When do anticipatory postural adjustments occur in the motor plan?

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Anticipatory postural adjustments are pre-emptive muscle activations that prepare the body to stay stable as you plan and start a movement. When you intend to move something, the nervous system signals not only the muscles that will move the limb but also the trunk and leg muscles to activate just before the action begins. This feedforward preparation shifts the body's center of mass and stiffens joints to counteract the expected disturbance from the movement, keeping balance intact.

Because these adjustments are planned in advance, they occur before the voluntary movement starts. They aren’t tied to sleep, and while breathing can interact with movement, APAs are specifically about pre-movement stabilization rather than a breathing process. They also aren’t a reaction after movement begins; once movement starts, the body relies more on ongoing feedback rather than the initial anticipatory pattern.