For several decades now, people have seen the squat and deadlift as the primary functional lifts. While they are important movement patterns, and must be trained accordingly, they are not the most critical capacities determining how much pain you live with.
The movement responsible for that is actually…
Walking
Yup, walking. Disappointed? Surprised? you shouldn’t be.
Pick any day of your life, you have performed more steps than squats or deadlifts. It’s deeper than that. For millennia, your ancestors engaged the gait cycle more than any other motion, and their survival was intimately linked to how well they executed this “lift”.
You must understand, the structure of an animal changes over thousands of generations based on the method it used to get from point A to B
Disclaimer: I am not suggesting walking/running should be anyone’s prime method of exercise, or even that people arbitrarily walk or run more.
What I am suggesting is, if your workouts don’t result in a more optimal gait cycle, in walking that’s more effortless, in running that’s more efficient, then not only are you leaving yourself “weak” in the most important “lift” for a human, but your are probably setting yourself up for pain.
What I am suggesting is training in ways that are dynamic, fun, and varied and result in more rebound, recoil and output in gait.
This is the goal of training I have with my clients.
Start any day with more effortless propulsion and see if you don’t handle stress better, stand taller, and meet the day with more confidence.
Having a better walk, which implies a better engine, makes life more accessible, its that simple.