5 Movement Types for a Balanced Workout - Cooper Aerobics Skip to Main Content
Home Blog Fitness Files 5 Movement Types for a Balanced Workout

5 Movement Types for a Balanced Workout

Did you know to see the results you desire from your workouts, your routine should include five types of movement? Learn more from Professional Fitness Trainer Chris Parker, MS.
Women lifting weights

Categories

Creating a fitness plan is essential to establishing and accomplishing your goals. But designing a balanced plan that involves all muscles in the body is essential to reaching your ultimate fitness goal. Chris Parker, MS, Professional Fitness Trainer at Cooper Fitness Center, says “working certain body parts more than others creates an imbalance throughout the body. Creating a proper plan is key to ensuring you are getting the most out of your workout.” For example, Parker shares that weightlifters who focus on the development of their upper muscle groups can, over time, cause poor posture evident by a forward rolling of the shoulders. “This poor posture can cause pain or injury in the shoulder joint due to muscle imbalances between the anterior and posterior muscles associated with the shoulder. It also leads to a decrease in lifting performance as both shortened anterior muscles and lengthened posterior muscles become weaker and less efficient at completing their job.”

To avoid an imbalanced workout, Parker explains the top five movement types that should be included in your new or existing fitness plan.
1. Lower Body Push: This lower body movement type is meant to “push” an object away from you. This push is done using primarily quadriceps as well as your glutes depending on the exercise. Examples of lower body push exercises are:
  • Squats
  • Lunges
  • Machine Knee Extensions
2. Lower Body Pulls: This movement is performed by using the lower posterior muscles: glutes and hamstrings. Instead of pushing an object away, you pull the object toward your body. Examples of lower body pulls are:
  • Romanian Deadlifts
  • Slide board Hamstring Curl
  • Machine Leg Curls
3. Upper Body Push: This movement requires the use of your chest, shoulders and triceps. Examples of upper body push exercises are:
  • Bench Press
  • Push-ups
  • Dumbbell Press
4. Upper Body Pulls: This movement type targets your back muscles including your lats, rhomboids and traps. This movement also incorporates your biceps.
  • Pull-ups
  • Seated Row
  • Lat Pulldown
5. Core Workouts: Your core consists of your lower back, hips and stomach. Examples of core exercises are:
  • Cable Chops
  • Side Planks
  • Stability Ball Crunches
Parker recommends two to three sets of 8-15 reps for each movement type for a typical strength training program. “Based on your weekly fitness plan, these movements can be spread throughout your week,” says Parker. Below are two examples of incorporating all five movements into your week.
  1. Complete full-body workouts consisting of each movement type can be done twice a week, preferably with 2-3 days of rest in between.

  2. Completing 1-2 movements per day six days per week is a helpful way to increase the volume for each movement type in your weekly routine. For example, you may pair both upper body movement types two days per week, pair both lower body movement types two days per week and complete a variety of core exercises two days per week.
These five movements allow for a variety of different exercises, so changing up your fitness routine with these new movement types may be what you need to reach your goals. Parker says “when you’re trying a new exercise, it can feel uncomfortable and awkward, but that’s normal. Taking the time to practice and feel comfortable with new exercises will result in a more balanced body.”

For more information about creating a balanced fitness plan with a Cooper Fitness Center’s Professional Fitness Trainer, visit cooperfitnesscenter.com or call 972.233.4832.