How to Care for Correct Movement Patterns

The notion of a movement pattern may appear somewhat intricate to certain individuals, even those who engage in regular training. So, what precisely is a movement pattern? It is a grouping of specific movements that the body must carry out for us to move, transport something, or adjust our position. Even from a tender age, mastering one fundamental movement pattern, such as walking, poses a challenge for human beings. Some individuals still have not perfected this motion, and they commit errors while taking ordinary steps, sometimes due to negligence, other times due to strength disparities or postural flaws. These aspects considerably affect the caliber of movement patterns and will play a significant role during their execution. For instance, foot dysfunction, like its bowing, will result in the walking movement pattern being disrupted. There are numerous movement patterns as each one corresponds to a specific facet of the body's motion. The rudimentary patterns that can be differentiated are: - stable torso position and its preservation in a static position, - locomotion (crawling, walking, mode of mobility), - squat, - hip hinge, - pulling towards the body, - pushing away from the body, - torso rotation. The aforementioned seven movement patterns are accountable for how the body moves. To guarantee that all components operate in unison, one must adhere to a fitting training program that encompasses every movement pattern. If any one of them is disregarded, the body will be vulnerable to dysfunctions. Retaining appropriate equilibrium and sustaining it over the years will diminish the risk of injuries and sustain the health of the musculoskeletal system. I deem this a compelling rationale to organize a training program in such a manner that it incorporates laboring on each movement pattern. Subsequently, all movement patterns will be elucidated. It is advantageous to acquaint oneself with this data.

At present, few individuals are focusing on maintaining the correct posture during the simplest of activities. Why? In this position, of course, the feet are our only support, on which the entire bodyweight rests, and they are the only ones with direct contact with the ground, because each of us has a unique body structure, and thus each will require a slightly different position. Imposing a single scheme or template would be simply detrimental. We do not want that! In the standing position, it is worth paying attention to the position of the feet.

From a young age, the first movement pattern that a child wants to perform is moving on all fours, also known as crawling. Regardless of the conditions, every child tries to move from point A to point B. The child's body is not yet developed enough to stand upright and reach the goal. Crawling helps the child to move, as it is also a movement pattern for locomotion that activates many other movement patterns. Crawling is a way of moving using all body parts that promotes overall coordination of the limbs, strengthens the muscles of the torso, arms, and legs, and supports the development of dynamics and speed. Not without reason, the bear plank training and its other variations were developed, which are a great way to restore proper body positioning and fully utilize the potential of the training. Below, we present films showing 38 exercises performed in the support position, which will help restore the neutral position of the spine. If we master the crawling position, which is not easy, we can move on to walking. Walking is the alternating placement of feet, but not everyone does it well. In segment C and D, the position seems ideal, but not everyone is able to achieve this, as disturbances in the body effectively prevent it. It is important to check if our feet are symmetrical. It is best to consult a physiotherapist who will help locate problems if they exist.

This is one of the fundamental movements in strength training that we've had in the past few years (and not only), and it works great in the diagnosis of the motor system. It's because of the deep squat that we can assess the mobility, stability, and correctness of the muscle tension sequences. This is an exercise that I think everyone should do. The deep squat is also a position that we've been accustomed to in the past few years. Unfortunately, as we grow older, most people lose the ability to perform the deep squat due to limitations in joint and muscle mobility. Therefore, if you want to maintain your mobility, you need to make sure that you perform squats correctly and maintain optimal joint and muscle mobility.

This is definitely my favorite movement pattern, but most people overlook it, and the correct execution of this pattern not only avoids the most problems. It takes many weeks to master the hip hinge pattern completely. However, it is worth focusing on it and mastering it to perfection, because in the hip joint, by activating its extensors, we can generate a lot of force. If we use this movement pattern correctly, it will not only be very good for the glute muscles, but it will also make us stronger when performing complex movements, such as the deadlift. What is hip flexion? It is a joint movement in the hip that we should perform when squatting, jumping, and when picking up objects from the floor. It is the safest and strongest position we can take when lifting objects from the floor. Most back injuries are related to improper bending and not using the hip joint movement. Everyone bends every day, but if we do it wrong, it can lead to serious health problems. Therefore, it is important to bend correctly, as shown in the attached picture.

This motion pattern is equally important as others. The attraction to the body can be useful in many situations, so it is important to be prepared for this. A controlled pattern of attraction will allow you to perform pull-ups and climbing correctly. P. Wade, author of the publication "Sentenced to Exercise... The Prison Pattern", which is about training using one's own body weight, has written very wise words that everyone should know. "[...] primates are the only species that can move from branch to branch using their front limbs. This ability is called brachiation. Modern humans have retained all the physical characteristics of brachiators, so every sensible training program in history has included an appropriate dose of hanging exercises. Not without reason, as soon as children have the opportunity, they run to the playground to the "monkey bars"." It is worth asking now how many people are able to hold for 120 seconds in the hammock or how many pull-ups we can do? This shows that humans in today's times are weakened. Training such patterns as attraction to the body, regardless of whether in a vertical or horizontal position, allows for maintaining balance in the upper body. A big advantage of hanging training is increasing the space between the disks that we constantly load. During long-term sitting or standing, the spine is not relieved. Hammocks are the only way to relieve the spine and allow for better nutrition of the space between the disks, e.g., through better blood flow and improved lymph flow.

This is another movement pattern that allows for maintaining balance between the front and back parts of the torso. This exercise should occur more frequently in each workout. Although pushing away from the body, similar to pulling towards the body, can be performed in a horizontal or vertical position. We should train in both positions to prevent any imbalance. The simplest movement utilizing this pattern is the classic pump.

Body rotation is another movement pattern that is currently neglected and not practiced. This element is valuable to implement in training like all the previous ones. Body rotations are particularly useful when we are concerned with the proper functioning of the abdominal muscles and the muscles responsible for rotation. The rotation of the body and the mobility of the thoracic spine are further aspects that are hardly noticed at the moment. Every physiotherapist is committed to enabling limited rotation in the thoracic spine. This can be achieved through the performance of appropriate exercises, e.g., from yoga. Remember that an incorrect movement pattern can be a risk factor for injuries and reduced mobility. Executing and using each movement pattern in training enables maintaining the ability and health of the movement system for many years. Exercises that allow the development of the correct movement pattern, such as body rotation, are: – world greatest stretch (on the above image), – pallof press, – woodchopper, – trunk rotation.

In this piece, I have presented the majority of information about movement patterns. Each of us should consider whether our training program includes all of these elements. If we are conscious individuals, we teach other basic movement patterns that we can use properly to maintain health. Our parents or grandparents often cannot use patterns like hip hinges or squats, and it could help them function better in their daily lives. It should be noted that all movement patterns should be developed evenly and none of them should be neglected, as movement patterns have an impact on each other and are interconnected, which is why omitting or neglecting one pattern can have detrimental effects on our body.