The 6 Foundational Movement Patterns

The Magic 6

As a human, your body moves in pretty much the same way as other humans. In fact,
there are six basic movement patterns. Naturally, if you want to be a strong, athletic,
healthy human, you train all of these foundational patterns. Here they are:

Squat

Hinge

Lunge

Push

Pull

Carry

But there's a problem. Not all the exercises that mimic these patterns are right for every
body, at least not right away. For example, if you start with the wrong squat variation for
your body type, skill level, injury history or goal, you'll wind up with a banged-up body.

If you plan on training for a lifetime, forget about training specific exercises. Instead,
train custom-fit movement pattern variations. You'll avoid injury, get rid of some aches
and pains, AND reach your strength and physique goals. Let's break it down.

1 – The Squat
I bet the image you have in your mind right now is that of a barbell back squat taken to
ass-to-grass depth. That is one squat pattern variation, but it's by no means the only way
to squat. And for the record, you're not less of a man if you don't squat with the bar on
your back.

Think of "squat" as an umbrella term. Under that umbrella, you'll find the barbell back
squat. But the squat movement pattern isn't about a specific exercise. The pattern is more
important than the specific exercise, at least if your goals are performance and longevity.

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Does everyone need to barbell back squat? Nope. But do most people need to display and
maintain the ability to use synergistic muscular tension, stability and mobility through the
torso/hips/knees/ankles from a symmetrical bilateral stance? You bet your ass they do.

The squat pattern is a key player. It's a movement pattern that transcends its use in the
gym. It's used for routine activities and movement requirements of daily living.

Everyone is different, therefore, everyone must squat differently, especially as it pertains

to loading the squat for power, strength, and hypertrophy training. Identifying the proper
squat progression is the first step.

Squat Pattern Progressions

Your goal: find the squat variation that'll give you the most benefits while minimizing
risk of injury. How? By assessing your current skill level and trainability.

While there are advanced testing procedures out there, more complex assessment usually
isn't needed. All you need is a simplified progression model to experiment with. Master
the first variation, then move up the chain to the next one.

Here's the basic squat progression used to identify starting points and optimal squat
patterns for athletes and lifters. We start with the fundamental movements, then move up
to the advanced variations:

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 Bodyweight Squat

Goblet Squat

Barbell Front Squat

Barbell Back Squat

As you can see, the barbell back squat is last on the list. Look around your gym. How
many of the people in the squat rack with heavy bars on their backs are using good form?
How many look like they're about to put themselves into traction? Yeah, they need to
regress back to the bodyweight squat and get that down first.

And the barbell back squat isn't even the ideal final squat variation for everyone. Here's
the key: find the "hardest" variation that you can do perfectly. From there you'll be able
to train the squat pattern without internal restriction, get a great training effect, and
minimize joint stress. The goal is to move up the list over time and progress strategically.

Once your perfect squat variation is identified, fine tuning setup and execution is the next
step. To do that, you find the right squat depth for your body. Refer to this article and
take the tests listed: Squat Depth: The Final Answer.

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2 – The Hinge
The hinge is one of the most important patterns when it comes to protecting your lower
back from injury, but many people have lost the ability do it.

The hip hinge is often confused with the deadlift, which is a specific exercise that falls
under the hip hinge umbrella. While not every hip hinge is a deadlift, every deadlift is a
hip hinge pattern. Many people don't deadlift because they think it's too risky. And since
the deadlift is the only hip hinge exercise they know, they skip training the entire
movement pattern. The result? More low back pain, more injuries.

We must learn to reintroduce and reactivate this pattern. The problem is, most lifters
jump right to the barbell deadlift from the floor, or jump right into the kettlebell swing,
before mastering the hip hinge.

How many times do you bend over a day? The correct answer is: a lot. That's why honing
this pattern is so important. Master the hip hinge and you'll avoid chronic flare-ups, lower
back tightness, and generalized "neural-lock" of your mobility and flexibility.

