Kandis Joubert is a NASM-certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, specializing in corrective exercise and fitness nutrition. She believes real transformation is multi-dimensional, and therefore founded Faceted Fitness LLC.
Imagine trying to build a house on quicksand—no matter how interesting or fun the design, it’s short-lived and destined to ruin. The same principle applies to your fitness programs: the foundation matters.
There’s nothing wrong with having fun or doing other things we enjoy for fitness, but constantly chasing and relying on entertainment as opposed to laying a proper foundation and mastering the basic movement pillars will eventually lead to disappointment with our bodies as we inevitably age.
A well-rounded fitness program allows one’s body to train all functional movements adequately, train muscles concerning their different levers and ranges, bring up weaknesses and lagging body parts with accessory work, improve mobility to optimize movement, train and utilize each energy system, and ultimately serve to increase one’s longevity while decreasing the risk of injury. In this article, we’ll focus on the functional movement patterns.
Understanding functional movements
Functional movements can be defined as movements based on real-world situations and biomechanics involving multiple joints (i.e., the compound lifts as opposed to isolated) and various planes of motion (i.e., sagittal, transverse, and frontal or coronal). Most of our everyday movement plays out in the sagittal plane; however, training our bodies in the transverse and frontal planes, as athletes often do, is beneficial since many injuries occur due to a lack thereof. Besides enhancing daily life, focusing on key functional movements carries over into other training styles, activities, and sports due to improved strength, stability, and locomotion.
The big six: Foundational movements
There are six foundational functional movement patterns that every program should include individually appropriate variations of: squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull, and carry.
Squat
Description: This movement focuses on hip and knee flexion, as well as stability of the knees, ankles, and core.
Main muscles targeted: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors (inner thigh), and core musculature.
Benefits: When trained properly, squatting increases lower body and core strength, improves posture and mobility, and makes everyday movements like sitting down, standing back up, getting in and out of bed, and getting off the floor or toilet much easier and more manageable with age. Developing a solid squat also carries over into more advanced movements that require a powerful leg drive (i.e., squat snatches, squat cleans, burpees, and squat jumps).
Examples: Bilateral and unilateral variations of classic squats, box squats, front squats, goblet squats, wall squats, pistol squats, deficit squats, belt squats, hack squats, leg presses, monster walks, squat jumps, and so on using various modalities, differing stances and heights, and challenging tempos.
Hinge
Description: This movement focuses on hip extension, as well as spine and core stability.
Main muscles targeted: Hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae (low back).
Benefits: Training the hip hinge develops better connection to and increases the strength of the posterior chain (i.e., back, glutes, hamstrings), which is essential for lifting loads and picking things up off the floor, as well as many athletic movements. Don’t skip training your backside simply because you can’t see it! Learning the hip hinge movement also carries over into more advanced hip movements that require powerful hip drive (i.e., kettlebell swings).
Examples: Bilateral and unilateral variations of deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts, hip thrusts, glute bridges, hip extensions, reverse hyperextensions, kettlebell swings, and so on using various modalities, differing stances, heights, and positions, and challenging tempos.
Lunge
Description: This movement, along with the split squat and step up, focuses on unilateral knee and hip flexion as well as knee, ankle, and core stability- like the squat, but more specifically unilateral. Some programs or phases lump squats, lunges, and the like into one “knee bend” movement category.
Main muscles targeted: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, and core musculature.
Benefits: Like the squat, when trained properly, lunges, split squats, and loaded steps increase lower body and core strength, improve posture and mobility, and make everyday movements like getting up off the ground, using a step ladder, getting in and out of the bathtub, entering and exiting booths at a restaurant, and stepping into and out of vehicles much easier and more manageable with age. Developing strength in each leg carries over into more advanced plyometrics that requires single-leg strength and unilateral hip stability (i.e., single-leg jumps and skater hops).
Examples: Variations of front lunges, back lunges, side lunges and Cossack squats, curtsy lunges, walking lunges, split squats, rotational lunges, jumping lunges, step-ups, step-downs, step-overs, and so on using various modalities, differing stances and heights, and challenging tempos.
