Before you begin any kind of fitness or strength training, it is important to be knowledgeable of the form and function of the exercises you are performing. This will give you confidence in your hard work and help you reach your fitness goals.
Today's Ripken Playbook Play of the Day will teach you the Foundational Movements of strength training from our Healthy Choices, Healthy Children—Fitness Edition and then help you apply what you learned to your own strength training workouts.
The following are six Foundational Movements – key elements of any strength training routine:
- Plank
- Squat
- Push
- Pull
- Hinge
- Rotation
Materials
- Pen/Pencil
- Access to the Healthy Choices, Healthy Children -- Fitness Edition (it’s free, easy, and quick to sign-up!)
- Foundational Movements worksheet
Questions
- Do you know any strength training exercises which use one or more of the Foundational Movements? If none come to mind, reference the Healthy Choices, Healthy Children – Fitness Edition.
- What are some everyday movements or activities that may involve one or multiple Foundational Movements?
Brainstorm
Using your worksheet, write down all of the exercises you can think of that use one or more of the Foundational Movements. Discuss what you wrote with a friend or family member.
Get Moving!
After you have written at least one exercise in each box on your worksheet, it is time for you to try them for yourself! See how many reps of each exercise you can do or how long you can perform each one. Try to perform each exercise for 15-minutes total (or more if you can!). Challenge a family member or friend to workout with you and beat your best times.