HOW STRENGTH TRAINING CAN IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE?
Our bodies were created to be able to move freely without limitations. When you think back to the early years of life, you were able to crawl, roll, twist, and more without even having to worry about what muscle you might pull. So where did we lose this gift of movement?
As you progress through life it almost becomes the norm to spend a large portion of the day in sedentary positions. Many working environments leave you seated in front of a desk for anywhere between 6-8 hours a day. Not to mention the long work commutes, time spent in front of the tv and on your devices.
For a vast majority of people, this leaves only a small portion of the day spent in any intentional or unintentional movement activity. As you stop spending time using these movement patterns they begin to cause muscular imbalances within the body.
If your someone who spends a lot of time in sedentary positions, you may have noticed that your shoulders tend to be rounded forward and the movement of your hips becomes very limited. This isn’t just old-age at play as we most commonly like to diagnose it, it’s a lack of time spent counteracting the imbalances caused by those positions.
These imbalances can go on to cause aches and pains that you experience in everyday life, leading to movements becoming very uncomfortable and challenging to get into. So the questions becomes, can you get back to a point where you have freedom of movement?
In most cases, Yes - movement should be seen as your bodies medicine to leading a healthier and better quality of life. The more time you spend applying the practice of it, the more rewarding your quality of life will be.
In the context of your training, this is where it becomes more valuable to build your programme around movement patterns, rather than just individual muscle groups.
THE 7 MOVEMENT PATTERNS
1. PUSH
This movement generally consists of pushing a weight away from your body or a fixed surface. To aim for optimal movement with this pattern aim to use both vertical and horizontal push exercises, such as:
Chest Press
Shoulder Press
Incline Press
Press Up
Dips
2. PULL
This movement generally consists of pulling a weight towards you or pulling yourself towards a fixed object. To aim for optimal movement with this pattern aim to use both vertical and horizontal pull exercises, such as:
Bent Over Row
Lat Pulldown
Seated Row
Upright Row
Pull Ups
3. SQUAT
The squat movement is very similar to the motion used when sitting down on a chair and getting back up. For all squat variations the hip and knee joints will be mainly responsible, to aim for optimal movement ensure both joints are being used to some extent during the movement. Variations of the squat you could incorporate in your training programme include;
Box Squat
Front Squat
Back Squat
Bulgarian Split Squat
TRX Squat
4. HINGE
The hip hinge movement is controlled using the hip joint, whereby the spine stays neutral and the hips hinge backward into a flexed position. There will be a small element of flexion at the knee joint, but always keep the movement situated around the hip joint. This is most commonly performed during exercises such as;
Deadlift
TRX Hip Hinge
Roman Deadlift
Single Leg Deadlift
Kettlebell Swing
5. LUNGE
The lunge is a movement whereby one foot steps either forward or backwards, bending both knees to lower the body towards the floor. In this movement the knee and hip joints are mainly responsible, either can be made to work more dominantly through the use of different variations such as;
Dumbbell Lunges
Reverse Lunges
Lateral Lunges
TRX Split Squat
Walking Lunges
6. ROTATION
The rotation movement pattern is commonly seen when your torso has to rotate during an exercise. To increase the intensity of such exercises you can use cable machines or resistance bands, that force you to exert more effort as you rotate the torso. This includes exercises such as;
Cable Woodchops
Russian Twist
Medball Rotational Throw
Rotational Swings
Rotational Lunges
7. WALKING
The most underrated of the 7 is any movement that requires you to walk. It sounds pretty simple but you’ll be surprised to find out how little people walk in a day. Statista.com provided research to suggest that even in the most active of age groups, on average people walk less than 1 mile per day. (Roughly about 20 - 25 mins of walking). Getting out for a walk is the most inexpensive type of exercise available but also can be incorporated into exercises such as;
Overhead Walk
Power Walk
Weighted Vest Walk
Farmers Carry
Stair Master
HOW TO BUILD THIS INTO YOUR TRAINING PROGRAMME
Yes, I know you may be thinking this is a lot to take in, but by no means was this created to make you feel overwhelmed. The purpose was to give you the means to be able to work towards a healthy body that serves you and moves freely.
The exercises listed help to set out a good starting point that will allow you to start taking back the control of the 7 movement patterns, if programmed progressively and safely.
If your still unsure about where to start, you can download my free workout plan attached below. The plan is designed around all of the movement patterns mentioned above, and will help start your journey to a redefined body.
