Functional Movement VS Practical Movement: Workout Case Study

By Nate Amado, MovNat Master Trainer

What’s the difference between functional movement and practical movement? Simply put, practical movement has a direct and clear purpose that is relevant and/or useful to life. Functional movement can be great, for sure (e.g. specific conditioning benefits, training unconventionally, etc.), but the practical purpose isn’t always clear.

MovNat’s Performance Director, Danny Clark, wrote a great article about the differences between Functional Movement & Natural Movement, which goes into a lot more depth on this subject.

But for today, let’s take a look at some of the practical implications of a specific MovNat Workout so you can see the connection.

Workout Instructions: Repeat the following Combo 3-5x with minimal rest…

• Single Arm Split Deadlift – 3 Reps
• Single Hand Carry – 30 Paces
• Side Swing Throw – 6 Reps
• Push Pull Crawl (under low object) – 15 Paces
• Forward Jump (over hip height obstacle) – 3 Reps
• Side Hang Front Foot Lift (aka Feet to Bar) – 6 Reps
• Pull Up Jump Up & Down – 3 Reps

The practicality of these movements are clear:

• To lift and carry an object with one hand (e.g. think tools)
• To throw or pass an object to the side (e.g. think sandbags/flood)
• To get underneath or through a low/narrow object (e.g. think cave or basement crawlspace) or remain undetected (e.g. hunting or warfare)
• To get over a fairly high object with speed (e.g. think unstable fence or a downed tree)
• To initiate an efficient climbing movement (e.g. next step: hooking a leg)
• To climb up/down a horizontal object with speed (e.g. think parallel tree branches or bars)

Functional movement certainly has value. But as you can see, Natural Movement – like this workout above – is more relevant and practical for everyday life. Actually, every single natural movement has a practical purpose, which means that every time you train MovNat, you are literally practicing movement skills that have used more or less since humans have been walking the Earth. So, if you’re not sure if your workouts are practical, there’s a good chance they’re not; and you could be getting even more benefits out of your training by training the specific skills and conditioning attributes we actually use and need in the real world.

So, if you want to make the most of your training by integrating concepts like practicality and adaptability into a holistic Natural Movement practice, find a MovNat event near you.

About the Author

Hey, humans! I’m Nate. A MovNat Master Trainer & Team Instructor, Primal Health Coach, Wilderness Scout, BJJ Purple Belt, Gracie Jiu Jitsu Instructor, and much more.

Beyond all the certifications, I’m a student of life with a love for exploration and learning. The spark that ignited this journey was high school wrestling—I won my first match or two, and got my butt handed to me for the rest of the year—it was great.

I became hungry for more, physically and mentally. So I began studying and practicing many different disciplines: Boxing, MMA, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Yoga, Meditation, Capoeira, Art Du Déplacement/Parkour, and La Methode Naturelle to name a few. A path which led me right to MovNat in 2013.

When I found MovNat, I thought, “This is it!” This is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was the most complete system I’d found, and I knew it had the potential to change a lot of lives and the world around us.

And when I discovered Gracie Jiu Jitsu in 2015, I had the same experience—the fire was stoked. I dove all in and have been studying/training all day, every day, since. These are my two true passions in life—both highly effective, super fun, and life-changing disciplines.

For the past 8 years, I’ve been taking it one bare foot at a time—integrating and coaching people with all the best methods that I’ve discovered or created, in-person and online, and leading workshops & retreats around the world—growing organically with a community of awesome humans.

My mission is to help men explore, empower, and transform themselves, their tribe, and the world around us for the better.

Reach out to see how you can take that next step towards becoming a more strong, resilient, capable, happy, healthy, and free human being today.