Top 19 Primal Movement Workouts to Adopt for Reclaiming Your Body's Natural Strength in 2025
Look around you. Chances are, you're sitting. In a chair, at a desk, in a car. Our modern lives have engineered movement out of our daily routines. We've become experts at sitting still, and our bodies are paying the price with stiffness, weakness, and chronic pain. We’ve forgotten the incredible things our bodies were designed to do—to squat, crawl, climb, and carry. We’ve lost touch with our innate physical intelligence.
But what if you could reclaim that? What if you could tap into the very movements that have shaped human beings for millennia to build a body that is not just “fit” by gym standards, but resilient, capable, and truly strong? This is the promise of primal movement. It's not a new fitness fad; it's a return to our roots. These are the foundational patterns hardwired into our DNA—the same ones you see in a toddler who can hold a perfect deep squat without a second thought.
In 2025, let's move beyond isolated muscle exercises and embrace a holistic approach to fitness. Let's build bodies that are ready for anything life throws at them. This guide will walk you through 19 essential primal movement workouts. Start with one or two, master them, and gradually build a routine that will help you reclaim your body's natural, powerful design.
1. The Deep Squat
The what and why: Before chairs, the deep squat was our natural resting position. It’s the foundation of lower body strength, essential for everything from sitting down to lifting heavy objects. A full, deep squat promotes mobility in your hips, knees, and ankles, engaging your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core. It’s the ultimate test and builder of functional leg strength.
Forget the 90-degree "gym squat" for a moment. We're talking about a full range of motion where your hips drop below your knees. This movement pattern lengthens the spine, improves posture, and can even aid in digestion. It’s the single most important movement you can master to restore mobility and strength to your lower body.
- How to do it: Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, toes pointed slightly out. Keeping your chest up and your back straight, hinge at your hips and bend your knees to lower yourself down as if sitting in a chair far behind you. Go as low as you can comfortably, aiming to get your hips below your knees. Keep your heels on the ground. Hold for a moment before driving through your heels to return to standing.
- Tip: If you struggle with balance or depth, hold onto a doorknob or sturdy pole for support. You can also place a small weight plate under your heels to help with ankle mobility.
2. The Lunge
The what and why: The lunge is a fundamental, single-leg movement pattern that mimics walking, running, and climbing stairs. It builds unilateral strength, meaning it works each leg independently. This is crucial for correcting muscle imbalances between your left and right sides, which are a common source of injury.
Lunging improves your balance, stability, and hip flexibility. Whether you’re stepping up a curb, kneeling to tie your shoe, or pushing off to sprint, you're performing a variation of the lunge. Mastering it translates directly to more graceful and powerful movement in your everyday life.
- How to do it: Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Your front knee should be directly above your ankle, and your back knee should hover just off the ground. Keep your torso upright. Push off your front foot to return to the starting position.
- Variations: Try reverse lunges (stepping backward) for less stress on the knees, or walking lunges to add a dynamic component.
3. The Hip Hinge
The what and why: The hip hinge is the key to safely lifting anything from the ground. Think about picking up a heavy box, a child, or a kettlebell. The power should come from your hips and glutes, not your lower back. Modern life, with its endless sitting, weakens our glutes and tightens our hamstrings, leading us to bend with our spines—a recipe for back pain.
Learning to properly hinge at the hips is non-negotiable for long-term back health and developing a powerful posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings). This is the foundational movement behind exercises like the deadlift and kettlebell swing.
- How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with a soft bend in your knees. Keeping your back perfectly straight, push your hips backward as if trying to touch a wall behind you. Your torso will naturally lower toward the ground. Go as far as your hamstring flexibility allows without rounding your back. Squeeze your glutes to drive your hips forward and return to a standing position.
- Tip: Practice with a dowel or broomstick held along your spine. It should maintain contact with your head, upper back, and tailbone throughout the entire movement.
4. The Push-Up
The what and why: The push-up is the quintessential bodyweight exercise for upper body pushing strength. It’s about more than just your chest; it’s a dynamic plank that engages your shoulders, triceps, and entire core. Ancestrally, this is the movement of pushing an obstacle out of the way or pushing yourself up from the ground.
A well-executed push-up demonstrates a powerful connection between your upper body and your core. It teaches your body to act as a single, solid unit. Forget the bench press for a moment; if you can't master your own bodyweight, you have no business pushing heavy external loads.
