Movement Patterns

7 Primal Movement Patterns For

Full Body Strength
February 20, 2016

If you were alive 5,000 years ago, what do you think you would look like?

My guess is that you would be lean, strong and fit, with a well
proportioned body. You would be a very athletic and active version of
your current self. And the best part is you wouldn’t have to step foot into
a gym and “workout” to get these impressive results.

You would likely be walking over 5 miles per day, sprinting to chase
animals you would eat, cutting down trees, lifting logs, building shelter,
all of which would require you to use your entire body.

This primal model of optimal human health and fitness is very different
from the typical gym-goer who has a sedentary lifestyle and may barely
move his, or her, body in the ways that nature intended during exercises.
As an extreme example, think about that guy who has arms 2x bigger
than his calves from doing arm exercises all the time, or the cyclist who
does nothing else but cycle, or the runner who only runs.

Our bodies are an amazingly complex web of interconnected muscles,

joints, fascia, ligaments, tendons, bones, and other tissues and organs
that work synchronously and seamlessly. When we are lean and fit,
every cubic centimeter of our bodies has a purpose, a function to help us
survive and thrive.

So, if the body is this interconnected web that’s really more like one unit,
one muscle, why would we focus on only one muscle group during a
workout or one type of exercise activity? The idea of focusing on only
one muscle group in a workout is definitely not efficient, nor is it athletic.
At BuiltLean, we believe you should focus on movement patterns, not
muscle groups, when exercising to develop a functionally strong body. At
its core, exercise is all about movement.

We’re laying out the 7 basic, primal movement patterns you should use
at least once per week and that form the foundation of the workouts &
exercise programs we develop. These movement patterns were
crystallized by exercise expert and physiologist Paul Check. 1 For more
information on our workout guidelines, see:BuiltLean Workout Guidelines
To Lose Fat, Not Muscle.

Movement Pattern #1: Squat

A squat is a movement pattern where you plant both feet on the ground,
then bend your legs to lower your body down while keeping your chest
up and lower back straight. We use squats in our daily life such as
squatting in and out of a chair. As we age, an inability to squat can very
negatively affect our quality of life.

As an exercise, you can provide resistance to a squat from the front of

your body (like holding a dumbbell, called a goblet squat), on your back
with a barbell, from the sides holding dumbbells, or on the entire upper
body by wearing a weighted vest. With each method of resistance, the
lower back and abs must contract to keep the body upright as the body
is lowered down. The most common reason why people have trouble
squatting is because of tight hip flexors or tight calves.

Squat Exercise Examples:

 Goblet Squat

 Barbell Back Squat

 Front Squats

For more detailed information on the squat, check out these three
articles:

 How To Use Proper Squat Form

 How Deep Should You Squat

 How To Increase Squat Depth

Movement Pattern #2: Lunge

A lunge is single leg exercise movement that requires one leg to step
forward and bend while the other leg remains stationary. Throwing a
spear, carrying water while stepping over a log, or in modern sports,
lunging forward to catch a ball requires balance, strength, and flexibility.
The lunge is a dynamic exercise because you can lunge in any direction
with both legs forwards, backwards, and sideways. To add resistance,
you can hold a medicine ball, dumbbells, barbells, or even a sandbag on
one shoulder to help engage the core to a greater degree.

Exercise Examples:

 Bench Step Up

 Side Lunge
  Reverse Lunge

Movement Pattern #3: Push

A pushing exercise requires pushing external weight away from your

body, or your center of mass away from the ground, like in a push up.
Pushing yourself off the ground to get up, or pushing a toolbox overhead
to put it away in a cabinet, are both pushing movements used in our
daily life.

There are two primary types of pushing movements (1) vertical push and
(2) horizontal push.2 A vertical push is a DB shoulder press where you
press a dumbbell vertically over your head. A horizontal push is pushing
a weight away from your horizontally, like in a DB Chest Press as you
lay back on a bench. A vertical press tends to emphasize your shoulder
muscles while engaging the back of the arms (triceps) while a horizontal
press emphasizes the chest, while engaging the shoulders and the back
of the arms.

