Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Evolve: The Beauty of the Push, the Pull, & the Squat: #1


When I design a workout plan for the week, I desire to attack every large muscle group. Part of my thought process in designing a balanced exercise routine is to break all groups of exercises into three blocks with some overlap*: 1) Push 2) Pull 3) Squat. My reason to do this is because these three movements are used everyday you move. The gym should be a place of practice (learning proper technique and form) and strength building- all that will enhance and make your life outside the gym easier. I also realize that gym time is limited for most so focusing on these types of exercises minimizes and wasteful movements that cannot translate into real life movements. For example, push movements occur when you push a door open or move something away from you. Secondly, pull movements occur when you pull open doors or pick up things from the group. Lastly, the squat occurs merely when you sit or stand from a chair. Catering your workouts to these three types of movements will make everyday movements that much easier. Imagine how easy picking up a grocery bag from the ground would be if you could squat twice your body weight in the gym!

My Top 3 Push/Pull/Squat Movements:
  1. Body Squat
  2. Pull up or lat pull down
  3. Push ups or bench Press (flat or incline with dumbells or barbell)
*One last note: Push, Pull, and Squat movements tend to be compound/multi-joint exercises meaning each exercise enlists more than one muscle group. This allows you to work more things at once, which gives you a harder workout and saves you time in the gym!




We have been squatting since we could stand: Keeping this movement as flexible and strong as possible will make all tasks easier and mechanically-sound for your back. As the saying goes "Lift with your legs, not with your back!"


Stay Tuned! Part 2 Coming Soon