I see a lot of beginners get excited about exercises. They obsess about their back squat, power clean and handstand push-up…working tirelessly to get each one just right.
And this zoomed in focus CAN be helpful for a time. Each exercise DOES have unique elements that aren’t shared with another.
However, the longer you are in the fitness arena, you will begin to notice how skills & positions in one movement translate to another. Push-ups, bench press and burpees have quite a bit in common.
This is why more veteran athletes and coaches start to recognize and think of all the exercises in the gym as having similar threads.
Rather than thinking of goblet squats, wall balls, squat cleans, thrusters, and back squats in isolation, we begin to identify them all as squats.
Squatting is a fundamental movement pattern.
And it’s one of the seven foundational movement patterns I keep in mind when programming our weekly workouts: squat, lunge, hinge, press, pull, bounding, and core.
As you start to think about deadlift, power cleans and kettlebell swings as hinging movements, you’ll start to notice certain themes in our strength work and MetCons. Focusing on patterns allows you to not only master individual movements but learn to leverage the skills you already know to master novel movements faster.
Upgrade your knowledge and improve your movement. This is why…
Exercises are Good. Patterns are Best.