Natural Movement and StrengthBox Workouts

Ready to Rock!

The gym is fully kitted, the t-shirts are printed, and the inaugural workout has taken place–meaning that the StrengthBox is ready for opening! We hope to see some of you in the Toronto area, so feel free to drop a line or arrange to stop by for a tour.

In fact, things are happening so fast, that we’ve been able to host some workouts with friends and family prior to our official opening on March 1st! It’s been a blast showing people the facility, and the response has been fantastic.

Natural Movement Drills

Most of our workouts centre around three training pillars. We usually start with a dynamic warmup, using natural movement patters and some joint mobility work. The warmup quickly transpires into a skill-development session, working on specific movements such as running, jumping, climbing, balancing, throwing and catching, etc. These are very ancient skills; in fact they would have been second-nature to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, but our sedentary way of modern living has tossed them aside in favor of technology and comfort. The StrengthBox crew believes it’s time to work these primal capabilities again, as they form the basis of evolutionary fitness. Incorporating activities (and diet principles) from our evolutionary past is a very effective strategy for well-being! Just look at the posts written by MovNat founder Erwan LeCorre!

Front Squat

One natural skill we pay a lot of attention to at StrengthBox involves lifting heavy objects. And while we often use barbells as the tool of choice, we pay particular attention to lifting odd objects. This might mean anything from a sandbag (with no convenient handle to grip) to a heavy rock. Using these objects adds an element of context to our training, forcing us to adapt.

Bodyweight Rows

Finally, we usually round out our training with a short workout combo. Intense physical activity is important, especially when it’s mixed and varied.  We never do repetitive motions (i.e. slow, long cardio) or unvaried routines. The goal is to raise one’s metabolic rate, and to keep it raised – at least until the next training session!

Stay tuned for more StrengthBox details, as we get underway and open our doors on March 1st! We hope to see you there!

Tags: MovNat, natural movement, StrengthBox, training, workouts