In an earlier time, the push-up was largely regarded as a measure of a person's strength and fitness. In more modern times, much of this reputation has been passed on to the bench press, but the push-up’s passing misses the great opportunity to master a gateway movement to one of the most developmental progressions in all of fitness.

The squat is a beautiful, natural movement. It demands midline stabilization, posterior-chain engagement and core-to-extremity movement, and it can be used to move your body weight or very large loads held in a variety of positions. At one end of the spectrum, the squat is an essential component of weightlifting and powerlifting, and at the other end, the squat is essential to getting off a toilet seat. Regardless of what the problem is, the answer is to squat.