7 Movement patterns to incorporate into your fitness training program

Ever walk into a gym and feel completely lost and confused on what particular exercises to do? Luckily for you I have you covered. Each and every exercise you see in the gym is a variation of the 7 main movement patterns that humans should perform on a daily basis to improve fitness, cardiovascular health, muscular strength and endurance.

These 7 movement patterns include - SQUAT, HINGE, PUSH, PULL, LUNGE, CARRY, AND ROTATION.

Programming these movements into your program each week is quite simple. Aim to complete each movement 1-3x per week with the goal of progressing each movement each workout. This could be moving more weight or more reps than last time, or even adding an extra round or set. Next we’ll dive into what each movement pattern is and I will also provide some of my favorite examples of each pattern.

SQUAT - This one is relatively straight forward. Bi-lateral (two legged) and Uni-lateral (single-leg) squat variations are when you lower your body with control and stand back up with purpose and strong movement. Squat movements target mostly the glutes, quadripceps, and receive assistance from the hip adductors and abductors. If you want big, strong legs and glutes then these are a must! Start with bodyweight until you have the form down, and then once you feel comfortable start adding resistance. Some of my favorite squat pattern movements include:

• Barbell Back Squats

• Goblet Squats

• Bulgarian Split Squats

• Safety Bar box squats

• Barbell Front Squats

• Pause squats

• Pin squats

HINGE - Hinge movements incorporate the whole posterior chain of the body, think all the muscles on your back side, trapezius, lats, spinal erectors, hamstrings, glutes etc. In my experience, I have found training these muscles have SIGNIFICANTLY improved my quality life. It is the answer to pain free movement and daily life. Having a strong posterior chain will eliminate back pain, and your knees will also feel strong and stable when your hamstrings have been built up from hinging each week. I definitely recommend hinging 2-4x per week to achieve the results above. Check out these movements below:

• Barbell Romanian Deadlift

• B-stance Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

• Barbell Conventional Deadlift

• Barbell Hip Thrust

• Good Mornings

PUSH - Push movements train most of the anterior muscles on your body, chest, triceps, shoulders. One of the main measure of upper body strength is how heavy you push and press objects. Everyone always wants to know, “How much can you bench?” but these push movements are so much more than that! Check out my favorites below:

• Barbell Bench Press

• Incline Dumbbell press

• Overhead Press

• Landmine Shoulder press

• Close grip bench press

• JM press

PULL - I recommend that you pull 2-3x the amount you press. This will ensure that you have a balance physique, and also help improve shoulder health. I’ve followed that blueprint for years and my shoulders never have any pain or issues. Being pain free is really priceless, and if you’ve ever dealt with shoulder pain or any other nagging pains I know you will agree. Aim to do pulling movements 3-5x per week for optimal shoulder health and function. Movements should cover multiple angles and not just in one plane, for example vertical pulling movements, horizontal pulling movements, and even diagonal pulling movements. Here are some of my favorite variations:

• Pull ups

• Single arm cable rows

• Wide grip cable rows

• Facepulls

• Standing pulldowns

• Illiac lat cable pull around

• DB rear delt rows

• T-bar rows

• Chest supported rows

LUNGE - Lunges require a lot of proprioception (body awareness), coordination, strength and balance, making it a great exercise to help with sport, activities of daily living, and building muscle. These are difficult but help build resilience to injury and can help prevent knee aches and pains. Perform these at a minimum once a week, but 2-3x a week for maximum benefits. These include:

• Walking Lunges

• DB Reverse Lunges

• Landmine Lunges

• Lateral lunges

• Step Ups

CARRY - Having the ability to pick up heavy objects and successfully move them through space has so many benefits to daily life. Whether it is your kids, some luggage, a new package you received in the mail or even the groceries, we tend to have to carry things everyday. Training these each week will help bulletproof your body and reduce the likelihood you get injured when you do these tasks week in and week out. If you lack the space to carry items for long distance, marches are a great way to train this pattern with little space, simply grab a heavy weight and march in place! Train these for optimal health:

• Farmers Carry

• Overhead Kettlebell Carry

• Suitcase carry

• Front Rack Kettlebell carry

• Barbell Overhead March

• Offset Loaded Carry

ROTATION - The body and spine were designed to rotate, so me must train these muscles to help with maintaining spine health and rotational strength. Rotation shows itself in the world of sports, whether you’re an avid golfer, play basketball, or playing soccer. Add these in and watch your game improve:

• Cable Woodchop

• Half Kneeling banded woodchop

• Medicine ball throws

• quadruped thoracic rotation

• Russian twists