Primal Movement: Reconnecting with Natural Human Motion

Here is a cool observation about the day I realized everything I thought I knew about fitness was incomplete. It was during a trade show in Colorado about eleven years ago. While setting up our newest elliptical trainers (you know, those $3,000 machines with all the bells and whistles), I noticed this guy in the adjacent booth moving in ways that seemed almost… animal-like. Crawling, jumping, hanging—movements that looked simultaneously primitive and incredibly athletic. And it looked fun.

Being the curious equipment guy I am, I wandered over during a break. Turns out, he was a primal movement coach. The conversation we had that afternoon completely changed my approach to both personal fitness and how I guide clients with equipment choices.

For most of my career, I’d been laser-focused on helping people find machines that isolated specific muscles or provided structured cardio. Nothing wrong with that per se, but I’d completely overlooked how disconnected modern exercise has become from the movements our bodies evolved to perform. Talk about a blind spot!

Our ancestors didn’t do bicep curls or programmed elliptical sessions. They climbed, carried heavy things, sprinted after food (or away from danger), and moved through natural environments in varied, unpredictable ways. Their “gym” was the landscape around them.

After that eye-opening conversation, I started incorporating primal movement patterns into my own routine. Let me tell ya, my body responded in ways that decades of traditional training never accomplished. The chronic shoulder pain I’d battled for years? Gone within weeks of adding hanging and brachiating movements. Seriously.

One of the first primal movements I experimented with was the deep squat rest position—something most Western adults have completely lost the ability to do comfortably. I couldn’t even get halfway down without toppling over! It was humbling to realize that something toddlers do effortlessly had become impossible for me after years of sitting in chairs and using modern conveniences.

I spent five minutes daily practicing this position, holding onto a stable surface for support at first. After about two weeks, I could finally sit in a comfortable deep squat while my morning cocoa brewed. Such a simple achievement, but it felt revolutionary for my hip mobility. I now will stop during the day and just to stretch my core I will squat for at least 60 plus seconds for a few sets.

Ground-based locomotion patterns were another game-changer. Bear crawls, crab walks, and army crawls might look silly, but they light up neural pathways that have been dormant in most adults for decades. The first time I did a bear crawl across our warehouse floor, I felt muscles activating that I had forgotten about! And man, was I sore the next day in places traditional workouts never touched.

What really shocked me was how these movements improved issues I’d been treating as “just part of getting older.” My balance got better. My reaction time improved. Even my digestion seemed to benefit from the varied movements and positions. Who knew that crawling around like a toddler could make a 60-something guy feel so much better?

About 80% of the clients I work with initially laugh at the idea of primal movement. “I came here for an exercise bike, not to learn how to climb trees!” But the ones who keep an open mind and incorporate even small elements of natural movement alongside their equipment training see tremendous results.

One gentleman, a 63-year-old former executive with chronic back issues, started with just five minutes of ground-based movement at the beginning of each workout. Within three months, he reported playing with his grandkids on the floor without pain for the first time in over a decade. That’s the stuff that makes my job worthwhile and increases smiles.

The beauty of primal movement is its accessibility. While our showroom is filled with equipment worth thousands of dollars (and don’t get me wrong, good equipment has its place), some of the most effective movement practices require nothing but your bodyweight and a bit of space. Hanging from a sturdy branch costs nothing but delivers incredible benefits for shoulder health and grip strength.

I’ve found that the most effective approach combines thoughtfully selected equipment with primal movement principles. A quality rower or functional trainer paired with intentional natural movement creates a comprehensive approach that most commercial gyms completely miss.

If you’re thinking about diving into primal movement, start small. Spend time barefoot when safe to do so—those 26 bones in each foot need stimulation! Practice getting up and down from the floor in different ways. Hang from a secure overhead bar daily, even if just for a few seconds at first. Walking outside barefoot ion the grass is very medicinal and grounding is a great exercise.

The biggest obstacle isn’t physical—it’s the mental hurdle of looking “weird” while doing these movements. I had to get over my self-consciousness about bear crawling across the gym floor. Once I embraced that these movements are actually the most natural thing in the world, everything changed.

After three decades in the fitness equipment industry, I can honestly say that reconnecting with natural human movement patterns has been the single most impactful change in my approach to fitness. The machines still have their place—I wouldn’t be in business otherwise!—but they’re now just one component of a more comprehensive, evolutionarily-aligned approach to movement.

Your body remembers how to move naturally. Sometimes it just needs a little reminder of what it’s capable of doing. And know when you engage holistic movement patterns like bear crawls you are activating natural movements which are beneficial for core, cardio, and stretching. Natural movements are very effective especially when utilized consistently with effective exercise equipment.

Thank you for reading this fitness blog, please let us know when we may help you in your quest for optimum health. I hope you enjoy a stronger day, Walter