Fundamental or functional movement patterns are movements that the body performs on a daily basis, usually including multiple joints and muscle groups and requiring your body to move in every direction - forward, backward, sideways, and rotationally.
Including them in your workout routine supports your body’s ability to perform everyday activities. It results in improved movement efficiency, coordination, balance, flexibility & mobility and reduces injury risk. Starting to train these movements can also highlight areas of relative weakness, lack of range of motion or discomfort that need our focus in order to be able to perform these moves well and therefore safely.
By training these movements we can gain confidence that our body can meet the demands life throws at us, but we also maintain our ability to both participate in the activities that we love and keep challenging ourselves.
The Hilly Fields Run Sessions & Mace Masters Strength for Runners session format is based on these fundamental movement patterns (including some extras key for running such as a calf propulsion focus). The sessions provide plenty of variation and also chances for repetition and perfecting form. Using bodyweight and maces there is the opportunity to gradually add and increase load to the movement patterns. We think this is a model of the ideal way to begin or continue to include these moves in your routine, so whatever setting you choose for your fundamental movement training it's a good pattern to follow.
What are the movement patterns?
Important: Before loading a movement pattern, learn the movement and get the pattern right with no load. Then introduce load slowly, you aren’t just training your muscles but joints, tendons and ligaments too and they all need to adapt. By focusing on the basics and mastering the functional movement patterns, you reduce your risk of injury.
Squatting:
When do we do this in life? Sitting down and standing up, getting on and off the toilet, getting in and out of a car, carrying heavy loads, climbing stairs.
Squats are a vertical movement that flex and then extend the hips, knees, and ankles, engaging several key muscle groups, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, adductors, and core.
Squat examples: Goblet squat, sumo squat, single leg squat, Cossack squat for adductors and/or narrow stance & heels elevated squat for quads focus and ankle dorsiflexion
Hinge:
When do we do this in life? Bending over and picking things up, Picking something up off the floor, the first movement of the squat, lifting a suitcase up
Hinges involve bending at the hip. They maintain a stable trunk and lower body whilst moving through the hips, focusing on the back of your legs including your hamstrings and glutes, and lower back. The hinge helps to strengthen your core, which can help alleviate back pain or injury, improve balance, and enhance flexion.
Hinge examples: Deadlifts, Kettlebell swings, Good mornings, Romanian deadlifts, and Glute bridges.
Lunge:
When do we do this in life? Going upstairs, walking uphill, kneeling, picking something off the floor if you have tight hamstrings, changing direction
The lunge is a crucial single leg lower-body movement pattern that complements the squat and hinge movements by requiring active stability of both the core and the extended leg. During a lunge, you step forward or backward, lowering your body by flexing both the front and back knee, engaging muscles such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core and requiring mobility at the knee, hip and ankle.
Lunge examples: Forward, side, reverse, and walking lunges, split squats
Push:
When do we do this in life?
Horizontal pushes: pushing a heavy door open, pushing someone away, helping push a broken down car.
Vertical pushes include; getting up off the floor after laying on your stomach, putting something in the top cupboard, serving in racket sports, lifting a child, propping yourself up in bed.
The push is a fundamental upper body movement pattern that involves pushing a load away from your body or pushing your own body weight away from a surface in either a horizontal or vertical motion. This movement activates key muscle groups such as the triceps, shoulders, and chest. Pushing movements are important for building upper body strength and power.
Push examples: Push-ups, bench presses, and overhead presses
Pull:
When do we do this in life? Taking something out of the cupboard, helping someone up off the ground, opening a heavy door
A pull motion is the opposite of a push and is the other essential upper body movement pattern. It involves pulling a load toward your body or pulling your own body weight toward a surface and targets muscle groups in the upper back and biceps, important for building muscle balance in the upper body.
Pull examples: Pull-ups, rows, and curls
Carry/core:
When do we do this in life? Carrying the shopping, carrying a suitcase, taking the rubbish out, maintaining your balance while walking or standing
Carry actions require your body to have postural strength, coordination, and balance, it's moving while bearing a load.
Engaging your core is essential for a well-rounded exercise routine. The core is a complex system of muscles that spans the torso (the area below the arms and above the legs) stabilising the spine during both static and dynamic movements, helping you maintain good posture and prevent injury.
Carry examples: Farmer carry, suitcase carry, overhead carry
Core examples: Planks, side planks, bird dog, dead bug
What next….
Make these movement patterns the basis of your workouts. Select exercises and build up your workout so that each movement is covered.
Master the movement pattern unloaded, add load slowly
Train consistently, repetition is key
Mix the exercises up, variety is really important too
Train for life!
Hilly Fields Run Sessions & Mace Masters Strength for Runners 9:45am Saturdays Stone Circle, Hilly Fields. £10 per session, Trial session free.
For personalised advice or more information, please get in touch.
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