“Live Life Dynamically. MOVE, MORE” - Ido Portal

The past year has seen a huge change in my habits. If you read my blog about creating 3 daily habits, you heard me talk a lot about how to create a better lifestyle, by creating habits that will lead you in the right direction.

There was one habit that I didn’t talk about. I was saving it for now.

This blog will be on how I have used a certain type of practice to help create not just a habit but changes to my body and how it should be moving everyday. We were given this temple that we live in, and only a few humans take full advantage of it. Don't waste your potential.

“We don’t need a book of rules and regulations not a reason nor a philosophy in order to move. Not anymore than birds need a flight manual.” - Ido Portal

I have been introduced to movement in another way by a coach and mentor of mine, Adam Rogers, from Training Think Tank. Adam provided the key to a new door that has not only helped change my life, but given me the key to pass to others to help create a type of change in their life that not will only better them for what they do, but will teach them how to slow down and enjoy the body we were given.

The door that was opened is movement.

I started looking into movement and found a man by the name of Ido Portal. I was very fond of what I was doing but wanted a better understanding to what it was I was being introduced to and now incorporating into my training. As I researched I found videos on YouTube of Ido, and seeing this guy moving and doing all these weird things; I was blown away by.

The greatest thing about all of the movement work Ido was doing was the simplicity. He advocates that movement can be as simple as just sitting to the bottom of a squat for secs and moving around in that position. This experience and knowledge are so well refined that he can pontificate with more complexity as well. His program entranced me, but I knew this was a subject I needed guidance on. Ido has mentioned that you can’t master movement. I took that to heart, and have kept my movement practice as simple as possible.

“Movement complexity is by far the reason why we became human. “ - Ido Portal

Here at SOFLETE, we like to program 3 Different Types of Movement Work:

1. Squat Routine
2. Hanging
3. Loco Motion

I want to put it out there that the body responds to this kind of input very well. Be sure to ramp up slowly if you haven’t done it before. It is smart to dose yourself with this kind of practice using slow progressions and paying attention to how the body feels.

Our bodies are meant to be put into positions that we are not used to. Our ancestors (and most sub equatorial cultures of today) used to sit at the bottom of the squat for hours at a time. Primates hung from trees for fun and we now understand that gravity is a powerful tool that we use to create better movement. It has been shown that using these methods has helped change people's lives, relieved them of pain, and mended pernicious injuries.

“The body will become better at whatever you do, or don’t do. If you don’t move, your body will make you better at not moving, If you move, your body will allow you more movement.” - Ido Portal

Squat Routine

Ido’s Squat Routine can be seen HERE. We like to use this either for a warm-up or cool down after a lot of squatting under load. For the SOFLETE Athlete this is a great routine to help loosen up the ankles and the hips, take some pressure off the back, and is just great for the full body in general.

Here are some guideline that can get you started on the right track.

• Make sure your feet are flat on the floor, and if you aren’t able to then place something under your heels
• Stand up and shake it out so that you're able to get through the full routine
• Start at the low end of the reps for each exercise, progress as you go
• Make sure you are nasal breathing, with slow and controlled breathes

Hanging

Ido’s Hanging Routine can be found HERE. We put this into the warm-up as well as cool down. We like to use this to get the spine to elongate and fix the shoulders after being in bad positions due to the rigors of our lifestyle. This movement also helps loosen up the lats; it will really open everything up and create changes in the body. Again, this can be very potent if you haven’t done this before.

Follow these guidelines, they will help get you going on the right track:

• Start with your feet on the ground, and have control of the pressure you want to have on the hanging, then progress to not having your feet touch the ground anymore
• Start with your grip in a neutral position, then start to play around with different grips positions
• Start with no more than 5-8 secs at a time then rest from 90 secs to 2 mins between 2-3 sets. Increase as the weeks go along
• If you have shoulder pain then look to start being active in the shoulders and progress to a passive hang
• Make sure you are nose breathing, with slow and controlled breathes

Loco Motion

Loco Motion for Beginners can be found HERE. We like to use this routine in our cool downs and sprinkle it into our EN-1-2 days, and we use it on different training days to help promote recovery from the day before or getting ready for the next day. The great thing about Loco Motion is there is no right or wrong way to do the movement, which means you don’t have to worry too much about the practice of it.

The guidelines are pretty simple:

• Don’t worry about how you are moving if it is right or wrong
• Be present in the movement of the movement flow
• Slow and relaxed state is the best for this
• Make sure you are nose breathing, with slow and controlled breathes

As we look at this movement culture that has been created we have to understand a few things about it and respect the hell out it as well. It is such a powerful thing that most are afraid of exploring. We as humans are not defined by one practice in life, we are defined by who we are and what really drives our obsessions. By practicing and playing this, you are setting yourself up to be better at whatever your main practice is. Understand that we must see this as a bigger picture than just moving around. This is just another key to your keychain that is opening a new door. Playing around and creating your own focus with the movement and expanding more on it will help better your life. Progression is key, just like with everything in life; we are always progressing, and you must approach movement the same exact way.

“Basically life is improvisation, you are born, you die and in between you are improvise. Movement is no different.” -Ido Portal

Focusing on creating better movement as a SOFLETE Athlete can be very powerful and open your mind and body to new things, but know that they are not separate. Your mind and body are whole and connected as one.

I challenge you to start adding these movements into your everyday life. It will lead your body to the place it is meant to be.