With so many new trends in exercise it can be confusing now when you walk into the gym. You see trainers having their clients kneel on balls and do exercises or using machines that look like they should be in a torture chamber. With so many advances in fitness and equipment it gets harder to know what should be included into your workout. While equipment and exercises have changed, movement patterns have not. We have always had to move the same way since the beginning of man. Paul Chek, a well know fitness expert, even calls these Primal Movement Patterns. There are literally thousands of exercises you can learn, but really it all comes back to movement patterns. Our muscles do not know exercises; they only know a movement they are supposed to do, and if they are being stressed, they must recruit more muscle fibers to overcome the stress. When designing a program you must include these movement patterns to have a complete exercise program. Next time you work out, think about exercises that involve movement patterns, not muscles, that you are trying to workout.

1. Push Movements

Push movements involve any exercise where you push something away from you, or push your body away from something. Push open a door and you are using this pattern. These exercises will mostly recruit muscles such as the Pectorals, Anterior Deltoid, Triceps, and many core muscles. An example of this is a standing chest press.

2. Pull Movements

These will involve pulling a weight towards you or pulling your body towards an object. Every time you open a door towards you, you are using this pattern. The Latisimis Dorsi, Rhomboids, Posterior Deltoid, Trapezius, and Biceps are the major muscle groups recruited during this movement. A pull up is a great example of this.

3. Squatting Movements

This movement is exactly how it sounds. Any type of squat will fall under this category. Squatting involves bending at the knees and hips to either pick up a weight from the ground or lift a weight that is on your back. This will involve all leg muscles as well as core stabilizing muscles.

4. Bending Movements

Bending over is another movement pattern to be trained. Think about how many times a day you bend over to pick something up. Most of us do this poorly and will risk hurting our backs in the process. Bending correctly involves having a slight bend in the knee and a neutral spine as you bend towards the ground to pick up a weight. Squatting and bending are the best ways to get a weight off the ground. This will involve posterior chain muscles, such as the hamstring group and glutes. A straight leg dead-lift is a great bending exercise.

5. Rotating Movements

Rotating movements are those that twist the torso. They mostly will involve core musculature but are often paired with other movement patterns to recruit more muscle groups. You can either twist from front to back or vice versa. When you throw something you are using a rotating pattern. A one-arm cable press with a rotation is an example of an exercise in this section.

6. 1 Leg Movements

It is very important to train with only one leg at a time. Balance is obviously important as we grow older but this is not the only reason. Think about how often we are on one leg. Don’t think you are? Well think again. With every step you take you are on one leg. If you are running, think how often you have both feet on the ground. Working one leg at a time will also help improve muscle imbalances from one leg to the other. A step-up is a great example of an exercise that works this pattern.

These movements are those that we use every day. If you want to improve your daily function you need to be training those patterns. You don’t have to abandon your old routine if you are trying to isolate certain muscles so they look better. You just need to make sure these 6 movements are involved in the process. Here is a simple program that includes all 6.

Warm up

Circuit: Complete 10 reps of each exercise and repeat for 4 sets.

1. Stability Ball Chest Press

2. Back Squats

3. Pull ups

4. DB Deadlifts

5. Cable Woodchops

6. DB Lunges

Cool Down and Stretch