Movement evangelism

I realize I've slowly, over the years, become a movement evangelist.

In the past three days, I've introduced three people totally unrelated to my training career to Kelly Starrett's MWOD, to mobility work, to the dreaded Couch Stretch, or all three.

It just seems to come naturally - we talk about what I do for a living. Then I explain how the best part of my job is getting people moving right.

Then we talk about their aches and pains that restrict what they do.

"I used to run, but my foot . . . "

"I used to do yoga, but then my hip . . . "

"I used to lift heavier, but then my shoulder . . . "

It's a short route from there to, "Here are some things you should Google and then watch and read."

Being able to move correctly and pain-free doesn't line up with "you should be able to change the oil on your car." It's more like "you should be able to signal your turns and steer." It's that basic. It's that important. It was important back when Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson put out Magnificent Mobility (still one of my favorites) and Robertson and Bill Hartmann put out Inside/Out. It was important when Core Performance came out. It was important when I started showing people the DeFranco Agile 8 and Limber 11. Books like Becoming a Supple Leopard and the MWOD just expand it further. You must be able to move well before anything else. This has become something I espouse and try to teach to everyone.

If the one thing I teach someone is how to expect pain-free movement and to squat, lunge, pushup, pull, and lift off the floor without pain and in proper form, I've done my job. And in a few moments of talking, if all I can do is tell you some names to search for and terms to look up to get you started, I'll do that. It's the start of the path to doing those five basic movements without pain.

And I'm always keen to share this with anyone I meet, with great enthusiasm. It's something we all benefit from . . . and I feel like I've failed if I can't get people to at least look into this kind of thing.

So yes, I think I've become a movement evangelist.