10,000 WORKOUTS IN10 MINUTES
Movement-based Programmingby Matt King, M.Ed., CSCS and Dixie Stanforth, Ph.D.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
This article introduces the reader to the functional philosophies of
movement-based programming, providing both a theoretical and
practical basis for implementation. Understanding the template and
foundational methods will enable practitioners to create strategic
programs adaptable for any demographic, training goal, or special
population.
Key words:Functional Training, Program Design, Personal Training, Conditioning,Circuit Training
The aim of this article is to present a
plan for program design that is con-
sistent with the principles of functional
training while being user friendly and adaptable
to any situation. This article presents the ‘‘MBP
Method,’’ with foundational principles, structure,
and adaptations. MBP stands for movement-
based programming, which describes the philos-
ophy behind the structural template. The MBP
Method describes how to use the template, which
includes the creation of an exercise database by
pairing each movement in the template to a tool
and a system to tweak exercises and adapt the
workout for different goals. The general ideas of
this method are not original V in fact, they are
simply variations of work done by other leaders
in the fitness industry (10). The originality is
the presentation, purpose, and organization of
the method. MBP is a system that empowers the
user to create a large number of workouts in a
small amount of time. The MBP Method is
simple, with principles and guidelines that help
the fitness professional develop high-quality
functional workouts for his or her clientele.
The templates and strategies presented in this
article are designed for healthy clientele who are
cleared for regular exercise programs. Future
articles will explore modifications of programs
for specific injuries or health conditions.
The benefits of physical activity and exercise
are well understood (2), but ‘‘how’’ to train
most effectively and efficiently is a challenge.
The ever-evolving answer to ‘‘How?’’ has
transformed functional training into a buzzword
in the fitness industry. Unfortunately, there is a
lack of consensus as to the definition of
functional training. For example, simply doing
bicep curls while standing on a Bosu ball does
not make that exercise more functional, just
more difficult. Our definition of ‘‘functional
training’’ is a systematic approach to training
that is authentic to true neuromuscular function
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during human movement. Gary Gray, founder of the Gray
Institute and known as a pioneer in functional rehabilitation and
training, has developed a philosophy called ‘‘applied functional
sciences’’ (7). Applied functional science is a biomechanical
approach to understanding how the neuromuscular system
reacts and operates during movement; viewing training in this
fashion is markedly different from traditional programs, which
developed from a study of structural anatomy.
TRAIN MOVEMENT NOT MUSCLESThe foundation of MBP lies in the comparison of structural
anatomy versus functional anatomy. Structural anatomy is based
on individually dissected tissues, focusing on the independent
concentric function of each muscle and the preventive capabilities
of ligaments. This ‘‘medical model’’ creates a more isolated
approach where foot pain is treated by a foot doctor, but in reality,
the problem may be stemming from tight calves or hypermobile
hips. Many industry leaders have written about this topic,
highlighting the reductionist nature of structural anatomy
(4Y6,8,9). In general, structural anatomy:
1. presents the independent function of each muscle,
2. stresses the agonist-antagonist relationship of muscles
3. emphasizes the concentric action of muscles,
4. ignores the role of fascia in movement regulation, and
5. tends to have a single-plane emphasis.
The structural model does not address the role of the nervous
system during movement, whereas the functional model does.
Understanding how the body functions during movement can
change how we choose to train it. Human motion is task driven
(5). One does not think about consciously contracting every
muscle with the right force at the right time and in the proper
sequence to kick a soccer ball. Instead, he is conscious of the
task and lets the nervous system regulate muscle activity to
complete it. The structural model targets individual muscles.
Training function does not isolate single muscles; instead, it
trains the neuromuscular system. The idea of developing train-
ing systems based on movement and task rather than anatomy is
gaining traction in the fitness industry (5,9,12). MBP is an
approach that emphasizes training the nervous system rather than
training through muscular isolation. Traditional exercises that
have been used for years, such as bicep curls or leg extensions,
are useful for increasing strength or size of the individual
muscles but lack the training stimulus of different muscle groups
working together in sequence to perform a functional task.
