I was talking to one of the classes the other day about being human. Of course, we are all human but I posed the question of being human from a movement capability.
I’ve written about comforts, drugs (medicine) and modern inventions that take us further away from human movement patterns, before.
Cars, for example, now replace walking (the most basic human movement) for a lot of people. Of course, these type of advances are great and allow us to travel further quicker. The problem is when you drive less than a few kilometers when you could easily walk.
Sleeping on a bed may prevent some people from ever having to get up off of the floor!!! What happens when they get older and fall over? It seems silly to think of but there are a lot of people out there who cannot get off the floor without assistance! Are they even human?
There is a lot written about what the fundamental human movement patterns are. I think there are possibly 7:
- Squat
- Hinge
- Lunge
- Push
- Pull
- Rotation
- Gait
The first 5 are pretty self-explanatory but 6 and 7 are a little different. I once heard that not being able to clean oneself is the biggest reason for elderly people going into retirement homes. I’m not sure of the source but it was mentioned that thoracic (upper back) rotation was the biggest problem. It is crucial to be able to twist and rotate the spine in all directions.
Number 7 is gait – essentially this is walking or the way someone walks. Obviously pretty essential to being a human.
I think the above 7 fundamental movements can be attained by 3 exercises:
- A pull up – this covers pattern 5. I think this is an essential movement to be able to climb. In survival situations, a human needs to be able to lift their body weight over some kind of object.
- A burpee – this covers pattern 1, 2, 3, & 4 (now you see why we do them). Depending on how you execute a burpee, the lunge or squat position can be used. While they are certainly not perfect squats or lunges, the basic action is happening. The push and hinge are clear necessities for a burpee.
- Running – this covers pattern 6 & 7. When you run your spine needs to rotate to allow your hips to rise as you stride.
These 3 simple movements should be attainable for all humans. The pull up causes problems for a lot of people and requires a mix of adequate strength and bodyfat. The more body fat you have, the more strength you need and vice versa.
Running also causes people problems with knee pain etc. Again, adequate strength is needed in the correct muscles to enable pain-free running. Heavier body weight will require more strength.
By no means am I saying these three movements are the only ones you should work on to become fitter and stronger, but these should be doable by anyone at any time!