Fitness is constantly changing...

Yet it's not.

Human physiology is human physiology.

That's not really changing anytime soon :)

The pillars, the foundation, has never changed...

What changes is the creativeness of exercises within those pillars, and the methods/coaching as to how they're delivered.

But lets start with the pilllars....

1. Squat: This is the most common ones. There are 1000 ways to squat, and that's where the individualization comes in, but since a baby we have all been squatting.

2. Hinge: This category is the usually the toughest to master. This includes exercises like deadlift variations, lunges, swings, etc. It's where instead of the knee (squat) doing the majority of the work, most of the movement comes from extending the hips (sticking your butt out). Again, 1000 ways to hinge, but we all do it.

3. Push: This is upperbody pushing. Whether it's pressing a pair of dumbbells, or doing a push-up, everytime you push something it's going to work the same muscles. Now, how you press, the exercise choice, the angle, and other things are where the individualization comes into play, but every program should have a push.

4. Pull: This is the upperbody oppoiste of the push. Think exercises like rows, chin-ups, etc. Anytime you're pulling something it's working the back, and again, 1000 ways to pull, but we all have to do it.

5. Carry/Core: So we've hit the upper limbs and the lower limbs. Now it's time for the midsection. Exercises like direct ab work, pallof presses, carry variations, and any other direct core work would fall into this category. We all could benefit from a stronger core.

6. Metabolic/Movement: This is a big category that involves anything where you're in locomotion. This could be things like running, rowing, biking, pushing a sled, doing jumping jacks, etc. The goal with this is to MOVE, and thus, get your heart rate up.

So there you have it...

The 6 pillars of movement.

If you look at any program in the world, any exercise in existence, they all fall into one of these 6 categories.

Why is that important?

Action.

The magic is not in the exercise selection.

I'm not saying it's not important, but the magic is in the repetetions behind it, and the coaching to go along with it.

You could spend all day picking the perfect exercises under each category, but if you don't stay consistent with the actual work of it (getting workouts in) you won't have much to show for it.

Also, all of those pillars sound great, but most of the lingo I used up there you might have to google go understand, and how do you know you're doing it correctly.

There's a lot that goes into the basic squat.

I say that because it's not the exercise selection that is highest priority, it's the quality and quantitiy of reps behind it.

Are you being coached on how to do each exercise correctly and are you staying consistent with the regimine at least a couple times a week?

I think it's important to "take a peak under the hood" and understand what goes into a program...

But I always remind people of a great analogy I like to use...

When you go to the mechanic because the brakes on your car don't work, you just want your car to stop. You don't really care about what tool they use, or what brand drill they have. You just want your car to work right.

Fitness is the same thing. Go to a mechanic (a good coach), and go there with a goal of a result. What is the result you want to achieve? If a good coach knows that, that's all you should have to worry about. They'll take care of the rest. They'll use the tools they deem appropriate and safe, and design the best plan of action. All you care about is what's the result (does my car work)?

I thought it would be fun to "look under the hood" on exercise programming this morning.

I hope you enjoyed it.

I'll be back tomorrow with an awesome post from Coach Kim.

1% Better.

Dedicated to Your Success,

Doug Spurling

PS: If you're looking for a good coach we have a few of them :) Just reply to this e-mail with your biggeest struggle and we'll go from there.