Push
Description: This movement focuses on both the upper body’s vertical and horizontal pushing and pressing.
Main muscles targeted: Pectorals (chest), anterior and medial deltoids (shoulders), and triceps.
Benefits: Pushing and pressing exercises build anterior upper body strength and functional pushing capacity, making everyday movements like moving furniture or putting things away on tall shelves and high cabinets much more manageable with age. They also strengthen the musculature around the shoulder joints, decreasing the risk of injury when paired with appropriate pulling movements and mobility. Developing upper body push strength and stability carries over into more advanced power movements that require shoulder stability through power movement (i.e., push presses, push jerks, burpees, and power throws).
Examples: Variations of push-ups, bench presses, overhead presses, flyes, dips, triceps isolation, and so on using various modalities, different angles, and challenging tempos.
Pull
Description: This movement focuses on both the upper body’s vertical and horizontal pulling and rowing.
Main muscles targeted: Lats, rhomboids, traps, rear deltoids, and biceps.
Benefits: Pulling and rowing exercises strengthen the upper body’s often-neglected posterior chain, which is especially important for avoiding and correcting postural imbalances (i.e., from sitting at a desk or in a vehicle for extended periods, or simply poor habits regarding posture), making everyday movements like opening doors, drawers, and moving items around much easier with less risk of injury to the shoulders and back. Like the hip hinge for the lower body, developing upper body pull strength carries over into more advanced power movements (i.e., power snatches, power cleans, and power rowing).
Examples: Variations of pull-ups, pulldowns, pull-overs, rows, face pulls, raises, bicep and forearm isolation, and so on using various modalities, different angles, and challenging tempos.
Carry
Description: This movement pattern is considered full-body engagement, but is mainly used to engage and strengthen core stability and grip.
Main muscles targeted: Traps, forearm, and core musculature.
Benefits: Bilateral and unilateral carries are some of the most functional yet underutilized exercises in most commercial gyms. Think of how often you carry different things! Varieties of carries can greatly improve overall strength, balance, and stability, making one less injury-prone in lifting and carrying groceries, the kids or grandkids, backpacks or luggage, baby carriers, and anything else you must transport. These benefits carry over into just about every other functional movement pattern and lift we’ve discussed here!
Examples: Variations of farmer carries, suitcase carries, overhead carries, racked carries, and so on using various modalities, different distances, and inclines and declines.
Integrating foundational movements into your routine
For full-body workouts, incorporate each foundational movement pattern into every workout.
For other workout splits, aim to incorporate an adequate number of sets per week of each movement pattern (i.e., 10-15 for beginners or 15-25 for intermediate and advanced), assuming adequate rest and recovery are also in check.
Stick to certain varieties and modalities for a few weeks before switching things up. The idea is progressive overload, so changing them too frequently and at random is often counterproductive.
Seek professional help in designing appropriately progressive and periodized programming customized for you, aiming to get you the best results that last.
Conclusion
As you can see, intelligent programming is priceless when it comes to a well-rounded training experience, as it can save you significant time and money getting it right from the start and producing competence along the way. Prioritizing foundational movement in any functional strength training program will provide an enormous return on investment for years and decades, extending one’s longevity and preserving independence for the long haul.
For training and programming inquiries, visit my website to book a Q&A call or contact me directly. For a mobility video library, you can use independently or in tandem with your existing training program, visit the Faceted Fitness YouTube channel. To learn more about me and what I do to make the world a fitter place, you can follow along on socials!
Kandis Joubert, Certified Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach
Kandis Joubert is a NASM-certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, specializing in corrective exercise and fitness nutrition. She believes real transformation is multi-dimensional, and therefore founded Faceted Fitness LLC, where she uses a multi-faceted approach in helping other business owners and corporate professionals prioritize their health and preserve longevity to amplify their own distinct influence. Additional areas of expertise as it relates to human wellness include mobility and goniometric assessment, prehab and rehab, movement optimization, mindset, lifestyle change and adherence, and body recomposition.
