Four Patterns With a Dowel: Technical Warm-Up

A warm-up that uses a dowel to review the four basic strength patterns: squat, hinge, push and pull. It rehearses technique without load before the main part of class.

How to play

1. Each student takes a dowel and spreads out in rows. General ankle, hip and shoulder mobility with the dowel (2 min).
2. Squat: dowel across the upper back, sit down with the chest up and knees tracking the feet (3 min).
3. Hinge: dowel along the spine touching head, upper back and tailbone; lean forward without losing any contact point (3 min).
4. Push and pull: overhead press with the dowel, then an imaginary row pulling the dowel to the belly button (3 min).
5. In pairs, one does each pattern and the other says whether they saw the key point (1 min).

Rules

• Carry the dowel upright when moving and never swing it.
• Keep about five feet of clear space around you.
• Move slowly: three counts down, one count up.
• If something hurts, shorten the range.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with visual impairments: the teacher or a partner gives touch cues at the three dowel contact points.
• Students with a shoulder injury: replace the press with front raises to shoulder height without the dowel.
• Unsure students: work next to the wall to get a reference for their back.

Learning goals

• Review the four basic strength patterns.
• Keep a neutral spine in the squat and hinge.
• Prepare the joints for the loaded work that follows.

Equipment for a class of 25

• dowels: 30

Teacher tip

If you have no dowels, broom handles or PVC pipes work. The classic hinge mistake is bending the knees instead of pushing the hips back: the dowel coming off the head gives it away.

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