I’ve been asked plenty of times what I think the best movements are for different things like strength or muscle gain or fat loss or If I had to pick just 1 to do for the rest of my life what it would be.
Today I was thinking about what 3 movements I would recommend to anyone and everyone that would be the foundation of health and fitness, things that everyone and anyone should be able to do for the rest of their life to be strong, fit and healthy. 3 Movements I’d want my Kids and my Grandparents to be able to do.
If you can maintain your ability to do all 3 of these movements for life you will be able to play with you grandchildren, go on vacation and live in a house with stairs until the day you finally leave us here on earth.
1. Squat- The squat pattern whether its with no weight or 500 pounds on your back is essential in life to move and play, to walk upstairs, to get on and off the toilet, to have good mobility and a strong core, to build and maintain muscle and bone density. It doesn’t matter what variety you use from air and goblet squats to front and overhead variations. The Squat is king! Focus on your mobility first to squat to full depth and then add weight to improve core and leg strength and stability. You will never ever regret maintaining your ability to squat and squat well.
2. Deadlift– Picking things up off the ground and putting them back down is essential to life in so many ways. Want to help move your couch from room to room or house to house you better be able to pick things up. Wanna pick your grandkids up for hugs and kisses? You better be able to brace and squeeze and hold those chubby babies! The amount of core and back strength you develop deadlifting is unmatched exercise to exercise. I like all variations from Conventional to Trap bar to single leg!
3. Burpees- I know I know maybe this is not what you thought #3 would be but hear me out, I have an argument I don’t think you can win. We need something on this list that gets your heart rate up, Check. We need something on this list that shows they importance of getting up and down off of the ground, check. We need something on this list that can work both upper, lower and core together, check. It becomes more and more important as we get older to be able to get up and down off the ground without pain and with ease. Burpees is your key to movement and a healthy heart all at the same time.
Teach an older person to do all three of these things well and watch their quality of life skyrocket, teach a younger person to do all these things properly and watch their ability to play sports and do activities skyrocket. These are Coach Dan’s 3 Movements to keep you strong, fit and healthy for life.
If you enjoy this please send it to a friend or family member who might learn something or be inspired to move more! If you think I missed a movement send me an email with your explanation, I’d love to hear it.
Have an awesome day!
Coach Daniel