Posture Perfect: How Personal Trainers Can Group Bodyweight Exercises by Starting Positions

In the realm of fitness training, personal trainers and group exercise instructors often grapple with a common problem: the creation of workout plans that maintain diversity and adaptability while adhering to tight time constraints. While possessing a list of select exercises serves as a valuable resource for fitness professionals, a fresh dilemma surfaces when it comes to the effective organisation of exercises. Neglecting this organisational aspect can result in tedious routines and client disengagement, posing a substantial risk to the retention of clients and the overall success of fitness professionals.

In this blog post, I will present a solution to this challenge: the strategic grouping of exercises according to their starting positions. This approach bestows fitness professionals with the necessary structure and flexibility required for the creation of workouts that prove not only highly effective but also engaging. By classifying exercises based on their initial positions, we as trainers can specifically target particular muscle groups and movement patterns, thereby augmenting results and enhancing client satisfaction while averting workout monotony. Regardless of whether you are a seasoned trainer or embarking on your journey in the fitness industry, the incorporation of this method into your training arsenal will undoubtedly assist you in devising workouts that lead to superior outcomes, contented clients, and a thriving career in fitness.

Personal trainers and group exercise instructors often face the challenge of creating workout plans that are both diverse and flexible within time constraints. An organized list of exercises can be a powerful tool for personal trainers to create effective and well-rounded workout, and grouping exercises according planes of motion is a basic way to do this:

Plane of Motion	Exercises
Sagittal	Squats, lunges, deadlifts, leg press, push-ups, bicep curls, sit-ups
Frontal	Lateral raises, lateral lunges, jumping jacks, lateral band walks
Transverse	Russian twists, woodchops, medicine ball throws

The problem is that the exercises within each category also need to be organized. One way to solve this problem is by grouping exercises by starting position. This offers personal trainers both structure and flexibility.

Bodyweight exercises can be performed from a variety of starting positions, including standing, quadruped, plank, or other positions, allowing trainers to target different muscle groups and movement patterns. As a basic list, here are 10 starting positions:

1. Single leg position

2. Standing position

3. Quadruped position

4. Plank position

5. Prone position

6. Side position

7. Supine position

8. Seated position

9. Reverse quadruped position

10. Reverse plank position

This is not a definitive list but simply a way to get started with planning workout routines. Below are two tables with sample exercises that can be grouped under each starting position:

Plane of Motion	Starting Position	Exercise
Sagittal	Single leg position	Lunges, step-ups
	Standing position	Squats, overhead press
	Quadruped position	Bird dogs, quadruped hip extensions
	Plank position	Plank, plank with arm lift
	Prone position	Superman, prone cobra
	Supine position	Glute bridge, hip thrust
	Seated position	Seated knee extensions, seated leg curls
	Reverse quadruped position	Donkey kicks, quadruped hip extensions
	Reverse plank position	Reverse plank, reverse plank with leg lift

Plane of Motion	Starting Position	Exercise
Frontal	Single leg position	Side lunge, skater hops
	Standing position	Lateral lunges, dumbbell side bends
	Quadruped position	Fire hydrants, bear crawls
	Plank position	Side plank, side plank with leg lift
	Prone position	Side lying hip abduction, lateral raises
	Side position	Side lunges, scissor kicks
	Seated position	Seated trunk rotations, seated toe touches
	Reverse quadruped position	Donkey kicks, fire hydrants
	Reverse plank position	Reverse plank, reverse plank with arm lift

Plane of Motion	Starting Position	Exercise
Transverse	Single leg position	Twisting lunges, rotational single leg deadlifts
	Standing position	Twisting dumbbell curls, woodchoppers
	Quadruped position	Russian twists, Pallof press
	Plank position	Plank rotations, spiderman plank
	Prone position	Prone dumbbell rows, prone cobra twists
	Side position	Twisting lunges, cable rotations
	Seated position	Seated Russian twists, seated side bends
	Reverse quadruped position	Donkey kicks, fire hydrants
	Reverse plank position	Reverse plank, reverse plank with arm lift

The starting positions listed in this table provide a useful framework for categorizing bodyweight exercises and creating smooth, safe, and effective transitions between sets. By grouping exercises according to their starting position, personal trainers can easily create structured, varied, and engaging workouts that target different muscle groups and movement patterns. Additionally, this approach helps prevent repetition and boredom in clients' workouts, leading to better adherence and results. To help remember the different starting positions, visualize yourself performing each one in fixed order.

Grouping bodyweight exercises by starting positions is a powerful tool for creating flexible workout routines. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced personal trainer, structuring a variety of exercises under different starting positions can help you design safe and effective workouts that serve both you and your clients.