Part Two: Upper Body Emphasis
In this blog, we will discuss the upper body’s foundational movement patterns. This is a continuation of the last blog post about the lower body foundational movement patterns. The patterns that we will go over are used in our daily lives quite often. Getting strong within these movement patterns is key to mitigating the risk of injuries and preventing chronic pain from developing.
The first upper body movement we will go over is the push. There are two different types of pushing movements (horizontal, and vertical) that we follow. Horizontal pushing can be compared to pushing a door open, mowing the lawn, or pushing a baby in a stroller. A great way to train this pattern would be as simple as a push-up. There are many other variations you can use such as a dumbbell bench press, sled push away, med ball chest drives, etc. As long as you are pushing something with resistance on a path that is horizontal you will get the results you are looking for. The vertical pushing can be compared to reaching up to put the shampoo back in the shower or putting a pan back on the top shelf in the cabinet. A great way to train this pattern would be a half-kneeling single-arm dumbbell overhead press. Double arm presses are a great option as well. If you struggle with shoulder mobility a landmine press would be a good option for you as it is more of a semicircle press at an angle. This will be more strength and power-based. Our daily lives do require us to go overhead with one arm a bit more often than two though. Doing single extremity work is also a great way to fix strength imbalances from side to side.
The second upper body movement to go over is the pull. Again, just like pushing we do this in both a horizontal and vertical fashion. A horizontal pull can be compared to pulling a door open, pulling boxes off of shelves, operating machines at work, using tools, etc. (Pushing and Pulling – General) An easy way to train this movement pattern would be an inverted row on a barbell or suspension trainer like TRX straps. Once you master these bodyweight movements you can move into horizontal pulling exercises using free weights. Vertical pulling can be thought of as the opposite of vertical pushing. Examples of vertical pulling are; pulling the shampoo off of the top basket in the shower, or grabbing a pan from the top shelf in a cabinet. The best way to train this pattern would be a pull-up. If pull-ups are too difficult to complete you can use a band for assistance, use an inverted pull-up variation, use an assisted pull-up machine, or just start by doing latissimus dorsi pull-downs with either a cable stack of weights or a band.
The last upper body movement pattern to cover is the carry. This may be the most functional and foundational movement pattern of them all. There are so many different ways to compare a loaded carry to daily life. Whether it be something as simple as carrying your groceries from the car to the house, or a farmer walking around with bales of hay. Carrying things around is a daily requirement. Your performance will suffer if you have neglected to train your core in standing or walking(6 FOUNDATIONAL MOVEMENTS EVERY PERSON ON EARTH NEEDS TO MASTER). The more you train this pattern with heavy loads (Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Trap bars, etc.), and correct posture the easier carrying things around on a daily basis will become.
Written By; Josh Molli
References:
Pushing and Pulling – General Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, April 3rd, 2017
6 FOUNDATIONAL MOVEMENTS EVERY PERSON ON EARTH NEEDS TO MASTER By Dr. John Rusin
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