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The Big 7

posted on February 22, 2023

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Hiya my Unioners and friends of friends,

 

Sometimes we can get lost in the sauce of training and forget the classic exercises. Some may not even know where to start when building a workout/training program. So let’s take a gander at the 7 fundamental movement patterns that you should include in your workouts, a few variations and the main muscles they work.

 

The 7 Fundamental Movement Patterns.

 

1.  Squat                                                                                                                                                       Squat Common Variations: Air (Bodyweight), Goblet, Front, Barbell Back, Zercher, Safety Bar, & Leg Press.Main Muscles Engaged: Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Adductors, Spinal Erectors, Abdominals.
2.  Hinge                                                                                                                                                       Hinge Common Variations: Barbell Deadlifts, Romanian Deadlift, Trap Bar, Kettlebell Swing, Good Morning, Back Extensions, Reverse Hypers.Main Muscles Engaged: Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Spinal Erectors, Abdominals.
3.  Lunge                                                                                                                                                      Lunge Common Variations: Dumbbell Lunges, Split Squats, Bulgarians, Lateral/ Reverse, Slider, Curtsy.Main Muscles Engaged: Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calfs, Abdominals, (If Holding Weights) Traps, Forearms, Delts.
4.  Push                                                                                                                                                           Push Common Variations: Barbell/Dumbbell Bench Press, Overhead Press, Push-ups, Incline Press, Push Press.Main Muscles Engaged: (Vertical Push) Deltoids, Triceps, Pectorals, Upper Back, Scapular Stabilizers (Horizontal Push) Anterior Deltoids, Triceps, Pectorals.
5.  Pull                                                                                                                                                               Pull Common Variations: Chin/Pull-ups, Barbell/Dumbbell Row, Machine Lat Pulldowns, Cable Rows, Inverted Rows.Main Muscles Engaged: (Vertical & Horizontal) Elbow Flexors, Latissimus Dorsi, Posterior Delts, Trapezius, Rhomboids, Scapular Stabilizers.
6.  Brace                                                                                                                                                        Brace Common Variations: (Isometric -movement / Anti-rotation) Planks, Pallof holds, Weighted Holds. (Isotonic- movement against constant tension) Weighted Sit-ups, Crunches, Russian Twist, Weighted Carries.Main Muscles Engaged: Rectus/Transverse Abdominis, Obliques, Spinal Erectors.
7.  Locomotion                                                                                                                              Locomotion Common Variations: Running, Rowing, Cycling, Swimming, Sled Pulls, Ski Erg and more.Main Muscles Engaged: Will depend on the modality. Uses can be for Aerobic/Anaerobic conditioning,Work capacity & power/speed development.

 

These are the 7 Fundamental Movement Patterns you should be working through during your training week. If you want some assistance putting it all together,  stop in and let’s get the pieces put together for you. Perhaps another blog could be on the way explaining how we can mesh all of these movements into our training.

Stay Bumpy My Friends,

CeJ

 

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