I just finished Paul Chek's How to Eat Move and Be Healthy. In it he discusses his Primal Pattern!" Movements. Essentially, it is a collection of movement patterns that our primitive ancestors would have needed to be able to perform automatically and effortlessly in order to survive. Failure of these patterns to fire naturally would cause that momentary hesitation or that chronic performance shortfall which would eventually do our ancestor in.

Today, through a largely sedentary lifestyle and less than optimal nutrition, it is likely that we would indeed fall short in many or all of these Primal Pattern Movements. I found the concept to be a very interesting way to frame the problem of lost function due to our comfortable lifestyles, and thought it would be interesting to look at them through the lens of Circular Strength Training. This will be the first in a multi-part series looking at these movement patterns.

WHAT HAPPENS TO US?

It is important to first take a look at why our modern lifestyle may be robbing us of our innate ability to perform these movement patterns. The old adage, "use it or lose it," is the starting point in understanding what is happening. If we do not use certain movement "chains" on a regular basis, they will gradually become unavailable to us and be replaced by secondary and less efficient chains. A common example is the firing of the glute muscles. Because many of us are seated for long periods throughout our day. The gluteal muscles become elongated and dormant while the antagonist hip flexors become short and tight. Because the glutes don't fire properly anymore, the hamstrings and low back have to pick up the extra workload and the result is often knee or low back pain and injury. This inability of the glutes to function properly is referred to in CST as Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA). The motor units associated with that movement chain have literally "forgotten" how to fire properly. I see this all the time in exercise classes. When trying to get into a Shoulder Bridge (found in the Tumbleweed Flow of the PRASARA Instructional ) or Table pose, the majority of people have an excessively difficult time even bringing their torso and thighs into a straight line because the hip flexors are so tight and the gluteals so weak.

In the same example, we can also see an instance of SMA's willing partner in crime, Residual Muscle Tension (RMT). Those chronically tense and shortened hip flexors not only limit movement but can make it downright uncomfortable, which signals the body to cut it short and thus perpetuates the SMA in the antagonist, the glutes. So a self-perpetuating cycle ensues of movement dysfunction.

ENTER CST

In order to restore proper function (and survive in the wild according to Paul Chek) we need to remove the RMT and then re-ignite the dormant movement chains. And this is where the magic of Circular Strength Training comes in. A three-pronged approach of Intu-Flow Joint Mobility, Prasara Yoga and CST Athletics address the situation from every angle to restore function quickly and in a health-first way. Intu-Flow begins to open up compressed joints and wash joint capsules with nourishment while simultaneously beginning to awaken a certain level of awareness in the practitioner as to what limits currently exist in their movement and how to address regaining their full range of motion. This first step towards better movement patterns is picked up by Prasara Yoga which delves deeper into the restrictions through Asana (poses) and Vinyasa (breathing) and then works to retrain firing patterns through Prasara (movement). All the while, we progressively and incrementally add load to these newly reacquired ranges and patterns of motion through CST Athletics. This is ideally done with Clubbells, but the protocols can be applied to any number of tools or done simply through bodyweight exercises.

NUMBER 1: THE SQUAT

The first of Paul Chek's Primal Pattern Movements is the Squat. This is indeed an essential building block for all movement and we need to be able to move into and out of a squat without thinking in order to integrate it into any number of daily physical tasks. Our ancestors would have needed the squat to "move heavy objects, build shelter and eat." But the squat goes way beyond the obvious. I was watching my 3 year-old daughter climb one of those kiddy climbing walls at the playground the other day and it was apparent that the squat position is one of the most essential patterns in climbing. In everyday life, we need the skill of squatting when we sit in or get out of a chair or lower to the level of our children. People with physical jobs need the squat to lift heavy objects such as picking a box up off the floor. In sport we move through the squat in jumping, absorbing and retranslating force and changing levels or heights just to name a few. The squat, in short, is everywhere. And if the primary movement chains involved in the squat are not firing properly, at some point we are going to develop pain and injury.

