S5EP4: Erwan Le Corre

Erwan Le Corre is the founder of “MovNat”, a coaching method, fitness program and certification system for Natural Movement, encompassing exercise, fitness, functional rehabilitation, and physical education. Growing up in France, Erwan spent his time outside exploring nature. Throughout his life he has trained in every discipline imaginable from martial arts, to Olympic weightlifting and long distance triathlons, to Combat Vital - a hardcore lifestyle of physical and mental training. Synthesizing his years of training his passion for natural movement, MovNat was born. Erwan believes it is everyone’s universal and biological birthright to be strong, healthy, happy and free. He calls this state of being our “True Nature”. We do a deep dive on the Natural Movement methodology, as well the current state of movement poverty for many humans, and look at how reintroducing versatility, variability, and frequency into your movement behavior could be the cure for many physical ailments.

For more info on the work Erwan is doing, check out the Natural Movement Instagram, the MoveNat website, or follow MovNat on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

People, Books, and Studies mentioned in the episode:

03:07 Erwan’s background in France
04:08 Fountainebleu
05:01 Gray Cook
05:58 The mismatch between environment and organism; sports specialization
08:17 Erwan’s book, The Practice of Natural Movement
09:41 The Movement Poverty Predicament
12:07 Natural movement is an unspecialized, versatile practice that reintroduces the universal movement behaviors of all humans which is what we all experienced as kids
13:20 Sports specialization in kids
15:35 Mimicry is a very important tool for teaching children
16:59 Erwan’s recommendations for older adults - reintroduce endangered natural movements back into daily life
19:14 "Movement Snacks", Frank Forencich
20:38 Being able to get up and down off the ground without your touching your hands to the ground is a predictor of overall longevity
21:03 Brazilian study proves that having the ability to get up and down from a sit position without using your hands or even knees is a predictor of greater longevity
23:19 Physical capability requires Movement Capacity and Movement Competency, so you’ve got to train both
24:22 With the MovNat Method you train everything at the same time as they work symbiotically
26:34 Even if you are wedded to your Peloton, it's still easy to incorporate natural movement into your day-to-day life; Phillip Beach, Muscles and Meridians
28:20 If movement poverty is the cause for so many physical ailments, then it makes sense that reintroducing versatility, variability, frequency in your movement behavior could be the cure
29:12 Mark Sisson and Gabby Reece both mentioned that they incorporate training that looks like play into their lives
30:07 To Erwan, play is a mindset, not particular movement pattern or way to exercise; Time to move away from fitness programs that are seen and experienced like a chore or more work
32:18 To be playful and joyful is very important and helps you stay young
33:40 The Natural Movement methodology doesn’t mean you aren’t super fit, Erwan is a very competent athlete
34:00 Georges Hébert
34:30 A Natural Movement practice prepares you to be capable in real-world situations
38:55 How do we get people to care about a movement practice and being proficient at these movements before they’ve lost them in their later years?
41:35 A study showing that grip strength at hospital admittance was predictive of deterioration and functional decline
42:33 Physiological health is going to prevent you from aging faster than you should and increase your quality of life
43:45 If you want to live longer and better, you better keep that function/strength/balance/physical health in you by having a daily movement practice
47:42 Erwan runs through his nutrition strategies, another vote for intermittent fasting, i.e. prolonging the nighttime fasting period
50:04 Erwan explains the Combat Vital lifestyle
52:31 Much disease could be cured if every elementary and middle school gym looked like a MoveNat gym
56:35 The culture of normalcy is not your friend, Terence McKenna
58:12 What’s next for Erwan
1:03:28 Fred Astaire once said “Old age is like everything else...to make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.”

Sponsor

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