You can read all the details about the new site including why I felt it needed an update here:

http://physicalliving.com/welcome-to-physical-living/

MOVE OVER REAL WORLD STRENGTH TRAINING AND MAKE WAY FOR PHYSICAL LIVING!

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional

It’s been awhile since I last posted an update – sorry. That is due to a combination of life being fairly busy lately, but also because I’ve been working on a secret project for my readers that I’m almost ready to announce. Look for the official announcement next week!

Have a happy Thanksgiving – and please do reflect on what you’re thankful for this year. It’s not all about food and football

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional

Instead, this is what it actually looked like when we climbed it – we didn’t see too much

We departed our friends home around 4am, and arrived at the park around 8:00. We had bananas, blueberries, shaved almonds, and coconut milk for breakfast (mixed together in a bowl – some included granola). Our group was six, ranging from an 8-year old hiking veteran to a 48 year old gentleman who was climbing his very first mountain. At 8:34, we put on our packs and began the ascent up the Abol trail.

Our goal was to make it to the summit within 4 hours, spend some time at the top, and descend in 3 hours – a round trip of about 8 hours we assumed. My friend, Damien, setup a climbing schedule of 45 minutes on, 15 minutes off to give everyone a framework to work within. I’ve never used this method before, having usually just taken breaks when my group thought it was best. However, Damien said that this framework is used by some very accomplished hikers and many have found they make faster progress with the 45 on, 15 off framework. He’s experienced the same thing when taking his family on extended hiking trips. So, we gave it a shot – I’m all for more efficient progress on a climb!

Within less than a mile, however, our group started to realize that we may not actually make it to the summit of the mountain. We were moving at a slow pace to remain as a group, and not everyone was prepared for a hike this grueling. It turned out that we couldn’t actually adopt the 45 on, 15 off formula because 45 minutes was too long to go without a break. By any stretch, taking the Abol trail up Mt. Katahdin is considered a “Difficult” or “Strenuous” route, and we had some in our group that would have been aptly challenged by a “Easy” class hike.

With the dense fog, the drizzle and rain, there was no way we could split our group up. Search and rescue would do little good if they couldn’t see even see the trail from the helicopter – had something actually happened. So, we trudged on at a pace the whole group could handle.

I’ll admit I was frustrated knowing that we probably wouldn’t make it to the summit. I wanted to fly right up there, and check another 4,000 footer off my list for New England. One of the reasons I wanted to climb Katahdin was for the sheer challenge.

The second half of the Abol trail is called the “Rockslide,” and for a good reason. It’s over a mile of stone climbing, with lots of climbing on all fours. This is the steepest way up Mt. Katahdin, and with the constant drizzle and occasional rain, every stone was slick. We covered each section of the trail little-by-little, remaining as a group.

Abol is a taunting specter most of the way – and the fog makes it all the better. When a cloud moves out of your view, it offers you just enough of a glimpse to see the next giant boulder to reach. For a moment, you think “the top may be right behind that,” and you journey forwards to find out.

This is the very last section of the Abol trail ascent – the shortest route up the mountain (also the steepest).

Upon reaching this last section of Abol, my brother Jeff and I decided to see what we could really do for the last section and we kicked it into high gear until we reached the level clearing at the top. We were excited to have reached the top, and celebrated with some lunch. However, the rain and wind caught up to us and we were pretty cold soon after. I was wearing a poncho, and was getting tossed around like a hot air balloon with the ranging wind (only I was a freezing, cold air balloon!) The rest of our party arrived a little later, some of them having taken a break along the trail for some food.

It was at this point, that we officially decided it would be best not to climb the remaining 600 feet of elevation to the actual summit. We all knew this would happen, and it was the right decision. It would be safer to head back immediately, this time down the Hunt trail – which we were advised to do by the park staff, had it started raining during our trip.

Even with my frustration that we couldn’t make it to the summit, I readjusted my attitude after I had an epiphany. Sure, I wanted to make it to the top because I had set my mind on the task. And when I say that I’m going to do something, it’s difficult for me to change my plans. What I realized is that I’m so happy for the opportunity to go hiking, to enjoy the outdoors, to spend time with friends and family, to meet new people, to share a once-in-a-lifetime experience, to breathe the crisp air, to feel the cool drizzle, and to move as the mountain. I absolutely love the experience of climbing a mountain, and the teamwork involved. There is so much to be thankful for, and I’m blessed to have spent a whole day in Baxter State Park. No, we didn’t see it all, but we did see a lot, felt a lot. That frustrated attitude wasn’t right – and it isn’t me.

We took the Hunt Trail down – this was the most fun section to traverse.

The Hunt Trail involved a lot of scrambling on all fours. The first section was snails pace, and ultimately, the first two miles were pretty slow. However, the last 2.2 miles weren’t too bad. We eventually returned to dirt and sand once we got below the tree line. We also got a chance to see a beautiful waterfall at the Katahdin river.