Exercise Examples:

 Push Ups

 Barbell Shoulder Press

 DB Incline Press

Movement Pattern #4: Pull

A pulling motion is the opposite of a pushing motion, in that you are
pulling a weight towards your body, or pulling your center of mass
toward an object, like in a pull up. From pulling down a branch to
reaching for an apple, to starting that old boat motor, pulling is a
movement we use our daily lives.

There are two primary pulling movements, a (1) vertical pull and (2)
horizontal pull. An example of a vertical pull is a pull up, which is a
classic exercise that develops strength in your back, shoulders, biceps,
and even core. An example of a horizontal pulling motion is a single arm
dumbbell row.

Exercise Examples:

 Pull Ups

 TRX Body Row

 Single Arm DB Row

Movement Pattern #5: Twist

Of all the exercises listed so far, they are completed in two planes of
movement, either forward, or to the side (saggital and frontal planes).
But there is a third plane of motion which makes exercise much more
functional – the transverse plane, or twisting motion.

If you think about lunging down and reaching across your body, or
throwing a ball, running, or even walking, most human movement has
some element of a rotation involved. The problem, however, is that most
exercises we do in the gym have no rotational component.

There are two primary types of twisting, or rotational movements: (1)

rotational and (2) anti-rotational. Rotational movements are the basic
twisting exercises, such as twisting to throw a ball. Anti-rotation are
exercises where the rotational movement is prevented, like in a paloff
press, or a single arm DB row.

Exercise Examples:
  Cable Wood Chops

 Palloff Press

 Medicine Ball Throws (standing sideways against a wall)

Movement Pattern #6: Bend

Bending is a movement pattern where you bend your torso by hinging

your hips. A very common movement, we use it in our daily lives by
picking up a baby off the ground to trying to lift that heavy suit case. Of
all the movements listed, the bending movement may be most
dangerous given that more than half of adults 3 experience low back pain
at some point in their lives.

Bearing the brunt of the weight on your hips, glutes, and legs is the key
to lifting weight in a bent over position. This is done by keeping your low
back in a neutral, to slightly arched position, as you bend over to lift an
object off the ground. If you round your back, significant pressure can be
put on your intervertabral disks, which may cause a disk herniation. In
the BuiltLean Program, we have only a few exercises that require a
bending movement pattern; we prefer to use it during thedynamic warm
up phase of a workout as it is a high-risk exercise for most people.

Exercise Examples:

 Kettlebell Deadlift

 DB Clean and Press

 DB Stiff Legged Deadlifts

Movement Pattern #7: Gait / Combination

Walking, jogging, or sprinting is called a gait, which requires pulling,
lunging, and twisting motions to propel the body forward. Whether you
are sprinting to catch the train, or walking in the park, gait is the most
frequently used of all the movement patterns in our daily lives. At
BuiltLean, we consider this last movement pattern as a catch all for
dynamic human movement and combinations of movements. For
example, jumping, cutting, crawling, and other movements and
combinations of movements can be added to this category.

Exercise Examples:

 Walking

 Jogging

 Jumping

I hope this was a helpful overview that will help you think about exercise
in terms of movement patterns, not just muscle groups. Your body will
thank you as it becomes stronger, leaner, and better balanced.

https://www.builtlean.com/2013/04/24/primal-movement-patterns/

How to Squat

How to Squat: 7 Tips For Proper

Form & Technique
February 20, 2016

Squats are the KING of all exercises because they are a “functional”
exercise that affect your ability to live a full, healthy life. Anything from
getting out of a chair, to squatting down to pick something off the floor
requires squat strength. Especially as we get older, proper squat
technique is absolutely critical to maintain health and longevity.