- How to do it: Start in a high plank position with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders, your body in a straight line from head to heels. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor, keeping your elbows tucked at about a 45-degree angle to your body (not flared out). Press back up to the starting position.
- Make it easier: If a floor push-up is too hard, start by doing them with your hands on an elevated surface, like a countertop or bench. The higher the surface, the easier it is. You can also drop to your knees.
5. The Pull/Row
The what and why: For every push, there must be a pull. Pulling movements are essential for postural balance, building a strong back, and developing grip strength. Think of pulling yourself up over a ledge, climbing a tree, or reeling in a big catch. In our modern world, constant sitting and hunching over screens creates a "forward" posture. Pulling exercises are the direct antidote.
These movements strengthen the lats, rhomboids, and biceps, pulling your shoulders back and opening up your chest. This not only improves your posture but also enhances your breathing and shoulder health. The pull-up is the gold standard, but rows are a fantastic and more accessible alternative.
- How to do it (Inverted Row): Set a bar in a squat rack to about waist height (or use a sturdy table). Lie underneath it and grab the bar with an overhand grip. Keeping your body in a straight line, pull your chest toward the bar. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top. Lower yourself with control.
- Tip: The more horizontal your body is, the harder the exercise. Bend your knees to make it easier. For a greater challenge, work toward a full pull-up, using resistance bands for assistance if needed.
6. The Overhead Press
The what and why: The ability to safely lift an object overhead is a fundamental display of strength and stability. This movement requires not just shoulder strength but also core stability and thoracic (upper back) mobility. Think of placing a heavy bag in an overhead compartment on a plane or lifting a child onto your shoulders.
The overhead press integrates your entire body. Your core must be braced to protect your spine, and your shoulders and upper back need to work in concert to press the weight up. It’s a fantastic builder of strong, resilient shoulders.
- How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, core engaged. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at shoulder height (the "rack" position). Press the weight straight overhead until your arm is fully extended, keeping your bicep near your ear. Don't arch your back. Lower the weight with control.
- Bodyweight version: The Pike Push-Up is a great alternative. Get into a downward dog position and perform a push-up, lowering the top of your head toward the floor.
7. The Loaded Carry
The what and why: What’s more functional than picking up something heavy and walking with it? The loaded carry, or Farmer's Walk, is arguably the most practical primal movement of all. It builds crushing grip strength, a rock-solid core, and incredible full-body stability. It trains your posture under load, forcing you to stay upright and stable while on the move.
From carrying groceries to hauling luggage, this movement pattern shows up constantly in real life. It’s simple, brutally effective, and a fantastic way to build mental toughness alongside physical strength.
- How to do it: Pick up a heavy kettlebell, dumbbell, or even a sandbag in one or both hands. Stand up tall, pull your shoulders back, and brace your core. Walk for a set distance or time, maintaining perfect posture. Don't lean or slouch.
- Tip: Start with a single-arm carry (suitcase carry) to intensely challenge your obliques and core stability. Your body will have to fight to keep from leaning to one side.
8. The Bear Crawl
The what and why: It's time to get back on all fours. The bear crawl is a phenomenal full-body exercise that develops coordination, core strength, and shoulder stability. It re-establishes our contralateral movement pattern—the synchronized movement of opposite arm and leg—which is fundamental to efficient walking and running.
This movement pattern is hardwired into our brains from when we were infants. Re-visiting it as an adult can improve the communication between the left and right hemispheres of your brain, enhancing coordination and athleticism. It’s a humbling and powerful exercise.
- How to do it: Start on your hands and knees. Lift your knees about an inch off the floor, keeping your back flat (imagine balancing a cup of water on it). Move forward by stepping with your right hand and left foot simultaneously, then your left hand and right foot. Keep your steps small and controlled.
- Challenge: Try bear crawling backward or laterally for an added coordination challenge.
9. The Crab Walk
The what and why: The quirky cousin of the bear crawl, the crab walk is a fantastic way to open up the front of your body and strengthen the back. It targets the triceps, shoulders, glutes, and hamstrings—muscles that are often neglected in a sedentary lifestyle.
This movement improves hip extension and shoulder mobility, counteracting the effects of slouching. It might feel silly at first, but the crab walk is a potent tool for building a resilient posterior chain and improving your overall mobility.
