Training at Uptown Movement - Progression/Regression model
Training at Uptown Movement
Our programming is about finding what works for YOU. Exercise has been ingrained as something competitive—like movement only matters if you’re winning. That’s complete bullshit.
Sure, movement can be competitive, but let’s be honest—most people are just competing to be slightly less mediocre than the next person. Instead, we promote the idea that movement is your unique way of navigating space. Training in the gym should be no different.
Click the image to learn more about Progression and Regression model
Strength & Mobility Classes
These classes are designed to build strength and mobility—the foundation of movement. We do that by meeting you where you are and progressively making exercises more challenging over time.
Movement Patterns
Every exercise is an expression of a movement pattern. Some exercises involve multiple patterns, but in general, we focus on five fundamental movements. Within those patterns, there’s an infinite number of variations. This means you may not be doing the same exercise as the person next to you, but you’ll be training the same pattern.
Progression & Regression
We apply a progression/regression model to ensure exercises challenge you appropriately. The goal is to use the correct muscles for each movement. If an exercise is too advanced, your body compensates, shifting the load to muscles that weren’t meant for that pattern. At best, you stall. At worst, you get injured. Neither is ideal—both are frustrating.
Click the image to see the progression/regression chart for all our basic movement patterns.
Take pull-ups, for example. We have a clear progression for them, just as we do for all our fundamental movement patterns.
The Program
We believe every person able to walk pain free should meet some basic movement standards:
Hanging for 60 seconds
Lifting their bodyweight
Doing solid push-ups
Squatting a 20kg kettlebell for high reps with full range
These are the first steps toward bigger goals—pull-ups, dips, squatting 1.5x bodyweight, deadlifting 2x bodyweight. These aren’t just arbitrary targets; they make you statistically way harder to kill. They’re milestones on a never-ending journey of physical mastery.
The program is built around these principles—consistent patterns, individualized progressions, and continual development through complexity and load. You may not be anywhere near these standards now but that doesn’t mean you won't be!
Making the Most of It
All of our training is a cycle of:
Most people get stuck because they mistake expression for development. It’s not. Development comes from drilling the basics with maturity and patience. Variety is the reward for consistent work over time.
The people who progress the fastest? They’re the ones who slow down, drop their ego, and just put in the work.
That’s why we created progress charts—to give you a clear roadmap. They are NOT a race. There’s no prize for getting to the end, so let it happen when it happens. In the meantime, rest easy knowing you’re getting stronger, more mobile, and—most importantly—punching gravity in the face for another day.