Jeff and I went ahead to bring the car back to the trail head, since the park staff told us Hunt Trail ended 2 miles away from where we parked. Lucky for us, once we got down the trail and asked for directions, we got a ride from the Search and Rescue team to the parking area (it was actually 4 miles, so we were very lucky to have ran into them!).

At around 6:00, we were back in the car heading home. We fueled up on beans, bread, dried fruit leather, blueberries, and trail mix – the last of our remaining food. Damien’s 8-year old son got a well-deserved root beer, too He did an awesome job all day.

It should also be noted that I wore Vibram FiveFingers KSO’s for the entire trip. It was just too cold to go barefoot. I also wore Injinji socks. This was really my first true test for the FiveFingers, and I will be writing up a review sometime in the future of the pro’s and con’s to these minimalist footwear.

And if you are looking for some true adventure, I do encourage you to check out Damien Tougas website, Adventure In Progress.

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional

So, now I’m asking you the same question: What does “get in shape” mean to you? If you were “in shape” would you look good or be good at something specific? Would you have a different attitude? And more importantly, why is that important to you?

If you haven’t got those two things figured out, then I would bet you’ve been struggling to reach your subconsious goals for awhile.

Here is what I came up  with for Dave’s post:

I make my health and fitness a high priority for a lot of reasons. The main ones are the benefits of being healthier, and as a result happier and enjoying more freedom. Everyone wants to look good and feel good.

Although, there are some deeper reasons why being “in shape” is important to me. I like to be an inspiration to others, to show them that anyone can enjoy not just average health, but abundant health and vibrant physical living (and that you don’t have to be a “fitness freak” to do so).

I also feel responsible for those around me, my family and friends, and I would want to be capable of handling potential future situations that arise – not be limited by a de-conditioned body. Don’t worry, it’s more of a preparedness mindset, not paranoia

Lastly, I think that living a physically-focused lifestyle is a dying tradition, a rare practice, and I’m doing everything I can to prevent that from continuing! I meet people all the time who will avoid situations because there is more physical activity involved than they are comfortable with – even if it’s just walking! I see this as a major cultural problem, and it’s going to take a revolution to get it turned around.

In my experience as a fitness coach, what could be labeled “surface motivations” like the vague “I want to look better” generally don’t carry someone to their goal. It’s not enough to just want something – you need to be compelled to achieve it. There needs to be purpose behind it. If you have an inner drive that is fueled by purpose, you can achieve almost anything.

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT

Fitness Professional

Jason McElway

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional

P.S. More info about our Mt. Katahdin trip next week!

I’ve never completely subscribed to the primal fitness philosophy, and I think I’ve got a few good reasons why.

What is Primal Fitness?

Although there is no single, accepted definition of primal fitness, those that teach about it tend to hold some of the same beliefs. Primal fitness is the idea of exercising as our ancestors did. It’s a mimicry of the hunter/gatherer lifestyle, which many people still live today. Now, I doubt our hunter/gatherer ancestors had time specifically for exercise (exercise is a modern innovation based on new cultural needs). However, there is no doubt that people who live primitively lead a much more active lifestyle than we do today. Daily physical activity would be a way of life, probably for almost everyone in the community.

So, primal fitness is a modern solution for exercise based on the physical activity of the hunter/gatherer lifestyle. The problem when defining primal fitness is that everyone has a different interpretation of how hunter/gatherers lived. And on top of that, everyone has a different interpretation about how to train based on how hunter/gatherers lived.

So, it makes primal fitness a pretty broad and vague subject to discuss. On one hand, you have someone that is doing primal fitness out in nature – lifting stones and logs, climbing trees, trail running, etc. And on the other hand, you have someone that is doing primal fitness in the gym, with their mp3 player, on the treadmill, and with barbells. There’s quite an array of interpretations based on the various beliefs held about primal fitness.

Primal Fitness Pro’s

Primal fitness is a cultural movement that is encouraging trainees to take their training outdoors, which has a ton of health benefits. Plus, it gives us an opportunity to explore our environment, and get outside our comfort zones. I think going outdoors is one of the single greatest changes any trainee can make in their program, and I’m all for anything that encourages this.

Primal fitness is generally movement-based, instead of “muscle-based,” meaning it is more functional than popular bodybuilding-style programs. In this regard, I think it’s a step in the right direction, even if it’s not optimal yet.

Primal fitness training is new and fun. Not only is it a different, and thus, a fresh training style, it’s also fun to imagine running away from a tiger or climbing safely away from a wild dog (or is it? – I think most people would be terrified!).

Primal Fitness Con’s

The biggest disadvantage about primal fitness is that it is still largely open to interpretation. As I alluded to above, there is no standard definition of what primal fitness actually is. Guru’s tend to make up workouts based around what they think a hunter/gatherer might have done – but it’s all theory. Sure, a caveman may have needed to sprint as fast as possible to avoid becoming catfood, but did this really happen 3 times a week for 30-60 second intervals lasting 20 minutes? It’s speculative theory, meaning that the end-result workouts don’t necessarily reflect what true primal fitness really entailed.

We really cannot know if the average primal man experienced chronic pains or injuries, and we don’t really know the functional capacities or true functional movement patterns. We don’t even know how long they lived or how stressful their lifestyles were, which leads me to my next point.

