Growing up, my dad had a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Modern Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding in the house.
I read it voraciously and used it to build my own training plans throughout middle school and high school.
I got way stronger and added a bunch of muscle mass.
But, I also had frequently recurrent hamstring strains and had to have a sports hernia surgery as soon as I got on campus in college.
I got bigger and stronger, but I also got slower.
One of the best things to happen to me was getting the flu before my junior year. I dropped a bunch of weight and got my speed back.
I learned early on that not all training is the same.
You need to get out of the “chest and tri’s, back and bi’s, and leg day” trap.
If your goal is to be more athletic, then you need to train like an athlete.
You need to abandon the bro split.
Your training splits should revolve around movement patterns, not muscle isolation.
When you prioritize training movements, you’re going to hit all the muscles that you need to target.
The reverse isn’t true.
The major movement patterns are: hinges, squats, presses, and rows.
Hinge
A hinge is lower body compound movement characterized by more hip bend than knee bend (eccentric hip flexion vs knee flexion).
Hinges primarily target the posterior chain hip extensors (glutes and hamstrings).
Hinges can be bilateral or unilateral.
Hinge exercises include: RDLs, trap bar deadlifts, single-leg RDLs, hip thrusts, nordic hamstring curls, cleans, barbell deadlifts, and more.
Hip extension is vital to athletic performance. Hip and knee extension combine to put force into the ground to propel us in the direction we want to go.
Explosive activities such as the vertical jump and sprinting are heavily reliant on powerful hip extension.
Additionally, the ability to hip hinge is key to many athletic positions.
Rotational sports, such as golf and baseball, require a hip hinge stance for efficient power generation.
The stance of a press corner or a lockdown defender in basketball often includes a flat back and slightly bent knees, which is characteristic of a hip hinge.
Squat
A squat is a lower body compound movement characterized by more knee bend than hip bend (eccentric knee flexion vs hip flexion).
Squats primarily target the anterior chain knee extensors (quadriceps).
Some examples include split squats, back squats, front squats, reverse lunges, and step-ups.
Squats can be bilateral or unilateral. Both bilateral and unilateral lifts have their place and time, but the importance of unilateral squatting ability for athletic performance cannot be overstated.
Athletes are on one leg for the majority of time during their sport.
Knee extension on one leg is vital for absorbing and producing force. For example, when an athlete is sprinting and goes to change direction, she gets into a split squat position, produces eccentric knee flexion in order to stop her forward momentum, and concentric knee extension in order to propel herself.
For these reasons, if forced to choose between bilateral squatting and unilateral squatting, I prioritize unilateral versions. (But in reality, that’s usually a false dichotomy and it doesn’t have to be an either/or.)
The Hinge → Squat Continuum
It’s important to realize that exercises aren’t always purely squats or purely hinges.
There’s typically some elements of both.
We can consider these exercises to be part of a continuum, with more hip dominance on the left and more knee dominance on the right.
RDL → Barbell Deadlift → Trap Bar Deadlift → Barbell Back Squat → Front Squat
Press
A press is an upper body compound movement characterized by concentric shoulder flexion and elbow extension.
It targets the pecs, triceps, and anterior deltoids.
Presses can be horizontal or vertical. They can also be bilateral or unilateral.
Examples include bench press, landmine press, incline press, push-ups, and more.
Presses are utilized all the time in sporting movements.
A very pure example is when an offensive lineman is pass blocking.
But, presses are also useful in developing other qualities, such as throwing, where forceful elbow extension is needed.
Row
A row is an upper body compound movement characterized by concentric shoulder extension and elbow flexion.
It targets the rhomboids, traps, posterior deltoids, lats, and biceps.
Rows can be horizontal or vertical. Rows can also be bilateral or unilateral.
Examples include bent over rows, inverted rows, chin-ups, lat pull downs, cable mid-rows, band pullaparts, and more.
Rowing movements can be seen in combat sports where grabbing and manipulating an opponent is needed.
They are probably more useful, though, for developing power in swinging movements such as throwing or spiking where violent shoulder extension is needed to generate force.
The Rest
The compound movements are our bread and butter, but isolating structures can be necessary to fill the gaps between what the compound movements provide and what your individual weaknesses are.
Isolating structures can be used as a way to prehab/rehab, but it can also be useful for enhancing performance.
Structures that we commonly isolate are:
– Core (in a variety of different ways, but that will be covered in another post)
– Rotator cuff
– Quadriceps
– Calf/achilles
– Intrinsic foot muscles
– Biceps
– Neck
Take Action:
1) Stop focusing on body parts and bro splits.
2) Program one exercise from each of the major movement patterns each day that you strength train (unless you’re going back to back days).
3) Fill in isolation exercises to address weaknesses.
4) Execute the program with elite intensity and consistency to achieve big time results.
Best,
Zach
Dr. Zach Guiser, PT, DPT, CSCS