The biggest problem with proper squat form is not having enough
mobility in your hips, legs, and upper back. For more detail, see: How to
Increase Squat Depth & How Deep Should You Squat. Check out the
video above for 7 basic tips to squat with perfect form every time,
assuming you have enough mobility.

While there are several different squat variations that I will be introducing
in future posts, here are the 7 tips in more detail to ensure you squat
with perfect form every time:
1) Proper Squat Technique: Hip Hinge
When most people try to squat, the knees protrude
far over the toes, the butt goes straight down, and
the heels come off the floor. This happens
because proper squat technique requires some hip
flexibility, proper balance, and a “hip hinge”.

Each time you squat you should hinge your hips so

that your butt moves backwards during the
downward phase of the squat, your knees will no
longer protrude well over your toes (if you are tall,
this may happen, but make sure it does not put
pressure on your knees). Finally, the pressure of
the squat will be on your heels instead of your toes and you will be able
to get more depth to your squat.

2) Proper Squat Technique: Straight Head Position

One major mistake people make when they squat is rounding their
necks, or looking down at the ground. The spinal alignment is
automatically thrown off, which makes the squat a very dangerous
exercise, especially if you are using a lot of weight.

Sometimes I pick a spot on the wall that’s in line with my eyes as I am

standing straight, then as I squat down, I keep my eyes on that spot. My
head is automatically in the correct position.

3) Proper Squat Technique: Chest Out/Shoulders

Back
A key theme with the squat is to make sure your spine is in proper
alignment. By keeping your shoulder back and your chest out, your lower
back will most likely have the correct natural curve. If you instead round
your shoulders and sink your chest in, your spinal alignment will be
thrown off.

4) Proper Squat Technique: Slightly Arched Lower

Back
As you can see in the picture to the right, the
bottom of the spine (known as the lumbar spine)
has a slight arch. You should keep your lower
back flat, to slightly arched as you squat.
Hyperextending your lower back by arching too much, or rounding your
back can put significant pressure on the intervertebral discs, which are
soft gel like cushions that protect each vertebrae. If the disc ruptures
because of too much pressure, a portion of the spinal disc pushes
outside its normal boundary, which is called a herniated disc and may
require surgery to repair.I can’t emphasize enough to make sure your
lower back is flat to slightly arched throughout the entire squat
movement.

5) Proper Squat Technique: Athletic Stance, Toes

Pointed Out
Use an athletic stance for the squat so that your knees are slightly bent,
feet are firmly planted on the ground, and toes pointed outwards slightly,
which helps with stabilization. The wider you put your feet, the more it
works your glutes and hamstring (back of the leg), and the easier it will
be to stabilize. The closer in you put your feet, the more your quadriceps
will be emphasized (the front of the leg).

One common mistake when people use too much weight is that one, or
both knees will cave in towards their center. Make sure to keep your
knees out and choose weight that is appropriate for your level.

6) Proper Squat Technique: Exhale Up/Inhale Down

Breathing is very important for squatting in particular because it is a
challenging exercise. Improper breathing can make you light headed, or
nauseous, and in extreme cases, some people even black out.

As you are lowering yourself, remember to take a deep breath in, then
as you are pushing up, breathe out forcefully. Always keep this breathing
pattern. Towards the last few reps, you may consider taking a few extra
breaths at the top of the squat position as you are standing for some
extra energy.

7) Proper Squat Technique: Depth of the Squat

The depth of the squat primarily depends on your hip flexibility. If your
hips are very flexible, then you may be able to squat “below parallel”
(hamstrings are below parallel with the floor) and if you have poor hip
flexibility, then you will be “above parallel”.

In general, try to shoot for your hamstrings about parallel with the floor,
which deeply engages your thighs, hips, and glutes. Some powerlifters
will squat “ass to grass”, which I think for most people is too dangerous.
If you can go lower than parallel that’s fine, just make sure you don’t
experience any pain in your knees, or lower back, and always keep your
lower back flat, to slightly arched.