The fitness of the primal man is somewhat glorified, and presented as the pinnacle of what we should strive for in health and function. When in reality, hunter/gatherers may be in much better shape than your average American, but that doesn’t mean they were/are in excellent condition by any stretch. The guru’s like to proclaim that the cavemen were able to outrun cheetahs, outclimb monkeys, and outswim dolphins. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but seriously – I keep reading about how the primal man would easily climb to the tops of trees, could run for miles and miles, and be able to lift humongous logs and stones (due to the HYUUUGE guns, no doubt).

Primal fitness is put on a pedestal, like a holy state of vitality that is virtually non-existent anymore. These romantic notions just don’t match reality. We have the most advanced training tools and systems ever, and it’s foolish to think that we have to revert back to primitive training disciplines while ignoring modern innovation. Even though human bodies are incredible adapting machines, the basic physiology hasn’t changed in the last several thousand years. The body is still the same, with the same potential today as  it was back then. If anything, we’re better equipped and prepared to push the limit of physical potential today because of the knowledge we’ve acquired throughout the generations.

So, my main point is that primal fitness rests on a shaky foundation at best.

Training in nature, without modern technology, doesn’t mean you’re exempt from the laws of conditioning.

The law of outcome states that whatever we do produces an outcome (everything we do, even inaction, is an act of conditioning). So, if we use an inefficient or poor movement technique, a negative outcome will always occur. If we continue to do this over a period of time, the body will change in a self-regulating attempt to produce homeostasis, meaning an even worse negative outcome. If a certain behavior is continually repeated, the principle of progression tells us that those activities will become more easily repeatable in the future – even if we don’t desire that specific conditioning.

Also, the human body cannot differentiate between different forms of resistance. It doesn’t know if you’re throwing a rock, a kettebell, or swinging a clubbell – it only knows resistance, not where that resistance comes from. It’s up to us to create a safe and sustainable training environment that allows for proper adaptation, without conditioning ourselves into injury.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a youtube video demonstrating a “primal workout” that is chock-full of horrible training practices. Just because you’re lifting a giant log instead of a barbell, doesn’t mean you have an excuse to use poor technique. I’ve seen some AWFUL movement techniques demonstrated by highly regarded coaches, in the name of primal fitness. If you can’t use proper technique when sprinting, jumping, or lifting, then you shouldn’t be doing that in your training. Training is meant to improve your health and fitness, not increase your chances of injury or worse. If you can’t train safely, you need to drop down a skill or difficulty level because everything is an act of conditioning and you don’t want to condition an improper and unsafe movement pattern.

Without coaching, it’s difficult to sustain a primal fitness plan safely and effectively long-term. I began to understand this first-hand at the recent MovNat training seminar I attended. People don’t necessarily move well naturally unless they have been coached to do so – even if the movements are labeled as natural (like walking, which is a perfectly natural human activity). Our bodies are wired to find the most effective method to accomplish a physical task, even if it isn’t an efficient expression of that movement. This is great from a survival standpoint, when we may need to do anything it takes to accomplish a physical task quickly. For lifelong training, however, this isn’t ideal because a “natural movement” can be naturally good technique, or naturally bad technique. Over time, poor technique will lead to inevitable problems.

This is getting back to the first disadvantage of primal fitness, that there is no foundation for the training discipline to rest on. There is still no such thing as a “primal fitness coach” who has stood the test of time to prove that their methods are safe, effective, and sustainable long-term.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to using primal fitness “as is,” I think the con’s far outweigh the pro’s. Nevertheless, I think it’s important to draw on those things that are useful and beneficial for us. I think some aspects of a fitness program can and should be primal (like training outdoors, for instance), but the entire program shouldn’t be based on a primal man living in a modern world. It’s just not practical. We aren’t living in caves or out in the bush, and our needs are drastically different from those who are. Our nature hasn’t changed, just some tangibles like our environment, technology, food availability, etc.

In conclusion, my advice is to be careful who you listen to when it comes to primal fitness training (even me). It’s a gray area, and everyone has their own differing opinions about it. Use what you already know to be true about training – there is so much excellent knowledge available, and we don’t need another romantic idea skewing our perception of reality. Movement is movement, and it doesn’t change anything when it’s labeled “primal.”

I think what most people are looking for is to be stronger and healthier, and able to perform most physical tasks pretty well (like lifting, carrying, running, etc.). If you’re interested in a training method that incorporates the primal nature into its practice, but still addresses our modern needs in a comprehensive fashion, I highly recommend checking out MovNat for some “True Nature” training.

Review of a 5-Day MovNat Training Seminar

And no offense to my many enthusiastic primal friends. I still love many things about the primal way of life – especially on the nutrition side of things. I just think the training department leaves much to be desired.

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional and MovNat Alumni

Quit hating on Crossfit!!!!…you are not objective and you’re followers are mis-informed. Honestly, I don’t want to take the time to educate you….