Hinge Pattern Progressions

This pattern needs to be slowly implemented at lower levels to allow motor relearning to
take place. Here are the main progressions used to reactivate the hip hinge from the
ground up:

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Bodyweight RDL (Romanian Deadlift)

Dumbbell RDL

Barbell RDL

Dumbbell Deadlift
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 Trap Bar Deadlift

Barbell Rack Pull (or lifting from blocks/plates)

Barbell Deadlift

Based on their body type, not every lifter will have the ability to pull a barbell off the
floor with good neutral spine mechanics. And that's totally fine. If that's you, then you'll
just stop somewhere else on the progression list. Remember, based on your God-given
body structure, no matter how much you foam roll and stretch, you can never change
your bony anatomy. Don't try to force it.

3 – The Lunge
Single-leg function is another overlooked movement pattern. Sadly, many lifters don't
think much of lunge variations. Why? Two main reasons. First, they can't use as much
weight as bilateral exercises. Second, lunges are hard. If you have any weak links or
dysfunction, lunges will let you know quickly.

Single-leg training doesn't mean you're always doing some balancing act of an exercise
more fit for the circus. It can mean that emphasis is placed on one leg/side at a time in an
asymmetrical stance. So the "lunge" movement pattern can also be thought of as any
unilateral-based movement of the lower body.

Remember that even with single-leg work, it's impossible to purely isolate one side from
another. There will always be an interplay between left and right sides even out of an
asymmetrically split stance.

Single-leg exercises unlock strength and movement quality potential. They tap into your
"primitive patterning." You learned to walk in a sequence. You rolled over, crawled,
pulled yourself up, and finally learned to stand and walk. Not all of that was unilateral,
but the movement between the steps was. And that primitive patterning is what single-leg
movements are targeting for re-education.

There are few movements more powerful than single-leg variations for identifying weak
links, sticking points, and pain patterns. These exercises can be programmed for strength
and size gains, and also developed as a skill to maintain functionality through this
protective pattern.

Single-Leg Pattern Progressions

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Once a lifter is convinced he needs to add in some lunges, he often jumps right into the
forward walking lunge... and ends up disappointed in the results.

That variation isn't ideal for strength athletes trying to optimize the connection between
core and lower extremity stability. It's actually a more advanced way to lunge that many
lifters (especially those new to single-leg training) aren't ready for. These lifters jumped
the gun and moved down the list below too quickly, causing knee pain, cranky SI joints,
and angry lower backs.

Take it from the ground up instead, from split stance all the way up to dynamic lunging
variations:

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Split Squat

Back Foot Elevated Split Squat

Front Foot Elevated Split Squat

Reverse Lunge
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 Forward Lunge

Single Leg Deadlift

The single-leg lunge pattern does include more hinge-based movements such as the
single-leg RDL and deadlift under its umbrella. While there are overlaps between some
of the movement patterns, this doesn't devalue their importance in a good plan built
around non-negotiable foundational patterns.

In the lunge pattern, be sure to include BOTH the more knee-dominant variations such as
split squats and the more hip-dominant patterns such as RDLs to cover all your bases.

4 – The Push
There's no lack of upper body pushing in today's gym. From the popularization of the
bench press to the polarization of bodyweight push-ups, the push is often overemphasized
and under-executed.

We've all seen it: newbies jumping straight into the bench press while never first
mastering the stability and dynamic action requirements of the more basic pushing
pattern – the push-up. Both exercises seem to move through a horizontally-directed range
of motion and target the same muscles. But they're very different when it comes to the
static and dynamic stability component of the shoulder complex.

See, movement patterns are classified as either open or closed chain depending on the
contact points with the ground. If the hands and feet are in contact with a stable surface
like the ground, the movement is a closed kinematic chain. If the hands or feet are freely
moving through space, that's an open kinematic chain.

With the push-up, the hands are anchored to the ground (or stable surface) that alter the
way the spine, gleno-humeral joint, scapula and acute muscular stabilizers of the region
articulate. In this closed chain, the shoulder blades are able to move freely against the
thoracic cage placing more of a dynamic stability emphasis on the musculature
controlling this position.

