Have y
ou ever heard of the six degrees of freedom? The six degrees are the directions that our body moves in. They are:
- Heaving – Moving up and down the vertical axis
- Surging – Moving along the front-to-back axis
- Swaying – Moving along the side-to-side axis
- Yawing – Moving around the vertical axis
- Rolling – Moving around the front-to-back axis
- Pitching – Moving around the side-to-side axis
Most bodyweight exercises focus only on heaving and surging. This is what the basic pushups, pullups, and bodyweight squats focus on. What about moving side to side or moving around? There are very few training programs out there that encompass all six degrees of freedom.
The reason why the six degrees are so important is because that is how your body moves. Movement is the key if you want to be leaner, stronger, and fitter. Just think about how yogis (people who practice yoga), dancers, and gymnasts move their bodies.
These athletes move their bodies in a variety of directions. They’re following the theory of the six degrees of freedom without even realizing it! And they have extremely lean and strong physiques without even stepping into a commercial gym.
So, let me give you some examples of what you can do to work the six degrees of freedom:
- Heaving – One Legged Squat
- Surging – Push Up
- Swaying – Side Lunge
- Yawing – Springing Tripod Twist
- Rolling – Side Plank
- Pitching – V Press
Now, I know that some of these exercises are going to brand new to you. Not to worry. We’ll get to how to perform theses movements in just a moment. But, before that, I want to leave a thought with you: Thinkabou how you can make these movements even more difficult and add a level of sophistication to them.
For example, lets take the basic pushup. What if you did a pushup then moved your body forward, lifting your legs on to the floor and rolled forward? That would really add some dimensions to the exercise! But that’s exactly the kind of movement that I’m talking about.
For more information on exercise sophistication, the six degrees of freedom, and how to perform the exercises I just listed in this article, make sure to check out the Bodyweight Blueprint for Fat Loss.