Let me paraphrase that for you…

Quit hating on CrossFit!!!! You’re an idiot and so is everyone that listens to you. I am enlightened, but won’t share my secrets with you because I don’t want you to beat me on today’s WOD, Fran!

All joking aside, and in my defense, I think I offered a well-balanced perspective on CrossFit. I mentioned the pros and cons of the system from a non-biased perspective, and even concluded with a suggestion to attend a CrossFit seminar (with some precautions in mind). I definitely wasn’t hating on the system at all.

I am a strong critic and an eternal skeptic, and some significant aspects of CrossFit concern me greatly. For instance, the founder Greg Glassman admits that “[CrossFit] can kill you” (NY Times article here) Things like that tend to raise a warning flag in my book, among many others.

Needless to say, I didn’t publish the comment because it offered nothing of value to the discussion, but it got me thinking…

Isn’t this the kind of blind following that CrossFit is renowned for (not every CrossFit trainee, but many of the ones I’ve encountered)? It’s this attitude of we-are-holier-than-thou. We are the enlightened ones, and all who oppose us are nonobjective and misinformed. It sounds like a cult-following to me!

Well, excuse me if I don’t bite the hook, line, and sinker on the CrossFit method. I’d rather sit back and make a thoughtful analysis of the system before I commit my entire training program over to it, no questions asked. I happen to see several things about CrossFit that worry me, and I have yet to receive any proof that my suspicions are unfounded.

For instance, I have yet to find proof that CrossFit is a safe, healthy, and sustainable activity. In fact, I’ve found plenty of anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Read some of the comments in the CrossFit Q+A to get started collecting some evidence of its risks and dangers. The more people I talk to about CrossFit, the more I realize that it does have a “dark side” – usually injury and pain, or worse.

You don’t even have to be a fitness professional to realize this. Just take a peek at any one of the CrossFit workout videos that they post regularly on CrossFit.com. One of the most common problems with CrossFit training is that most of the athletes compromise on technique to achieve higher intensity, and it’s very obvious. Sure, you can get away with this for a little while, but using poor technique in any exercise will condition you to repeat that activity poorly – leading to overuse and/or repetitive stress injuries down the road. The process usually goes like this: first diminishing returns, then a plateau in progress, regress, pain, injury, illness and eventually death. I guess that’s what Glassman was talking about.

Now, I’ve got nothing against the people who willingly and knowingly decide to go this route – free will is not the issue here. I just need to make sure that people know the costs of CrossFit before they choose to blindly participate without someone telling them that they WILL GET INJURED. I know too many people who have tried CrossFit on a whim, and gotten hurt, sometimes severely.

Conclusion

Now, hear me out on this. I want CrossFit to succeed. I want them to continue to do what they’re doing, and especially to focus on how to better serve their clientele. I think it’s safe to say that CrossFit is growing rapidly (maybe too fast!), and there are some people involved with it that legitimately want to help others rediscover vibrant health and natural athleticism, irregardless of private interests or potential for personal gain. I’ve met some very nice CrossFitters who are objective and smart about their training, and who are willing to talk about both the strengths and weaknesses of their system. Some of them have great ideas for how to improve the quality of their coaching.

However, I see some very strong dogmatic views being expressed and followed, and that worries me because it leaves little room for freethinking, questioning convention, and asking “is this really the best way to accomplish our goals?”

I would hope that CrossFit, fast becoming one of the worlds most popular fitness systems, would be open to change if it were presented logically. Instead, I see a business giant growing too fast for its own good, sacrificing quality control for profit.

And before the hate mail starts pouring, let me stress again that there are many things about CrossFit that I like, and I would encourage anyone to attend a seminar to evaluate for themselves if CrossFit is right for them. My goal is to be transparent, and to talk about the things that seem to be overlooked by others.

In case you haven’t read my brief analysis of the CrossFit system, check out this post:

http://johnsifferman.com/blog/what-about-crossfit-tuesday-qa-with-john-sifferman/

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional

P.S. I think there are better alternatives out there for those whom are interested well-rounded fitness. I would recommend the TacFit program to anyone that recognizes the obvious risks involved with CrossFit and wants something that will pack as much punch in terms of effectiveness, but is rooted in health-first strength and conditioning practices. If you want all that CrossFit has to offer in terms of conditioning (and then some IMO), and you want to stay injury-free for life, then I highly recommend the TacFit program which has proven injury-prevention methods directly programmed into the sessions. Plus, each workout is comprised of 4 different levels of difficulty, meaning you have the option to customize the program to your needs and conditioning level (no general WOD’s). Check it out here:

TACFIT – TACTICAL-SPECIFIC PHYSICAL CONDITIONING

Yes, like a walker for people who have trouble walking – THAT kind of walker.

There was no note, no card, nothing to explain why, I, a perfectly healthy and mobile young man received a walker via FedEx delivery.

I had a few theories at first.

My brother Joe bought me a high-tech cane as a joke awhile back, and this could have been an upgrade – you know, just in case. Or, my brother Jim could be sending me something to make fun of me because I’m always doing my “mobility moves.” This could be a secret message that someday my silly mobility moves won’t mean jack when I’m immobile. Regardless, I started putting this fold-out contraption to use right away.

