According to a survey run in 2018 by Nuffield Health, over half of Britons who go to gyms admit they don’t know what they’re doing when they arrive for a training session on their own - and many just copy what another gym-goer is doing 😬.
Happily, our clients have us to lean on while they're at the Metabolic Movement studio. Of course, we encourage people to get in three to four strength sessions per week, which means many will be training at their local open-plan gym to top up sessions with us. When faced with a large gym with a host of equipment (and little guidance), it can be helpful to build your session around a core set of movements.
As humans, our bodies move a finite set of very predictable ways. In fact, there are six basic movement patterns. Naturally, if you want to be a strong, healthy human, you'll want train these these foundational patterns. These fundamental movements not only need to be performed but also should be executed without any pain or discomfort. Consider the daily tasks we engage in and the type of movements our bodies require; Mastering these movements will ensure ease and efficiency in our everyday lives.
Squat
The squat is a foundational movement that mimics actions like getting up from a chair, climbing hills, using the toilet, or exiting a car. Unfortunately, spending excessive time in a seated position can weaken our ability to perform squats. Muscle loss in the lower body is a common occurrence, with a decline of 3-8% per decade after the age of 30. This loss of muscle is a leading contributor to disability in older individuals. To counteract this, incorporating various squats variations into your exercise routine can help build strength and improve mobility. Options include bodyweight squats, cyclist squat, goblet squats, dumbbell squats, back squats, and front squats.
Hinge
The hinge movement is crucial and often neglected. Incorrect execution of the hinge can lead to long-term back problems. It plays a significant role in activities such as lifting objects from the floor, reaching for items, lifting children and shoveling. Prioritizing the practice of proper hinging techniques when performing lifting movements can prevent future back pain and injuries. Some hinge exercises to consider are back extensions, Dumbbell romanian deadlifts (RDL’s) Single leg deadlift, kettlebell deadlifts, conventional deadlifts, and trap bar deadlifts.
Lunge
Lunges are essential for activities like climbing stairs, picking up objects off the floor, getting up from the ground, and running. Single-leg strength is particularly important since many daily tasks are performed on one leg. Striving for balance between left and right sides of the body is crucial. Including exercises like step ups, split squats, lunges, side lunges, and reverse lunges in your training will help develop and maintain lower body strength.
Push
Pushing exercises engage multiple muscle groups and provide a comprehensive upper body workout. These movements target the shoulders,triceps and pectoral muscles, making them effective and efficient. Pushing exercises and used when lifting children to your chest, opening doors, lifting objects overhead. Incorporating pressing variations into your workouts ensures that you hit multiple muscle groups with each movement.
Pull
Pulling movements are essential for tasks such as starting a lawn mower, pulling someone up from a chair or off the floor, lifting yourself over a ledge. These exercises primarily target the back and arm muscles. Including pulling exercises in your routine will enhance your upper body strength and overall functional ability.
Carry
Carrying actions are part of our everyday activities and require core endurance, stability in the ankles, knees, hips, spine and arms. By incorporating carry exercises into your workouts, you can improves you body’s ability to cope with daily stresses while maintaining core stability. Including exercises like farmers walk, suitcase carry, overhead kettlebel carry, medball carry, can all help to increase your ability to load your body safely in the future.
By prioritising these 6 essential movements in your training regime, you'll build strength, improve mobility, and enhance overall fitness. Mastering these movements will not only benefit your gym workouts but also help you perform daily tasks with ease and reduce the risk of injury. We're happy to work with our clients to design programmes that they can carry to the gym with them when they're training solo so that solo training builds on all of the good work we do in the studio.
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