The FMS test,
explained.

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) gives your first look at a new member a fixed format: seven tests, each scored from 0 to 3, done the same way every time. That makes results comparable between coaches and over time.

It takes about fifteen minutes and fits into the intake.

The seven tests

In this order:

• Deep squat: dowel overhead, squat as deep as possible
• Hurdle step: step over a hurdle set just below the knee
• In-line lunge: lunge with both feet on one line
• Shoulder mobility: fists behind the back, one from above and one from below, then measure the gap
• Active straight-leg raise: on the back, raise one straight leg while the other stays down
• Trunk stability push-up: one push-up, the body rising in one piece
• Rotary stability: on hands and knees, extend an arm and a leg without the trunk shifting

How to score

• 3: done as described
• 2: done, but with compensation
• 1: cannot complete it
• 0: pain at any point

Five tests are scored on both sides, and the lower side counts. The deep squat and the push-up get one score. The maximum total is 21.

Shoulder mobility, the push-up and rotary stability each come with a clearing test, a quick pain check in a related position. Pain there makes that test a 0.

With a 0 you stop and refer the member to a doctor or physiotherapist. Don't load that pattern until they have seen it.

What the score does and does not tell you

Research on using the total to predict injuries is mixed, so don't tell a member that a 14 means they will get hurt. The FMS doesn't diagnose anything. It is good at flagging pain and left-right differences early, and it gives you a baseline for the next screen.

When to screen

At the intake, so the results shape the first plan, and again at the start of each new phase. Use the standard instructions and the same order each time, or the comparison with the first screen means little.

From score to training plan

• Pain: refer first.
• A 1: use an easier version of the pattern and build it up before adding load.
• A 1 on one side and a 3 on the other: add single-side work and watch the weaker side.
• 2s and 3s: train as planned.

Put this into the exercise choices for the first phase. Someone with a 1 on shoulder mobility probably shouldn't overhead press in week one.

Screening in a busy gym

You need a board, a dowel and a hurdle: the FMS kit or a home-made version. Keep them set up in one corner, take photos from the same angles each time, and score during the screen, not afterwards. If two coaches screen, agree first on what counts as a 2.