How does “owning” quality movement patterns and being strong convert to a higher quality of life?
Strength training focused on the fundamental movement patterns of hinging, squatting, pulling, pushing, while including core work and carrying heavy objects builds resiliency.
Even if if you don’t golf, ski, play pickle ball or do jiu jitsu – developing strength and moving well is essential for improving your quality of life.
The skill of hinging at the hips will allow you to bend over and pick up a variety of objects while maintaining a stable and strong spine.
In the gym we want your hinging exercises to improve our mobility and stability as well as strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, back, and core.
The most common exercises for hinging are bridge and deadlift variations, single leg hinge variations and kettlebell swings.
None of us remembers what it felt like to squat like a baby, yet we recognize a great looking squat when we see it. We love seeing and admiring our kids hanging out in the bottom of a squat playing with toys.
As adults we sit down and stand up from a chair or the toilet many times throughout the day. Climbing up and down stairs plays into our squat patterns too.
When we squat for exercise we’re working on mobility, stability, developing and strengthening our legs, hips, core and improving our balance.
There’s an infinite number of squat variations we can choose from, as well as our unilateral movements like split squats, lunges, single leg squats and step ups.
Upper body pulling develops and strengthens our back, shoulders, arms and core. Pulling exercises improve shoulder health and balance our ability to push. We’re reaching and pulling doors, objects overhead or from the floor. You’re pulling to open and close your garage door.
Pulling exercises include horizontal movements like inverted rows and single arm rows at different angles and with different (or no) supports, and vertical movement overhead like pull up and chin up variations.
Push to move your kids around in a stroller, mow your lawn, lift or hold something overhead.
Pushing helps strengthen your chest, shoulders, arms and core.
Horizontal pushing exercises include push up variations, bench press variations to more diagonal or semi-overhead work like landmine presses to vertical overhead pressing.
It’s important to note that an appropriately dosed exercise program for the individual person will help improve posture. There’s no cookie cutter approach that works for everyone. Some of us need more pulling, others more pushing, and some require an equal amount of both.
Your ability to flex, extend and rotate your spine under control as well as resisting movement is critical for your overall spine health and strength and transfer of energy to your limb strength. A strong core assists you in every physical activity you do whether laying down, kneeling, sitting, standing, running, jumping, etc.
Strengthening your core improves posture, balance and stability.
Plank positions to locomotive variations like mountain climbers, crawling, and get ups are proven exercises that develop a strong torso that transmits power and force from the floor through the body and limbs.
It’s easiest to associate carries with groceries from the car to the kitchen, but what about carrying babies/toddlers, landscaping supplies like seed and mulch, wood or bags of pellets for your stove, etc.
Carrying develops your grip, arm, shoulder, leg and core strength and overall strength endurance.
All the carry variations from farmer to suitcase to rack to overhead, using kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells, sandbag to slosh pipes – the variety of exercises is limitless when it comes to carries.
Learn and regularly practice hinging, squatting, pulling, pushing, carrying, and stabilizing your core to build functional strength. By working on these movement patterns under load you will improve your mobility and stability so that you’re anti-fragile, adding to your confidence, independence and overall quality of life.