Natural Movement Is Efficient
Many of the movements that athletes and olympic weight lifters perform are centered around the idea of moving a weight or their body in the most efficient manner possible. It’s no coincidence that efficiency is also key to natural movement, because it is efficiency that allows one to to generate the maximum necessary force while using the minimum amount of energy. In a nutshell, that is the recipe for survival in a harsh environment.
There are many ways to climb a tree if you find that you need to do so. If you are strong, you can probably just haul yourself up by your arms. If you have some spare time, perhaps you can build a platform of rocks to stand on so you can reach the tree limb. However, if you are being chased by a pack of wolves, time or brute force may be luxuries you can’t afford.
You don’t want to take too long to reach safety, and you don’t want to wear yourself out if you are unsure how long you will be without help. The solution is to use efficient movement to leverage your body’s strength and momentum to swing yourself up into the tree.
Natural Movement Is Situational
While much of civilization is rendered sedentary through a lifestyle of convenience, there is still a lot of movement going on. From lifting boxes, to crawling under the bed to get storage bins, to chasing after the dog when he runs out of the house. Being able to move gracefully and effortlessly in all capacities makes maneuvering through the world we inhabit all that much easier.
Situations that may seem quite mundane like jumping out of your truck are enhanced when one performs the movement through the filter of natural movement principles. Just getting out of a car is an every day activity, but actually one of the biggest causes of sudden back pain for people. Natural movement transfers to these situational needs because it is practical by nature, and not limited to obscure scenarios or equipment.
Natural movement might seem like play, but that really makes sense if you think about it. Children play and do what comes to them naturally, they don’t subscribe to convention until they get older and are educated by society. If you want to feel what the core of natural movement is about, remember what it was like to be a child, running around and exploring the world outside your door. Go act like a kid again!
Warm Up
Max Ring Rows
Max Push Ups
Max L Hold
Max Box Dips
Skill
Floor Press & Wipe
WOD
9 Min AMRAP
2 barn runs
3 rope pull-ups
5 box jumps
7 squats
Game
'Hoop Shoot'
Kids will be divided up into equal teams of 3-4.
There will be 3 cones in a line
Kids can choose where to shoot from
farthest cone = 3 points
middle cone = 2 points
closest cone = 1 point
Kids must shoot from behind the cone into a box turned upside down like a hoop.
If the ball makes it, they get the number of points corresponding with the cone they are standing next to.
Each game last 2-3 minutes. Winning team gets to choose exercise for other teams to do. The reps will equal the number of points the winning team scored.