I tested it for its structural integrity and then performed a set of parallel bar dips, then some bodyweight rows. Before long, I was experimenting with some moves I had always wanted to try.So, here is a quick video demonstrating some exercises you can do with parallel bars:

Playing with Parallel Bars for Strength Training

These are just strength training exercises, and my technique isn’t perfect during some of them, but I wanted to give you an idea of how many training options we really have at our disposal. It turns out my brother Jim bought this for me because he had been trying to find a way to do parallel bar dips at home, and this was his best solution.

We don’t always have a perfect training environment, or perfect training equipment, and it’s important that we take inventory of what we do have and use it to our advantage. That doesn’t mean compromise on safety, rather draw on what we know to be safe.

I’ve been reflecting lately on how much we have that is extraneous and on what we could live without. The truth is that specialized training equipment is a luxury we enjoy from an abundant lifestyle. My recent experience with MovNat reminded me of this – that we should be able to practice and train anytime, anywhere. If we don’t have a gym membership, no problem. If we don’t have space in our house for exercising, no problem. We’re people, we adapt to the situations around us, and we don’t necessarily need to try to micro-manage and control everything about our lives.

Don’t get me wrong though, I love playing with new equipment, and as long as I have it, I’ll use it. However, I may just build some parallettes after all to prevent any future faceplants…

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional

P.S. Find instructions for do-it-yourself parallettes here.

Then, the question comes, “how was your trip?” they ask. You struggle to find the right words, the perfect explanation, the answer they NEED to hear. But you’re at a loss. There is no one-liner that sums up your experience – no interesting or entertaining remark that can possibly convey the message effectively.

Usually, I just blurt out whatever appropriate, emphatic adjective comes to mind first. I say something like, “it was awesome. I had a blast,” and leave it at that.

And yet, even after experiencing something truly amazing, something that resonates on such a deep personal level with who I am as a person, there is no possible way for me to fully and effectively communicate how my trip went.

I’ve read some very well-written articles by people who have experienced MovNat first-hand, training directly with Erwan Le Corre for days on end. I’ll admit that reading about MovNat gets me charged up (MovNat reading directory here). It resonates with me on a deep personal level, and I finish the article feeling inspired, energized, and even more passionate about exuberant physical living. And don’t get me started on the MovNat videos!

The Seminar

Let me be clear, I am not a MovNat coach, and this was not a certification seminar. This 5 day retreat was for personal education, for those looking to explore their true nature – to be strong, healthy, happy, and free. So, I can’t necessarily say that this review directly reflects the MovNat philosophy or practice, which I’m still internalizing myself in my daily personal practice.

I arrived with four other trainees not knowing what to expect (a CrossFit trainer from CA, a fitness bootcamp instructor from ME, a paramedic from KY, and a software programmer turned wandering nomad with an interest in barefoot running and natural movement). Erwan gave us a list of required items to bring, and vague self-assessment criteria to help us determine whether or not we should attend the beginner or advanced level course. Other than that, the 5 of us were in the dark.

During the week, we camped and enjoyed a host of borderline exquisite Paleo meals. We really packed the food down at breakfast and dinner. We had various omelets, steak, chicken, a 3-fish chunky soup/chowder/chemistry experiment that Erwan invented, and some of the best homemade salads I’ve ever eaten. For lunches, we ate light, usually raw foods like walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, bananas, apples, greens, etc. And since we celebrated two birthdays during our course, we also enjoyed some ahem, *cough cough* – non-Paleo food and drink, too.

One favorite recipe was a breakfast dish, that could easily pass for dessert as well. It’s simply sliced bananas, blueberries, and shaved almonds mixed together in a bowl of Coconut milk. It’s to die for! I remember Jeremiah’s eyes lighting up every time Erwan would suggest it.

About Erwan Le Corre

This was Erwan’s fourth USA seminar in four weeks, and I was curious about how his energy and enthusiasm would be throughout the 5-day event, after having spent so much time teaching and training while camping for a month.

I was downright inspired by his contagious passion for sharing natural movement with others. He would demonstrate techniques several times in a row, all day long. And then, we would ask him to show us again. He easily did twice the total amount of physical work that we did, proving that he leads by example.

Granted, his specific movement skills were far beyond any in our group, and he was able to move with better efficiency and ease, meaning less total energy expenditure – a benefit I am already beginning to experience in my personal practice as my skills improve. Regardless, he is a good coach by leading by example – even if it means shredding his chest and arms against the rough Oak tree bark (read “cheese grater”) again and again.

Yet, even with his ease of movement, Erwan doesn’t consider himself exceptionally fit or even highly talented. He believes that the bar for natural movement has been set so low by today’s standards that anyone who moves with what could be considered average movement skills will blow a typical “zoo human” mind.

It’s a little like standardized testing. Children used to have much higher standards to attain in the past for their education. The more the establishment lowers its expectations, the more profoundly the children who perform well stand out from the others.