- How to do it: Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Place your hands on the floor behind you, fingers pointing toward your heels. Lift your hips off the ground. "Walk" forward or backward by moving your opposite hand and foot.
- Tip: Focus on keeping your hips high throughout the movement to maximize glute engagement.
10. The Turkish Get-Up (TGU)
The what and why: The TGU is less of an exercise and more of a deliberate, flowing sequence of movements. It takes you from lying on your back to a standing position, all while holding a weight overhead. It is the ultimate expression of stability, mobility, and full-body coordination.
The TGU teaches you to create stability in your shoulder joint through all planes of motion, strengthens your core in every conceivable way, and links all your primal patterns together. Mastering the get-up builds a truly resilient and intelligent body. As we often emphasize here at Goh Ling Yong's blog, slow, mindful, and controlled movement often yields the greatest results.
- How to do it: This is a complex movement best learned in stages. Start with no weight (just your shoe balanced on your fist). Lie on your back holding the "weight" in your right hand. Follow a sequence of rolling onto your elbow, then your hand, lifting your hips, sweeping your leg through, and finally standing up. Reverse the sequence to get back down.
- Tip: Watch a detailed video tutorial. Practice each step individually before linking them together. The goal is grace and control, not speed.
11. Hanging
The what and why: Our ancestors spent a lot of time in trees. While we don't need to do that anymore, the act of hanging has profound benefits for our modern, compressed bodies. A passive "dead hang" uses gravity to decompress the spine, creating space between the vertebrae and relieving back pain.
Hanging is also one of the best ways to improve grip strength—a key indicator of overall health and longevity. It opens up the lats and improves shoulder mobility and health, reversing the damage of years spent hunched over a keyboard.
- How to do it: Find a sturdy pull-up bar or even a strong tree branch. Grab it with an overhand grip, slightly wider than your shoulders. Simply hang, letting your body go limp. Relax your shoulders and let gravity do the work.
- Goal: Work up to holding for 30 seconds, then 60 seconds. Accumulate several minutes of hanging throughout the day.
12. Jumping
The what and why: Jumping is our body's expression of explosive power. It trains our nervous system to recruit muscle fibers quickly and efficiently. This plyometric ability is crucial for athletic movements but also for everyday situations, like quickly stepping out of the way or catching yourself from a fall.
Practicing jumping develops power in your legs and hips, improves bone density, and enhances your body's ability to absorb and produce force. It reconnects you with a playful, powerful aspect of your physicality.
- How to do it: Start with simple box jumps onto a low, sturdy platform. Stand in front of the box, perform a mini-squat, and explode up, swinging your arms for momentum. Land softly on the box in a squat position. Step down, don't jump down.
- Tip: If you don't have a box, practice broad jumps, focusing on jumping as far forward as you can and landing softly.
13. Balancing
The what and why: Balance is a skill that deteriorates if we don't use it. Training your balance improves proprioception—your body's awareness of its position in space. This is critical for injury prevention, coordination, and maintaining mobility as we age.
Most of our lives are spent in motion on one leg at a time (walking, running). Training single-leg balance directly improves the stability and control of these fundamental movements.
- How to do it: The simplest way is to practice standing on one foot. Try to hold it for 30-60 seconds. To make it harder, close your eyes. To make it more dynamic, practice single-leg Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs) with just your bodyweight.
- Everyday practice: Try balancing on one foot while you brush your teeth or wait for your coffee to brew.
14. Throwing
The what and why: Throwing is a full-body rotational movement that generates incredible power, starting from the ground up and transferring through your hips, core, and finally your upper body. It's a key pattern for developing explosive, athletic power.
While you may not be hunting with a spear, this rotational strength is vital for sports like tennis, golf, and baseball, but also for everyday tasks like shoveling snow or swinging a sledgehammer. It teaches your core to be a powerful conduit of force.
- How to do it: A safe and effective way to practice this is with medicine ball slams. Hold a medicine ball overhead and use your entire body to slam it into the ground in front of you. You can also perform rotational throws, standing sideways to a solid wall and throwing the ball against it.
- Focus: The power comes from your hips, not just your arms.
15. Twisting
The what and why: Similar to throwing, twisting (or rotation) is a fundamental movement for core strength and spinal mobility. Our spines are designed to rotate, but a sedentary lifestyle often leaves this movement pattern neglected, leading to stiffness and a weak, unstable core.
Strengthening your rotational ability protects your lower back from injury during dynamic movements and builds powerful obliques. Think of reaching into the back seat of a car or swinging a golf club—this is rotational strength in action.
- How to do it: Use a resistance band or cable machine to perform Wood Chops. Stand sideways to the anchor point and pull the band across your body from high to low (or low to high), rotating through your torso while keeping your hips relatively stable.
- Tip: Control the movement in both directions. The return (eccentric) phase is just as important.
16. Advanced Crawling
The what and why: Once you’ve mastered the Bear Crawl, you can explore other patterns that challenge your body in new ways. Crawling is a foundational "gait" pattern that integrates every part of your body, building a unique kind of strength and coordination that is difficult to replicate with other exercises.
Movements like the Leopard Crawl (staying very low to the ground) or the Army Crawl build incredible core and upper body strength while challenging your mobility. It's about moving your body as a single, coordinated unit across the ground.
- How to do it (Leopard Crawl): Start in the bear crawl position but lower your hips and chest so you are very close to the ground, like a predator stalking its prey. The movement pattern is the same (opposite arm and leg), but the low profile dramatically increases the challenge for your core and shoulders.
- Benefit: Crawling is a fantastic "reset" for the nervous system and can help improve movement quality in all other areas of your fitness.
17. Climbing
The what and why: Climbing is the ultimate synthesis of many primal movements—pushing, pulling, hinging, and crawling, all done vertically against gravity. It requires immense grip strength, a powerful back, a stable core, and incredible body awareness.
Whether it's rock climbing, rope climbing, or just scrambling up a steep hill, climbing is a full-body workout that challenges you both physically and mentally. It forces you to problem-solve with your body, creating a deep connection between mind and muscle.
- How to start: You don't need to scale a mountain. The easiest way to start is at a local park. Traverse the monkey bars to build grip and back strength. Find a low-hanging tree branch and practice pulling yourself up. Bouldering gyms are also a fantastic and safe place to learn.
- Key takeaway: Climbing proves that the world is your gym.
18. Gait (Walking & Running)
The what and why: This is the most fundamental and frequently performed primal movement of all. We are born to walk and run. However, poor footwear and sedentary habits have degraded our natural gait mechanics, leading to a host of issues from foot pain to back problems.
Reclaiming your natural gait means focusing on form: a mid-foot strike, an upright posture, and using your glutes to propel you forward. It’s about moving efficiently and pain-free, whether you're walking to the store or running a marathon.
- How to improve it: Try walking barefoot on a safe surface like grass or sand. This provides your feet with sensory feedback and strengthens the small muscles in your feet. When running, focus on taking shorter, quicker steps (a higher cadence) to reduce impact on your joints.
- Insight: Good movement starts from the ground up. Healthy feet are the foundation for a healthy body. It's a core philosophy I share with my clients, building upon the foundational principles that experts like Goh Ling Yong also champion.
19. Ground-to-Standing
The what and why: Can you get up from a sitting position on the floor without using your hands? This simple test is a surprisingly accurate predictor of longevity. The ability to get up and down from the ground with ease demonstrates good mobility, strength, and coordination.
As we age, this ability often declines, leading to a fear of falling and a loss of independence. By practicing different ways of getting up and down, you maintain this vital skill and keep your body mobile, strong, and resilient for years to come.
- How to practice: Start by sitting on the floor in a cross-legged position. Try to stand up without using your hands for support. It might be challenging at first. Explore different strategies—rocking forward, shifting to one knee, etc. Practice getting up and down several times a day.
- The goal: To make moving between the floor and standing feel as effortless and natural as it did when you were a child.
Reclaim Your Movement, Reclaim Your Life
Adopting these primal movements isn't about ditching your current routine; it's about enhancing it. It’s about shifting your mindset from exercising muscles in isolation to training movement patterns as a whole. The result is a body that doesn't just look strong, but is strong, in the most practical and meaningful way possible.
Start small. Pick one or two movements from this list that resonate with you. Master the Bear Crawl in your living room. Practice deep squats while you wait for your tea to steep. Hang from a bar at the park for 10 seconds. The goal is consistent, mindful practice.
Listen to your body, move with intention, and rediscover the joy of what your body was truly built to do. In 2025, let's stop simply working out and start moving well.
What's your favorite primal movement? Which one will you try first? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
Stay updated with the latest posts and insights by following on your favorite platform!