Ido Portal Method: Principles, exercises and structure of a complete movement-based workout

We have already presented the main points of the Movement Training Method created by Ido Portal , the movement coach at the origin of Movement Culture.

Today, we're going to dive into the details of what a typical Ido Portal Method training program entails. Martin and I have both been Ido Portal Method students and are sharing our experiences with you.

We will see how to approach physical training according to Ido Portal, the elements that make up his training program (Strength training, Locomotion, Floreio, Handstand),

And the content of the training sessions themselves (exercise duration, training frequency, session intensity and total training volume).

Very good reading my move!

Capoeira at the origin of Ido Portal's training system?

Ido Portal is an Israeli movement teacher . He began his physical practice as a teenager with Capoeira , which he taught in Israel.

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian dance martial art that combines various kicks, often circular, acrobatics, hand or head balances, and a relationship with music and the playing partner.

It is a practice that offers a wide range of technical, creative and expressive possibilities.

Capoeira also allows you to move on different levels: very close to the ground, in the air, upside down, turning... And allows you to develop many athletic qualities in the practitioner such as coordination, strength, explosiveness, flexibility.

There are different variations of Capoeira in which Capoeiristas (Capoeira players) can play and/or fight more, at different levels from the ground and at different speeds , accompanied most often by instruments, chants and hand clapping.

Ido Portal has therefore delved into the world of physicality with one of the practices that brings the most benefits, allows the development of great complexity of movement and offers great freedom in the body.

Over the years, he felt the need to broaden his horizons and traveled the world to practice with many masters in their field (gymnastics, hand balancing, Chinese martial arts, circus arts, traditional medicine, boxing, etc.).

After having traveled the world in search of a teacher who could give him a complete vision of Human Movement , he understood that no one could give him a single, holistic, all-encompassing answer.

After having met and even studied for several years with these great masters such as, for example, Jozef Frucek of Fighting Monkey Rootlessroot , Orlando Cani of Bio Ginastica, Christopher Sommers of Gymnastic Bodies , or even Circus Arts and Dance with great Russian masters...

He decided to create his own methodology. He taught his students Capoeira, gradually injecting the gems of wisdom he had acquired and developed from his own practice over the years.

Little by little, his students began to talk about the Ido Portal Method and embrace the complexity of his approach to physical practice, which advocates total freedom and improvisation in one's body.

Movement Culture was born.

What is Ido Portal Movement Training?

An approach to training that advocates generalization

For Ido Portal, sports and the various arts are forms of specialization . A dancer, a fighter or a gymnast have specialized in their field.

He explains that the human being is above all a generalist of movement made to run, swim, fight, jump, carry loads, climb, dance, etc.

Ido Portal believes that if we choose to specialize in one area, we will pay the price later through bodily imbalances or injuries.

The human body being an adaptability machine , it always adapts to the stimuli given to it to become extremely efficient.

If we feed our body with only a limited number of movements, if we repeat the same positions for decades without paying attention to the other functions that we no longer use at all,

We take the risk of creating a fragile body prone to injury because it is optimized for one thing.

The body works in a very simple way: what we don't use, we lose.

If I take the example of a contemporary dancer or a yogi, they will certainly be very flexible. But they may lack strength, which can expose them to certain injuries.

Boxers are also a good example. The guard position with the shoulders forward and using the arms primarily forward can lead to muscular imbalances in the shoulders.

A boxer's body can be recognized by this forward-bent posture, with shoulders slightly turned inward and a chest compressed in the middle. These are signs of adaptation to the guard position.

This explains why several world-renowned athletes, particularly in Mixed Martial Arts , call on Ido Portal to help them complete their physical preparation.

Many people want to reopen their bodies and feel more flexible and relaxed. The most high-profile example is Conor McGregor , UFC fighter and global superstar.

He followed Ido Portal's method to prepare for his World Championship title fight against Jose Aldo. During his training camp, he was seen practicing animal movements like the Lizard Walk , making undulations with his spine and walking while balancing on a rail.

McGregor would knock out Aldo in 13 seconds with Ido Portal in his corner during the fight.

For Ido Portal, physical practice should not be limited to a training session .

Instead, it should be sprinkled throughout the day. You can easily put this idea into practice with the two challenges he created to regain a deep squat: “ The Squat Challenge ” and reintroduce hanging: “ The Hanging Month .”

What does the Ido Portal method bring to the practitioner?

Through its method, Ido Portal aims to offer a global approach to human movement.

It focuses on skill development and is free from disciplines.

To develop strength, he can use both gymnastic and weightlifting movements. He borrows exercises from dance and boxing without any complexes to become as well-rounded as possible.

This is the case, for example, of the Stick Game used to improve movement and eye-arm coordination, which I very often share during training courses for practitioners of mixed or traditional martial arts .

What interests Ido Portal is not the exercise but what you will improve by practicing it .

Thus, Ido Portal differentiates the content (the skill developed) from the container (the exercise).

In “modern fitness”, which swears by exercises, protocols, training programs…, that is to say containing them, Ido Portal joins the philosophy promoted a few decades earlier by Bruce Lee:

The concept of Praxis, or how to let yourself be transformed by the act of practicing.

This idea of ​​Praxis is at the heart of Ido Portal's approach and he invites us to do for the pleasure of doing, with the aim of doing activities that are not only contemplative or theoretical, but which transform the subject.

Another fundamental aspect of his training method is being an eternal beginner .

This is called the Shoshin (初心) mentality or beginner's mind, a Zen Buddhist concept.

初(sho): The first step.心(shin): The heart.初心: The beginner's mentality.