Repeated Sandbell squat tosses, however, train both the biceps
and hamstring groups but do so in an integrated fashion that
reflects how they are used during functional activities one
encounters in sport or everyday life.
THE MBP METHOD
The MBP TemplateThere are hundreds ofmuscles in the body, and to create a workout
program with exercises to address the concentric action of each
would be inefficient and functionally inauthentic. Rather than
creating a ‘‘Back and Bi’s’’ day or a ‘‘Bench and Squat’’ day,
consider what the upper and lower body can functionally ‘‘do.’’ As
mentioned previously, other fitness professionals have developed
TABLE 1: Movement-based ProgrammingTemplate for Program Design With ArrowsDemonstrating Order of Flow
TABLE 2: Sample Modality/Movement List
Tool Push Pull Double Leg Single Leg
Bodyweight Push ups Pull ups Bodyweight squats Lunges
Barbell Push press Bent over row Back squat Box step ups
Dumbbell Shoulder complex Single arm row Jump squats Walking lunges
Cable pulley Pulley punch Base stance row Shoulder squats Belt lunges
Medicine ball Chest pass Slams Jump toss Lunge matrix
Sandbell Single arm toss High pulls Squat slams Lunge slams
Dynamax ball Chest pass Jump slams Squat throws Single leg throws
ViPR Shoulder press Cross tilt rows Squat shifts Shoulder lunges
Rubber band Horizontal press Horizontal row Band squats Band lunges
TRX band Push ups Rows Squat jumps Single leg squats
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similar movement templates with slightly different categories and
application, such as what are commonly termed ‘‘pillars of
training.’’ These ‘‘pillars’’ typically include locomotion, pushing/
pulling, rotation, and raising/lowering the center of mass (10). The
MBP template offers a slightly different perspective to simplify
movement categorization, which is always task driven. Because
the main purpose of the legs is to absorb and transmit ground
reaction forces to facilitate movement (11), which includes both
pushing and pulling simultaneously, we categorize lower body
exercises as either double (DL) or single leg (SL). Similarly,
upper body actions use either one or two arms to either push or
pull depending on the task. The final action is locomotion, where
the body moves from point A to point B. There are arguably
infinite categories of what the body can do, but from a training
perspective, push, pull, DL, SL, and locomotion provide an
uncomplicated, but well-balanced, template.
The MBP template is a planar circuit alternating lower and
upper body-dominant exercises. The order is always Push, DL,
Pull, SL, Locomotion. The benefits of circuit-style training have
been well documented (1,3). Training one plane per round
represents a common workout order and is a great place to start
for most clients, as depicted in Table 1. Assign each round a
different plane of motion, and tweak each exercise to reflect
movement in that plane. Not only does assigning a round to
each plane of motion make the workout functionally authentic,
but movements stay fresh and engagement is high because
the client will never repeat the exact movement twice in any
workout.
Modality MadnessThe first application of theMBPMethod is to show trainers how to
use modalities and not let modalities, or training tools, use them.
All too often trainers categorize modalities by what part of the
body that tool typically trains. For example, a medicine ball is a
‘‘core’’ tool, and dumbbells are arm or shoulder tools. But any tool
can train any motion, if used correctly. The first step is to make a
list of all the modalities available to you and come up with a
pushing, pulling, DL, and SL exercise using each tool. For
examples, refer to Table 2; recognizing that the exercises you
develop for each tool and movement becomes your exercise
‘‘library.’’ The larger the exercise library, the greater the diversity
and choice you will have when creating workouts.
The most important modality for creating a workout is
bodyweight. Not only will you always have this tool available,
Figure 1. a, Neutral (XXX). b, Sagittal tweak (RXX). c, Sagittal tweak (LXX).
Figure 2. a, Frontal tweak (XNX). b, Frontal tweak (XWX). c, Transverse tweak (XXI). d, Transverse tweak (XXE).
