Primal movement is a form of fitness that involves moving as our hunter-gatherer ancestors once did. They crawled, climbed, jumped, walked and squatted as part of their daily lives.
Unlock your full potential with primal movement.
The concept behind primal movement is to move the way our bodies have evolved to. In doing so, you'll achieve optimal health by:
- Reducing unnecessary stress on your joints.
- Promoting lean muscle mass.
- Increasing fat loss.
- Improving recovery between workouts.
Whilst primal movement isn’t a new concept in the ancestral health community, there has been a recent surge of interest in this style of exercise. Helping to grow the primal fitness trend was a Pinterest Predicts trends report, which listed primal movement as one of the hottest fitness trends in 2023.
In this post you’ll discover how to unlock your body's potential using functional strength exercises, known as primal movements.
What Is Primal Movement?
Primal movement involves working multiple muscle groups using compound exercises—as a pose to isolating single muscle groups.
Think squats and push ups, rather than bicep curls and leg extensions.
We all start life with the ability to move in a primal manner. Have you ever noticed how a toddler can sit comfortably in a deep squat while playing on the floor? But our sedentary modern lives have hampered our ability to sprint, climb, squat and jump as our ancestors once did.
The good news is that it’s not hard to get it back. Our bodies want to move primally; it’s what they’re designed to do.
Primal movements are easy to perform and require minimal (if any) equipment. Here’s a list of basic movements that you can include in your primal workouts:
- Walking can be incorporated in your daily activities.
- Jumping: Explosive and dynamic movements are great for increasing the intensity of your workout.
- Running can be performed at high intensity as a sprint, or at low intensity as a jog.
- Squatting builds lower body strength and can be performed as a body weight exercise or with extra loading.
- Lunges can be performed as a static movement or as a walking lunge.
- Plank hold develops core and shoulder strength.
- Bar Hang is fantastic for improving grip strength and for spinal decompression.
- Pull-ups can be scaled with bands to take some of the load.
- Push-ups are an awesome body weight exercise that work your shoulders, chest and core muscles.
- Bending movements like deadlifts use a hinging pattern, and mimic the action of picking an object off the ground.
- Sitting on the floor: Adopting resting positions such as sitting cross-legged or side sitting will do wonders for your hip mobility.
What Makes Primal Movement an Effective Form of Fitness?
The simplicity and diversity of primal movement makes it an effective form of fitness. Our bodies thrive with physical activity, especially when we move the way our bodies have evolved to.
Here’s our top reasons to include primal movements in your fitness routine:
- Primal movements are easy and simple to perform.
- No equipment? No problem! You can perform a complete primal workout with no equipment, either at home, outdoors or in the gym.
- Get more bang for your buck! Primal movements often consist of compound movements that use multiple joints and muscle groups.
- Many primal movements are a form of resistance training, which is great for promoting muscle growth and improving bone density.
- Whether your primal fitness is a three hour hike, or an intense interval session, both activities promote hormonal homeostasis.
- Reduce your risk of injury, as primal movements allow your body to move the way it was designed to.
- Primal movements are scalable. Choose the option that works for your fitness level, mobility and energy levels. Whether you're squatting to a chair, or hitting full depth with your butt hovering just above the floor, both options are keeping you fit and active.
- Moving as our ancestors did is actually fun. Healthy body, healthy mind, right? Staying active will help boost mental health.
- Short on time? Primal workouts can be performed as a microworkout in less than 2 minutes.
How to Use Primal Movements in a Workout
Primal workouts can be short and sweet. Forget 60 minute aerobic classes. Chronic cardio-style activities can lead to overuse injuries and overeating (due to increased hunger).
What we love most about exercising with primal movements is the diversity of what you can do. No workout needs to be the same, and there’s no reason to feel bored. One day you could be hitting a two minute microworkout with a kettlebell. The next day could be a three hour hike in the mountains.
Primal Blueprint Fitness Program
The Primal Blueprint Fitness program is a handy guide you can use to help you understand how often to train and at what intensity.
The Primal Blueprint Fitness Pyramid.
The Primal Blueprint Fitness program has three main components which are outlined in the Primal Blueprint Fitness Pyramid:
1. Move frequently at a slow pace includes low intensity activities such as walking, hiking, swimming, paddling, yoga, pilates and gardening. Aim for 4-6 hours each week of low intensity movement.
2. Lift heavy things includes squats, push-ups, pull-ups, deadlifts, attending a CrossFit class or hitting a TABATA or microworkout at home. Aim for 2 x 10-30 minute sessions each week.
3. Sprint workouts can be performed every 7-10 days. These workouts are brief – no longer than 20 minutes and require an all out effort for the greatest health benefits.
Keen to Learn More About Primal Movement?
This post has only scratched the surface on how to use primal movement to stay active. If you’re interested to learn more, then perhaps you should consider becoming a certified primal fitness coach?
As a primal fitness coach you will:
- Gain confidence and move with great form and correct posture.
- Understand the theory behind the techniques.
- Learn the progression for each movement, depending on your coordination, flexibility and range of motion.
- Program the correct number of sets and repetitions depending on your goals.
- Understand how to restore your neuromuscular system through primal movement patterns.
Learn more about which PHCI fitness certification is best for you here:
- Primal Fitness Coach Certification
- Strength Training for Women Specialist Certification
- Primal Fitness Expert Certification
Recap
Primal movement is a fun, simple way to stay active. Workouts consisting of primal movements can be performed anytime, anywhere, and no equipment is needed. All you need is your body to start moving primally today!
