[Need To Know] Wellbeing Series: Lesson 2 - Debunking Exercise Programming Design

If I had a pound for every time I saw someone do a silly exercise that doesn’t support their needs or ability, I could sit on a beach all day sipping cocktails for the rest of my life. For whatever reason, many have lost touch with what movements they should be really focusing on during their workouts.

As a result, we now have a concoction of misguided people “swinging kettlebells around their ankles” and “shooting hoops with swiss balls”.

The primary movement patterns

Your body moves in pretty much the same way as any other human through seven basic movement patterns. Naturally, if you want to be a strong, lean healthy and independent human, you need to learn all of these foundational patterns. They perfectly carry over to everyday tasks helping you lead a better quality of life all around. See patterns below, along with “carryover” examples:

1.????Squat: Think of sitting down and up off a chair

2.????Hinge: Bending at the hips to get up out of bed

3.????Lunge: Getting down to tie your shoelaces

4.????Push: Opening a heavy door to walk through?

5.????Pull: Starting the lawnmower

6.????Carry: Carrying shopping bags to the car in either hand

7.????Rotation: Reaching across your body to get something off the counter

It’s important that you start with the right variation for your skill level; if you don’t, you’re asking for trouble. While there are advanced testing procedures, these procedures are not usually needed to get in a good rhythm if you can generally exercise without being in serious discomfort. Pick the variation that you feel is both comfortable and the right challenge. If you’re unsure, always start with the easiest and work your way up from there.

In Table 1 below, you’ll see variations of each movement pattern. The fundamentals start from the left and move to more advanced from there.

Putting it all together

Now that you have the fundamental principles, you can start putting your workout together relative to your experience and skill. You can follow the steps below to build your programme from the ground up.

Step 1: Pick a movement from each pattern that suits your current skill level and experience. If you’re unsure, start at the easiest. Movement is movement.

Step 2: Pick your starting reps/sets/weight. Use the programme design table below for guidance on the correct approaches for various goals. If you’ve never fully committed to any programme before, I’d suggest either the muscle endurance or the beginner variables.

Step 3: Choose your warm up and cool down: It goes without saying to always begin a workout with a 5-minute dynamic warm-up. After your workout, complete a workout with a 5- cool-down and stretch. Use static stretches for 10 -15 seconds each, and stretch out all the major muscles you’ve worked during the workout.

Step 4: Schedule it in your diary.?This might well be the most critical step. Often if it doesn't get scheduled, it doesn't get done! Ensure you set your week up so that it is easy for you to attend the gym. Start with 2-3 sessions weekly. For most getting three sessions a week in the gym for the rest of their life will save many problems further down the line.

Summary

There you go. That’s how you build a progamme unique to you. It wasn’t that hard, was it? Start approaching your workouts with this guidance, and you will be miles ahead of the rest.

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About the Author

Declan is a leading health and wellbeing consultant working for?Health at Work ?(Part of the?Medicash ?Group). He prides himself on being able to combine the evidence base with the practical “know how” to solve real-world problems for people and organisations. When he’s not working, you’ll likely find him reading the latest research study, competing in duathlons or cleaning up the mess his youngest daughter leaves daily!