Gym-Free Training the Primal Way

With my last post endorsing gym-based training I am now going to contradict myself and want to talk about not needing a gym; when I talk about gym-based training I am actually referring more to a style of training that involves a lot of pushes and pulls, squats and lunges.  Although these exercises emerged from the gym we know that they do not have to be done in a gym.

Home and outdoor training is now becoming popular with workouts like insanity, p90X, even Jilian Michaels and Tracey Anderson (below).  So the material is out there, what seems to be missing is any movement-based programming.  Of course you have the body-part splits but in this blog we talk about movements.  Going back to our primal movements, we need to make sure our programme covers them all in some shape or form to ensure every main muscle receives the necessary treatment.

The issue then comes with pulling; it is hard to find a pulling exercise which is bodyweight only unless of course you have a horizontal bar.

Enter the push-plank, an exercise which I learnt from my mentor Scott Sonnon.  He bills it as the only exercise of its kind, a horizontal pulling exercise that is bodyweight-only.  It is demonstrated here as part of his firefighter workout.

 

Of course, the puling strength needed is minimal but we must keep the goal in mind and that is training movement.  We just need the brain to get the message that a pulling action has been completed.  This is a health-first approach to fitness so intensity can be worked on later.  Putting it together then this workout will incorporate all 6 primal movements.

10 reps of each of the following:

1. Press-up to rotation
2. Squats
3. Single-Leg Deadlift
4. Push Plank
5. Lunge

3 sets of this can be quite challenging and a great mini-workout by itself.  It also works well after 2-3K run before your stretch.

 

And here is the video to help you