One Of The Most Crucial Movement Pattern As An Adult

My clients train movement patterns, not individual muscles. That is the way our brains work. And while there are optimal muscle-firing patterns for exercises, our brains simply want to get the job done.

The first pattern I teach is bending at the knees, squatting. This movement pattern worsens as we age. Just watch any toddler bend down, and you will see a perfect squat: heels flat on the ground, thighs parallel to the ground, and an erect spine.

As adults who sit too much, we lose the ability to squat down without pain in our knees and backs. And we need to be able to do that whether we're lifting things off the floor or sitting down to go to the bathroom. We use the Goblet Squat with our adult clients to help them regain this lost movement pattern for several reasons.

#1. It's a way to add external load without impacting the spine.

#2. By holding the Dumbbell above and below the sternum (your breast bone), clients can tell when they're rounding their back because the dumbbell moves off their chest.

The video below demonstrates excellent form in a squat-to-bench. His feet are shoulder-width apart, hips driving back as he bends his knees, lowering with control and a straight spine. We added the additional challenge of combining a partial bench rise with a full rise.