This skill of stability, tension, and torque output in the shoulders and upper back is
something that must be mastered in order to translate into a more static stability-based
position such as the bench press.

Starting with the mastery of the push-up progression allows the biggest bang for your
buck in full-body motor learning through the push pattern. From integrated core and hip

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stability to upper back and shoulder tensional recruitment, the push-up is a key player in
learning how to generate stability in order to display power and strength. Once this skill
is honed in at the horizontal plane of motion, vertical pushing will be the next challenge.

Upper-Body Pushing Pattern Progressions

Since upper body movement is led by the shoulder, the most mobile ball-and-socket joint
in the body, there's a need to break down both the push and pull movement patterns into
vertical and horizontal planes of motion.

Pushing development starts in the closed kinematic chain and horizontal plane of motion
with the push-up, and is progressed up through the barbell bench press. Though the
barbell bench is the final pattern, mastery of the push-up will allow a lifter to move into
the vertical pushing patterns while continuing to progress through the horizontal patterns
as well.

Below are the movement progressions for both the horizontal and vertical push patterns
that can be used to identify an ideal movement pattern variation for a lifter based on skill
level:

Horizontal Pushing

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 Hands Elevated Push-Up

Push-Up

Dumbbell Bench Press

Barbell Bench Press

Vertical Pushing

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 Single-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Press

Dumbbell Overhead Press

Barbell Overhead Press

The success of a perfect push is highly dependent on the stability of the pillar unit
consisting of the hips, core, and shoulder working together. It would be shortsighted not
to have a deeper look into more isolated core and hip functional stability, and that's what
we'll be looking at in the carry.

When progressing through the horizontal and vertical pulls, be aware of not only the
function and patterning of the shoulder and upper body, but of the entire body, especially
the core and hips and their ability to display and maintain good positioning, tension, and
control throughout the dynamic motions at the shoulders.

5 – The Pull
The upper-body pull pattern may be the most misunderstood pattern of the upper body,
especially as it pertains to developing bulletproof shoulders and a resilient back.

We know that strong and stable shoulders depend on pulling more than pushing, but
where many athletes miss the boat is not differentiating between types of pulling and the
planes of motion that each pull takes place in.

The most popular "pull" takes place in the vertical plane of motion: the pull-up. From
CrossFit kips to military PT testing, the pull-up has been ingrained in our physical
mentality for decades. But it's important to remember that not all pulling variations were
created equally.

The vertical pull more closely resembles a push-based motion – it places the shoulder
into internal rotation during the dynamic action of movement itself. This can be a
problem, especially when chronic internally-rotated daily positions and internally-rotated
training compound to create a shit storm of front-sided shoulder pain.

While there's nothing wrong with internally-rotated movements at the shoulders, they
must be monitored closely to avoid chronic overuse and dysfunction through the front
side of the gleno-humeral joint and the shoulder complex in general. Because of the
popularization of box-based facilities, the majority of pulling is centered around the
deadlift and the pull-up, which are both internally-rotated movement patterns at the
shoulders.

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In order to create full-body stability at the shoulders through the pull, the horizontal pull
(the row) must first be mastered before introducing the more complex vertical pull
variations off the pull-up bar and beyond.

The back and upper shoulders were designed to function as primary stabilizers of
dynamic actions that usually take place in pushing movements. This means that these
patterns can be trained hard, and under high relative intensities, while literally being
trained daily. Mastering the pull from a stable core and posterior hip unit will help
develop the strong backside that can support both athletic and functional endeavors alike,
and that's exactly why this pattern must be a priority.

Upper Body Pulling Pattern Progressions

The pattern must first be introduced and perfected from a full-body stability based
position, which is achieved in the inverted row. From this position, the pillar is
challenged to generate tension and create isometric stability through the legs, hips, pelvis
and spine, while the upper body works to generate dynamic force in the pulling plane.
You're only as strong as what you can actively stabilize. That's why prioritizing this
pattern yields big results.

