So let’s talk body movements common to many sports.  Why??  Well, here’s the deal.  If you spend your time honing & perfecting these movement patterns, ALL your sports get better!  Remember that doing any sport – be it mtn biking, golfing, XC skiing, skateboarding – requires your body to work in coordinated patterns.  These patterns require muscles & groups of muscles to simultaneously contract & relax…which is why training movement patterns positively impacts your performance more dramatically than simply making specific muscles stronger.  Who wouldn’t want that, right??!!  

As a coach I identify 6 basic movement patterns for sport.  When I develop strength training programs for my athletes I prescribe exercises that train each of these.  This ensures that the athlete develops in a well-rounded, complete way.  

The 6 movement patterns (and how to train them) are:

Movement 1 – Triple Extension

Triple Extension forms the basis of most sport motions. The “triple” refers to extension of the 3 lower body joints – the hip, knee & ankle. Think about running, biking, the flutter kick in swimming, skiing…all derive power from the extension of these 3 lower body joints. To Train: Do Squats, Deadlifts (bent-knee), Lunges, Jumps of all kinds.

Movement 2 – Single Leg Stance

Any kind of movement on land (running, walking, skiing, yes…even cycling) requires that you stabilize on one leg while coordinating movement of the other leg. In order to successfully do this movement, you need to train not only your balancing skills, but also the core strength to keep your hips level when one leg is lifted. To Train: Step-Ups, Moving Lunges, Box Touch-Downs.

Movement 3 – Hip Hinge

Hip Hinge is a power movement which activates our “powerhouse” muscles – glutes & hamstrings. While it is part of Triple Extension, it’s such an important movement that it’s worth training all by itself. When your foot hits the ground in running or you press your feet into the ground to jump, you’re hip hinging. To Train: Hip Bridges, Romanian Deadlift (straight-leg) (shown in pics below).

Movement 4 – Pushing

Pushes are the Triple Extension of the upper body – a coordinated movement of the shoulder, elbow & wrist. Pushes can be done overhead (volleyball) or to the front (throwing & swinging motions). To Train: Push-Ups, Bench Press, Overhead Press. The 10×10 Workout below has lots of push exercises!

Movement 5 – Pulls

Pulls are the opposite motion of Pushes & require coordinated flexion of the shoulder, elbow & wrist. This movement is a bit less common in sport, but certain sports require a fair amount of pulling. The arm motions of swimming, gymnastics & climbing on a mtn bike all require strong pull motions. To Train: Pull-Ups, Rows of all kinds.

Movement 6 – Bracing

Bracing is not really a movement. Rather it’s an anti-movement – the ability to stabilize & minimize movement in the core. This is necessary in order to improve transfer of power between the upper & lower body. Without excellent bracing, runners’ hips drop causing power loss & potential knee injuries. With great bracing, swimmers are unable to maintain a strong, straight spine which is critical to power generation. To Train: Planks of all kinds (see 10×10 Workout below for Plank ideas).