Thursday, January 15, 2009

Natural movement

Natural movement - is this what it is all about?



I mentioned MovNat a few days ago in a post called Real Evolutionary Fitness.

Here is another video of the guy behind the approach - Erwan Le Corre. Check out Erwan's comment on the previous post.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

hate to be a debbie downer, but this isn't ground breaking work. this guy jumps, swims, lifts heavy things, uses mobility to crawl and squeeze. This is basic human movement. I get the concept, but I think that he is trying to re-invent the wheel.

Anonymous said...

I've been thinking a lot about this sort of training for quite a long time now ...

In my opinion if you're talking about 'natural' training you have to look at the 'instinctive' responses our bodies have and work with them ...

We've got a fight response ... therefore use MMA-type training to enhance the instinct.

We've got a flight response ...
therefore use parkour-type training to enhance the instinct.

We've got a relaxation response ...
therefore use 'meditation-type training to enhance the instinct.

Just my 2 cents.

Chris said...

Anon - I think the point is that most people have forgotten the wheel. 3x10 benches, 5x8 concentration curls, 30 minutes on the stationary bike look nothing like this.

Chris said...

Kira - great points

Anonymous said...

I think you'll find it's more like uninventing the wheel!
It may not be groundbreaking or unique but it is not the same as mimicking primal movements in a gym.

Kira - Before enhancing an instinct you have to remove associated negative "learned instincts".

This sort of training is more about unlearning and relearning.

Asclepius said...

John and Chris - both good points.

'Natural Movement' as a concept clearly attempts to refocus physical training on a primal template. Nothing more and nothing less.

This gives functional ability and wider utility.

It is a welcome 'rediscovery' in a world of 'curls and crunches' and 'decorated physiques' masquerading as the epitomy of health.

Marc said...

If more inactive people took this type of approach to "training" I think that they would find it much more enjoyable then 45 minutes on the eliptical and strapped in machines for 30 minutes. That's why most don't stick to working out....
Playing is natural. They would stick to that imho.
I do the same as this guy every weekend.....just in a little different setting....a large playground park with my 4 kids. We climb jump, pull up ,leap, crawl and enjoy ourselves tremendously.
Enjoyable video.

Marc

Chris said...

Thanks Marc. Play is great and a much healthier approach to exercise than the drudgery of many workouts.

I'm trying to get an interview with the guy in the videos. I'll be interested to hear more of his thoughts.

Have you ever read Frank Forencich's book "Play as if your life depends on it? " I think you'd enjoy it.

Marc said...

Chris,
I have not.
Going to Amazon now.
I don't know if you have this in Schotland through Amazon, but I recently paid $25 for a year membership and they ship books at no-cost for a year. It's well worth it.
Thanks Chris. I'll share my review.
Enjoy the weekend.

Marc

Anonymous said...

Up above, Anonymous said that this wasn't revolutionary. True, but you miss the point. A lot of people are able to lift tons of iron but really aren't in shape. They may look impressive, but they couldn't climb over a 6' fence to escape a rabid pit bull.

And as if the practical application wasn't enough, these kinds of workouts are actually FUN!