Below is the functional progression of movement patterns in the horizontal pulling plane.
This progression is based off of postural and static requirements of the pillar during the
active rowing motion. From having the spine totally stabilized in the chest supported row,
all the way up to needing to actively stabilize the hip hinge pattern through the pillar
during the bent over row, it's clear that the majority of weak links are identified in the
core, as opposed to the shoulders in the pulling plane.

Horizontal Pulling

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Chest Supported Row

Inverted Row

Single Arm Dumbbell Row

Barbell Bent Over Row

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The vertical pull pattern needs to be de-emphasized in training sessions, and re-
emphasized in evaluation of pillar function into the overhead position. While earning the
right to get back up on the pull-up bar, don't hesitate to use the vertical pull to evaluate
overhead positions at the gleno-humeral joint, rhythm of the scapula, or stability at the
core and pelvis.

Vertical Pulling

Lat Pulldown

Assisted Pull-Up

Pull-Up

Once you've mastered the vertical and horizontal pulling patterns, strategic programming
around these two planes of motion needs to be addressed. A majority of lifters will do
well with a 2:1 ratio between horizontal to vertical pulling. Keep this in mind in terms of
total reps completed over a weekly workload.

6 – The Carry

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Moving your body through space with smooth stability and control has become a lost art.
While the carry pattern can absolutely include loaded variations like the farmer's walk,
this pattern is more broadly associated with generalized locomotion of the body. From
walking to running, sprinting to reactionary agility, an athlete must display the ability to
control his body through space and under a multitude of challenges.

There's something simple, yet truly powerful about the gait pattern that needs to be
tapped into in order to truly maximize performance while maintaining movement abilities
over time in a protective way. Due to the reciprocation of the lower and upper extremities
during walking and running, the core is targeted to function as it was originally designed
to function, and that is the transference of forces in and out of the extremities.

This region must be challenged in terms of proximal stability with distal mobility and
load when looking to progress athletic performance or getting out of pain. This is why
walking in addition to sprint work, loaded carries, and sled pushes/drags are foundational
movements in smart programs.

But in order to reap the most benefits while minimizing risk of injuries, there must be a
proper progression. We can't start out with sprints and max effort loaded carries. We first
must learn to walk before we can run.

Carry and Locomotion Pattern Progressions

Here's the golden rule about carries: If you're going to train the carry movement pattern,
you must assess, coach and perfect the basic walking pattern first. Never load
dysfunction, even if it's walking. From walking on up, here's the loaded progression of
carries.

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 Walking

Farmer's Carry

Unilateral Farmer's Carry

Front Loaded Carry

Mixed Grip Carry

Overhead Carry

Carry patterning is primarily programmed as "core emphasized" training in many

programs. Along with basic carries, open your mind to specific combinations of hand
positions, tempos of walks, and duration of time under tension, just as you could any
other loaded movement.

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Fundamental movement skills: Why kids need to learn early on
We all hope that our children have bright futures. In order to make the most of their lives,
we encourage them to excel in school, make friends and pursue a strong career. Although
physical activity is a vital for our health, we often neglect to educate children around the
benefits of exercise and why it‟s so important to pursue activity from a young age.

A new study by The University of Loughborough tested young children starting school
and found that a large number of children experienced problems with their balance and
coordination, which ultimately effected their ability to learn in class. Researchers believe
that this is a result of modern children being less active in their early years compared with
previous decades, with typical movements associated with play and development reduced
by the introduction of screens.

Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are the building blocks of being active; they
underpin every movement that we‟ll make throughout our lives. Learning fundamental
movement skills enables agility, balance and coordination and should be developed from
an early age to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to excel in sports and
fitness. Not only this, studies have found strong links that developing these core skills can
have a positive effect on confidence, cognitive function and communication. From an
early age, a child's level of physical development dictates their ability to hold a pencil,
put on their shoes and read a book, and as children grow this set of skills will determine
how they behave for the rest of their lives.

