Workouts & Exercises
A Tri-Set for All Planes of Motion, With Hops and Pushes
From the FASTER syllabus: this article is taught in full in The Movement Trainer (AFT) course →
In short: A tri-set of a sagittal-plane hop, a push and a lateral hop trains the body across the planes of motion in one short block, developing leg strength, coordination, range of motion and overall fitness.
Looking for a way to challenge your clients with something new? This tri-set works the body across the planes of motion, building overall fitness, coordination, strength and range of motion — and it's genuinely good fun to coach.
Run the three exercises back to back as a tri-set, rest, then repeat for the number of rounds that suits your client.
The exercises
1. Sagittal plane hop
- Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees and lower into a squat.
- Explode up into the air, jumping as high as you can.
- Land softly, knees bent and weight evenly distributed.
The soft landing matters as much as the jump — that's where the control and the injury-reducing quality comes from.
2. Push
- Start in a plank position, hands shoulder-width apart, body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Lower under control, keeping that straight line.
- Push back up to the plank position.
A clean, braced push trains the upper body and trunk to produce and absorb force together.
3. Lateral hop
- Start standing with your feet together.
- Hop sideways to the right, landing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hop sideways to the left, landing with your feet together.
- Continue hopping side to side.
The side-to-side pattern adds the lateral demand that straight-line training misses.
Why it works for your clients
Put those three together and you get a compact block with real benefits:
- Improved overall fitness
- Increased coordination
- Increased strength
- Increased range of motion
- Reduced risk of injury
It's a great way to challenge clients and keep sessions varied — and, as above, it's a lot of fun to do. If you want more ideas built on the same principles, they're exactly what we cover on the Motor Skill Application course.
You just read one answer. The course is all of them.
The Movement Trainer (AFT) course — taught by the people who wrote it, with free return access for life. The price is on the page, payment plans at checkout, no sales calls.
Frequently asked
What is a tri-set?
Three exercises performed back to back with little or no rest between them, before you rest and repeat — an efficient way to pack more quality work into a session.
Why train across the planes of motion?
Because the body moves in all of them. Working sagittal, frontal and rotational patterns improves coordination and range, not just straight-line strength.
Who is this tri-set for?
Personal trainers looking to challenge clients with something new, and clients who want to build leg strength, coordination and range of motion while having fun.
Do I need equipment?
No. All three exercises — a squat jump, a push-up and lateral hops — use bodyweight, so it's easy to coach anywhere.
How does it help reduce injury risk?
Training multiple planes and landing mechanics builds the coordination and control that carries over to everyday movement, which supports injury reduction.
Reading this for your own training? Every trainer on the FASTER register has been assessed by us — search by town or speciality, free.
Find a FASTER trainer →
