A Brutally Honest Review of the Ido Portal Method

It's time to get real about the Ido Portal method. Brutally honest, zero BS, in true Ido style.

Ido Portal is easily one of the most brilliant teachers of his generation. He for practical intents and purposes, basically created, refined, and led a field, both to becoming widespread among many of the most dedicated practitioners of movement fields worldwide, and to have gone leaps and bounds beyond what other camps have done.

I’ve noticed over the many years that I’ve been studying with Ido, what you could call an ‘Ido Portal effect’. People who’ve even heard of Ido tend to be a cut above those who haven’t, in terms of skill in movement. People who have trained with Ido are still a cut higher, and people who have trained with Ido long term are a cut even above those- and each of these levels tends to be of a significant magnitude.

It’s hard to imagine one man doing a better job than Ido has done leading the field of movement in technical development.

However, his method has it’s flaws as well, and I believe it’s time to talk about them publicly, so that those of us who were operating under it’s paradigms can start to acknowledge, research, troubleshoot (as a community) these mistakes, and then move beyond them.

For one, Ido can be ruthless. Sure, the ‘cruel tutelage of Ido Portal’ is cool and all that, and it’s a strong force to push many forward, but it’s another thing when, for instance, the students at one of Ido’s most successful affiliated facilities have noticed consistently that their teachers are a lot more ‘mean' after coming back from even a short event or workshop with Ido.

Second, his method operates blind to much of modern research, including in sports science, motor learning, and related areas. Ido seems to have settled for the understanding of sports science he gained from Charles Poliquin, and RIP to Charles, but a lot of his ideas, such as on tempo and time under tension, are outdated, while others, like biosignature, were completely unfounded in the first place.

Some of you will say, if it’s not broke don’t fix it- his method works right? But this is antithetical to both my and Ido’s central beliefs. In fact, It’s the one thing I respect about Ido more than any other- he is constantly evolving and growing, as a mover, as a teacher, and as a person. He taught us the ‘craftsman mentality’ that you should never stop working on your craft and just call it finished- instead continually working to refine and evolve your craft and methods. Easy to say, sure, but Ido’s been doing this, and I’ve personally witnessed the magnitude to which it’s happened. The Ido Portal I met at movement camp in 2019 was Ido 2.0 compared to the Ido Portal I met at movement camp in 2016. This is what I’ll miss the most if he blacklists me from all future events for this video as I fully expect him to.

This brings us to what I believe is the most major flaw in the ido portal method: closed-mindedness. While Ido draws from different teachers and disciplines, he himself is the major source of information in the movement culture, which is indoctrinated that other teachers (who aren't teaching his method) are BS and other methods are garbage. Ido’s movement culture has become simply a vessel for his teachings passed down at his events and workshops, and while Ido is a brilliant guy, one man (even with a few helpers) cannot adequately fuel the development of a complex field.

For those that will ask why I did this video, or “what’s the point?” it’s primarily for this reason. If we want to grow movement, the field that Ido essentially created, both in width (get good information out to the general public) and in depth (develop movement and it’s study further), we need to start collaborating and working together to share our findings and research. I think it’s time, not for a movement culture, but a movement community.

I honestly believe that movement and it’s study are vital to the health and development of humanity, and it’s time that we dedicated practitioners and teachers stop holding one man responsible for its development, even if it’s the one who popularized it.

[BrenVez]

Hey Guys! Thanks so much for all the engagement, discussion, and kind messages I've received from so many of you after this video (I was really expecting some hate mail for this one). It's wonderful to see the community start to organize and evolve in the direction I've been envisioning for so many years. Updates: so far, 2 things have been birthed from the release of this video.


It is new and still a work in progress, but with your support I've just been able to hire more help to start cranking out more content for you guys there (and here), and the offerings + organization + system will grow and be refined greatly over time.

Cheers everyone! Looking forward to the future with you all :)

[Daniel_Hochmuth]

Thank you for the video. I come from the world of traditional martial arts where idolatry, close-mindedness and cult-like mentality are a commonplace so none of this is really news to me. Ido Portal has been a great inspiration to me in terms of movement and philosophy. He is definitely unique in many ways and I guess he's entitled to charge whatever he wants (just as you said in the video). But then I think of my late kung-fu teacher who would wake up at five and drove hundred kilometers to the capital, several times per week, just so that he could teach us in person. And there were people in our school who couldn't afford the tuition and he would teach them anyway. The school was like a family. Our sifu was not internationally famous but he was a great teacher and I'll always remember him.

[fabios]

Man, I just love your approach to things. Straight foward, honest, no bs. Credit and criticism when they're due. I wish more people were like this in all fields of knowledge.

[garrettplumley]

Wow, THIS is a contribution to the culture! I've been so turned off by fitness guru's over the years. Your analysis and passion here is such a breath of fresh air! Thank you!

[longnguyen]

This is hands down the best review i've seen of any person / product/ service or thing. So balanced, fair and non-hostile. All in good faith. I have learnt a lot regarding the topic at hand and from your overall ability to communicate so well. Thank you and all the best with your mission.

