How to Integrate MovNat Into Your Strength and Conditioning Routine

To build your own MovNat program, it’s important to understand the relationship between conditioning and skill acquisition.  Far from being mutually exclusive, your current strength and conditioning program can absolutely feed into a rich natural movement practice.  The key is progression – a relationship I call the skill-conditioning continuum.

Conditioning-Skill Continuum Arc

Gray Cook writes in his book “Movement” that we should never add strength to a movement dysfunction.  This sentiment is echoed in MovNat’s philosophy – you will gain conditioning through training movement skills, but not necessarily the other way around. Continue reading →


MovNat Warm Up Flow #1

Hi gang!

Recently, I’ve been playing around with some different movement flows as the dynamic portion of my warm up and movement preparation.  Here is a sequence I really like, especially for preparing the hips for any kind of squatting, lunging, running, etc.  Give it a try and see how you feel!

All the best,

-Matt


My Training

Hey all!  Today I’d like to post a piece I did for my gym newsletter.  It details my daily routine, training goals, nutrition, programming, etc.  I thought it would be a good resource to put on the blog.  I hope you enjoy it!

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Tell us what you are trying to accomplish with your training and nutrition right now.  What are your goals? 

My goals are multi-layered.  First and foremost, I train (and eat) to be healthy, vital, and expand my boundaries.  This is why I will continue to train for the rest of my life.

Second, I train to be strong so that I may help others.  What is strength if I cannot use it to benefit those around me?  The results aren’t only physical – I train for inner-strength that comes from dedication, perseverance, and confidence as well.

Third, I train for fun.  For me, this means exploring how my body can move and acquiring new movement skills.  I train natural human movements ALA MovNat.  In my current program, I’m focusing on hand balancing, explosive jumping, and the ability to safely roll out of a fall.  If you’re training isn’t fun, what’s the point?  As Alwyn Cosgrove states in his first three rules of lifting:  “1.  Do something.  2.  Do something you love.  3.  The rest is just details.”

Why did you choose this goal?  What motivated you?  Continue reading →


Sandbag Carry “Finisher”

This is a great way to finish your movement session or workout.  Start with a decently heavy sandbag (the one pictured was 80#).  Find a bunch of different ways to carry it, and rotate through those carries for 10 minutes, switching after one variation fatigues or after a set distance, such as 20 yards.  Not only is this very functional, but challenging as well!

Deadlift set up. Make sure you keep a neutral spine!

Deadlift set up. Make sure you keep a neutral spine!

Continue reading →


Body Maps

MOVEMENT NERD ALERT!  The following contains detailed information in which I geek out about movement, mobility, and how the body works.  Proceed at your own risk.

What is a body map, and what role does it play in how we move?

Body maps are an important but little known concept in understanding human movement.  Body maps can be thought of as the blueprints of our physical selves stored in our brain.  The brain accesses these “blueprints” in order to help us navigate through our environment – i.e. move.

The more precisely these maps have been drawn, the better we are at movement and adapting to different situations.  We won’t always have a barbell evenly weighted to pick up in a standard grip and stance – if we are more aware of our body position (i.e. have a detailed body map to work with), the better chance we have to lift the object safely and effectively.  On the other hand, the more out of focus our body maps, the greater potential for dysfunction and pain. Continue reading →


I’m Not a Freak

The other day, I had a client mention that he saw a photo from my last Whole30 challenge.  He paid me a really nice complement, saying “You looked shredded dude.  I’ve never seen someone look like that.”  Then he followed that statement up with:  ”You’re a genetic freak man.”

Now, I know this client was trying to give me a compliment and had the best intentions, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it bothered me. Saying someone is a “genetic freak” takes away from all the hours, months, and years of hard work they put in.  It also sets up a situation where you can make an excuse.  ”I don’t have the genes for that kind of body.”  ”I’d never be able to get there.”  ”I can never compete with guys/girls like that.”  That’s not how you #getyourmindright.  It’s simply setting you up for failure before you’ve even begun.

Let’s be clear.  Genes set the stage, and probably determine what our maximum potential is, but it is how those genes are EXPRESSED, i.e. our phenotype, that truly determines how much of that potential we achieve – and that is dependent on environment.  And environment IS something that you can control, at least in part.  Here are four different environments I focus on in my life and with my clients: Continue reading →