Movement Patterns: Train Like You Live, Fight, And Play

Your gym routine is a lie.

Life doesn’t happen in perfect planes. You don’t live on machines. Reality is messy, rotational, unpredictable.

Yet most people train like robots. Up and down. Forward and back. Like pistons in an engine.

Then they throw out their back reaching for groceries. Tear a hamstring playing with kids. Get injured doing… life.

Time to train for the life you actually live.

The Movement Reality Check

Here’s how you move daily.

You rotate to grab things. Squat to pick up objects. Reach overhead while twisting. Carry uneven loads. Get up from the ground. Stabilize on one leg. Push and pull simultaneously.

Now look at your workout:

• Bench press (lying on back)
• Leg press (seated)
• Bicep curls (isolation)
• Crunches (spinal flexion)

See the disconnect?

The Seven Primal Patterns

Every human movement breaks down to seven patterns. Master these. Master life.

1. Squat (The King)

Life applications: getting off the toilet, picking up kids, gardening

Variations:

• Goblet squat
• Front squat
• Bulgarian split squat
• Pistol squat

Train it like you live it. Various depths, speeds, and loads.

2. Hinge (The Power Generator)

Life applications: picking up anything, explosive movements

Variations:

• Deadlift
• Romanian deadlift
• Single-leg deadlift
• Kettlebell swing

The most important pattern most people skip.

3. Push (The Space Creator)

Life applications: getting up, pushing doors, defensive movements

Variations:

• Push-up variations
• Overhead press
• Single-arm press
• Explosive med ball throws

Train all angles. Horizontal. Vertical. Single arm.

4. Pull (The World Mover)

Life applications: opening things, climbing, pulling yourself up

Variations:

• Pull-ups/Chin-ups
• Rows (all angles)
• Face pulls
• Rope climbs

If you can’t pull your bodyweight, you’re not ready for life.

5. Carry (The Functional King)

Life applications: groceries, luggage, children, everything

Variations:

• Farmer’s walk
• Suitcase carry
• Overhead carry
• Mixed carries

Most underrated. Most applicable. Most ignored.

6. Rotate (The Athletic Secret)

Life applications: throwing, swinging, reaching across the body

Variations:

• Medicine ball throws
• Woodchoppers
• Pallof press
• Turkish get-ups

Rotation = Power = Aesthetics. Triple win.

7. Gait (The Foundation)

Life applications: walking, running, climbing stairs

Variations:

• Walking
• Running
• Crawling
• Stair climbing

If your gait sucks, everything upstream suffers.

The Plane Truth Nobody Discusses

Your body moves in three planes:

1. Sagittal (forward/back)
2. Frontal (side to side)
3. Transverse (rotation)

Most training: 90% sagittal, 10% frontal, 0% transverse.

Real life: 33% each.

See the problem?

The Mobility-Stability Continuum

Every joint needs either mobility or stability. Get it wrong and you’re injured.

Mobility joints:

• Ankles
• Hips
• Thoracic spine
• Shoulders

Stability joints:

• Feet
• Knees
• Lumbar spine
• Scapulae

Train accordingly or pay the price.

Loaded Movement: Where Magic Happens

Unloaded movement is kindergarten. Loaded movement is university.

Progressive loading:

1. Bodyweight perfect form
2. Light external load
3. Heavier load
4. Unilateral loading
5. Unstable surface
6. Explosive execution

Each level must be earned. Not rushed.

The Rotational Power Revolution

Rotation is where aesthetics meet athletics.

Benefits:

• Carved obliques
• Tighter waist
• Athletic power
• Injury prevention
• Real-world strength

Essential rotational work:

• Medicine ball slams (all angles)
• Landmine rotations
• Cable woodchops
• Rotational throws
• Turkish get-ups

Stop training like a robot. Start training like an athlete.

Ground-Based Movement: Your Fountain Of Youth

Getting up and down from the ground predicts longevity better than any biomarker.

In a 6.3-year study of 2,002 adults aged 51-80, those scoring 0-3 points (requiring multiple supports) had 5-6 times higher death rates than those scoring 8-10 points. Each 1-point improvement reduced mortality risk by 21%—making functional movement a stronger predictor than cholesterol levels or blood pressure readings.¹.

Ground movement progression:

• Rolling patterns
• Crawling variations
• Get-ups
• Ground-to-standing
• Loaded ground work

Can’t get up without hands? Your body is aging faster than your years.

The Carry Prescription

If I could only do 3 exercises for life, one would be carries.

Weekly carry minimums:

• Farmer’s walk: 2 minutes total
• Suitcase carry: 1 minute each side
• Overhead carry: 30 seconds each arm
• Mixed carries: 2 minutes total

Start with 50% bodyweight. Build to 100%.

Integration Over Isolation

Muscles don’t work in isolation. Neither should your training.

Instead of:

• Bicep curls → Chin-ups
• Tricep extensions → Dips
• Leg curls → Romanian deadlifts
• Calf raises → Hill sprints

Train movements. Let muscles figure it out.

The Flow State: Movement Medicine

Movement should flow, not fragment.

Flow sequences:

• Turkish get-up (7 movements in one)
• Bear crawl to squat to press
• Burpee variations
• Animal flow patterns
• Yoga vinyasas

When movement flows, injuries don’t.

Assessment: Can You Move?

Basic movement standards:

• Deep squat: 2 minutes
• Single-leg stand: 30 seconds eyes closed
• Overhead reach: Full range both arms
• Toe touch: Palms flat on ground
• Get up: No hands from ground

Can’t do these? You’re not training. You’re compensating.

The Movement Prescription

Your body doesn’t care about your good intentions. It responds to consistent action. Here’s your non-negotiable movement foundation.

Daily minimums:

• Morning: 5-minute movement flow
• Hourly: Movement snack (30 seconds)
• Training: Full-body patterns
• Evening: Relaxation flow

Weekly requirements:

• Squat pattern: 3x/week
• Hinge pattern: 3x/week
• Push/Pull: 2x/week each
• Carry: 2x/week
• Rotation: 2x/week
• Ground work: Daily

Movement Snacks: The Secret Weapon

Every hour, move:

• 10 squats
• 5 push-ups
• 20-second plank
• Arm circles
• Neck rolls

Small deposits. Massive returns.

The Injury Prevention Matrix

Most injuries are preventable movement failures.

Common failures:

• Tight hips → Back pain
• Weak glutes → Knee pain
• Poor thoracic mobility → Shoulder pain
• Weak core → Everything pain

Fix the movement. Fix the pain.

Your Movement Evolution Plan

Week 1-4: Assessment and basics

• Test all patterns
• Film yourself
• Find limitations
• Master bodyweight

Week 5-8: Load and progress

• Add external load
• Increase complexity
• Maintain quality
• Track improvement

Week 9-12: Integration

• Combine patterns
• Add rotation
• Challenge stability
• Build flow

Ongoing: Mastery

• Refine forever
• Add variety
• Stay curious
• Move daily

The Bottom Line

You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your movement patterns.

Train like a bodybuilder, move like one—stiff, limited, fragile.

Train like life, move like water—fluid, adaptable, unstoppable.

The gym isn’t preparation for life. Life is the gym.

Every movement either builds you up or breaks you down. Every pattern either serves you or enslaves you.

Choose movement mastery. Choose life mastery.

Got insights about movement training? Let us hear it!

References

1. Brito LB, et al. (2014). “Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality.” European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 21(7), 892-898. ↩︎