We were born for movement.
But we weren’t born knowing what movement is.
Below are a few ideas that come to my mind when thinking of the first movements we make after we’re born:
- Kicking
- Waving
- Breathing
- Blinking
When it comes to moving this might not seem like much. But with time, a blinking glance becomes a searching look and a waving arm becomes a grasping hand.
These small foundations are the movements that make the rest of our lives.
We learn movements like sitting upright, which take us the shortest distances. Or the supine to prone roll, helping us move from our backs to our hands and knees so that we can crawl.
The distance is small but it grows larger by the day.
Perhaps curiosity leads the way – or perhaps impatience pushes us to move forward with our lives.
But whether it’s impatience or curiosity – going forward means moving. From the earliest moment of the day, we wake up from the stillness of sleep.
Moving from our bed to the rest of our life. The bathroom, kitchen, car, to work, and back home again.
Movement is everywhere in between.
But we can forget that easily when our attention gets pulled away into other things like work, friends, screens, and news.
Movement happens automatically in the background while we pay attention to everything else.
Our life and busy routines overwhelm our attention.
And the connection we have to our body decreases when our attention gets divided elsewhere.
The mind-body connection gets fuzzy and distant.
But what if we want to improve our mind-body connection again?
To become more deeply aware of the space we occupy. And to be mindful of the changes that occur as we move.
To start we’ll have to use the mind.
And begin with a reminder of the basic movements that brought us to where we are today.
The next section of this article will be an overview of basic land movements. Ordered by developmental stage starting with look and ending with jump.
This isn’t meant to be exhaustive, but to outline the origins of more complex movements that we build upon as we age.
Basic Human Land Movements
What are we left with when we return to the basics?
When we remove other people and focus on the simple motions that form the building blocks of our actions.
Becoming more mentally aware of our body’s functions can help us expand our self-image.
This is to say, we can enhance the clarity with which we are able to see ourselves.
The below list is a useful reminder for enhancing this self awareness. Especially when beginning a new movement training practice.
Overview of Human Land Movements
| Movement | Definition |
| Look | To direct one’s gaze in a specific direction, often used in sports to coordinate with a teammate or track a moving object or opponent. |
| Reach | To stretch out an arm in a specific direction in order to touch or grasp something, used in many sports including weightlifting and gymnastics that require strength when reaching and grabbing objects. |
| Grasp | To take hold of something tightly with the hand, often used in weightlifting, gymnastics, and other sports that require holding onto objects or equipment with increasing levels of strength. |
| Roll | A technique used to conduct the motion of one’s body from side to side or forward and backward. Can be used to absorb impact of a jump or fall by tucking the head and shoulder to distribute the force of the landing across the body. Often used in gymnastics, dance, and other sports that involve rolling or tumbling. |
| Crawl | Crawl is a form of locomotion that involves moving forward on one’s hands and knees or belly. In this form of movement, the hands and feet are in contact with the ground, and the body is kept close to the ground. |
| Stand | To be in an upright position on one’s feet, often used as a starting position for various movements and exercises. |
| Sit | To be in a position on the ground in which one’s weight is supported by one’s buttocks rather than one’s feet, like in cross-legged, kneeling, or seiza. Often used as a starting position for various movements and exercises. |
| Walk | To move forward by alternating to a new weight-bearing foot while the other foot is swinging forward. This is accomplished by a complex interplay between muscles, joints, and the nervous system, and is one of the primary ways in which humans move through their environment. |
| Step Up | Motion performed by standing in front of an elevated surface and then lifting one foot onto the surface, using the leg muscles to lift the body up and onto the surface. The other foot is then brought up to join the first foot, with the person now standing on the elevated surface. |
| Climb | To ascend or move up something, such as stairs, rope, or a ladder, using the feet and sometimes the hands, often used in rock climbing, hiking, and other sports or activities that involve ascending a vertical surface. |
| Run | Moving quickly and rhythmically by repeatedly lifting and landing the feet while moving forward. It is a natural and efficient way for humans to move through their environment, and is one of the most popular and accessible forms of exercise. |
| Jump | To lift off from a surface using force and propel upwards or forwards, usually with the intention of landing on another surface or in a different location. The act of jumping involves a transfer of energy from the legs, which exert force against the ground, resulting in an upward motion that overcomes the force of gravity. |
Intentional Movement: Using Repetition for Building Strength
To build strength in these basic human land movements, repetition is key.
