Chris Grolla, R.Kin.
Your typical gym routine has been abruptly brought to a halt. We get it. It’s been a real pain for both of us…But we have to find a way to keep moving! The benefits of physical activity reach so much further than just your performance. It helps your heart, blood vessels, brain, Central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, hormone balances, anxiety, nervousness, and attentiveness. You get the point!
So in our effort to ease the weight-pumping, cardio-machine-thrashing withdrawal, I have a home solution to propose to you; STICK TO THE FUNCTIONAL FUNDAMENTALS! That’s right, the fundamentals. As humans we push, pull, and lift (squat). Three movements we can take our bodies through, each with numerous modifications or variations. For those of you missing out on resistance and circuit type work, or are looking to make the most of your time, give this some thought.
The reason why training our fundamental movements are so important is embedded in the way we have been performing physical tasks since we were cavemen (and cavewomen). Imagine, a hairier near-naked version of you, moving and lifting stones to make shelter. You’d use your pulling muscle group to dislodge the stone from the ground, you’d recruit your pushing muscle group to roll it towards its final destination, and then, lastly, you’d squat down, wrapping your fingers around the rock, and with those thighs peeking out from behind your loin cloth, lift the rock to its final resting spot.
The point is, our body moves in specific ways that we were designed for. So despite this unfortunate time, unable to choose from a plethora of gym equipment, I challenge you to get back to the fundamentals of human movement! Explore taking multiple muscle groups and joints through a nice full functional range of motion.
Check out our Instagram or Facebook page to see a handful of exercise ideas for each one of our three fundamental movements, and train that body in ways it loves to move!