Movement is life. Moving well is living well. How we move can make all the difference between experiencing pain and becoming injured or experiencing the freedom to unlock our athletic potential. If we can leave behind the 1980’s body parts approach to training and prioritize performance over appearance, we can finally dispel the myth that our muscles and limbs are just like clothing items that we can chose to style a certain way. This shift in perspective sets us free to work on improving the quality of our movements, and to develop functional attributes like strength, speed and power without compromising mobility, stability and joint health. A body that moves and feels better on the inside, usually functions and appears better from the outside too.
Consider this; although we are all different, we are equal. A human body basically does this:
- Hinge – You might be familiar with this one as it’s one of our most powerful ways to move an object. (Hint; Deadlift!)
- Squat – You know… squats. It is what it is. You can’t answer a certain call of nature without doing this.
- Push – Upper body pushing (unilateral or bilateral, for this one to be safe and strong it actually uses the whole body if we’re really doing it right, right?)
- Pull – See “Push” above, but the other direction; also unilateral or bilateral
- Single Leg / Split Stance – This category actually just uses squat or hinge mechanics again, but unilaterally. We separate it here due to its significance. It’s how we get around; every step we take has a moment of single leg stance in it.
To perform these activities safely we also need:
Trunk and Rotary Stability – Also known as “core strength” but it’s really more involved than that. It’s the skill of stabilizing the spine while our limbs are in motion and transferring energy from the lower body to the upper body (or vice versa) without allowing any to leak out.
Let’s briefly look at why the quality of each pattern affects our quality of life.
The Hip Hinge is a fundamental human movement pattern used for picking up heavy things. We train this pattern with exercises like deadlifts (usually a slow grind) and kettlebell swings (powerfully fast). Proper hinge mechanics, core stability and posterior chain mobility are essential to performing these activities safely. Training the body to hinge while keeping the core braced, the shoulders packed and without flexing the spine will save the small muscles of the lower back from being overloaded and reduce the risk of injury. A strong and skilled hinge pattern is very useful for activities like picking up children… and then putting them down safely, of course!
The Squat is also a fundamental human movement pattern that we use everyday just to sit down and stand back up again. We use it to lift objects as well and to eccentrically load the body for explosive jumps. Training this pattern can help us to reach more squat depth without compromising posture. Learning proper squat mechanics and breathing is essential for most load-bearing exercises such as barbell squats or KB Goblet Squats. Training the requisite hip and spine mobility for deep squats, and the core, hip and shoulder stability to squat safely under load helps to reduce the risk of injury to the knees and back both in the gym and in the rigors of day to day life. The better we can squat, the longer we can live independently.
Upper body pushing and pulling movement patterns help us open doors and move objects around. In sport, they are used for everything from passing a basketball to throwing an opponent to the ground in judo. Their effectiveness can be improved in the gym with many resistance exercises like pushups, pull-ups, bench presses and rows. Working to achieve and maintain adequate shoulder mobility, stability and proper body mechanics will increase our resilience to harmful impacts in sports and any of our load-bearing pushing and pulling activities, including catching ourselves from falling down.
The single leg and split stance movements are integral to acceleration and deceleration mechanics, as well as changes in direction for many athletic activities and exercises in the gym. Training the lunge pattern helps to focus on improving the body’s ability to respond appropriately to the stresses associated with rotation, lateral movement and the dynamic stability requirements to control the pelvis and core in an asymmetrical hip position. Running, jumping, heavy lifting, and rotational work all benefit from improving the skills in this movement pattern. Working on single leg stances and lunges improves balance and coordination, helping us avoid injuries from falling and making it safer and faster for us to simply get around.
Last on this list but factored into everything above is the ability to reflexively use and stabilize with the muscles of the “core.” The abdominal muscles must be strong and skilled enough to prevent dangerous degrees of extension in the lower back. We sometimes see this dysfunction appear in upper body pushing activities like pushups or planks where the back can be seen to “sag,” for example. Rotary stabilization mechanics are some of the most primitive human movement patterns that we develop as children when we learn to roll and crawl. These movements teach us the basics for walking, climbing and jumping as we mature. Practicing dynamic core stabilization mechanics, and the breathing used to safely brace with our abdominal muscles will benefit just about any other activity we choose to perform.
An effective functional training program takes into account several key factors to ensure that we are on the path to moving, feeling and performing better. Each individual’s safe ranges of motion, balance, and medical history need to be taken into account in order to prescribe progressive resistance at appropriate levels to improve the strength and skill of the fundamental human movement patterns. Training in this manner helps to build us up a lot more than it breaks us down. At any age, and at any stage, we should always be working to improve the quality of our movement skills while also patterning them for strength efforts, explosive power and endurance. Improving movement quality means that we are simply improving our quality of life!