Yesterday afternoon I participated in a barefoot run across the Brooklyn Bridge with a few other barefoot runners including John Durant of "Caveman Lifestyle" notoriety, and Erwan Le Corre, founder of MovNat, an exercise and movement system based on the common and primal movements of humans, such as running, jumping, swimming, crawling, etc. I first heard of Erwan about a year ago when I was looking into alternative workouts, and based on the few YouTube videos I saw of him, I could tell he was legit. When I met him yesterday, I confirmed that he was the real deal. He had a handshake that felt like it could crush a rock, and he was in really great shape.
There were about seven of us participating in the running class, and the first thing Erwan did was encourage us to remove our shirts, as it is a more natural way to train. He told us not to worry about the thousands of tourists walking by and to concentrate on our own learning, and ignore what other people think of you. As a wearer of Vibram Five Fingers, I've become nearly immune to the stare and quiet whispers about my shoes, and even embraced it by creating Barefoot Benny Personal Fitness, so ignoring the crowds wasn't too difficult for me to do. If a bunch of guys without shoes nor shirts standing in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge on a chilly day in April enough of a spectacle, there was a film crew on hand filming this class, probably for some promotional stuff that will go on his site. I think we gave the tourists a lot to remember about NY ("Look at those crazy Americans!)
Erwan gave us his thoughts on barefoot running in a very clear and well-thought out manner. He has the same philosophy on running as Dr. Romanov's Pose method, which includes keeping your back straight and body in line, using gravity to propel you forward, and pulling your feet off the ground as opposed to pushing off. Out of respect to his upcoming business venture of teaching his system, I won't divulge any of his trade secrets, but I can say that a man with 19 years of barefoot running experience definitely knows a thing or two. We did some leaning drills to get over our feel of falling, and then progressed to running for a minute up and down the bridge while the film crew captured out every barefoot step.
One of the film crew interviewed me at the end of the session, asking me about my VFF's. While still shirtless, I told my tale of how I couldn't run without pain and swelling in my knee after my two knee surgeries, and how now I'm running half marathons without any problems. I also told the camera about my personal training company and how it's based off the idea of being barefoot.
The whole afternoon was a great experience, and it was pretty cool speaking with Erwan and seeing his skills in the flesh. It was also great speaking with Mr. Durant and some of the other barefoot runners in attendance yesterday. Check out the MovNat website for updates on his training program and to learn some of the philosophy behind efficient and productive movement.
There were about seven of us participating in the running class, and the first thing Erwan did was encourage us to remove our shirts, as it is a more natural way to train. He told us not to worry about the thousands of tourists walking by and to concentrate on our own learning, and ignore what other people think of you. As a wearer of Vibram Five Fingers, I've become nearly immune to the stare and quiet whispers about my shoes, and even embraced it by creating Barefoot Benny Personal Fitness, so ignoring the crowds wasn't too difficult for me to do. If a bunch of guys without shoes nor shirts standing in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge on a chilly day in April enough of a spectacle, there was a film crew on hand filming this class, probably for some promotional stuff that will go on his site. I think we gave the tourists a lot to remember about NY ("Look at those crazy Americans!)
Erwan gave us his thoughts on barefoot running in a very clear and well-thought out manner. He has the same philosophy on running as Dr. Romanov's Pose method, which includes keeping your back straight and body in line, using gravity to propel you forward, and pulling your feet off the ground as opposed to pushing off. Out of respect to his upcoming business venture of teaching his system, I won't divulge any of his trade secrets, but I can say that a man with 19 years of barefoot running experience definitely knows a thing or two. We did some leaning drills to get over our feel of falling, and then progressed to running for a minute up and down the bridge while the film crew captured out every barefoot step.
One of the film crew interviewed me at the end of the session, asking me about my VFF's. While still shirtless, I told my tale of how I couldn't run without pain and swelling in my knee after my two knee surgeries, and how now I'm running half marathons without any problems. I also told the camera about my personal training company and how it's based off the idea of being barefoot.
The whole afternoon was a great experience, and it was pretty cool speaking with Erwan and seeing his skills in the flesh. It was also great speaking with Mr. Durant and some of the other barefoot runners in attendance yesterday. Check out the MovNat website for updates on his training program and to learn some of the philosophy behind efficient and productive movement.
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