SQUAT TECHNIQUE

The most common weak links that I see when training clients to squat are a lack of mobility at either the hips or the ankles. People with restricted hip mobility will often compensate by rounding out the lower back in order to create the range of motion to simulate the squat. Those lacking in ankle mobility will often bend excessively from the waist, ending up with their backs almost parallel to the ground. Both represent a rewiring of the squat pattern outside of the optimal Primal Pattern.

Knees buckling to the inside are also quite common and can indicate muscle imbalance or again a lack of mobility which is being worked around through a secondary movement pattern.

If you want to see what a natural looking squat should resemble, take a look at your nearest toddler or small child squatting (my daughter here is hiding her face to protect her identity). The butt is low, the back is relatively vertical and the shins are basically parallel to the back. Legs are wide and feet are slightly turned out. Knees are pointing in the same direction as the toes.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO FIX IT?

Intu-Flow
Initially, we can begin to address mobility through CST's Intu-Flow® Joint Health & Mobility programs. By emphasizing certain drills which move the hips, pelvis and ankles through first cardinal directions, then circles, then increasingly sophisticated patterns of infinities and clover leaf patterns, we can gradually begin to regain much of the forgotten movement capacity. Rather than try to explain each of these exercises, I've put together a short clip to give you an idea of what I mean.

Prasara
While Intu-Flow is busy doing its magic, we can also delve deeper into the mobility issues using Prasara Body-Flow Yoga. The key to understanding the efficacy of this approach is in the fact that Prasara seeks to "strengthen in the opposite direction" rather than simply stretching. This ensures a rebalancing of the muscular system. A simple example for gaining hip mobility would be to first use a Standing Forward Bend as shown in Ageless Mobility!" and then translate that increase in range of motion into a more dynamic exercise such as a Cossack Squat as shown in Grappler's Toolbox Reborn. Ankle mobility could be addressed using the Downward Facing Dog as laid out in the PRASARA Instructional (Diving Dolphin Flow) and then moving to a modified lunge pose in which the lead foot is up on a stool or low wall and the knee is pressed forward in a line running over the second toe.

We can also benefit from programs like FlowFit® which take us through an instructional approach which introduces the Trinity Squat as an incremental progression which moves from easiest to most difficult. Allowing us to begin gaining a training effect from our squatting as we are simultaneously improving our movement patterns.

CST Athletics
And finally, it is this training effect, strengthening our new movement pattern as it develops, which is addressed by our CST Athletics. For example, 4x7: The Magic In The Mundane takes us through an incremental progression of 1-legged squatting which uses varying levels of assistance and then load in order to perform the exercise with correct technique (as exemplified by respecting the 7 Key Components of Structure - I talk about this a fair bit in my free Clubbells 101 e-book). Or we can use Clubbell Exercises such as the Shoulder Park Squat to add resistance to our newly rediscovered Primal Pattern of squatting. By adding a Swing between each squat, we can also sophisticate the movement pattern by integrating it with another action, thus creating a training effect which is greater than the sum of its two parts and at the same time teaches us to integrate our new skill into our natural movement.

HOMEWORK

So, the first part of your mission is to self-assess your squat. Do you fall short? If so, in what aspect? And if you want to survive in the wild, or just improve your enjoyment of life and sport on a daily basis, you need to work through your three wings of CST in order to bring your Primal Pattern squat back on line. The above examples can give you a rough guideline on how to do that, but they are only one illustration of one path. Every single person will be somewhat different and will present different pieces of the squatting puzzle in different ways. The best way to truly personalize any program for physical improvement is through coaching, either live or through innovative online approaches. But if you are a self-starter, have some exercise and athletic experience, and some imagination, you should be able to have a lot of fun exploring the squat. Next time, we'll look at Paul Chek's second Primal Pattern Movement, bending. So until then, do your homework and enjoy your newfound freedom of movement.