The Seven Ways You Move!

There are seven fundamental human movements. Put together they form the basis of every action our bodies can take. These movements are:

Squat

This movement occurs whenever you sit down and stand up. It uses both legs equally, and because of this bilateral quality, heavy weights can be used. A greater load elicits phenomenal strength and power benefits for athletes. And, since so much muscle activates, it should be a staple of fat loss programs as well.

Bend

In the weight room this is represented by the deadlift or good morning exercises. Visualize picking a sack of concrete up off the ground. The deadlift uses almost every major muscle group, and develops awesome raw strength. Becoming better at bend movements can turn you into the human equivalent of a forklift. Forklifts are cool.

Lunge

Think of stepping out and then doing a squat or deadlift with your feet split; that's a lunge. The one-sidedness of this move uses stabilizing muscles that aren't as prevalent in the squat and deadlift. The downside is that one leg can't lift as much weight as two. So, the squat and bend provide all the raw muscle, and the lunge teaches the body how to use it.

The lunge is so effective that if you could only do one exercise for the rest of your life, this one should be it.

Twist

With the strong muscles at the sides of your tummy, the human body seems designed to excel at twisting. This includes all abdominal movements. Imagine chopping down a tree, that's twisting. Traditional ab exercises, such as the crunch, are rarely seen in any athletic arena. Train your muscles the way they should be trained and settle for nothing less.

Push

Pushing is characterized by extending the arms away from the body. Gym movements such as the bench press and overhead press use the pushing muscles. And, contrary to popular opinion, your body can't really tell the difference between incline, flat, and decline bench presses. All your muscles know is that they're pushing.

Pull

The opposite of pushing, the pull brings the arms into the body. Pullups and rows make great use of pulling muscles. Again, slightly different angles make almost no difference, major changes only occur between horizontal and vertical motions.

Gait

Skipping, running, walking, and prancing are all variations on gait. Beyond training those actions, gait can be loaded with external resistance, as in the farmer's walk or even a simple weighted backpack.

Synthesis

It's important to realize that these actions rarely occur in isolation. Putting the shot is a push, but you need the lunge and the twist if you want to get it very far.

Now, how can you use these principles to your advantage?

There are many methods. Just remember, any program that doesn't have all seven is lacking, and an incomplete program isn't nearly as effective as an integrated approach.

Here are two simple strategies for a time-pressed exerciser:

One Movement Workout

With only a short time, just pick one movement for the whole workout. Remember, one movement, not just one exercise. Here's a sample using just bending motions:

1. Deadlift 3x5

2. Good Morning 2x10

3. Reverse Hyperextension 2x8

4. Hamstring Curls 2x12

Seven Movement Circuit

This can be great for a mixed strength and conditioning workout. Just repeat this series twice, with twenty seconds between each exercise:

1. Front Squat x 6

2. Pullup x 6

3. Russian Twist x 12

4. Sumo Deadlift x 6

5. Shoulder Press x 8

6. Alternating Dumbbell Lunge x 16

7. Backwards Walk x 1min

There it is! Be sure to use these seven fundamental movements when designing your programs and see results go through the roof!

UNLEASH THE BEAST!!