The Big 6 For Advanced Lifters Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training The Big 6 For Advanced Lifters Variations of the Foundational Movement Patterns by Jason Brown August 25, 2020February 28, 2021 Tags Training LEAD IMAGE PHOTO CREDIT: BRANDON MUI, RX PHOTOGRAPHY Lifters love to add a little novelty to their training. But advanced lifters know that too much variability and too many "fluff exercises" can take away from their gains. The fix? Keep your focus on the big six – the six foundational movement patterns, that is – but add some variety within those patterns. As a refresher, the big six are: Squatting Hip-hinging Pushing Pulling (both vertically and horizontally) Lunging Carrying Just keep these guidelines in mind when planning your workouts: Make the six movement patterns the base of your workouts and program design. Sprinkle in a variety of assistance exercises and change them out every 2-3 weeks. Isolation exercises are still fine. You can focus on singular muscles, but don't let them crowd out your big six. The Big Six Variations You've got a ton of choices, but here are the ones I recommend that you're probably not doing. 1 Squat – But Add a Box and Some Bands The box squat separates the concentric and eccentric phases of the lift making them far easier to recover from while still achieving the same cumulative training effects. It also reinforces good motor patterns. You can use it as a speed-strength measure or a maximal strength measure. If you've mastered the box squat already, adding bands that pull from the front will be a "nice" change. This is considered to be reactive neuromuscular training (RNT). It increases the demand across the whole front side of your body. Your ability to brace through dynamic movement is paramount. Bands turn a simple lift into more of a stability challenge, so you can still reap the same benefits of the box squat while adding a bit of novelty. 2 Hip-Hinge – Add a Trap Bar and Maybe Some More Bands The trap bar completely changes the position of the load, bringing it closer to your center of mass. This creates a different gravity line. This variation is much more lower-back friendly than a traditional deadlift. Add reverse bands to the mix and you effectively increase loading capacity while NOT losing the ability to refine your hip-hinge pattern. In fact, most equate reverse band use with supramaximal loading, and this certainly can be one advantage when used for true max-effort work. More important though, reverse bands allow for better mechanics even with less familiar loads. For this reason, I prefer to use reverse bands in a submaximal setting with sets of 3-6 reps. 3 Push – Add Load and Overcome Oscillation The push-up is about as foundational as it gets for a pushing pattern, but it's often butchered or half-repped. Hopefully you're doing legitimate full-range chest to floor push-ups. If you can do numerous full ROM reps and you're ready for a challenge, add resistance and a bit of oscillatory motion. By using a neutral-grip bar either on a rack or the floor you'll increase the amount of stability required. By adding more loading (in this case with a weight vest) you'll change the training stimulus and make the push-up less of a pure endurance-based movement. 4 Vertical Pull – Drop the Weight for a Drop Set The pull-up is the king of all bodyweight movements. If you've already gotten it down, then you've got some options. A less known one? The contrast method. Secure a dumbbell between your feet and hit three reps, then release the dumbbell and crank out 3-5 more strict reps. The contrast of additional weight to bodyweight provides a neuromuscular component allowing you to feel like you can perform more strict reps. The level of difficulty of holding a dumbbell between your feet places more demand on the core than a standard dip-belt weighted pull-up. 4 5 Horizontal Pull – Crank up the Volume We're still on pulling because you'll need both a vertical and horizontal pull... plus everyone knows rows are required for a big, strong back. This variation is perfect as a high-volume finisher. So grab a heavy band and an incline bench. Attach your band in the rack at the lowest point. While this variation is challenging, aim higher than 8-12 reps per set. Think more like 25-plus reps per set. Try adding isometric holds too. Do 10 explosive reps, then a 10 second hold. Go for 3 sets. If you use a strong enough band this should sting! 5 Lunge – Bring up the Back Foot and Go Deep The rear foot elevated split squat (RFESS) is quite possibly one of the most well-known and highly regarded single-leg exercises. Add a barbell in the front rack position and not only do you have an increased level of difficulty, but you've also increased loading capacity compared to what you'd get holding dumbbells in your hands. If you've got one, try a Safety Squat bar which, while it's not mandatory, provides a different challenge than a standard straight bar. This variation works well for both speed sets (lighter loads of 3 explosive reps per leg), submaximal sets of 5-6 reps per leg, or straight hypertrophy work for 8-12 reps per set. 6 Carry – Rack It Up and Get Strong Loading up and taking a walk is a surprisingly effective tool in both strength and conditioning scenarios. The front rack carry is relatively easy to get into position. If you can take it outside to avoid hitting people with your bar, even better. Try using heavier loads for shorter distances for a strength emphasis. Do 4-6 sets of 20-30 yards. One caveat: Hold the barbell with arms crossed (bodybuilder style) since walking in a true front rack position could be uncomfortable and stressful for the forearm extensors. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip The Suitcase Lunge Bulletproof your body with this lunge variation. Perform alternating lunges while holding the weight on one side only. Exercise Coaching, Glutes, Legs, Tips Drew Murphy June 29 Training Kettlebell Workout for Big Delts Not every kettlebell workout involves swinging. These three exercises build carryover overhead strength and, of course, big shoulders. 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