Caveman movements to keep you fit in modern-era

A growing international fitness trend called MovNat is promoting unusual Caveman-style training techniques like running through the bushes barefoot
to stay fit.

Founded by a French trainer, Erwan Le Corre, about four years ago, it encourages natural, functional exercise in an outdoor setting.

It also promotes a paleo-style diet, which is based on hunter-gatherer foods such as meat, vegetables, fruit and nuts, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

About 250 people around the world have become official instructors since qualifications were introduced in May this year.
 
The system is based on 13 cardio, strength and flexibility-based movements that can be done with or without a partner.

Locomotive skills include walking, running, jumping, crawling and swimming; manipulative skills include lifting and carrying; and combative skills include striking and grappling.

"The method teaches practical movements based on how humans used to move in nature or childhood," said instructor Vic Verdier, who runs public workshops all over the world.

"These can be adapted for indoor and urban use but are preferably done in natural settings, where each workout is adjusted to a particular terrain. No special equipment is necessary," he said.

"What we try to do... is relearn the way we used to live and move in general. It doesn't mean we want to live like cavemen or anything stupid like that. It just means we spend too much time sitting and too much time in an artificial
environment and therefore most people just don't know how to move [any more]," he said.

"Every run is different.I don't follow a route. You run completely differently than if you're running on a track or treadmill...instead of repetitive motions and fatiguing muscles you're actually engaging your entire body," said Brad
Osborn, who has completed MovNat workshops in Australia and
the US.
 
Osborn enjoys scurrying through the bush, jumping over logs and crawling underneath branches.

Some experts warn that the system may not suit everybody. Chris Tzarimas, the director of the lifestyle clinic in the faculty of medicine at the University of New South Wales, compares it to commando-style training that is most likely to appeal to fit and able-bodied people.

"It's not a bad thing. But you have to appreciate the inherent risks in what they're doing. It's great for people who are adventurers but trying to promote this as a mainstream fitness activity [is] getting a little ahead of ourselves,"
Tzarimas said.