It’s the same with natural movement. What may have formerly been considered normal and accepted movement skills, are now considered extraordinary and only reserved for true die-hards or high-end athletes.

So, in reality, we weren’t really practicing “advanced” movement skills, but what Erwan considers rather basic, fundamental human movements – many of which come naturally to children and are gradually lost during youth and adulthood. Yet, these skills appear to be advanced to the inept, and for many people, they are.

Don’t be fooled though because I found myself doing things that I never thought I possibly could – things that were definitely “advanced” for me. For instance, when training jumping at the river, we worked on progressively more difficult jumps – either greater heights or distances, or from a more difficult support. Our learning was textbook incremental – we actually started jump skill training with picnic tables on grass.

I remember one of the more difficult jumps we attempted at the river. It was a pretty good distance for me, and a fall would have meant going into the cold, rushing water. The stone was slanted, with a peak, much like a mountaintop with a very small area for standing. The goal was to jump from one boulder, over a section of the river, and to land directly on the top of the other rock, regain stability immediately (without using hands for balance), and then jump back. No problem, right?

Here’s the thing. A week earlier, I wouldn’t have even imagined making that jump. I would have walked right by that rock, and the thought wouldn’t have even crossed my mind that I could get to it. It was simply out of reach, out of mind. One week ago, I would have looked at that rock, and said “No way can I jump that far!” And I would have been right. But when Erwan demonstrated the jump and asked who would like to try it, I stepped up to go, but Erwan stopped me. He asked me “what are you feeling?” I told him that I was going to make the jump and stick it perfectly. He said OK, and I made the jump first try.

Erwan explained that he let me try that jump because he could sense confidence, and that it is important to monitor our own confidence level when training. If we know we can do something, then we will do it. On the flip side, if a certain movement doesn’t feel right, it’s best to avoid it or drop it down a skill level for the time being. This happened many times during the course, as our group each had a major diversity of skills and conditioning.

This is just one example of many where I found myself doing things that I either had never done before, or quite literally had forgotten how to do. We did things like rock climbing with only our feet (not vertical walls, of course), climbing with our eyes closed, swimming across a lake while pushing a tree trunk, rope climbing, walking and balancing on progressively smaller tree trunks and even more difficult surfaces, basic self-defense, grappling and striking drills, odd-object lifting, throwing and catching, breath holding, and much more.

About MovNat

MovNat is fully scalable to an individuals skill level and conditioning level. You don’t have to be in exceptional condition to practice MovNat. It definitely takes strength, endurance, etc. when you get to advanced levels of practice (such as demonstrated in his videos – which are meant to be inspirational, not instructional). However, even if you’re deconditioned, you can still practice very basic levels of MovNat. In another course, there was one gentleman who was 69 years old, and some others that were overweight and very poorly conditioned.

MovNat can be practiced safely by anyone, and I think that’s the most important thing people need to hear. Don’t be intimidated by Erwan’s seemingly natural ability to perform these high skill activities, or his exceptional physique. You don’t need to be an incredible athlete or fitness star to begin exploring your natural movement skills right away.

In fact, Erwan does very little direct conditioning work – he focuses specifically on skill practice. Practicing various skills will condition the body to repeat those skills in the future, according to the SAID principle. So, the skills practice IS the conditioning within MovNat. Erwan is able to do some very high skill movements, and thus is very well conditioned for them.

Most of our training week was spent directly on practicing various individual skills over and over again. However, it eventually culminated into combo training where we would perform various skills in a circuit-like fashion, and complete rounds for time. One of our combos was team-based. I was paired with Erwan’s assistant Jeff, and we had to balance on a fallen tree, followed immediately by 8 pullups on a tree branch, followed by 10 heavy rock throws and catches between partners, followed by 6 heavy partner deadlifts of a tree trunk. We did this for 5 rounds, no rest. I think our time was 8 minutes, flat.

The body has a tendency to want to compromise on technique when fatigue sets in, but Erwan wouldn’t allow it. If one of us was getting too fatigued, Erwan would immediately change the training parameters (ie less repetitions, lighter rock, easier pullup style, etc.). If your back even hinted at rounding during those deadlifts, he would have you stop, and the next round you would be using a lighter load. This is why it is imperative that one receive good coaching when learning and practicing MovNat, and demonstrates why future MovNat coaches will have high standards to meet.

The last day of our training week was the big finale that we had all been waiting for – the continuous training circuit through a “naturally wild” environment, follow-the-leader style. We were told it could take anywhere from 1.5-2.5 hours or longer, and there would not be a single moment for rest. While one person was executing the “main” skill, the rest would be doing bodyweight squats, holding a plank, or something else Erwan dreams up to make us sweat. Here’s the kicker, we were going to do this after fasting breakfast.

I saw this more as a mental challenge than physical, though it wasn’t a cakewalk, by any means. We went continuously for over 90 minutes, practicing almost all of the 12 skills. Erwan took us on foot (and sometimes on hands and feet) through the wilderness, balancing on logs and railings, climbing trees, rocks and ropes, running through swamps (yes, we looked like zombies upon our emergence from the forest), running and jumping on picnic tables, rocks and logs, lifting and throwing various stones. We did it all without resting, and it was so much fun!