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10,000 Workouts in 10 Minutes
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but it also serves as an ideal baseline workout. If your workout
space offers at least nine different modalities and you include
bodyweight as one, you have 10 different workouts to implement
using only one modality at a time. Once you start mixing
modalities in the same circuit, the possible combinations become
104 = 10,000 different workouts V and that is before you even
start tweaking different variables. Here’s how it works. If you
have 10 ‘‘tools’’ to use as modalities and you created a list of 10
push exercises, 10 DL exercises, 10 pull, and 10 SL, you would
have a database of 40 exercises. However, because you can mix
modalities in any given circuit, there are now 10,000 possible
exercise combinations (10 Push � 10 DL � 10 Pull � 10 SL).
Just two different exercises per modality in each category will
increase the combination potential to 204 = 160,000. That is a
large reward for 10 minutes’ worth of brainstorming! Once you
build your exercise catalog, choose a tool and insert it into the
MBP template.
Tweaking Out!‘‘Tweaking’’ is changing an exercise with logical purpose (6).
Understanding how to tweak an exercise for each plane is pivotal
for success in using MBP. There are unlimited ways to tweak
different exercises for each plane of movement, but for this article,
we will examine three: preset, finish, and center of gravity.
The first is the preset tweak, in which you change the
starting position of joints involved in the movement. A good
example is using a preset tweak for squats: changing the
starting position of the hips by changing the position of the feet
in each plane, which in turn will influence the hips. Gray
named this strategic positioning the SFT Syntax (S = Sagittal,
F = Frontal, T = Transverse, X = Neutral) (7). The SFT uses a
three-letter coding system for positioning the feet outside of
neutral base stance. The first letter always tells you the foot
position in the sagittal plane, the second always tells you the
foot position in the frontal plane, and the third tells you the foot
position in the transverse plane. For example, feet shoulder
width apart, parallel to each other, and toes straight ahead sets
the hips to anatomically neutral in all three planes (XXX =
Neutral Base Stance). Step the right foot forward a couple
of inches and the right hip is preset into flexion and the left
hip is preset into extension while both remain neutral in the
frontal and transverse planes, creating a sagittal plane tweak
(RXX = Right Foot Forward, LXX = Left Foot Forward)
(Fig. 1). Positioning the feet into a narrow stance (XNX =
Narrow Stance) presets both hips to an adducted position,
whereas positioning the feet to a wide stance (XWX = Wide
Stance) abducts both hips for frontal plane tweaks. Turning the
toes in creates internal rotation at each hip (XXI = Internally
Rotated), and turning the toes out creates external rotation in
each hip (XXE = Externally Rotated) (Fig. 2).
Here is an example of the SFT Syntax applied to MBP using
DL exercises with a preset tweak. The circuit calls for barbell
TABLE 3: Sample Movement-based Programming Template Implemented With Tri-Plane, Tweak,and Locomotion
Movement Exercise Round 1 (Sagittal) Round 2 (Frontal) Round 3 (Transverse)
Push 1. Dumbbell shoulder matrix Alt Ant and Post Press �5 Alt SSL and OSL Press �5 Alt Rot in front and behind press �5
Double leg 2. Bodyweight squat jumps RXX �5/LXX �5 XWX �5/XNX �5 XXI �5/XXE �5
Pull 3. Pulley squat rows RXX �5/LXX �5 XWX �5/XNX �5 XXI �5/XXE �5
Single leg 4. Dumb bell lunge matrix Anterior lunges �5 each Lateral lunges �5 each Rotational lunges �5 each
Locomotion 5. Locomotion Anterior sprint � 40 yards Lateral shuffles � 20 yards S-pattern skips � 40 yards
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squats at three sets of 10. Round 1 has five reps with the right
foot forward (RXX) and five with the left foot forward (LXX).
Round 2 includes five reps with the feet in a wide stance
(XWX) and five with the feet in a narrow stance (XNX). Round
3 has five reps with toes turned inward (XXI) and five reps with
toes turned outward (XXE). Refer to Table 3 for an example.
