In order to prevent injury, I like to program anti-rotational exercises such as the Pallof Press, Cable Chop etc… to build a strong enough foundation where the athlete can perform rotational exercises pain free. This movement pattern is essential for sports but is somewhat controversial due to some trainees performing it incorrectly which leads to injury. Gait also includes running, sprinting etc… THE ROTATION: The gait is very underrated due to the fact that it’s looked as just walking, but doing an exercise such as the loaded carry can help improve your posture and strengthen your core, glutes, calves and much more. Variations of the pull are pull ups, rows, rear flys and many more. This movement pattern involves your pulling muscles: Biceps, Traps, Lats, Forearms etc… These movements include moving a weight towards your body. The push can also be done vertically as well which includes a handstand push up, dumbbell and barbell shoulder presses. It could be your body weight with the push up, or a barbell/dumbbell with bench press movement, which covers the horizontal push that uses the chest, triceps and front delt. This movement pattern involves pushing a weight away from your body. Variations of the lunge include but are not limited to the split squat, reverse lunge, walking lunge, lateral lunge etc… The lunge hits all three of the glute muscles as well as the quads, core and hamstrings. Lunging patterns challenge your body’s stability, flexibility, and balance while targeting almost all of your body’s major muscle groups. Hinge exercises come in many forms such as the Kettlebell Deadlift, Sumo Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift etc. The Hinge is crucial in building up your posterior chain that is made up of your glutes, hamstring and lower back. Variations of the squat Includes the Body Weight Squat, Goblet Squat, Barbell Front and Back Squat and many more. The squat targets the glutes, core, quadriceps, and to a slight degree, the hamstring and Lat Muscles. Let’s take a look at the benefits of these 7 fundamental movement patterns! THE SQUAT:Ĭonsidered the king of all exercise because it hands down burns the most amount of calories and recruits the most amount of muscle to do the work. When doing these 7 functional movement patterns in any given training session you will be engaging all the muscle groups in your entire body which is ideal for burning fat and building muscle. Exercise routines you often see on instagram, facebook, and youtube are merely variations of these 7: Squat, Hinge, Push, Pull, Carry/Gait, Rotation/Anti-Rotation. In order to do that there are 7 basic movement patterns the body should be able to perform. The key to burning fat and building muscle is building a well balanced body. My answer to that question is as follows: My most frequently asked question is, “how do I structure a fitness routine that would help me burn fat and build muscle?”