Movement Field Guide · Soft Soil, Strong Body

Strength Training
Made Simple.

Train the movements your body was built to do — then stop guessing.

You don't need a fancier program. You need to train the eight things your body was designed to do, show up consistently, and track it. That's the whole game. This guide hands you the movements, a done-for-you first week, and a way to measure yourself so you actually know if you're getting stronger — instead of just feeling busy.

Created by Dr. Justus Kauffman · Founder of Auxoma

Where this fits

One of your five Movement tools

This is the strength piece. It leans on the others — do your daily joint work, learn the base positions, and keep the engine running. Strength is the part you plant and grow here.

01Daily CARsJoint control, every day
02Base positionsThe video library
03Strength guideYou're here
04Cardio zone ladderHeart-rate zones
05Lean-mass & progressionBuild toward 2–3 hrs/wk

The problem with most strength programs

Most people train random exercises and isolated muscle groups without ever understanding the natural movement patterns underneath them. That's how you end up overtrained, burned out, and hurt — busy, but not stronger.

Train movements instead of muscles and the whole thing gets:

Simpler More effective Easier to track

Your body has 8 primary movement patterns. Learn them, and you're most of the way there.

The core of the guide

The 8 natural strength movements

Tap any movement to open it: what it's for, how to train it, the standard test you'll baseline, the two mistakes that wreck it, and a 60-second video. Every card ends with one thing to do — not just something to watch.

1–4 · Upper-body focused
1Vertical Push+

Build shoulder health and overhead power.

Example exercises
  • Overhead press · military press · push press · dumbbell shoulder press
Standard test
Half-kneeling KB / DB press — max reps
Why it matters
  • Overhead stability and pressing strength for real life. In plain terms: it's how you throw your kids into the swimming pool.
Two mistakes that wreck it
  • Arching your low back to "cheat" the weight up — keep ribs down, brace the core.
  • Shrugging and flaring the elbows instead of pressing with a stable shoulder.
▶ Watch the 60-sec fix Do: 3 × 8 half-kneeling press @ RPE 6
2Vertical Pull+

Upper-body pulling strength and healthy shoulders.

Example exercises
  • Pull-ups · lat pulldowns · assisted pull-ups · chin-ups
Standard test
Pull-ups — max reps (scale: assisted / lat pulldown load)
Why it matters
  • Balances all your pressing, builds back strength, and keeps your posture upright instead of hunched.
Two mistakes that wreck it
  • Yanking with just your arms — start the pull by setting your shoulder blades down and back.
  • Using a kip or swing to fake reps instead of owning them under control.
▶ Watch the 60-sec fix Do: 3 × max (assisted if needed) @ RPE 6
3Horizontal Push+

Chest and triceps pressing power.

Example exercises
  • Push-ups (all variations) · bench press · dumbbell chest press · incline press
Standard test
Push-ups — max reps
Why it matters
  • The strength you use to get up off the ground and push things away from your body — every day, without thinking about it.
Two mistakes that wreck it
  • Letting your hips sag or pike up — hold one straight line from head to heels.
  • Flaring the elbows and losing control at the bottom instead of pressing with intent.
▶ Watch the 60-sec fix Do: 3 × max push-ups @ RPE 6
4Horizontal Pull+

Balance your pressing and fix your posture.

Example exercises
  • Seated cable rows · bent-over dumbbell rows · TRX rows · band pulls
Standard test
Legs-elevated ring row — max reps (scale: feet on floor)
Why it matters
  • Strengthens the postural muscles, counters forward-head posture, and makes you look a whole lot less sloppy (said with love).
Two mistakes that wreck it
  • Forgetting your shoulder blades — pull them together, don't just bend your arms.
  • Letting the hips sag so it turns into a half-rep — stay long and rigid.
▶ Watch the 60-sec fix Do: 3 × max rows @ RPE 6
5–8 · Lower-body focused
5Squat+

Lower-body power and mobility — stay athletic and capable.

Example exercises
  • Bodyweight squats · goblet squats · double-KB front rack squats
Standard test
Double-KB front rack squat — reps @ chosen load
Why it matters
  • Functional leg strength for sitting, standing, and stairs — plus the hip and ankle mobility every everyday athlete needs.
Two mistakes that wreck it
  • Knees caving inward — drive them out over your toes.
  • Dumping the load into your low back instead of sitting between your hips.
▶ Watch the 60-sec fix Do: 3 × 10 goblet squats @ RPE 6
6Single Leg Squat+

Balance, and evening out your left-to-right differences.

Example exercises
  • Lunges · split squats · step-ups · single-leg box squats
Standard test
Split-squat suitcase hold — reps / load per side
Why it matters
  • Improves balance and irons out limb imbalances through the movements you actually live in — walking, running, and stairs.
Two mistakes that wreck it
  • The working-leg knee caving inward — keep it tracking over the foot.
  • Letting your torso collapse forward and losing your balance instead of staying tall.
▶ Watch the 60-sec fix Do: 3 × 8 per side reverse lunges @ RPE 6
7Hinge+

Posterior-chain strength and explosive power.

Example exercises
  • Deadlift · kettlebell swing · Romanian deadlift
Standard test
Straight-bar deadlift — reps @ chosen load
Why it matters
  • Develops powerful lower-body extension for athletics, daily life, and — big one — injury prevention for your back.
Two mistakes that wreck it
  • Squatting instead of hinging — push your hips back, don't drop straight down.
  • Rounding your back under load — keep a long, braced spine.
▶ Watch the 60-sec fix Do: 3 × 10 dumbbell RDLs @ RPE 6
8Single Leg Hinge+

Balance, power, and strength from head to toe.