But what is repetition really?
Repetition is a fundamental principle of exercise training that is essential for building strength, endurance, and overall physical function.
When we perform a movement repeatedly, our body adapts to the stress and becomes stronger and more efficient at performing that movement.
Over time, this repetition can lead to physical adaptation which cant take a few forms:
- Increased muscle mass
- Improved cardiovascular function
- Greater flexibility
With this in mind we can see how repetition and programmatic training form the basics for improving our physical health and function.
The next step is to determine the best place to begin.
For those who are new to exercise or have been inactive for a period of time, it’s important to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity and duration of exercise over time.
This can take patience and commitment, which is why it’s important to start with the basics, such as standing and sitting.
To get an idea of the very basics of training these basic land movements, the following table can provide an overview.
| Exercise | Description |
| Chair squats | Stand in front of a chair and lower your body down as if you were going to sit in the chair. Pause at the bottom, then stand back up. |
| Wall sit | Stand with your back against a wall and lower your body down as if you were sitting in a chair. Hold this position for as long as you can, then stand back up. |
| Seated leg raises | Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Lift one leg up until it is straight, then lower it back down. Repeat on the other leg. |
| Sit-to-stand | Sit in a chair and stand up using only your legs. Then sit back down in the chair. |
These exercises are simple and can be done almost anywhere.
This makes them a great way to incorporate movement into your daily routine.
You can improve your strength and physical function by focusing on proper form. While increasing the difficulty over time.
As we progress in our program, we can move on from the relatively simple sit-to-stand and squat-to-stand movements.
Then to more complex Turkish get-ups, lunges, and crawls.
While the bear crawl and crab walk movements which require greater strength and coordination.
And finally, the inchworm movement incorporates flexibility.
These exercises can be modified to suit different fitness levels. This makes them accessible to beginners and more advanced practitioners.
There are many other variations of exercises you can try in your training routine. And doing so today will allow you to move with greater ease and confidence in your daily life.
| Exercise | Description |
| Ground Sit to stand | Starting from a ground seated position, stand up using only your legs. Repeat for multiple repetitions. |
| Squat to stand | From a squat position, stand up while keeping your feet flat on the ground. Repeat for multiple repetitions. |
| Turkish get-up | To perform a Turkish Get-Up, the person typically starts by lying on their back on the ground, holding a weight, such as a kettlebell, in one hand. They then use a series of movements, including rolling onto one side, coming up onto the elbow, and then pushing up onto the hand, to rise to a standing position while keeping the weight overhead. The movement is then reversed to return to the starting position. |
| Lunges | The movement involves stepping forward with one foot and lowering the body down until the front knee is bent at a 90-degree angle, while the back knee is bent and the heel is lifted off the ground. The front foot is then pushed back to the starting position and the movement is repeated with the other leg. |
| Bear crawl | To perform a bear crawl, the person typically starts in a quadrupedal position with their hands and feet on the ground, and then lifts their knees slightly off the ground so that they are hovering just above the surface. They then move forward by taking small steps with the hands and feet, maintaining the hovering knee position throughout the movement. |
| Crab walk | Sit on the ground with your hands behind your back and your feet flat on the ground. Lift your hips off the ground and walk forward using your hands and feet. Return to the starting position and repeat for multiple repetitions. |
| Inchworm | Starting from a standing position, walk your hands forward until you reach a plank position. Walk your feet up to your hands and stand back up. Repeat for multiple repetitions. |
The movements in this table show a few possible progressions that add difficulty and require more coordination to sit-stand exercises.
Once you have mastered the foundational movements, move on to more complex movements.
Running and climbing are great examples of more complex movements that can be added to your routine. And eventually accessories can be added to your training.
However, it’s important to remember to start with a small number of repetitions and gradually increase over time.
This approach will help prevent injury and ensure that the body is able to adjust to the new movements.
It will also improve your recovery capacity. So instead of always burning out on every workout, we can develop our ability to bounce back.
As you progress, it’s critical to pay close attention to your body.
Focus on proper form and technique to avoid injury and optimize results.
Additionally, don’t forget to listen to your body and adjust your routine accordingly. It’s important to push yourself, but not to the point of injury.
Remember, every movement counts, and progress is made one repetition at a time.