🏆 The 3 Essential Movements Every Young Athlete Must Master - Lewis Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation

When a young athlete begins training, one of the biggest mistakes they make is skipping the basics. Parents see videos online of explosive drills, heavy lifts, or flashy speed ladders — but the athletes lack the foundational strength and body control to benefit from them.

That’s why I start almost every youth athlete with the same three movements: the goblet squat, push-up, and pull-up. Whether your child is in baseball, football, basketball, or just beginning training, these three patterns form the base of all strength, power, and speed development.

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Why GPP Matters for Long-Term Success

Before a young athlete can safely load a barbell or work on higher-level plyometrics, they need GPP — General Physical Preparedness.
GPP builds coordination, movement awareness, stabiltiy & work capacity in basic patterns that carry over to every sport.

Without it?
Athletes fatigue faster, plateau in performance, and have higher injury risk — especially during growth spurts.

1️⃣ Goblet Squat — The Foundation of Lower Body Strength

The goblet squat is the perfect starting point because the weight held in front naturally teaches the athlete:

• How to stay upright

• How to reach correct depth

• How to control the hips and knees

Young athletes often shift onto their toes, collapse forward at the waist/trunk, or lose balance. The goblet squat cleans all of that up and creates confidence before progressing to trap bar deadlifts or barbell squats.

2️⃣ Push-Up — The Most Underrated Core Strengthener

Most beginners flare their elbows, sag their hips, or “worm” their way up.
A proper push-up is actually a full-body movement requiring core stability, shoulder stability, and upper-body strength.

Starting with planks, partial-range reps, and tempo push-ups helps athletes groove the pattern and build strength safely.

3️⃣ Pull-Up — Upper Body Strength & Shoulder Control

This is typically the hardest of the three, but it’s one of the most valuable.
Pull-ups teach tension, scapular control, and total-body strength.

Regressions like knee-tucks, isometric holds, and band-assisted pull-ups help athletes progress safely until they can perform full reps with control.

How to Use These for a 6-Week Foundation

You can rotate these exercises every two weeks:

• Weeks 1–2: Daily push-up practice

• Weeks 3–4: Daily pull-up regressions

• Weeks 5–6: Daily goblet squat patterning

This approach builds strength, confidence, and long-term durability.

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Dive deeper into long-term athletic development and youth training fundamentals.
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