Erwan Le Corre is the founder of MovNat, an innovative physical fitness approach that is grounded in ancient physical fitness practices and a broader understanding of human movement and health. Get a taste of what Erwan’s philosophy is all about with these exclusive workouts.
Click here to read more about Erwan’s unique approach to physical fitness.
To learn more about Erwan, read our feature interview:
Featured Coach: Erwan Le Corre, Part 1 – The Roots of MovNat
Featured Coach: Erwan Le Corre, Part 2 – Freedom of Movement and Mind
Week One: Four Days of MovNat Sessions from Erwan Le Corre
Week one is all about “context-free” locomotive drills, i.e. unloaded movements. Such movements do not need to adapt to complex environmental demands and can be performed on any flat surface, indoors or outdoors, anywhere. The drills will be pretty similar each day this week. You will, however, progressively perform more repetitions so you become a bit more comfortable with them everyday. Practice not just the physical side but also mindfulness by focusing on quality movement patterns, including joint stability, a tall posture, and balance, as well as a strong, yet slow and relaxed abdominal breathing.
Practice each drill separately so you become familiar with those movements from a proprioceptive standpoint. You may follow the specific number of reps indicated, or you may solely focus on sensations instead and practice as long as the movement feels beneficial to you.
Props:
None, except a yoga mat if you want to alleviate the discomfort of your knees and ankles supporting your bodyweight. Practice on a soft surface, grass, or sand if you can’t stand hard surfaces. Anyway, who said it was easy? Suck it up!
Day 1
- Stepping Over x 4: Perform dynamically, avoid counterbalancing with the upper body. Switch sides.
- Stepping Under x 4: Perform dynamically, avoid rounding the back. Switch sides.
- Lateral Figure Four Sitting Reverse x 4
- Assisted Squat x 8: Hold at the bottom and bounce softly a few times before standing up.
- Split Squat x 4: Keep front knee stable, switch sides.
- Deep Knee Bend x 4: Maintain a tall posture.
- Deep Knee Bend Stances x 4: Hold stance for about 10 seconds each time. Maintain a tall posture and stable ankles and knees.
- Medium Kneeling to Tall Kneeling x 4
- Deep Knee Bend to Tall Half-kneeling x 4: Switch sides.
Stepping Over:
Stepping Under:
Lateral Figure Four Sitting Reverse:
Assisted Squat:
Split Squat:
Deep Knee Bend Stance:
Medium Kneeling to Tall Kneeling:
Deep Knee Bend to Tall Half Kneeling:
Day 2
- Dynamic Stepping Over x 8: Perform dynamically, avoid counterbalancing with the upper body. Switch sides.
- Dynamic Stepping Under x 8: Perform dynamically, avoid rounding the back. Switch sides.
- Lateral Figure Four Sitting Reverse x 8
- Assisted Squat x 16: Hold at the bottom and bounce softly a few times before standing up.
- Split Squat x 8: Keep front knee stable, switch sides.
- Deep Knee Bend x 8: Maintain a tall posture.
- Deep Knee Bend Stances x 8: Hold stance for about 10 seconds each time. Maintain a tall posture and stable ankles and knees.
- Medium Kneeling to Tall Kneeling x 8
- Deep Knee Bend to Medium Half-kneeling x 8: Switch sides.
Dynamic Stepping Over:
Dynamic Stepping Under:
Deep Knee Bend to Medium Half Kneeling:
Day 3
- Slow and Controlled Stepping Over (alternate sides) x 10
- Slow and Controlled Stepping Under (alternate sides) x 10
- Lateral Figure 4 Sitting Reverse x 10
- Assisted Squat x 20
- Split Squat (alternate side) x 10
- Deep Knee Bend x 10
- Deep Knee Bend Stances x 8 (hold for 20 seconds)
- Deep Kneeling to Tall Kneeling x 10
- Deep Knee Bend to Deep Half-kneeling (alternate side) x 10
- Split Deep Knee Bend Reverse (alternate side) x 10
Deep Kneeling to Tall Kneeling:
Deep Knee Bend to Deep Half Kneeling:
Split Deep Knee Bend Reverse:
Day 4
- Stepping Over x 10: Perform in a slow and controlled manner. Switch sides.
- Stepping Under x 10: Perform in a slow and controlled manner. Switch sides.
- Lateral Figure Four Sitting Reverse x 12
- Assisted Squat x 30: Hold at the bottom and bounce softly a few times before standing up.
- Split Deep Knee Bend Reverse x 12
- Deep Kneeling to Tall Kneeling x 12: Shift bodyweight backward as your knees go to the ground.
- Deep Knee Bend to Deep Half-Kneeling x 12: Switch sides.
