Without question YES!  The answer is Two Fold:

First, everyone has mis-alignments in the body, mis-alignments slow down speed of movement and ease of movement.  So to optimize movement, even for a seasoned athlete you want to improve or Re-Align the body. Think of it like a car, you could race a Ferrari with a wheel out of alignment, but would it be dangerous? Yes! Would it run as fast as when the wheels are perfectly aligned? No!

Second, most all athletes and non athletes train muscles NOT movements.
The January issue of NSCA’s The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2008; 22 [1], 75-81) compared 2 types of training to determine which is better for gaining strength.  This study compared non functional isolation machines versus free movement functional training machines. Now they’re talking machines here, but with the second machine the idea is the same…free movement = functional movement, where the user is NOT fixed to the machines movement patterns and must adapt and stabilize their whole body in order to do the movement. The free movement machines that are out there now are cool, but very expensive versions of what my dad developed in 1976 with his Lifeline Gym and that is the ability to resist all basic movement patterns with any amount of resistance needed. The same can still be said today still using my Dads Lifeline USA resistance cables or kettlebells, d-balls, and a whole bunch of other great full motion / movement resistances.

The Results?
► Functional Training Group: TWICE AS MUCH STRENGTH improvement as the Isolation group (115% vs. 57%, respectively).

► Isolation Group: 111% increase in joint pain versus a 30% decreased in the Functional Training group, with no new symptoms occurring upon study completion. ALMOST FIVE TIMES AS EFFECTIVE.

► The Functional Training group had a 245% increase in balance capabilities compared with a less significant 49% increase among the isolation training group. That is FIVE TIMES MORE EFFECTIVE!!

This evidence goes along with what we have been proving for years, that training full body functional movements is WAY more effective than training in isolation.
Think about this one; all animals spend all their time refining movement skills, so why should we be any different? Perfect a movement, then resist it to make you perform it even better!

So now we have two reasons why Training at the Monkey Bar Gymnasium can benefit a seasoned athlete; Our very specific and effective alignment training mixed with and then progressed through our full body functional movements to ultimately benefit higher levels of skill and performance. Our results have been amazing for our professional athletes and non athletes in that they have achieved better alignment, stability, mobility AND better movement skills which result in higher levels of performance and less chance of injury!

Jon Hinds Founder / Owner of Monkey Bar Gymnasium