Changing where an exercise ends is a finish tweak. Consider
the dumbbell shoulder press as an example. Pressing slightly
anteriorly or posteriorly is an example of a sagittal plane tweak.
Pressing overhead toward the opposite shoulder (OSL) or
outside the same side shoulder (SSL) is a frontal plane tweak.
Pressing with rotation in front or rotation behind is a transverse
tweak (Fig. 3). These deviations from neutral provide stimuli to
the entire system not found with the traditional press. For
example, pressing overhead and slightly anterior forces the entire
posterior chain to decelerate the spinal flexion, just like when
you reach for a door handle. Pressing overhead to the posterior
creates a spinal extension that has to be decelerated by the whole
body, especially the anterior core muscles and hip flexors,
similar to catching a football overhead. Pressing overhead to the
opposite lateral side doesn’t just train the shoulder but also
numerous other muscles, such as the same side obliques and hip
abductors, as well as the opposite side hip adductors. Each
reach provides different stimuli that will train the system in a
way that more closely resembles demands put on the body in
everyday life.
The third tweak alters center of gravity to make the exercise
tri-planar. When applied to the standard anterior lunge, stepping
laterally creates a frontal lunge, and stepping with rotation makes
it a transverse lunge. Figure 4 shows application of a center of
gravity tweak using dumbbell reaches in the same plane as the
lunge (Fig. 4). The lower body has to absorb and decelerate
ground reaction forces in multiple planes in a nonlinear fashion.
It is just as important for someone to control lateral or rotational
movement.
These tweaks aren’t limited to the obvious upper and lower
body exercises. You can use the SFT Syntax for a squat press to
teach a client how to create upper body power from different hip
positions. Coming upwith different ways to tweak an exercise in a
safe and effective manner is great practice to think through
movements and also will expand the exercise library.
Do the LocomotionLocomotion is the last exercise in each round of the MBP
template. The three basic modes of locomotion are the walk,
skip, and run. They represent an intensity continuum from
low to high and may be performed in all three planes. Any
sequence where you move forward or backward is considered a
sagittal motion. Any side to side motion, such as running
sideways, is a frontal locomotive pattern. Transverse locomo-
tion requires that you move in a curved or circular path. Using
each of these patterns is not only important from a holistic
approach but also allows for a more creative energy system
development.
You now have all the necessary information to fill out the
MBP template using exercises with your chosen modality in all
three planes while moving from push Y9 DL Y9 pull Y9 SL Y9
locomotion. Table 3 provides a sample workout.
Figure 4. Center of gravity tweak. a, Sagittal. b, Frontal. c, Transverse.
Figure 3. Sagittal finish tweak. a, Anterior. b, Posterior; frontal finish tweak. c, Opposite side. d, Same side; transverse finish tweak. e, Front rotation. f, Rearrotation.
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10,000 Workouts in 10 Minutes
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Overloaded on OverloadUnderstanding that overload isn’t just ‘‘adding more weight’’ is
essential when using MBP for program design. Remember, the
idea behind MBP is to train the neuromuscular system, not
just the muscles. The bench press is an excellent exercise to
increase pectoral and triceps strength, but how often do you find
yourself needing to recruit those muscles repeatedly while lying
flat on your back? The idea of ‘‘overload’’ should be to
challenge the system in as many ways as possible to adequately
prepare the body for what it will encounter in real life, which is
much more than simply generating greater force. Coaching a
client to move the same amount of weight faster is an ex-
ample of a different, but potentially essential, type of overload.
Sometimes, ‘‘overload’’ means performing a task with multiple
stimuli, such as lunging and catching a medicine ball at the
same time. Or consider a proprioceptive tweak by asking the
client to look in different directions during movement, such as
looking over the right shoulder during a lunge matrix. These
overload variations may seem arbitrary, but consider all the
different ways the body is tweaked during everyday life and
sport, and their functional value is clear. Table 4 shows a
workout example implementing some of these different over-
load options.
