MAINE'IAC PRIMITIVE MOVEMENT

Brandon

 

Maine’iac - noun

- a person who has great craving or enthusiasm for something …. 

 

 

Hi, my name is Brandon Sewall. I was born and raised in the state of Maine, an environment that inspired my passion for nature, health and well being.  Most of my childhood was spent roaming through the woods, climbing trees, iceberg hopping, and doing daily chores around the family farm where I learned the discipline and value of hard work (thanks Mom!), bailing hay and lugging buckets of water and grain bags.

I have always loved any activity that engages the mind and body and connects us with Mother Nature. My summer’s were spent on the ocean — swimming, body surfing, cliff jumping, free diving, and exploring Maine’s rugged coastline. Intense physical activity fueled my fascination with how the human body functions, reacts and adapts to its surroundings.

From age 9, I started competing in all kinds of sports from basketball, football and soccer, to baseball, track & field, and Martial Arts. Basketball and track were where I excelled. I won the State high jump championship my senior year of high school, and went on to play basketball at the collegiate level.

 

Meeting My Mentors

After High School I enrolled in a post-graduate program at IMG Academies in Bradenton, FL, a world-class training facility with alumni including Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Andre Agassi, Venus & Serena Williams, and Adrian Peterson, . IMG enhanced my athletic development as I worked with multiple coaches and disciplines including strength and mental conditioning, nutrition and physical regeneration. At 18, I had never fully engaged in weight training. “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” was the trend, and I literally got bigger, stronger and faster, through power lifting, circuit training and super setting exercises. Coach Stacey Daniels taught me the importance of core strength, agility, flexibility and recovery, with numerous techniques to keep my body aligned using tennis balls, foam rollers, ice baths, active rest and a constant focus on proper breathing.

After IMG I attended Southern New Hampshire University to play basketball for coach Stan Spirou. At SNHU, I sought out Head Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Coach Vincent Zuccala and Head Women’s Soccer Coach, Terry Prouty, two mentors who raised not only my athletic potential but also my understanding of the mechanics of the human body.

We’re going to need a bigger boat …

After college, I spent the Summer of ’09 lobster fishing, which is demanding work but a lot of fun… staying balanced in North Atlantic swells while handling a 40-50lb trap in the rain…epic! Sometimes a 10-hour day resulted in just a few fresh lobsters for dinner, but being on the water every day was therapeutic for me. I had not a clue what I wanted to do with my life, so I sought advice from my boss and lifetime mentor Kevin Gilmore, a 300 lb fisherman and former professional boxer. Every morning before hopping on the boat we’d spend time deep in conversation. Kevin’s advice was simple, “Do something you’re passionate about.”  I decided that once the season was over I would get the hell out of Maine and try my luck in the “BIG CITY” to pursue my love of fitness and the “natural method”.

Evolutionary fitness 

The Natural Method (La Methode Naturelle) is an exercise philosophy founded by French physical educator Georges Hebert.  His philosophy has formed the basis of numerous fitness practices because of its proven effectiveness. I first learned of Hebert through a Men’s Health article featuring MovNat founder Erwan LeCorre, who also credits Hebert as one of his influencers.   Hebert, a former French naval officer, was inspired by the overall skill and immaculate physiques of various indigenous peoples. He created a training system that prescribed the art of movement to become strong and useful.  This system consistently develops of proportionate bodies through practical movements and “organic resistance,” whereby we exercise in and with the natural environment, whatever the conditions. Coming from a seafaring family, I feel extremely connected to Hebert’s work and continue to study and integrate his work into my daily practice.   (For more about La Methode Naturelle and Primitive Movement, be sure to check out the “Philosophy” page).

When I teach The Natural Method, we immediately see improvement.  It’s incredible to see people gain confidence and become pain free through movements that used to intimidate them. I enjoy working one-on-one, especially if the client has issues such as poor posture, limited flexibility, depression, nagging injuries, addiction, or chronic pain. Together, we turn weaknesses into strengths and focus on “what”, “why” and “how” we move.  Most of all, I learn more one on one because I am completely engaged with how the person is moving and thinking. Everyone I’ve worked with has seen dramatic change in the way they think, look, and feel.  Nothing feels better than to help someone heal.

-Brandon

Related articles

• Primitive Movement on Time.com