resistance.

Build the Chassis Before the Engine

The anatomical adaptation phase in a training cycle is where SMOL shines. Instead of jumping into max-effort lifts or high-velocity drills, this phase focuses on preparing the body’s “support structure.” Whole-body, 3D movement patterns performed at submaximal intensities create tensional loading paths—routes through which force is distributed across fascia, joints, and muscles.

These patterns encourage the body to grow longer, more resilient collagen fibers and create omnidirectional strength—the kind of real-world stability that shows up in game scenarios. For example, basketball players who cut, pivot, leap, and land in different directions develop powerful, elastic fascia just from playing. SMOL brings that same benefit to structured training.

Farm Kid Fit: Real-World Strength in Action

Michol Dalcourt, creator of the ViPR Pro™ and founder of the Institute of Motion, coined the term “Farm Kid Fit.” Farm kids often outperform gym kids in sports—not because they lift heavier weights, but because their daily chores involve lifting, rotating, and carrying awkward loads in odd positions. These variable patterns activate and strengthen fascia naturally.

Farm chores are essentially omnidirectional movement drills. Inspired by this, tools like the ViPR Pro simulate real-life, multi-plane force applications in a controlled environment. But any training implement—medicine balls, kettlebells, dumbbells—can be used to apply SMOL principles.

Todd Wright’s ADW System and 3D Matrix Training

Todd Wright, VP of Player Performance for the LA Clippers, has built fascia-driven training into his athletes’ routines using an Active Dynamic Warm-Up (ADW) framework rooted in Gary Gray’s 3D movement matrix. Wright’s system revolves around eight core patterns: squat, lunge, leap, pivot, jump, hop, reach, and swing—each trained in all three planes of motion.

This multiplanar approach not only prepares joints and fascia for sport-specific stress but also reduces pattern overload. For example, a right-handed basketball player will repeatedly load their left pivot foot. Without counterbalancing this with multidirectional movement, asymmetries in force can create imbalances and increase injury risk.

Why Submaximal Loads Matter

Heavy sagittal-plane lifting still has a place in athletic training. But when you introduce multi-plane movement, heavy loads reduce movement variability. That’s why submaximal loads are ideal for fascia-focused training. They allow athletes to move with greater freedom, engage more muscles through co-contractions, and build stability in “odd positions”—the kinds seen in real sport scenarios.

A great example is the kneeling pickup exercise, which uses a moderate load extended far from the body in an asymmetrical position. This kind of “odd position strength” forces the fascia and nervous system to stabilize and transfer force efficiently—essential for sports like wrestling, football, and basketball.

From Feet to T-Spine: Where to Start

Fascia-aware training starts with key joint complexes: the foot/ankle, hips, and thoracic spine. These three regions serve as anchor points in the kinetic chain. Activating them using loaded isometric holds, dynamic lunges, and rotational movements builds stability and coordination from the ground up.

• Foot activation: Exercises like the “Corkscrew and Lock” improve foot splay, grip, and force transfer.
  
• Hip activation: The “Loaded Glute Shift” builds dynamic control through the hips and pelvis.
  
• T-spine activation: Moves like the “Halo” increase mobility and core control in rotational patterns.
  

These drills can be scaled up with load or hold time, making them accessible to all levels.

Final Thoughts: Train the Tissue, Not Just the Muscle

Submaximal omnidirectional loading is not just a warm-up—it’s a vital part of developing resilient athletes. By training force transfer, movement variability, and proprioception across multiple planes, SMOL builds an adaptable fascia system that supports peak performance and minimizes injury risk.

Whether you’re working with youth athletes, elite pros, or general fitness clients, integrating these strategies during anatomical adaptation and warm-ups ensures that your athletes don’t just have horsepower—they’ve got the chassis to handle it.