MovNat Starter Guide
MovNat Starter Guide
MovNat Starter Guide
movement ®
FITNESS
STARTER GUIDE
In order to respond to such contextual demands with effectiveness, you will first
and foremost need physical competence, i.e., movement skills and conditioning.
From our perspective, fitness should primarily address physical competence. Ul-
timately, you will also need the proper mindset and some situational intelligence,
which can be developed through training, as well.
BE STRONG
TO BE
HELPFUL
SITTING.
First off, sitting is a practical movement ability that allows you to take a break and rest,
wait, observe, and work. It helps improve or restore your mobility if your body has
gotten stiff over time. Of course, hours of sitting a day, everyday, in the same exact
position, most of the time in a bad position, is harmful. Standing all day is not really
a solution, as the adverse effects of prolonged standing are known as well.
At MovNat, sits are regarded as practical positions, and practical positions are
part of Natural Movement. Therefore, they should never be forgotten or neglected.
You might notice that the more sit positions you practice, the better your mobility
gets, with immediate benefits to other movement skills, including squatting.
If you are working from home with a laptop or a low desk, you can easily keep working
while practicing your sit. This is a great way to add healthy Natural Movement to your
day without taking extra time.
So the key to effective, beneficial
and enjoyable sitting is variety.
THINK WITH YOUR
WHOLE BODY.
Middle-aged and elderly people who need to use both hands and knees to get up and
down are almost seven times more likely to die within six years, compared to those
who can spring up and down without support. While the ratio of muscle power to
body weight is the most important factor in such ability, there are other very relevant
aspects to it. Aside from strength - it is mobility, balance, and coordination that also
participate very significantly in the transition from standing to sitting.
So, when was the last time you sat on the floor, and how easily did you move from
standing to sitting and back to standing? Do you remember how well you performed,
how you felt? Do you remember having to use your hands or not? Such a simple test
gives a quick, yet objective window into your ability to function from day to day. If this
movement is gives you trouble, it is a good sign that some more practice is in order.
How many ways do you know to get up and down from the floor? How many of them
can you do smoothly, with minimal effort? There are over 20 different standard ways
to get up and down from the ground, including several that are done without hand
support.
Fitness is not limited to strength and cardio and some stretching. Fitness to us is the
practical ability to physically perform in the real-world. When you are older, you may
not be able to lift as much or run as fast as you could when you are young, but you
should seriously consider now that the simplest movement aptitudes will define your
levels of physical autonomy in your later life. Will you be able to pick up your glasses
after they fell on the living-room floor without being at risk of losing balance and
hurting yourself?
Now, are you ready for the standing to deep squat to bent sit movement? As you will
soon realize, it might be MUCH more difficult than it looks. Something we often need
to emphasize is that what is simple is not always easy. Before you start, make sure that
you are not wearing very smooth synthetic fabrics and/or try the movement on a very
smooth floor, as it will make your feet and rear slide, giving you lots of trouble.
GETTING UP AND DOWN.
Stand. Then lower yourself to the deep squat, slowly. Keep or bring your heels together and your feet splayed out.
If you are unable to assume a stable, relaxed deep squat, you Gravity will pull you back and let you reach the bent sit. If
absolutely need to prioritize it, for you have lost significant your bottom isn’t close enough to the floor because of a lack
natural movement abilities. There is no magic quick-fix for of mobility, the transition might be heavy, loud, and not so
solving squatting issues. comfortable. Avoid trying if your squat position is not deep
enough. Or, if you insist, at least place a pillow where you
intend to sit!
Pull your feet close to your bottom, Quickly lean forward (you’ll need You are back in the deep squat, ready
heels against each other and firmly abdominal strength) to generate to stand back up, right?
planted on the floor, feet splayed out, momentum, but also to shift weight to
as the position of your feet is crucial to the front, helping your center of gravity
being successful at transitioning to the to get position over your feet as fast as
squat. Extend arms forward. possible. Imagine you are using your
heels as handles, and actually pull from
your feet into the deep squat.
THREE TIPS FOR BEGINNERS.
AS ORGANIC
IS TO FOOD.
“Erwan, in fact, could be one of the best
living examples of what our bodies were
originally designed to do.”
- CHRISTOPHER MCDOUGALL, NATURAL BORN HEROES
B R E AT H I N G .
Breathing is a movement.
Everything starts with breathing.
YO U M AY L E A R N
TO MASTER
THROUGH IT.
Forward Roll
V E RY I M P O R TA N T S A F E T Y P O I N T E R :
In the case of the forward roll, it is essential to not push bodyweight onto
the neck. It is also essential that I turn my neck and head in the OPPOSITE
direction of the weight-bearing shoulder and tuck my chin in. Keeping my
head straight or worse, trying to turn it in the same direction as the weight-
bearing shoulder as in the backward roll would only end up in straining, or
even hurting my neck badly. It is simply bio-mechanically incompatible.
STEP 4
Resume the same motion as in photo
two and three to find yourself in the
exact same position as in photo one.
For optimum technique, your ideal
position is replicated very closely on
both sides every cycle, except when
the terrain imposes modifications or
changes for the sake of adaptability
and effectiveness.
TO BE
STRONG
Straddle Sit to Split Squat
STEP 4 STEP 5
Having created the vertical space you Modify the position of your back foot
needed, you can now pull your free from hooked to bent (dorsiflexion) on
foot up onto the top surface of the bar the ball of your foot. From there you
and place it flat on the bar. can push off your hands and front foot
backward in a split squat and establish
a stable split squat, with good posture
and relaxed arms.