In his approach to movement, we only develop by learning new gestures.

If you ALREADY know how to juggle 3 balls, it's more interesting to move on to something else to continue stimulating your body and mind.

The idea of ​​constantly adding wood to your fire to keep it burning brightly for a long time.

This is what the Ido Portal method has brought me in terms of training philosophy and even in terms of life philosophy.

As he says so well:

What are the characteristics of training using the Ido Portal method?

The Ido Portal training method includes many universes.

In my experience, the fundamentals are strength, locomotion, mobility and handstands .

Strength is a blend of gymnastic-inspired bodyweight strength and weight-bearing exercises. This is where Ido began his exploration beyond the boundaries of Capoeira, and this is reflected in the way the workouts are programmed.

Joint Mobility

Mobility is also predominant in his method.

Mobility is the ability to move your joints freely with strength and control throughout their full range of motion. Without this foundation, it is impossible to address locomotion, flow, balance, and other areas of movement .

First, to mobilize the spine because as Ido likes to say: “Everyday is Spine Day” .

It's surprising at first because you spend a lot of time on it. But I have to admit that the benefits are impressive .

This type of exercise has helped me tremendously in unlocking my spine. Many students have even been able to correct their mild scoliosis with this type of daily practice.

Locomotion

Then we find Locomotion which is strongly inspired by Floreio de Capoeira .

To get a sense of what this is like, imagine capoeira without a partner. When it's done well, it's beautiful!

Besides, this is often the aspect of the Ido Portal method that attracts the most people. I prefer to warn you, it is very physical , especially at the beginning.

But if you stick with it and practice mindfully and consciously , you will become more efficient.

You will have a lot of fun while working your body strength and exploring the squatting position .

You can try this locomotion tutorial for beginners on the Nomadslim Movement YouTube channel .

Handstand

Handstand is also central to the programming.

Indeed, it is an exercise that will allow you to develop strong and mobile shoulders and resistant wrists.

You will completely rethink the representation of your body in space . Having your head down is disturbing at first!

From this position, you will even be led to explore other more complex movements such as Handstand Push-Ups (HSPU), push-ups balanced on the hands.

You recognize this big influence of Gymnastics in the Ido Portal Method.

Which makes sense with another philosophical concept that Ido Portal holds dear, Self Dominance : domination (in the sense of absolute mastery) over one's body and oneself.

Other side universes

The method integrates a multitude of other universes such as floorwork, coordination, object manipulation, juggling, etc.

Ido Portal explains that his method considers movement as a cloud whose contours are constantly evolving.

This is also why defining movement is so complex!

At Mouvers , for example, we do not hesitate to include more metaphysical aspects in our definition of Movement and we encompass other dimensions of being (personal development, spirituality, life mission, etc.).

The physical part is greatly inspired by Ido Portal and the idea of ​​wanting to make all the disciplines communicate with each other: The boxer who speaks with the dancer, the weightlifter who speaks with the yogi, the juggler who speaks with the climber...

You can discover some of these sub-areas of movement on our online training platform and have fun trying Floorwork sessions, Coordination Games, Capoeira sessions, Handstand…

What does an Ido Portal training program look like?

If you want to practice the Ido Portal method, one of the possibilities is to follow his online coaching .

So I (Martin) will share my experience on the subject.

One of the first things that struck me when I started training with Ido Portal's method was the associated rigor . The coaches' requirements for checking that you're performing the movements correctly are VERY high.

When I left the Foreign Legion, I thought I was a straightforward person. However, the attention my coach paid to every detail impressed me.

The second characteristic of online coaching is the training volume. You should expect to train a lot . MINIMUM two hours a day, six days a week. I've gone up to six hours a day!

When I think about it, I find it crazy.

My program consisted of one strength session per day plus a handstand and mobility session or a locomotion session. In addition, I did spinal mobilization, juggling, and coordination.

Don't worry, we're asking how much time you can devote to your training. But know that the minimum is two hours a day spread over two sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening.

At this rate, you'll progress very quickly. But if your recovery and nutrition aren't on point, you risk getting injured . That's what happened to me. Several times!

You can also participate in training courses led by the Ido Portal team.

The two-day courses focus on a single topic, such as preparing your body to avoid injuries. The long courses last five days . They cover a variety of topics and allow you to really dive deep into the practice of the Ido Portal method.

For my part (Nomad Slim), I had the opportunity to live and train with direct students of Ido Portal for almost 8 months in Thailand. We lived, moved, ate, and had fun together every day.

As with Martin, the rigor and demands of the training were high. At that time, I was a professional Muay Thai fighter and spent my time training.

Daily mobility, 1 Muay Thai session in the morning, then the Locomotion session with the coach, then physical preparation or the second Muay Thai session...

I kept up the pace, by the Grace of the Almighty I believe hahaha But YES, it was INTENSE.

It also allowed me to work on my muscular deficiencies and weaknesses at the time, especially in terms of pulling strength thanks to the mobility routines and shoulder strengthening with the rings .

To approach this type of training at your own pace, I share several Ido Portal-type movement training sessions.

This is an opportunity to make available to the general public little snippets of what we have been lucky enough to acquire thanks to this form of movement training.

The Ido Portal Method is therefore a fairly demanding training method and is not suitable for everyone.

It remains nonetheless a fantastic tool for developing one's physical, athletic, creative, expressive and even philosophical abilities.

Don't hesitate to browse the TRAININGS to learn more about movement training and begin your adventure towards greater freedom in your body and greater physical autonomy.

Thank you for your attention, my friend.

Coach Nomad
Founder of MOUVERS