CREATE YOUR OWN GYM PLAN – PART ONE
Welcome to our beginner’s fitness guide! Whether you’re new to exercise or fine-tuning your routine, we’ve got the scoop to help you build an awesome workout plan. In this first part, we’ll help you understand the six different movement patterns.
Understanding basic movement patterns is key. These movements are the building blocks for your program, helping you target different muscles to create a well-rounded program that translates to our everyday lives.
THERE ARE SIX MAIN MOVEMENT PATTERNS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
- Squat
- Hinge
- Lunge
- Press
- Pull
- Carry
MEET THE SQUAT:
The squat is all about lower-body strength. It’s a powerhouse for your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Think of it as the move for everyday activities like sitting down, standing up, or using the bathroom. You can spice things up with various squat versions depending on your goals.
GET THE HANG OF THE HINGE:
This exercise is essential for proper lifting – learning to properly pick stuff up off the ground. Hinge exercises hit the glutes and hamstrings, which improves posture and can help prevent low back pain. Deadlifts are the main exercise in this group, but variations of hip thrusts also fall into this group.
LUNGE INTO ACTION:
Lunges are key to good stability, balance and single-leg strength. They target quads, glutes, calves and even hamstrings. Lunges mimic walking and running, so it’s super important we include them in our programs so that we can stride with strength!
PUSH YOUR WAY UP:
Push exercises come in two flavors: horizontal and vertical. Horizontal pushes like push-ups and bench presses focus on your chest and triceps. Vertical pushes, like overhead presses, target your shoulders and triceps. Mixing both helps build overall upper body strength.
PULLING YOUR WEIGHT:
Pulling exercises also have horizontal and vertical varieties. Vertical pulls, like pull-ups, give love to your lats and biceps. Horizontal pulls, like rows, work your lats, mid back and biceps. Balancing pushes and pulls keeps your posture in check.
CARRY THE DAY:
Carry exercises are super functional, mimicking everyday object-toting tasks. They’re a great full body exercise and a fun way to boost grip strength and core stability.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Now that you’ve got the lowdown on these movement patterns, it’s time to consider how you’ll fit each group into your workouts. Depending on your goals and how many days a week you’ll workout, you can create a tailored plan.
Some common splits include:
- Push-Pull-Legs (great for three-day routines)
- Upper Body Push/Pull and Lower Body Push/Pull (perfect for two-day schedules)
- Upper Body Push – Lower Body Push – Upper Body Pull – Lower Body Pull (ideal for four-day splits)
Mix and match these movements to create a well-rounded program that targets all your muscle groups for balanced strength development.
Now you’ve got the basics of movement patterns down. These moves form the foundation of a killer workout plan. In our next part, we’ll dive into progressive overload, a crucial element in building muscle and getting stronger!
