So, you’re pretty fit. That’s good. But are you capable?

Not sure what we’re getting at? Let us explain with a few examples.

If you can do 10 pull-ups, but you can’t climb a tree to save your life, you may be fit for acing a pull-ups test, but you’re probably not capable in climbing.

If you can qualify for the Boston marathon, but you can’t sprint 100 meters without putting your shoes on first, you may be fit for a particular race under ideal conditions, but you’re probably not very capable outside of your specialization.

If you can deadlift double your body weight with a barbell for multiple reps, but you struggle to lift a stone that is half your body weight, you may be fit for the gym, but you’re probably not as capable outside of it.

If you can do box jumps and burpees in your sleep, but you’re not confident to hop across river rocks without falling in, you may be fit from a mere conditioning standpoint, but you’re probably not capable for moving in nature.

If you have ripped, six pack abs, but you can barely swim to save your life (or someone else’s), you may be fit by society’s standards, but you’re not entirely “beach ready.”

Why is that?

Because possessing high levels of fitness doesn’t necessarily equate with a high level of capability.

Here’s how we define it at MovNat.

Real World Capability = Competence (e.g. Movement Skills) + Capacity (e.g. Physical Conditioning)

So, conditioning is only one aspect of capability, and without the competence (i.e. movement skills) to apply that conditioning in a real world context, fitness is practically useless.

“Over the years, I have taught many fitness coaches who spend their time indoors, doing muscle-isolation exercises and working on fitness machines, and although their muscles have looked good on paper, their ability to run, jump, balance, climb, and so forth in natural environments were questionable at best. Mainstream fitness and Natural Movement are not the same at all; they don’t have the same purpose or method, and they logically produce incredibly different results.” – Erwan Le Corre

So, this begs the question: how useful is your fitness? And what should you do if your fitness is “all show, but no go”?

Well, one thing we’d recommend that will “quick-start” your results is to start focusing on improving your movement skills. And not just a few of them that come easily to you, but the whole range of natural human movement skills, each of which delivers unique fitness benefits.

Here at MovNat, we do this by helping our students lay a foundation of movement competency in a systematic and progressive format from the ground up.

 

Because in order to develop real world capability, you need more than just fitness. You need movement skills. Not to mention things like mental toughness and the ability to adapt to a complex, changing environment and circumstances. So, the MovNat system develops real world capability by improving movement skills and fitness/conditioning simultaneously. It’s baked into the curriculum in all of our programs, in an incrementally progressive format.

Why do we emphasize skill development over fitness? Because physiological capacity (i.e. fitness) is progressively developed through increasingly challenged competency (i.e. the practice of skills at incrementally greater levels of Volume, Intensity, or Complexity).

 

In other words, if you focus on training your natural movement skills in more challenging ways, this will trigger skill-specific physiological adaptations (e.g. more strength, endurance, power, coordination, etc.). And the more advanced the skills, the greater those adaptations tend to be. For example, you’ll get ample physiological benefits simply from the act of hanging (e.g. from a bar or tree branch). However, if you progress to more difficult climbing skills (e.g. Swinging, Traverses, Swing Ups, Pop Ups, Roll Ups, Power Ups, etc.), you’ll gain greater and greater fitness as a result of your practice. And obviously, you’re acquiring greater skill as well.

So, it’s not just about doing more (Volume), or training harder (Intensity). It’s about moving better (Complexity). Quality over quantity. Because quality movement matters.

And what do you think happens to the human body when you start practicing quality movement, and thus, become really skilled and conditioned for a wide variety of activities such as lifting, carrying, running, climbing, and jumping, among others? It gets lean, strong and powerful. And dare we say, even beach ready. So, you get the best of both worlds.

If you’re ready to put this new paradigm to the test, keep your eyes peeled for a new upcoming e-course, MovNat Metabolic, which is all about using the methods found within the practice of Natural Movement to rapidly enhance your fitness and body composition.

In the mean time, you can get started with any of our many existing resources, including our free weekly Natural Movement Workouts.

Start Moving Naturally At Home

MovNat Level 1 Fundamentals is a perfect resource for beginning your Natural Movement Fitness journey! If you want to build your movement and fitness from the ground up and regenerate your body using practical, natural movements that enhance fitness, function, and physical capability, learn more at the link below.

Click here to learn more about
MovNat Level 1 Fundamentals