The Core Move Everyone Skips: Rotation (and Anti-Rotation)

Rotation rounds out my list of 7 functional movements, and it's easy to overlook because it shows up in the smallest moments — reaching back to grab your seatbelt — as much as the biggest ones, like a golf swing, a tennis serve, or a baseball throw.

At its core (pun intended), rotation uses your abdominals and spine stabilizers to twist your torso around your hips, and adding your legs, hips, and shoulders into the pattern only increases the torque you can generate. A simple way to train it at home: hold something light, like a gallon of water, and transfer it from one table to another while standing between them, keeping your feet positioned so you could step out at any point. As you get stronger, increase the load. Just make sure you rotate evenly in both directions so you don't build imbalances.

There's a second half to this movement that most people never train: anti-rotation, which uses the same muscles to resist rotation instead of create it. The Bird Dog is my favorite way to build it. From hands and knees, chin tucked and low spine neutral, glutes activated, extend your right arm straight out while lifting your left leg straight out behind you, heel driving away from you. Your torso will fight to stay level — that fight is exactly what you're training. Hold for 1 to 5 seconds, return to the ground, and switch sides.

Add 10 to 30 reps a day to build core stability that carries over into every other movement on this list. Head to the Rotate page for more, and with that, all 7 functional movements are on the table — the only thing left is to start practicing them.