As you can see from the image above, fundamental movement skills are divided into
three sections, including locomotor skills, body management skills and object control

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skills, which are all taught in key stage 1 and developed further in key stage 2. As each
skill is developed, competency in agility, balance and coordination increases. However,
there is a closing window of opportunity for children to develop fundamental movement
skills before puberty, as it will be more difficult to develop the patterns of movement
after this age.

Master fundamental movement skills early

In order to meet the current UK National Curriculum for PE, children must be competent
with basic fundamental movement skills used in sports. For example, Key Stage 1
children should „participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and
defending‟. However, the current UK National Curriculum for PE does not prioritise the
development of fundamental movement skills. Instead of using specific exercises and
movements to develop sport specific skills, many schools focus on playing the sport itself
which serves to alienate the children who have not yet developed FMS. If a child does
not reach this standard they will have difficulty progressing with the rest of the class and
will avoid participation in PE due to a lack of confidence. This could progress into an
aversion for activity altogether and a poor attitude towards exercise for the rest of their
lives.

Children that have developed FMS, and are proficient in agility, balance and
coordination, have a greater chance of playing sports and enjoying activity. This love of
activity usually continues throughout their adult lives, leading to a healthier lifetime with
a reduced risk of chronic or hypokinetic diseases. There is also a strong link between
movement and confidence, individuals who develop their confidence and learn how to
control their bodies at an early age move with awareness and develop new skills.

How to promote the development of the fundamental movement skills

Unfortunately, fundamental movement skills aren‟t picked up naturally through free play,
it takes time and dedication to learn each movement. According to the Department of
Education, Victoria it takes approximately 240-600 minutes to develop one single FMS,
which is no small feat considering children only receive around 2 hours of structured PE
lessons every week. With this in mind, it falls on parents and teachers to accelerate
development by setting personalised FMS homework for each child to practise out of
school. This allows them to continue to learn the necessary skills at their own pace, while
allowing parents to be engaged in the process.

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While some possess natural talent for sports and movement, the majority of us will need
to work hard to achieve the right level of movement. As Shakespeare once said, “Some
are born great, some achieve greatness.” Just like learning to play a musical instrument or
studying a language, developing fundamental movements skills and excelling in physical
activity is the result of dedication, practice and learning.

What Are the Benefits of Fundamental Movement Skills?

Fundamental movement skills are the basis of the first movements that infants make in
their lives. The child must master these skills before she can begin playing games,
participating in sports or involving herself in any recreational activities. These
fundamental movement skills benefit the child by providing her with control over her
bodily movements.

Awareness
Fundamental movement skills help young people develop awareness of what their bodies
can do. Awareness helps these individuals function on their own and within a group. This
begins with effort awareness, as they learn how much muscular effort it takes to initiate,
sustain and stop movements. The second is space awareness, where the infant learns how
much space the body needs to complete these movements unhindered. The third is body
awareness, where he learns how his bodily movements relate to other movements around
him. This helps him anticipate where others could end up in relation to him based on their
body movements.

Traveling
When learning traveling skills, the child learns how to move the body from one location
to another location 2⭐⭐. This is accomplished through walking, sliding, skipping,
hopping and galloping. This benefits the child because she learns about the muscles
needed to move herself and begins to do so consistently. She learns that putting one foot
in front of the other while keeping her balance gets her from the door of her bedroom to
her bed. She can then repeat this movement continually whenever she wishes to move.

Balance
The child achieves balance through stabilization skills. This requires the child to gain
control of his equilibrium. Once he can control his equilibrium, he can begin focusing on
postural control. Controlling his posture remains important because leaning too far
forward or backward can cause the child to fall. Once the child has control of his balance,

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other movement skills become easier 1⭐2⭐⭐.Keeping his balance and having the right
posture comes from muscle memory. Once he learns which muscles to use when
maintaining a standing position, he can do it repeatedly.

Object Control
Object control is the final fundamental movement skill that a child learns 2⭐. This skill
involves handling and manipulating objects around her. Once she learns how her
movements can cause things around her to move, she can throw, kick, bounce and catch
objects. For example, she learns that by hurling her arm forward while holding a ball, she
can make the ball continue to travel in that direction.

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