A couple other tips to keep in mind is as you are practicing proper squat
technique is to look at the profile of the squat as you are standing
sideways towards the mirror. You may also consider videotaping your
form as well.

I hope these 7 tips have been helpful for you, and if I left anything out
that you think is important, or you have any questions, please leave a
comment!

roper Squat Depth: How Deep

Should You Squat? Q&A
By John Leyva / July 1, 2017 / Medically Reviewed

“How Deep Should I Squat” is a very common question that causes a lot
of confusion. Some people believe squatting 1/2 way down is easier on
the lower back, while others believe squatting very deep is actually safer
for your back and more effective overall.

How deep should you squat? What is good

squat depth?
Research and experience suggest squatting “below parallel” as the
safest and most effective squat technique. “Below parallel” means that
your hips should drop below your knees during a squat.
Conventional wisdom teaches us the safest way to squat is to form a 90
degree angle at the knees, but the exact opposite is true. The 90 degree,
or L-angle decreases the stress on your knees slightly (about 28%) but
increases the stress put on your back by over 1000%. As long as you
can maintain the natural S-curve in your spine, along with keeping your
knees aligned with your toes, a deep squat can be completely safe
(Research: Strength and Conditioning Journal (2007) Volume: 29, Issue:
6, “Optimizing Squat Technique”).

If you’re legs stay above that 90 degree mark, which I see often in the
gym, the emphasis of the exercise will be on your quads (the front of
your thighs). If you’re able to drop below 90 degrees (break parallel),
then you start to activate the large musculature on the backside of your
body – your hamstrings and glutes.

By activating these larger muscles, less stress is placed on your back

while working more muscle in the same exercise. If you’re trying to lose
fat, this will help you burn more calories and if you’re trying to put on
more muscle, this will help to stimulate a greater release of muscle-
building hormones. It’s a win-win.

Now that you know it’s more effective and safer to drop below parallel
when squatting, let’s go through some commonly asked follow up
questions:

1) “Won’t squatting deep put excessive strain on my

knees?”
You still might be concerned about the extra strain put on your knees
from dropping below parallel, especially since I said it puts an extra 28%
strain on your ACL. This is a fair concern, but there is a slight increase in
tension on the ligament, the lower you go, the more muscles you
activate which helps to stabilize that ligament. On the other hand,
research has also shown that a leg extension machine, which focuses
on the quads exclusively, actually puts more strain on both your ACL
and PCL ligaments than the squat. So while a deeper squat protects the
ligaments by using additional muscles, no additional musculature is
activated on a leg extension machine. In other words, a deep squat
slightly increases the strain on your knee but at the end of the day it’s
still safer than a simple leg extension machine if proper squat form is
used.

2) “I’ll have to drop the weights considerably to squat

below parallel. Isn’t using heavier weights better?”
While this is true with most exercises, having impeccable squat form is
imperative. The squat is a coordinated, high impact movement. You may
have to drop the weights for some time to improve your squat depth and
form, but it will be worth the time and effort. You won’t have to worry
about hurting your knees or back, as most people who get injured from
squats have poor form and depth.

3 ) “What if I can’t squat below parallel without my

back rounding or hurting?”
For most people who are unable to squat below parallel, a lack of
flexibility or the inability to activate the proper “assistance” muscles is
usually the issue. When your back rounds during a squat, it’s usually
from a lack of core strength, or flexibility issues that can emanate from
your calves to your thoracic spine. Other issues may include knee, or
back injuries, which may require switching to a different squat technique
such as a front squat or goblet squat.

The next video addresses How To Increase Squat Depth, which will

teach you 5 ways to help improve your squat depth.

https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/primal-exercise-routine/

“primal movements” —  the seven basic motions that transform the human body into a lean,
functional machine.

“Gait refers to a combination of pulling, twisting and lunging in order to make the body walk,
jog or run,” says Stevenson. “Basically, any motion that helps move the body forward. It’s a full-
body exercise, perfect for overall upper body, lower body, and core strength.”