Key takeaways
Five patterns cover almost everything sport asks of you
Movement quality comes before load, always
Three sessions a week beats five you cannot sustain
You do not need a gym full of equipment to build a base. What you need is a handful of movement patterns, repeated often enough that they stop feeling awkward and start feeling automatic.
Start with the pattern, not the weight
Every session covers a squat, a hinge, a push, a pull and a carry. Those five patterns cover almost everything your body does in sport. Get them clean without load first — the weight can wait a fortnight.
A simple weekly structure
Three sessions a week with a full day between each. Eight to twelve reps, three rounds, and stop two reps short of failure. That last part is what keeps you turning up on Thursday instead of nursing sore legs.
If a movement hurts, swap it rather than pushing through. Progress here comes from turning up consistently for six weeks, not from any single heroic session.
Jennie Lee
Speed and Agility Coach
Jennie coaches field athletes on acceleration and change of direction, and writes most of our beginner programming.
