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You’re Missing Out If You Aren’t Doing This.
If you’re a partaker in any of the many sub-categories of the fitness world, it’s probably only a few swipes on whatever social media app that fits your fancy until you are bombarded with the latest and greatest new exercise, or in the BJJ world… technique.
Which if you break it down, it’s commonly some sort of variation of an already well established movement. The problem for whoever is recommending it to you is trying to sell you something, make themselves an expert in the field, or maybe one day become a top influencer.
And as much as I despise what the typical influencer these days stands for (no experience, chasing viral clout, and focuses on producing & consuming slop), I can’t fault them. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that whatever they are presenting actually seems to be working really well for them… but unfortunately they’re advertising it as the best. Which is where you’ll lose me if I haven’t already moved on.
So why am I pointing this out?
It’s because with the rise in output on social media and everyone trying to become the expert online, we’re coming further and further away from what actually works. The stuff that helps people progress past beginner. This is in weightlifting, martial arts, and even something like reading.
You have to learn your ABCs and pronunciations… then keep practicing with words, sentences, and paragraphs. If you didn’t learn these fundamentals, you wouldn’t be able to read, at least not very well.
This is the same across the board of sport and training.
“Isn’t it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned?”
Fundamentals Are Valuable At All Levels and Disciplines
Regardless of your sport, you want to be focusing on these key points:
-Squat (Knee-dominant / lower body push)
Bending at the knees and hips to lower the body while keeping the torso relatively upright.
Everyday: Sitting down/standing up, picking something up in front of you.
Exercises: Squats, goblet squats, pistol squats, leg press variations.
-Hinge (Hip-dominant / lower body pull)
Bending primarily at the hips with minimal knee bend, loading the posterior chain.
Everyday: Picking something up off the ground with good form, bending to tie shoes.
Exercises: Deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, kettlebell swings, good mornings.
-Rotation / Anti-Rotation (Core / torso twisting & resisting twist)
Rotating the torso or resisting rotational forces (often considered a core essential).
Everyday: Throwing a ball, swinging a bat/racket, turning to look behind you.
Exercises: Russian twists, woodchoppers, Pallof press, anti-rotation planks.
-Lunge (Unilateral lower body)
Stepping forward/backward/sideways, emphasizing single-leg stability and balance.
Everyday: Walking up stairs, stepping over obstacles, recovering from a trip.
Exercises: Walking lunges, reverse lunges, Bulgarian split squats, step-ups.
-Push (Upper body pressing)
Moving resistance (or bodyweight) away from the torso, horizontally or vertically.
Everyday: Pushing a door open, getting up from the floor, throwing.
Exercises: Push-ups, bench press, overhead press, dips.
-Pull (Upper body pulling)
Drawing resistance (or bodyweight) toward the torso.
Everyday: Pulling a door closed, climbing, rowing a boat.
Exercises: Pull-ups, rows, dead hangs, face pulls.
-Carry / Gait (Loaded movement / walking-running-carrying)
Moving while bearing load or simply propelling the body forward/backward.
Everyday: Carrying groceries, walking/running, hiking with a pack.
Exercises: Farmer's carries, suitcase carries, overhead carries, sled pushes, running.
There is a structure you should be hitting throughout your training split. Not everything needs to be hit with in a session; but generally a run through your routine should cover most of these bases.
They translate over to every sport that is physically demanding in strength, force production, body control, speed, agility, etc…
Even if you’re solely a physique athlete, these should still be your base.
I’m not advocating that people do, but the bare minimum of performing all of these movements can be a bar and some weights. Which I’m sure some of you could even make simpler.
My overall goal here is to remind you that the fundamentals are what matter the most and should be perfected. Be an expert in these patterns. Do not alter your weight training to “mimic’ your sport.
As I get myself ready for this BJJ comp I’m entering, I’m learning more and more how important it is to just drill/train the basic stuff. Because at the end of the day, they make you the best at whatever your craft is.
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