Timing Is EverythingOne of the great advantages of MBP is the ability to maximize
planning time. All too often workouts are thwarted because clients
do not complete the rep and set schemes in anticipated times. One
way to solve this is to create a workout based on timed work/rest
ratios. EachMBP template has 3 rounds of 5 exercises for 15 total
exercises. If you dedicate 1minute to both thework and the rest for
each exercise, each round in the circuit will take 15 minutes. The
work/rest ratio should reflect the client’s ability. For example,
a work time of 15 seconds allows for a recovery period of
45 seconds before moving to the next exercise. If you bump up the
work period to 30 seconds for a more advanced client, reduce the
recovery to 30 seconds. Table 5 shows how an MBP workout
maximizes time in a typical 60-minute training session and
allows you to set the parameters to match the fitness level and
training goals of individual clients.
CONCLUSIONSThe demands on personal trainers are so great that entire
academic majors are dedicated to teaching them the intricacies
TABLE 4: Sample Movement-based Programming Template With Variable Overload
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
1. Push ups (speed overload) Regular push ups �10 Clap push ups �10 Super slow push ups �10
2. Bodyweight squats (proprioceptivechallenge)
Regular squats �10 Regular squats eyes closed �10 Regular squats shaking head ‘‘no’’ �10
3. Pull ups (muscle activity challenge) Pronated grip �10 Supinated grip �10 Neutral grip �10
4. Box step ups (task challenge) Regular step ups �5 Step up and catch ball �5 Step up and Alt. DB punch �5
5. Locomotion (intensity challenge) Ant/Post walk �20 yards Ant/Post skip �30 yards Ant/Post sprint �40 yards
TABLE 5: Movement-based ProgrammingTemplate: 60-Minute Workout
Workout Time, minutes
Warm-up 5
Circuit no. 1 15
Water/rest break 2.5
Circuit no. 2 15
Water/rest break 2.5
Circuit no. 3 15
Cooldown 5
Total 60
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of kinesiology and related disciplines. There is increasing
awareness of the benefits of a functional approach to program
design and implementation, yet a trainer can go crazy writing
program after program to meet all of his or her clients’ needs.
The MBP offers an organized approach to not only learn how to
design functional workouts but also a more efficient program
design process. The MBP focuses on training movement instead
of training individual muscles, resulting in a training regimen
that more accurately reflects how the neuromuscular system
operates during sport and everyday life. The MBP is structurally
versatile, making it applicable to any situation and allowing the
trainer to implement it with any type of client. This article
focused on the basic principles of MBP. Future articles will
focus on how to adapt MBP for specific sports, training goals,
and specific populations.
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11. Tiberio D. Pathomechanics of structural foot deformities. Phys Ther.1988;68:1840Y9.
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Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest and do
not have any financial disclosures.
Matt King, M.Ed., CSCS, is a performance
specialist at Train 4 the Game (T4TG) in
Austin, TX, where he designs and implements
functional rehab and conditioning programs
for all demographics. As director of the
T4TG internship program, Matt educates
and prepares interns to develop and deliver
functional conditioning programs.
Dixie Stanforth, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer in
the Department of Kinesiology and Health
Education at The University of Texas at
Austin. She developed and directs the per-
sonal training specialization for undergradu-
ates. She serves on the editorial board for
ACSM’s Health & Fitness JournalA and is a
frequent presenter at ACSM’s Health & Fit-
ness Summit and other national conferences.
CONDENSED VERSION AND BOTTOM LINE
This article presents the science and building blocks formovement-based programming (MBP) then organizesthose concepts into an easy to use template for programdesign. MBP demonstrates how to develop a movementdatabase and use tri-plane tweaking, unconventionaloverloading, and timing strategies to design an unlimitednumber of workouts. MBP bridges the gap between thelatest functional and fascia research to meet the needs ofpractitioners for effective and creative workout programs.
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10,000 Workouts in 10 Minutes
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