Example exercises
  • Single-leg RDL · single-leg deadlift · single-leg good morning
Standard test
Double-KB single-leg deadlift — reps / load per side
Why it matters
  • Builds posterior-chain strength on one leg, sharpens balance and stability, and shuts down muscle imbalances before they become pain.
Two mistakes that wreck it
  • Losing the head-over-foot line — your head, hips, and back heel move as one long lever.
  • Dropping too fast on the descent — control the lowering, that's where the strength is.
▶ Watch the 60-sec fix Do: 3 × 8 per side single-leg RDLs @ RPE 5
Bonus pattern

Core training

Your core is already working through all 8 patterns — but it can be trained directly when it's the weak link you want to shore up. It does two jobs.

Compressive core

  • What it does: braces and resists movement — stability under load.
  • Direct work: planks, dead bugs, carries.
  • Trained indirectly by: squatting and deadlifting.

Coiling core

  • What it does: rotates and twists — powers athletic performance.
  • Direct work: side-plank leg lifts, rotational work.
  • Trained indirectly by: single-arm presses and throwing.
How often

Your minimum effective dose

This is the floor — the least you can do and still build. Hit it consistently before you worry about doing more.

90+
minutes per week, total
That's the starting floor. As you recover well and want more, build gradually toward 2–3 hours/week — that's the growth ceiling, not day one.
Option 1
3 × 30
3 days per week, 30 min per session
Option 2
2 × 45
2 days per week, 45 min each

More can be added based on how you recover and what you're chasing.

The reference card

Sets, reps & effort

Structure each movement with a couple of warm-up sets and a few working sets, pick your rep range for your goal, and dial effort with the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale — how hard it feels, 0 to 10.

Sets

Warm-up1–2 sets @ RPE 0–3
Working3–4 sets @ RPE 4–8
Total~4–6 sets per movement

Rep ranges

1–3Power
4–6Strength
7–12Muscle development
13+Endurance

RPE — effort

0–3Warm-up
4–6Maintain (hold what you've got)
7–8Improve (intentional adaptation)
9–10Maximal (rare — train here sparingly)

This is the same maintain-vs-improve dial from the book: 4–6 keeps a strong pattern where it is, 7–8 grows a weak one.

No more thinking — start here

Your first week, done for you

Two workouts. All 8 movements plus core, across the week. Bodyweight and one pair of dumbbells is enough — swap in a barbell or kettlebells if you have them. Warm up with your daily CARs, keep everything at RPE 6, and just go.

Workout A · ~35 min

Push, pull & base

MovementDo thisSets × reps
Vertical PushHalf-kneeling DB press3 × 8
Horizontal PullBent-over DB row3 × 10
SquatGoblet squat3 × 10
HingeDumbbell RDL3 × 10
Compressive corePlank3 × :30
Workout B · ~35 min

Press, pull & single-leg

MovementDo thisSets × reps
Horizontal PushPush-ups (scale to knees)3 × max
Vertical PullAssisted pull-up / band pull3 × 6–8
Single Leg SquatReverse lunge3 × 8 / side
Single Leg HingeSingle-leg RDL3 × 8 / side
Coiling coreSide plank3 × :20 / side

Run A / rest / B / rest across the week — two sessions gets you to your floor, a third repeat of A or B is a bonus. Everything's at RPE 6 for week one: work that feels solid but leaves 3–4 reps in the tank. Then, before you touch a second week, go set your baseline below. That's the whole assignment. Go.

Plant your baseline

The baseline scorecard

Test the 8 standard movements once to plant your starting numbers. These are the seeds — you'll come back in 4–6 weeks and re-test to see what grew. Something to work toward, and to push beyond. Your numbers save automatically on this device.

0 / 8
patterns planted
Movement · standard testBaselineRe-testGrowth
Saved to this device only — nothing leaves your browser.
Level 2 · make it yours

Build next week's plan with AI

Once week one's under your belt, this is how you customize forever. Fill in what you've got and what you're chasing, hit generate, and paste the result into any AI chatbot. It'll hand you a balanced, simple plan built around the 8 movements. Do this each week.

Vertical Push Vertical Pull Horizontal Push Horizontal Pull Squat Single Leg Squat Hinge Single Leg Hinge
How it all connects

This plugs straight into the loop

Everything above runs the same rhythm the book taught you. You're not starting a new system — you're running the loop, with weights.

01

Till

Set your baseline on the 8 tests. Honest ground.

02

Plot

Pick this week's plan — Week 1 or the AI prompt.

03

Maintain

RPE 4–6 holds your strong patterns; 7–8 grows the weak.

04

Votes

Every session is a vote for the body you're building.

05

Re-assess

Re-test every 4–6 weeks. Watch the numbers grow.

Where to next?

Strength training is the most powerful medicine in the world — when it's done with a healthy body. If your body can't get into the positions these exercises require, pain or tightness tends to show up. Wherever you are, there's a next step:

Follow on Skool → In Wichita? Book a free visit

Join the free Auxoma community for the movement work and coaching — with a low-cost mobility membership when you want the full follow-along. Local to Wichita? Come see our team in person.

Thanks for training with me — now go use it.

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