Primary Movement Patterns for Building a Foundation for Strength

Hey, everyone!

Eeks, I haven't blogged in awhile! Luckily for you, it's not for a lack of topics to discuss here; rather a lack of time. But I'll save the excuses though and get right into it.

Today, I wanna talk about primary movement patterns for building a foundation for strength. When I refer to "primary movement patterns," I'm talking about functional movements that should be the foundation of any strength program. To take it back even further, I'm also talking about the movements encrypted on our DNA, the movements that our ancestors performed millennia prior to the invention of the trendy phrases "functional training" and "ancestral fitness."

The human body evolved the way it did for a variety of reasons that could be the focus of a future post. For the purposes of today's discussion, suffice it to say that the modern world world we inhabit and the way we move our bodies today (or don't move our bodies, which is a more accurate statement) are not conducive to cultivating robust health. There are myriad statistics and studies out there that link our sedentary lifestyle to chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, etc. These ailments did not exist for our ancestors, despite the unpredictable conditions (drought, famine, terrestrial predators) in which they lived. Many a case has been made that our modern diet is the real culprit that feeds chronic disease, but the environmental changes that affect the quality of human movement are equally culpable.

So these days, we sit 8-10 hours a day; we slouch; we bend over at the waist to pick things up and blow out our backs; we put undue pressure on our joints because of inefficient mechanics; we develop upper crossed syndrome from typing on our computers/smartphones/insert-electronic-device-of-choice-here...basically, we're overweight, sick, and when we do move (often not by choice, but necessity), we move poorly. What, if anything, can be done about it?!? Are we beyond all hope?!!!?

No!!!!!! We can learn (or relearn) the primary movement patterns and with this foundation, build strength that will make us healthier and happier with less chronic pain.

What are the primary movement patterns? You may get a shorter or longer list depending on which fitness professional you ask, but since I agree with most of what she espouses, I've adopted Jen Sinkler's list of must-dos for any strength program: hip hinge, squat, push, pull, twist or rotation, and carry. Below, I provide a short description of each movement pattern, with a corresponding photo of an exercise that illustrates that movement, as well as why that movement is crucial to building a foundation of strength.

1. Hip hinge: Exercises that incorporate a hip hinge train the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings), building a perkier, stronger bottom. The aesthetic benefits speak for themselves, but a strong posterior chain can help alleviate lower back pain, knee pain, and counteract some of the affects of sitting in a hip-flexed position most of the day. When you hinge at the hips, you move the hips back in space, not down like when you squat. Try to keep your spine straight, engage the core, and allow only a slight bend in the knees. Some examples of hip hinge exercises are deadlifts and hip bridges.

Pictured: Weighted hip hinge

2. Squat: The squat works both the anterior and posterior chains (i.e. glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps) to building lower-body strength and joint stability. Begin with your knees hip-or-shoulder-width apart, sit back and down with the hips, maintaining a straight spine. Dig in with your heels, transferring the majority of your weight back over your hips. If you can't keep the weight in your heels, try squatting with your heels on a rolled up towel or yoga mat. Some examples are goblet squats and sumo squats.

Pictured: Bodweight squat

3. Push (also referred to as "press" exercises): Push exercises involve pushing external weight away from your body, or pushing your body away from a surface and against gravity. Pushing exercises generally engage the pectorals, deltoids, shoulders, triceps, and core. When you perform a pushing movement, think of bracing your core as if you're about to get punched in the stomach; keep your shoulders down your back away from your ears, and fully extend your arms. Some examples are the dumbbell overhead press and incline pushups.

Pictured: Standard pushup

4. Pull: Pull exercises involve pulling external weight towards your body, or pulling your body up against gravity. Pulling exercises engage the rear deltoids, shoulders, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, biceps, and core. When you perform a pulling movement, brace your core, retract your shoulders down your back, keep your chest open, and try to pull your elbows in close towards your body. Make sure you fully extend your arms, as well. Some examples are bent over rows and barbell high pull.

Pictured: Chin up

5. Twist or rotation: Twisting and rotational exercises engage the core musculature and challenge the body to move in the transverse plane, the plane of motion that is most frequently ignored in most strength training programs. The transverse plane is the plane of motion in which people are most frequently injured (think ACL tears and sprained ankles), so incorporating these types of movements in your strength program is a preventative measure to help you avoid injury. Some examples are cable chops and t-spine rolls.

Pictured: Medicine ball lunge and twist

6. Carry: Literally carrying something heavy in one hand (unilateral) or in both hands (bilateral) while maintaining proper posture. This is easier said than done if you've ever attempted 32-kg kettlebell carries across a long room! Carry exercises challenge your core, help stabilize your spine, strengthen your upper body, reinforce proper shoulder alignment, and help you improve your grip strength.

Pictured: Bilateral KB carries and
OH press & carry