Even though the point of this drill wasn’t to exhaust us, we were pretty tired by the end – and relieved that we had all completed the course, together, as a team. We broke our fast with a delicious salad that you could never find in a restaurant and then it was time to depart – homeward bound, back to our normal lives.

Erwan brought some of us to the airport and a few of us enjoyed coffee and tea for a couple hours, while Erwan discussed his vision for MovNat. It was a perfect way to end a week of learning and self-growth.

Going Barefoot

When we trained with Erwan, we all trained barefoot, even in the woods and on gravel; even “in the mud, and the blood, and the beer.” On occasion, some of the group wore footwear (usually Vibram Five Fingers) towards the end of the week as tender feet started to get sore. Some of us had barefoot training experience, some didn’t. An important note is that we are only as strong as our weakest link. If you can’t sprint 100 yards without putting your shoes on, then you can’t sprint 100 yards in an imperfect setting, and it’s important to be aware of this in your training program.

Going barefoot must be an incremental process. Like any form of training, it’s not smart to just jump right into it (and your feet will tell you this rather quickly). This is my first year going barefoot, and I’m sold on the concept. I think everyone can benefit from going barefoot as much as possible, but I do recommend approaching it cautiously. See the Definitive Guide For Going Barefoot here.

How Do CST and MovNat Compare

I know a lot of my readers are interested in Circular Strength Training. Having recently been certified as a CST Instructor and Kettlebell Specialist, I saw this MovNat seminar through a new set of eyes.

CST is a health-first fitness system. MovNat is a performance-first natural movement system. With MovNat, the ultimate goal is to be able to move effectively through a natural environment (natural can be from a tropical rain forest or through a busy urban environment – there is no such thing as an unnatural environment for human movement – well, maybe Mars!). Being able to do something effectively in MovNat (ie accomplish the goal, like climbing over a fence – even if your technique is horrible, you made it!) doesn’t mean that it is a naturally optimum movement. This is when it’s time to work on efficiency where you utilize good movement principles like selective tension, proper breathing, etc.

Better health and fitness is the number one goal of CST. Better movement is the number one goal of MovNat. CST is training based, for the purpose of conditioning to be able to better deliver skills more efficiently and effectively. MovNat is skills based, utilizing practice rather than training (specific conditioning is a by-product of practice, according to the SAID principle). If you train MovNat properly, your skills should be improving regularly (and the conditioning for those skills along with it).

One area where I saw a lot of similarity between the two systems is breathing technique. Although Erwan’s teaching style is much simpler than CST’s 5 levels of breath mastery, and 4 levels of breathing depth, the outcome is the same. I think my Be Breathed practice helped tremendously in preparing me for the breathing aspect of MovNat (except the breath holding, which I think leaves much to be desired.).

As a side note, I’m very comfortable in the water, but not a talented swimmer by any means. Sure, I can get across the lake, but I’ll be dead-beat exhausted when I get there because I’ve never learned proper swimming technique until this seminar. While I could hold my breath for 1:55 minutes when out of the water, I only held my breath for 45 seconds while under water. I have a goal of being able to do this for 2.5 minutes by the end of next summer.

I think both CST and MovNat are immensely valuable systems, and complement one another very well. Although, they are based on many of the same principles, there are many differences in the philosophy and purpose behind each system, making it difficult to do a direct comparison.

I see the greatest value in CST as applied to MovNat, as being a method of injury prevention, for PREhabilitating the body. There are already injury prevention methods present in the MovNat system, but I’m glad to have CST as a comprehensive source of training methods specifically for health-first training. In this day and age, we need to go above and beyond when it comes to fortifying health, and ensuring training is safe for the long-term, especially when working with zoo humans.

The Biggest Lesson I Learned At The MovNat Course

MovNat is a broad and comprehensive movement skills coaching system, but it will not prepare you for everything. This is NOT because I see MovNat as a flawed system and incapable of helping people better prepare for the unknown. This is simply a fact because we cannot predict future circumstances, and there is no way we can guarantee our training will prepare us for everything that could possibly happen (sorry CrossFitters, but no system will ever prepare for you everything, no matter what the elites boldly and publicly claim).

However, when it comes to being prepared for the unexpected – even the potential of being put in a life-threatening situation – MovNat will prepare you as much as any system possibly can. I don’t consider it a perfect system because it’s still in its infancy and Erwan admits that it is going to evolve in the future, but MovNat is about as good as it gets for preparing for the unknown. Here’s why…

Your skills and conditioning preparation is 100% dependent upon how much time and practice you devote to it consistently over the long-term. Obviously, the more time you spend practicing natural movement skills, the better prepared and equipped you will be to execute natural movements in the future. This is common sense, I know.

Here’s what I realized: even though MovNat doesn’t guarantee absolute and adequate preparation for the unknown, it DOES guarantee maximum benefits for the time you put into practice because MovNat is holistic. Every natural movement skill is covered, preparing you as much as you can possibly be prepared.

So, the secret is that there is no secret.

