As discussed previously, I go with four fundamental movement patterns:

1. Push (horizontal/vertical)
2. Pull (horizontal/vertical)
3. Squat
4. Hip Hinge

Coach Dan John includes loaded carries. Some trainers also include single-leg movements, but to me those are just variations on squat or hinge. However, I’ve recently been reminded of the importance of single-leg work as I experienced disc-related pain. (Note that just because it's important that doesn't make it a fundamental movement pattern. Words have meaning.)

Muscular imbalances or weakness in the legs and/or hips can cause excess stress in the lumbar region (lower back) potentially leading to disc issues. We don’t know if that was the cause for me, but it’s been a good reminder to get back to doing some exercises I’ve set aside, often because I have a problematic knee.

One is the Bulgarian Split Squat (BSS) sometimes pretentiously referred to as “rear-foot elevated single-leg squat”. (Maybe the same folks call the bench press “torso-elevated horizontal press up” or something.) There is some spirited debate suggesting these are superior to standard two-legged squats but who cares? Do both! Actually this one’s kind of advanced so lets start with the simple split squat.

While it doesn't have the familiarity of treadmills or bikes, the rowing machine is in many ways superior to both. So it rates a high position on our home equipment list.

Treadmills offer a more practical movement: we walk and run every day but rarely wind up rowing around town. But rowing is more of a full-body movement using both the upper body (horizontal pull) and lower body (hip extension).

This is for "day after Thanksgiving" but I made this months after Thanksgiving using the carcass (and some extra meat) I froze. Didn't have any stuffing to put in. Who would? Anyway, this was tasty.

And here's mine still cooking:

Enjoy!

Our series on home fitness equipment continues with the venerable kettlebell. This one should have been further up the list but I'd somehow neglected to put it on the list at all! Oops. But it's here now.

Fill in the blank in this quote: "We found that _______ had a stronger association with all cause and cardiovascular disease mortality than do systolic blood pressure or total physical activity..."

If you hadn't read the title of this post, would you have guessed the answer to be "grip strength"?

Starting the next ten entries in the home equipment list we have a big one: the power rack. Also known as a "squat rack" or "power cage" or "squat cage" or "Arthur." OK, I made that last one up.

I went many years without one of these but now consider it indispensible. If you use a barbell (and you should) and have the space, get one.

My trusty Pacemaster Gold treadmill was getting a little long in the tooth at 13 years old. It still worked fine but the motor was noisy and the belt could skip a bit at high speeds if I didn't clean it often enough. Rather than wait for something bad to happen and be without a treadmill for the winter, I opted to get a new one. Times being what they are, I did my research online rather than in the store, and the one I picked wasn't in the store anyway. My only option was to get it and, if I didn't like it, return it. That treadmill is the Horizon 7.4 AT. All the reviews I read on it looked good, although there wasn't as much info as I'd have liked. It was also significantly less expensive than my Pacemaster. (They're out of business, unfortunately.)