Guide to Building a Training Plan - Part 2
As we covered in Part 1, strength training should be the foundation of our exercise plan. The next question then, is what should we be doing?
Enter Movement Based Training
The human body can only move in a set number of ways and every activity we do is made up of one of these fundamental movement patterns. These movements should be the building blocks of every training plan for every individual, at every level, from beginner through to advanced.
Below is a breakdown of each movement and their corresponding exercises:
Hip Hinge (Deadlift & Swing)
Squat (Goblet Squat & Front Squat)
Single Leg (Split Squat, Lateral Squat & Single Leg RDL)
Horizontal Pull (Inverted Row & Single Arm Row)
Horizontal Push (Bench Press, DB Bench Press & Pushup)
Vertical Pull (Chin Up & Lat Pulldown)
Vertical Push (Landmine Press, Single Arm Press & Overhead Press)
Core Stability (Plank, Rollout, Pallof Press & Suitcase Hold)
Rotation (Chop & Medicine Ball Throws)
Gait (Carry, Sled Push & Bear Crawl)
The goal is to make sure each movement pattern is covered over the course of a training week and structured in a way that allows them to compliment each other to drive an overall improvement in strength, work capacity and movement skills.
With this is mind, below is an example of an effective training template for beginners that are training 2-3 days per week:
Workout A
Workout B
* If you are training three times per week, alternate workout A and B so that you do both workouts three times each over a two-week period. For example:
Week 1 - A-B-A
Week 2 - B-A-B
One final note - When we begin a new training schedule such as the one above, it is important to prioritise movement quality and form before adding more weight. It won’t take long before you are able to overload each exercise, and when you do, it will be much more rewarding.