The 12 natural movement skills according to Le Corre are walking, running, jumping, balancing, moving on all fours, climbing, lifting, carrying, throwing, catching, swimming and defending. If one skill is lacking, then you can ensure inadequate preparation for unknown future circumstances. However, if you are regularly practicing all 12 skills, then you are preparing yourself as best as you possibly can be for the future.

I know, it’s not revolutionary information, but so many times I hear people who are concerned about being prepared for the unexpected event. So, they turn to a certain conditioning system that is not skills based, and when it comes down to actually being able to perform very basic movement skills, the conditioning means nothing when the skills aren’t trained yet.

Before arriving for the seminar, I could bust out 20 dead-hang pullups, but I couldn’t climb over a thick tree branch efficiently at all. This is one area where I had trouble. Sure, after a few tries I could muscle my way over a tree branch, expending a lot of energy, but I couldn’t use natural movement principles to move more efficiently without the coaching I received. MovNat training is immediately in context, requiring adaptability to situational demands (climbing over a tree branch). Adaptability is a skill that needs to be trained, or your capability (being able to do 20 pullups) won’t matter one bit.

I’m happy to say that the major skill I was having trouble with has improved greatly with practice over the past 2 weeks. Have a look:

Because of the situational adaptability embedded within MovNat training, you don’t necessarily train very specific skills over and over again. For instance, you won’t necessarily focus on continually perfecting a 36” box jump, which is a very specific skill. Instead, you’ll simply learn how to jump – just jump. Yes, you’ll start with very basic jumping drills on flat and smooth surfaces. Once you have those drills mastered, you’ll move onto something more difficult, perhaps jumping up or down on a bench – then a table. Then, you can jump to a target, further and further – and onwards in increasing sophistication from there.

You see, learning a 36” box jump is great for very specific conditioning purposes, but it bears little value when it comes to performing in a truly natural environment (outside of the gym). When jumping onto a rock or railing, the situation is different than in the gym. So, it’s important that once you’ve mastered a skill in a controlled environment (box jump in the gym), to then move onto more varied applications. In a natural environment, every jump is different, which is why training must include situational adaptability.

This doesn’t mean that we should compromise safe training methods just to practice in a more natural environment, as that would definitely lead to injury or worse. You definitely need to use your intuition. If you can’t lift a heavy stone with good technique (using the 7 key components of structure), then you shouldn’t be training with that one. Use a lighter stone, or one that’s easier to hold onto. Everything is scalable, and it’s important to monitor your level of readiness for new and more difficult skills.

Final Thoughts

This was a seminar specifically teaching humans how to move better in a natural environment, but it was about so much more than better movement. It was about being a better person in all aspects of life. I want to offer a big thank you to Erwan for all of his enthusiasm, energy, and patience with us. And I’d also like to thank Jeff Kuhland for all his help behind the scenes to make this event comfortable and memorable – all of the food was excellent, too.

Jeremiah, Brandon, Caroline, and Jennifer: It was a joy to train with all of you, and I wish you the very best success in your future MovNat training.

More MovNat eye-candy:

Even with this lengthy review, I still don’t think I’ve done the event justice. The best advice I can give is for you to seek out MovNat instruction on your own. Please do scroll down and see the post script notes at the bottom for more information, and thank you for your interest in MovNat. The reality of Erwan’s vision is about to explode!

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional
CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
MovNat Alumni – Summersville Lake, WV

P.S. By the way, I really didn’t get into the philosophy and specific techniques of MovNat because Erwan is currently writing a book about it. For those who are interested in learning Erwan’s thoughts on natural movement – what makes it natural, how to move efficiently, (etc.) I would highly recommend planning to purchase his book when it becomes available in the future.

P.P.S. I think it also goes without saying that I absolutely 100% recommend that anyone who is interested in MovNat should seek Erwan out, and train with him in-person. The experience is unforgettable, and can be life-changing if you’re ready for it. He will be doing some weekend clinics around the country in the next year, along with opening a MovNat training facility in or near Boulder, CO.

P.P.P.S. If you’re interested in a New England MovNat workshop, please let me know because I am planning on hosting Erwan sometime in December 2009, and I’m sure it will fill up quickly. You may direct message me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnsifferman

In case you’re not yet familiar with MovNat, here is a directory of resources to get you started:

MovNat – the Official Site

Mens Health Article about MovNat – “Fitness to Survive in the Wild: a wild workout for the real world”

Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine article about MovNat – “Wild Workouts with the Worlds Fittest Man” (PDF)

Health and Fitness Magazine article about MovNat – “Go Primal!” (PDF)

Interview with Erwan Le Corre from Chris at Conditioning Research

Thoughts on MovNat from natural movement expert Rafe Kelley

Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see a comment from Le Corre about what makes movement natural

MovNat seminar review by Greg Carver of “Did Spartans Do Situps?”

MovNat seminar review by Finn Christo of “The Ego of Finn”

Another MovNat seminar review

And of course, if you haven’t seen the video already, have a looksie…

I’ll come back with a full report of my experiences.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional