Everything you need to know about Animal Flow: the origins, the method, the benefits, the limitations... Is it a movement training program worth it?

Animal Flow : a trend that will fade over the years or a practice that could become established and a reference?

Behind this somewhat unusual name lies a bodyweight physical training system, consisting of a set of floor exercises, some of which resemble animal movements, and which are increasingly practiced by beginners and sports professionals.

Since 2018 , this form of training has gained popularity in a meteoric rise in the United States and around the world, thanks in particular to attractive visuals on social networks, and promotion by certain celebrities and professional athletes.

The fact is that we are recognizing more and more followers of this discipline today, notably more and more AF certified coaches. After several years, Animal Flow is slowly arriving in France . If this is the first time you've heard of it and/or if you want to know more, this article should interest you.

The internet is full of these “new” forms of movement training , which claim to be great for your health, performance, and longevity. Today, we’re going to analyze Animal Flow, dissect the method, and see if it really is one of those gems in the ocean.

What exactly is Animal Flow?

The English term “Animal Flow” can be translated word for word into “Animal Flux”.

Although I think more and more people are familiar with the word Flow, it is, as a reminder, about linking movements one after the other in a fluid and spontaneous way . This corresponds perfectly to AF, because it teaches a set of ground movements whose goal is to be combined to create these Flows.

This notion of Flow is not new and can be found in other practices such as Yoga, Dance, Parkour, Gymnastics... We will see later that these latter served as inspiration for the design of Animal Flow by its creator, Mike Fitch.

On paper, it may seem difficult to imagine for a beginner, but simply watching the video presentation of Animal Flow by Mike Fitch is more than enough to understand how interesting and effective this practice can be and why it can generate such enthusiasm among people.

At a glance , we understand that moving in this way seems to allow us to work on physical qualities such as strength, core strength and even muscular endurance, but also to optimize flexibility, balance, agility and even joint mobility.

Animal Flow is a bodyweight-based, equipment-free, floor-based movement system designed to improve a range of skills, such as speed, power, endurance, flexibility, mobility, and stability. The idea is to tailor the routine to your personal goals.

You have a limited number of movements to learn that make up this system and once learned, and repeated several times, you chain them together trying to demonstrate a certain grace, a balance, to use your stabilizing muscles well, your breathing, so that it seems to be executed effortlessly.

But, make no mistake, it's not that easy.

Before we get into the details of the different movements that make up Animal Flow, it's important to understand that Animal Flow is not a structured training program.

So, it's much more of a physical practice rather than a protocol.

The program is designed to be accessible to all levels, with progressions leading to advanced mastery for each movement. This is what makes it so easy to get into the practice regardless of your athletic level, because you work with what your body is capable of today.

You are free to practice as you wish and therefore by playing on the speed of execution of the movements, the intensity that you will put into it or even the total duration of your session, you will be able to work on different physical qualities (strength, cardio, conditioning, etc.)

Finally, Animal Flow has nothing to do with animal locomotion. It's not about imitating and moving like animals.

We will see later in this article the science behind this, and the positive impacts of floor work on the development of the body and the nervous system.

The idea to remember and the message common to all movement training practices is to allow us to work on the elements that we address little or not at all in our traditional training to become a more complete human being.

If you're an ultra-flexible yogi who seriously lacks strength, or an ultra-bulky bodybuilder who lacks mobility, or a very endurance runner who lacks explosiveness and core strength... this approach can be useful and can add fun and diversity to your workouts .

To fully understand this notion of physical practice and how it differs from the classic approach of repeating exercises, let's look at the origins of Animal Flow and why Mike Fitch created it.

Who is Mike Fitch and what led him to create Animal Flow?

If you've never heard of Animal Flow, you might not be familiar with the name Mike Fitch. He's the creator and promoter of Animal Flow.

Mike Fitch started out as a personal trainer . He has nearly 18 years of experience helping thousands of clients. He holds various qualifications and certifications in the fields of sports, physical preparation, medical exercises (athlete rehabilitation), as well as sports education in general.

Curious by nature, he learned, explored, and experimented with a wide range of training methods, exercises, and sports for 11 to 12 years, such as Powerlifting, Kettlebell, and Bodybuilding. At the age of 30, Mike Fitch realized that he didn't feel that good about his body despite all his muscle mass and developed strength.

So he decides to stop everything and go in the complete opposite direction, to focus on developing and using his body weight .

He then began Parkour, Gymnastics, Breakdancing, and a bit of circus arts... and realized that he was once again enjoying moving his body. His main goal then became to create a system of exercises that not only improved physical performance, but could also benefit the mind and spirit of the practitioner.

Feel good in your body.

He then begins to pass on to his clients what he learns, so that they too can experience the sensations gained from these new training methods.

For example, he extracts animal locomotion from his Parkour training for warm-ups with his clients. It is also there that he learns the concepts of Flow, the transmission of energy in a fluid manner. He learns the concept of Movement Windows from Breakdance .

Mike is finding that his clients are becoming more present in their training, bringing more awareness to their bodies , their positioning and the execution of their movements. The feedback from his clients is very positive and they keep asking to incorporate all these fun new movements.

This is where he realized that he liked it and what we know today as Animal Flow took shape and was born.

A system that he wanted to be simple enough to allow anyone to succeed immediately upon first use, while also allowing those who want to delve deeper to challenge themselves. Finally, a system that can be used as is or as a toolbox.

But what is it that makes Animal Flow so successful in capturing the interest of most people that other disciplines taken separately (Breakdance, Parkour, etc.) still struggle to do?

A simple way to reconnect your body and mind

It is clear to see how Animal Flow is a combination of Mike Fitch's knowledge, life experiences, training methodologies and life philosophy. I believe it embodies the qualities of a very empathetic health coach.

Here are some points that I personally like, and which make Animal Flow a very good tool for feeling your body again, anchoring your thoughts in the present and making room for sensations and listening to yourself.

A way to reconnect with your primal side

Even if I am not a fan of the word “primal”, which I find overused in the world of movement, it is clear that quadrupedalism, connection with the ground , practicing with bare hands and feet, moving in an almost feline way, even the names of certain movements like “Beast” (the beast, the animal) echo our primitive origins.

As a keen practitioner of Locomotion, Floorwork, Parkour and Breakdance when I was younger, I can only endorse the benefits of reintegrating the relationship with the ground into one's training routine.

Mike Fitch explains that the locomotion component of Animal Flow is made up of 3 animals: the monkey, the crab and finally the 4-legged predator (lion, tiger, wolf, etc.). It's a great way to ground yourself and rediscover the movements you made as children .

The exclusive use of body weight

Far from the machines of the weight room, all practices that use only body weight naturally allow a boost in body control and body awareness.

It's easy to self-assess, to see your true level of strength, mobility, coordination, core strength, or endurance, when your physical effort depends solely on your skills and abilities. You're not assisted by a machine, and as such, you don't delegate responsibility for the results you achieve.

Thanks to this aspect, free from any distraction and also from any investment in additional equipment, Animal Flow is accessible to everyone and can be practiced anywhere and at any time.

Some AF enthusiasts don't hesitate to isolate themselves for a few days in the heart of the forest , in the middle of nature to get started. Others practice it in the evening at home to relax and keep their bodies in top shape.

The influence of Vinyasa Yoga

It is also important to know that Animal Flow is closely related to Yoga, and more specifically to Vinyasa Yoga. Vinyasa Yoga was popularized in the early 20th century and is itself based on Ashtanga Yoga.

Vinyasa Yoga's principles are harmony between breath and movement , as well as fluidity between posture changes. In these respects, Animal Flow and Vinyasa Yoga are very similar.

Therefore, it is easy to focus on breathing, breath, fluidity, ease and grace, but also on the present moment and conscious practice when performing Animal Flow.

Now we get to the heart of the matter with what makes up this drive system.

The 6 Components of Animal Flow

Animal Flow brings together 6 components:

Wrist Movements

Animal Flow consists of various ground movements and therefore it is important to prepare your wrists for the demands of the movements you will be performing.

AF allows you to have a routine of small, simple movements to best prepare these small joints, which are often fragile in most people who are not used to putting their hands on the ground and especially putting weight on them.

• Wrist Rolls.
• Wrist Waves.
• Prayer Stretch.
• Wrist Shakers.
• Wrist Relief.
• Quadruped Wrist.

Activation Movements

Beast and Crab are the 2 movements used to activate the body and prepare it for practice.

It is, in a way, the moment in which you create the link between body and mind , you gather your thoughts to the here and now, and you put your anchor point, the cursor of your attention in your body.

This is when the machine's indicator light is on.

Specific Stretches

It's not about tackling the movements and exercises specific to Animal Flow directly. After the wrist movements, you also need to engage your entire body.

This will make it easier to adopt the various positions and movements of the flow, and to approach the movements calmly without the fear of injury , because some can be more or less acrobatic.

• Loaded Beast Unload.
• Loaded Beast Wave.
• Ape Reach.

Animal Locomotion Movements

These are the main movements that make Animal Flow what it is. As already mentioned, they include the locomotion of the monkey, the four-legged predator (tiger or lion), and finally the movement of the crab.

This is the part in which you move the body , you travel from one point to another, hence the technical name “Traveling Forms”

• Forward/Reverse Beast.
• Forward/Reverse Ape.

Changes and Transitions

To practice Animal Flow well, it is also important to master what are called switches and transitions . These are the elements that allow you to bring the famous fluidity that allows you to conceive of animal flow as a whole and not as a succession of movements and positions independent of each other.

This is where you will improve the grace and elegance of moving your body in space, which will make performing Flows seem effortless to people.

The Flows

Aside from the aforementioned locomotion movements, this practice also involves other positions and movements. All of these elements come together to form what is called flow.

This is the part where you express all your technical and creative skills .

• Free Flow (improvised)
• Choreography
• Call-Outs (guided)

The Benefits of Practicing Animal Flow

As I mentioned a little earlier, practicing Animal Flow allows you to work on strength, core strength, and muscular endurance, but also to optimize flexibility, balance, coordination, agility, and mobility.

Here, I will not dwell on comparing Animal Flow with other more traditional forms of training on the effects of this practice on strengthening, maintaining and improving physical capacities. We all understand, given the movements used, that there is necessarily a development of the body as a whole .

Even if the goal is not, for example, mass gain, power development, fat loss... or other goals most often associated with physical preparation programs, the fact remains that they could be achieved by using Animal Flow.

I'm not interested in knowing whether Animal Flow, Yoga, running, CrossFit, or weight training is best for a particular goal.

Instead, I'm going to share with you here the benefits and limitations from the perspective of my expertise in movement, mobility and from the perspective of the broader goal at the Nomadslim Movement Academy: to help people achieve greater physical autonomy and fully exploit their potential .

Benefits for the body

I talked about it a little above, but one of the best things Animal Flow has done for me is democratize floor practice .

A world completely unknown to most people, moving on the ground is nevertheless an essential component in the development of our cognitive abilities , and more generally, in human development. See our dear little ones for more details on the subject.

Here are the scientific studies that support the benefits of practicing Animal Flow on range of motion, the development of strength and endurance, but also on cognitive markers and joint repositioning .

This idea of ​​motor skills, of being able to manipulate one's body freely and even more so in relation to a hard surface like the ground, is an excellent tool for developing organic strength (in relation to one's body weight).

In the same way that Calisthenics or Parkour might do for the aerial world, I think Animal Flow is a great starting point to begin to understand the ground.

I recommend of course the Flow of Mobility, Locomotion, the practice of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Floorwork or even Floreio d' Ido Portal ) in the same category of discipline to learn to swim on the ground.

Touching the ground with different parts of your body, constantly interacting with it, being able to understand gravity more deeply, but also learning to fall, roll, bounce, spread, compress and extend from the ground, is one of the great tools for joint and muscle strengthening, developing a kind of shell around your body , and is a tool that I use a lot for rehabilitation and re-athleticization.

In this respect, any practice that allows this dialogue to be reopened is, for me, a positive addition to the longevity of the body and, by extension, to physical autonomy.

Benefits for the mind

We saw above the Yogi inspirations of Animal Flow and it is therefore natural that this practice has a more Yin component, more feminine energy, more spiritual . Even if it is not or little shared on social networks, I consider this point to be an excellent point to observe when it comes to analyzing a form of training.

Indeed, if you are already a few years old (if you are a broken old man like I was hahaha), you will have been able to observe during your life, that it is impossible to separate the body from the mind . You are what you think. You are what you eat. You are what you practice on a daily basis.

In short, we are multidimensional beings and our physical practice should reflect this.

Animal Flow is a simple and accessible way to gradually dive into this intangible world because you realize that these movements are complex, that the quality of their execution is not measurable by numbers or number of repetitions.

One day you'll be positive and healthy, and everything will flow smoothly. Another day, you'll get bad news at work or be late for an important meeting, and everything will be choppy and ungainly.

Few people have access to this kind of vocabulary to describe their physical training and Animal Flow is, I find, a good way to begin to realize the influence of other factors on our physical development and the relationship with our body.

Of course, if you're a dancer, or if you've already had twenty years of training (consciously), you've probably already done this kind of thing, and I'm not telling you anything new here. But don't forget, for some people, even a majority, this isn't the case yet.

Benefits for the heart

To conclude and address the three dimensions, body, mind and heart, here again is my humble opinion on the possible benefits of Animal Flow.

As mentioned earlier, Animal Flow has been widely adopted in fitness studios. While I'm not personally a big fan of this approach to group classes and the fact that everyone is lumped together—this is due to the fact that I've only ever experienced sport from the perspective of competition and athletic or artistic performance—I do, however, find it very beneficial to have a physical workout that can be done in a group setting.

This helps develop camaraderie, a sense of belonging to a group or community , Animal Flowists, and is of course essential for creating social bonds and feeling happy.

For me, if you allow people to connect with other humans for an hour to surpass themselves physically, mentally without competing with each other, but rather promoting mutual aid, exchange, I can only approve.

We can also see how guided Flow, in which an Animal Flow coach dictates movements to the entire group so that they are executed in synchronicity, can be enjoyable for participants. It's fun and even exciting to be able to all move at the same time as if we were connected.

The second point for heart development is this time something that I have spent more than 20 years experimenting with through dance and combat sports and that I continue to promote in my online training courses:

The idea of ​​creativity and personal expression.

One of the most lacking points and which the modern world of fitness completely ignores, wrongly I think, is allowing practitioners to be able to create, to be able to express themselves and to be able to break out of the imposed framework.

We find this notion in Animal Flow and I think that for many everyday people who have never done dance, or gymnastics, or improvisational theater, or even fought in front of hundreds of people, it is a life experience that they will never have .

It is beneficial for self-esteem and self-confidence to have moments during which we let go, we allow ourselves to try, to try new things, to invent, to step out of our comfort zone and even to experience ridicule or failure at first.

I believe it is an essential part of physical training and helps develop creative and innovative qualities that are transferable to the world of work and life.

We dare more.

That's my opinion on the benefits of Animal Flow. Again, this is just my opinion based on my expertise and experiences.

This is not THE only opinion and as I mentioned above, I do not want to dwell on the classic benefits that you will be able to find everywhere else on the internet such as weight loss, cardio... blah blah blah.

Let's take a step back and analyze the content, not the form.

Animal Flow vs Ido Method Portal vs MovNat vs Capoeira vs … The Limits of the System

Behind this provocative title , and a little bit “clickbait”, I admit, I am not going to compare the incomparable but rather, give you some food for thought on the possible limits of a practice like Animal Flow depending on your objectives.

Why don't I compare Animal Flow to other movement training methods? Because it's impossible. Each method has a different target audience, different goals, values, and philosophies that can be completely different.

You can just as easily find beneficial things to extract from all bodyweight training approaches depending on the stage of development you are in , your physical activity history, your injury history... in short, who you are when you start.

I'm simply going to tell you what I think is the most honest approach to take if you decide to get into Animal Flow.

Not so accessible

Animal Flow has a lot of benefits for the body. However, I don't think it's accessible to everyone, as Mike Fitch might think.

Certain movements require a good level of strength, body control, core strength and even joint mobility to be performed correctly and above all without injury .

Precisely, the fact that this practice is often taught in fitness classes, in groups, despite all the benefits on the heart and mind, it is very difficult to monitor and help a group of 15 to 30 people with different levels, different abilities, different limitations... to correct themselves and progress in the quality of their movements.

This is a point that is common to the idea of ​​group classes.

Lack of structure

Additionally, if you are looking for the idea of ​​moving more fluidly, with more ease in your sport and in everyday movements, even if Animal Flow can be a useful complement, I am more in favor of a more structured approach and a real training program .

If you lack mobility, strength, core strength... I think it's more efficient in terms of time, energy and even safety (injury prevention) to first focus on analyzing your body , your gaps, your weaknesses, your asymmetries, your deficiencies, your needs, and then address them with training protocols.

Then, practicing Animal Flow will be much more enjoyable and you will progress faster because you will have a body already ready to learn all the movements without getting injured.

Body weight limits

Finally, I will mention the classic limitation of bodyweight training: that you reach a plateau quite quickly in terms of strength, for example.

I think you can do a lot of great things by training with body weight, and I am even the product of it with many years of Calisthenics, dance, combat sports... but to develop a strong, durable body, resistant to injuries and time, I think you need appropriate physical preparation .

Animal Flow, alone, will take you to a very interesting level but still with limits in your physical development.

So, don't hesitate to try, to have fun, to learn and explore, but as with all training methods, don't see it as a single, final, miracle solution to all your problems.

We are designed for continuous learning and change , so let's take the tools, use them, and then add diversity and new challenges.

Too few options

On this idea of ​​diversity, I personally find Animal Flow very limited in terms of movements and technical possibilities .

Of course, this is not a criticism because for many people, it is already more than enough. Don't forget that I also look at this method with the eyes of a dancer, fighter, artist, trainer, Calisthenics, Parkour, martial artist... in short, the opinion of a movement enthusiast who already has more than 2 decades of sports practice under his belt.

My opinion is not worth much because I am very far from a sedentary life without movement.

But, for readers who are also in my situation, who perhaps have one or more sports or artistic careers, who perhaps have more than 10 years of life in movement, or simply those who have a lot of practice on the ground, the number of movements and new features of Animal Flow will be very small for you and you will have gone through it very quickly.

Especially for those who practice ground sports (Breakdance, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Modern, etc.). This is a point to take into account.

That's my humble opinion.

Now, for those who have been seduced by the concept of Animal Flow, where and how do you start?

Where do Animal Flow classes take place in France?

In just a few years, Mike Fitch's Animal Flow has been exported to many countries. And France is no exception.

You can find, relatively easily, mainly in Paris but not only , sessions to try or even train yourself in this method.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of official Animal Flow instructors in France and how to participate in their courses, internships, training courses and how to contact them easily.

1. Animal Flow workshops at INSPIRE POTENTIAL, with certified instructor Leonardo Pelagotti , who is also the guest on episode 29 of the MOUVERS Podcast.
2. SpirFit courses, workshops, training, with certified instructor Brian Magnus , who is also a guest on the MOUVERS Podcast, episode 31 (release scheduled for July 25, 2021)
3. Official Animal Flow Europe courses, organized by Animal Flow instructors in several neighboring European countries and sometimes in France.
4. Animal Move courses at the Montgolfière, with Samhi Audit , 25 rue Yves Toudic, 75010 Paris.
5. Animal Flow classes at Klay, with Cédric Ovide-Etienne , 4bis rue Saint Sauveur, 75002 Paris
6. Animal Flow classes at Urban Body Project, with Ana Din and Makhissa Camara , Paris
7. Animal Flow classes at WOLF Training, 11 Avenue de la Braserade 40510 Seignosse
8. MovNat Animal Flow classes at KAJYN with Jamel Snaibi , Jean Nicolas Casalis and Alexandre Whitecomb , 13 Rue Faidherbe, 75011 Paris
9. Animal Flow courses by Anthony Treille, near Rioz in Burgundy-Franche-Comté and surrounding areas.

If you are an Animal Flow instructor in France, and you would like to appear in the list , send me an email.

This concludes our analysis of Animal Flow.

Thank you again for your attention and if you think this article is useful, please feel free to share it .

Have a very nice day my move,

Nomad Slim
Founder of MOUVERS