The Six Fundamental Movement Patterns and Why They Matter for Everyday Life
At Unique Performance Coaching, we constantly remind clients that one of the key aims of the programme is to become a more well-balanced human.
Whether you are an office worker or an athlete, chances are you have experienced pain at some point. When the body lacks balance across key movement patterns, that pain often becomes recurring rather than occasional. Over time, if balance is not addressed, future discomfort and injury become more likely.
The core message is simple.
If we can help you move better, you are far more likely to feel better, both now and in the future.
To support this, our programmes are built around what we call the six fundamental movement patterns. These movements form the foundation of the UPC approach and appear consistently within the programme.
We know from experience that if you build strength, control, and confidence across these patterns, there is very little in day-to-day life that you will struggle with. When movement or strength is missing in one or more of these areas, injury risk increases and overall health tends to decline.
The Six Fundamental Movement Patterns
Squat
Lunge
Hinge
Push
Pull
Carry
For those who have exercised before, these movements may be familiar from gym or class-based settings. However, their true value goes far beyond training sessions. We place such high importance on them because of how directly they transfer to everyday life.
How These Movements Show Up in Real Life
Think about a typical day.
Squat
Getting up and down from a chair or the toilet.
Lunge
Reaching down to the floor, gardening, or engaging with your child.
Hinge
Picking something up from the floor, especially heavier items like a suitcase.
Push
Getting up from the floor, pushing an object away, or manual work.
Pull
Helping someone up, opening cupboards, pulling yourself towards something, or manual labour.
Carry
Carrying shopping, tools, rubbish to the bin, or children from one place to another.
If you think about something as simple as picking a baby up, placing them into a car seat, carrying the seat to the car, opening the door, safely attaching the seat, closing the door, then getting into the car yourself, you will likely have covered all six movement patterns in just a few minutes.
This is why we consider them fundamental, not optional.
What About Rotation?
Rotation is absolutely important for healthy movement, and we fully acknowledge its value.
However, rotation is rarely loaded heavily in everyday life. Because of this, it holds slightly less emphasis within the core structure of the UPC programme. That said, we work hard to include rotational movement within warm-ups and cool-downs to support joint health, mobility, and long-term pain-free movement.
You will still see specific work aimed at improving rotation, just in a way that supports overall health rather than overloading it.
How Do I Get Better and Stronger at These Movements?
The answer is refreshingly simple.
Turn up and follow the programme.
Avoid cherry-picking workouts. When certain movements are repeatedly skipped, gaps in strength and control begin to appear over time. If you are weaker in a particular pattern, we work to improve it. If you are already strong, we at least maintain it.
The goal is balance across the body.
For those who want to go deeper, we also work with specific benchmarks and numbers to support joint health and long-term resilience. Just as some people focus on body composition, others prioritise pain-free movement and healthy joints.
Both matter.
Iām a Total Beginner, Where Do I Start?
Start with the basics.
Focus on learning good movement and solid technique. Once confidence improves, load can be added gradually. The UPC Club programming is designed to guide this process safely and progressively.
You do not need to rush.
What If I Want a More Advanced Programme?
While balance is always the foundation, we understand that some people want to progress further.
Once the building blocks of health are in place, we introduce more complex movements for those ready for the next stage. The UPC programme is designed to support everyone, from complete beginners through to highly experienced and elite-level trainers.
Strong foundations first.
Progress built on purpose.
Want These Fundamentals Built Into Your Training?
If you want the six fundamental movement patterns structured properly into your weekly training, with clear progression and balance across the body, the UPC Club does exactly that.
Every session is designed to help you move better, get stronger, and build long-term health without guesswork.
š Find out more about the UPC Club here: