Train like a Tiger!

MovNat- the workout that the world forgot!

I will let this video by Erwan Le Corre speak for itself:

So, what is the BEST way to train?  Once again, let's here what Erwan has to say:

"What is the best fitness regimen for a tiger? The case for authentic human movement.

What is the best way to exercise?  How do you become fit?  What is the most effective method for optimal physical development?  Nowadays, there are hundreds, if not thousands of fitness concepts offered, all promising to get you in shape in no time, often presenting themselves as “revolutionary” or being the outcome of “cutting-edge science”.  The fitness industry is providing such a plethora and variety of offers that it has become quite confusing for the average person in search of an exercise solution.  Body-building, “functional fitness”, cardio- training, Bootcamp, Pilates, yoga, Tae Bo, Zumba, P90X, Insanity or others.  Which one to choose?

Now I have a very simple, yet powerfully thought-provoking question for you:

What is the best fitness regimen for a tiger (or a tigress)?

Does the question make you smile?  Does it sound irrelevant or stupid?  And, most importantly, what’s the answer?  How would you train a wild tiger so it can be fit?  Would you train it by doing weight lifting and cardio training on the side?  Could you imagine a tiger running on a treadmill while checking its pulse rate, without cracking up?  Or could it be that it doesn’t need to exercise at all, being genetically, i.e. naturally fit?

Here’s the right answer: in order to become and stay optimally fit, a tiger needs to move the way tigers move in their natural biome.  It is that simple.  Tigers will move naturally when they’re free to live the natural life every tiger should live; as will all other wild animals.
Throughout their entire life and without discontinuity, wild animals will move the way nature and evolution intends them to, simply because in nature, moving naturally and staying fit is essentially a matter of survival.  If you can’t move, you’re inexorably condemned to an imminent death.  Every newborn animal will start developing his or her species-specific movement aptitudes very early for this very reason.

Bird doing a "wing muscles workout"?

Dolphin "functional fitness" exercise?

Squirrel burning calories through agility drills?

Snake engaging the "core"?

Young human being moving naturally even in unnatural environments

The young “human animal” possesses the exact same drive to move.  He wants to move naturally all the time, even in artificial, man-made environments.  Call them “hyperactive” or “ADD” as much as you want, but kids know what’s important and priority, and moving is important and priority to them.  It is a “built-in” program, a fundamental part of their genetic agenda, just like in any other young animal.  Can you expect children to become healthy and fit if you deprive them of their evolutionary birthright to natural motion?  Should you wait until they are in their teenage years to expose them to “real” fitness and give them video games to play in the meantime?  Lastly, why should such an evolutionarily natural movement activity be reserved to and practiced by only children?

More questions:

If wild animals can become extremely fit this natural way, why on Earth should it be any different for humans?  Because they’re animals and we’re not?  Because we are smart and they’re not?  Because we are more advanced and evolved today?  Or…

Because we know better?

There are fundamental questions that need to be addressed in my opinion: can we reinvent ourselves?  And, if yes, to what extent?  Can we discard our “true nature”, i.e. our universal, biological nature, which includes our human species-specific movement aptitudes?

While humans today are being presented with thousands of alternatives to keep in shape, how many of them are relevant to our own essential human species-specific movement needs and potential?

Serious fitness?

I believe, and can actually observe, that an overwhelming majority of the modern fitness industry has completely lost sight of our original physical aptitudes.  It provides methods that are significantly divorced from our original movement modes.  The muscle isolation approach does not work.  The body does not work in isolation, but through and thanks to movement.
There is more to building a body that just growing muscles.  And there is more to building a being that just building their body.  Lastly, people get bored!  Why would you stick to doing anything that doesn’t feel natural to you?  Isn’t there a way we can physically and optimally develop ourselves, while staying faithful to our evolutionarily natural heritage?

You see, in our modern world, all fitness regimens are accessory and optional.  It is up to each and every individual to decide if they want to exercise or not, and how.  Even walking has already become an option.  But like it or not, moving naturally still is, and always will be a biological necessity.  When you are not respecting the needs of your true biological nature, you become a “zoo-human” and the price to pay is physical, mental, and even spiritual suffering.

So isn’t it high time for a healthy and meaningful paradigm shift in the way society and the fitness industry approaches fitness?  In the way you are personally approaching exercising?  Aren’t you thirsty for authentic human movement?"

Erwan Le Corre
Founder of MovNat and Master Instructor


I agree wholeheartedly with Erwan's ideas!  


But, I do have some insights that will ADD to what he has to offer, I think in a very productive, and under-utilized vein of physical culture.  Too much for today, I will make it the focus of my next post.


Jay

The Perfect Paleo Exercise!

You've heard of weight lifting/ strength training/bodybuilding










You've heard of power lifting.

You've heard of Olympic lifting!

You've even heard of Movnat!

Movnat is a great step in the right direction...

But, what you have NOT heard of is...

Visualized Resistance!   (Here are all the exercises you need, in a form you can easily duplicate.  Thank John Peterson and Wendy Pett for the demonstrations, but then, just do them, daily).

This is the stuff that Charles Atlas made his reputation from-  self resistance generated within the muscles!  It is also known as DYNAMIC TENSION!  (Remember from the comic books??)
The Comic Books withstanding...  it WORKS!!

You just- self resist throughout the range of motion.  So simple it seems almost... fake!

But it is not at all!  I honestly believe that, for MOST people, Visualized resistance is ALL that they really need to be totally fit!!  


That, and a completely PALEO DIET, eschewing grains and sugars, primarily!

I really think that, from a "Moving Naturally" and a "Paleo" perspective; i.e. getting back to what is natural for humans, nothing is more natural than this self resisted, cat-like means of natural exercise!

And NOW, my new eBook is out on Amazon- Perfectly Paleo Exercise
Soon to also be available on all other vendors, including the iBookstore...

Bottom line?

Fix your diet!  Eliminate grains and sugars.  NOW!!  
That is at least 80% of the battle!!

For the rest of the battle?  Well, I would say:

Incorporate a paleo smoothie that immediately fixes the deficiencies in your diet that you've had for decades:   


All of the micro-nutrients, proteins, intestinal-repair and rejuvenating agents, vitamins, minerals, and just plain nutrient dense foods that you've been lacking for... decades, at least!


That is MOST of the battle!  REALLY!


But, after you've incorporated all of the dietary changes that will revolutionize how you look, feel, and perform...


Well, you need to perform!  


These exercises will help you to do just that:

Safely- Easily (No equipment needed!!)- and VERY effectively!!


I know, I am a lone voice in the wilderness on this; but trust me:

Weight lifting is a dead end.  Body weight resistance is not only adequate...

It is really all you need!!  


AND SELF RESISTANCE (VISUALIZED ESPECIALLY) IS THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN NATURAL HEALTH!


Just try it, please!   Coupled with a paleo diet there is nothing better for you.

I think it doesn't catch on, primarily, because, just like the Paleo Diet-

THERE IS NOTHING TO SELL!!


J

Visualized Resistance training and isometrics as natural training, i.e. MOVNAT!

Here is my cat, Zeke!

When talking of MOVNAT, or natural movement training, he is my expert!  The way this little 8 month old runs, climbs, stretches and just plain MOVES is inspirational to me.  As I think it was to Charles Atlas, the comic book, mail order icon who resurrected visualized resistance training almost a century ago, after watching a lion (think ZEKE here!), who stretched, and FLEXED his muscles (as cats do!), and inspired him to think:

"Hey- if that's how cats (and other animals keep in prime physical shape... maybe that's how humans are meant to do so, as well!!"

He was right!  

You can do an arm curl (easy to visualize, that's why I use it), and consciously apply resistance, and make it as hard as you want!  Try it- see??  You just flex as you curl, and make it as hard as you'd like!

Then, you can add an isometric hold at the end of the curl- don't stint- flex with all you've got at the uppermost part of the movement!!

See what I mean? Do 7 reps or so of curls, with visualized, self-inflicted, mental resistance; top it off with an isometric hold for 4 or 5 seconds...

and you have just completed the hardest, most PRODUCTIVE,  set of biceps curls of your life!!

With no equipment, no set-up worries, and no danger of injuries!!

I think this type of training is a no-brainer!!  Do it for ALL of your body!!

Cats do.  Humans can too!  It's how the ancient Greeks trained, and the early Asian martial artists...  

It's so old, that it seems too "low tech" for us computerized, technology junkies.  But, simple training is probably (like simple eating, i.e. the Paleo diet humans have consumed for millions of years) the best for us!  

Check out visualized resistance training for a quick tutorial on visualized resistance exercise!  

Just do like John Peterson and Wendy Pett do on transformetrics.com!  They are the most current flag-bearers for visualized resistance, so pay attention!!


Zeke would help you, but he can't talk...

The Asian squat... or the Grok Squat- whatever you call it, this is the "go-to" resting position for humankind!  Ironically, in our modern, man-made world in which we are divorced from Nature and live in a "zoo" environment of chairs, car seats, desk chairs, lawn chairs, sofas etc. etc...most of us cannot even get into our natural resting posture, much less maintain it!  We have truly, as Erwan Le Corre puts it, become "Zoo People".
How to do the Asian Squat

See how it goes?  It may take awhile to work into holding this, but work at it.  This is the perfect morning (and throughout the day) stretch for your entire lower body and back- this is for humans what the raised back is for the cat- stretches them out many times throughout the day, so they are ready to move...
like a cat!


Are you ready to move like a human??


Well then, check out the aforementioned Erwan Le Corre's blog on -MovNat
J

Movnat!

movnat.com

Check out the above link!  Erwan LeCorre is the originator of the Movnat, or "move naturally" movement.
His idea is that modern humans of civilization have become "Zoo Humans", functioning in an artificial, man-made environment.  This deprives us of much of our natural habitat, meaning the natural world, i.e. woods, fields, grass, etc. that our ancestors dealt with for millennia, and which would have been profoundly instrumental in determining how we evolved, and why we are now built and think the way we do.

Take a zoo animal out of the wild, and he is "out of his element"!

We, children of Western civilization, are physically at least, "out of our element".

At Movnat, they have classes that teach people how to move, both themselves and other objects in nature with efficiency and natural elegance.  This is great!

But I believe that we all have within us the ability to "relearn" what we need to do... naturally!

Each Sunday, I have been moving naturally around my several acres...  jogging, walking, and then sprinting!  All barefoot, and mindfully, meaning that you simply pay attention totally to what you are doing, and live in the moment!


That alone is enough to return you to an ancient "play space" that is so important to the human genome- play is where we get in touch with who we really are.

After I sprint several times, I am winded and tired, almost like doing high reps of heavy squats in the old days...
but, instead of being "totalled", I am energized and happy!


And then,  I go and throw some boulders and stones around, for distance, chin myself from tree limbs,  and walk and run more for fun...


I feel free; not like a "zoo human" at all.

The perfect Paleo Quick Start Exercise protocol?

Just move naturally!  Around a park, around your yard, even around a ROOM!
Crawl, jump, chin yourself; just explore natural movement.

Outside in real, honest-to-God nature is by far the best, though!

Through rain, sleet, snow, and dark of night...