[Samwisehatgewinnen]

This explains so much of what I’ve been wondering about Ido! Very enlightening. I support your push for a more collaborative, accessible movement culture! Thanks for putting yourself out there like this, it’s a bold act

[Sustainavore]

Bren, this is incredible. Way to have the courage to make it. This is why, we the "movement whores" who continue to train and learn from other teachers and take it back to our students get to continue loving movement. As much as I love Ido's work, everything you laid out is why I give massive caveats to anyone wanting to explore the work.

I tore a tendon in my wrist training with Ido's team for 6 hours a day. The concept of being a movement generalist and avoiding specialist injuries is complete bullshit when you look at the training they encourage. Don't ask any questions though, just do the work and build capacity... 🧐.

This is far and away the most honest review of Ido out there.

[Garrett]

Around 2015 I drove seven hours to LA to do an ‘Ido Portal experience’ workshop.
But he wasn’t there. I had been talking to the owner of the CrossFit gym who sponsored the event many times because dropping over $700 was a lot for me. He literally said, “how much money would you spend to train with Bruce Lee for the weekend?” He didn’t ask me how much money I would spend to train with Bruce Lee’s assistants. I also convinced a friend to come with me so I was mortified that Ido wasn’t there. I left when I found out he wasn’t there and demanded a refund. I went out into my car and emailed his team immediately and they said no refund. I started posting on the Facebook event page for the New York workshop that was happening the following weekend to tell people that Ido wouldn’t be there. People were responding that they were shocked. And then Ido‘s team started deleting all of our messages in real time because they were hiding something. I think he is a shady businessman to say the least. This was dishonest to a huge degree. And I lost all respect for him in that moment. I still think he’s brilliant but I know him & his team as COMPLETELY dishonest. They do not want transparency. People private messaged me from that New York group thanking me for making it clear that he wouldn’t be there - many tried to cancel because they didn’t want to go if he wasn’t there either. Just left an incredibly bad taste in my mouth. Terrible business. Very sad.

[calltorock]

Great video, it sounds like you perfectly align with my (much more limited) experience of the method.

I trained at one of those official Ido gyms for 3-4 years. The positive: I learned movements that I still find useful and I now have a much more holistic approach to training than I ever did before. I think it’s complimented and improved my performance playing sports (which hilariously enough feels like a faux pas in the community). I think it’s been overall very positive to have been exposed to the practice, and I try to show the most helpful exercises to someone who would never have access.

You hit the nail on the head with the type of person who can fully embrace “the practice”… someone wealthy who has an extraordinary amount of time to dedicate to training. If I were to create the archetypal Ido student.... it would be someone on the shorter side, naturally flexible, and has a trust fund. It was remarkable how many of the cliquey “in-group” of students fit into that definition.

Coming to this from the Huberman podcast, I have the same issue that you have… the anti-intellectualism drove me completely insane. There was always the talk about “going deeper into the practice” with no real definition of what that meant. “Can you bounce a ball on your head 100 times? You better train for months to do it! Why? We don’t really know, but post it on Instagram!” There was zero integration or reference to modern scientific studies. I don’t expect them to be master’s level physiologists, but if you came to them with any specific questions or specific injuries you could always tell they knew about as much as a 20 year old personal trainer. For any problem or injury, movement was just the blanket answer. I spent 9+ months training to rehab an injury they assured me they could fix with movement… and it was only until I actually saw a doctor and needed surgery that it was fixed and I could actually progress.

Ido likes to quote Bruce Lee “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own” and I feel like I’ve done that with his method. I’ve benefitted greatly from the ideas but I do not fit into the archetypal mover who can do splits, backflips, and one-arm handstands. It took years for me to stop hating myself for not getting those skills quicker and embracing the types of movements I actually enjoy. And I’ve now learned more from YouTube channels like The Bodyweight Warrior and FitnessFAQs who actually offer clear information without the cult leader baggage.

[Bonowombo]

A very intelligent review! I have been searching for the best way to stay in shape all my life (I´m now 49) and of course you notice Ido Portal if you are looking for inspiration. His "culture" is mind-expanding and his students are great. However, here is what bothers me personally: My goal is to be in good shape and healthy in order to be a happier, more relaxed being. Not move as much and in as many ways as possible just for the sake of moving 😜 Ido has incredible skills, but he does not seem relaxed or happy and - as you kind of described - is more of a very skilled, but obsessed and mercyless king. So, in my view he fails in using his own system because it should make him a greater person when he is not training. About Ido, a great "anti-guru"-quote may be true: "Believe those who are seeking the truth, doubt those who found it". David Belle for example changed the "moving culture" in a more modest way and without ever wanting to be king. Still, maybe Ido is a genius. And for all geniuses, in long term it is more about what they achieved than how they were. It does not really matter if Bach, Picasso, Steve Jobs, Bruce Lee or John Lennon were idiots, they changed the world. Will you say this about Ido Portal one day? Who knows.

[DrKaushikRam]

I feel your frustration Bren and I appreciate the courage it took to speak up. I attended Ido's workshop back in 2013-2015. Your review of the program is spot on, fair and well rounded.

[beniskillen]

This is absolutely incredible. I am so incredibly grateful to have stumbled across your work. As someone who has studied movement science for the better part of 15 years, gained a university degree & put over 10, 000 hours into my sport I've been well aware of the shortcomings of the mainstream movement methods. I knew that movement was the way forward. Modern society needs this as part of it's lexicon to truly reach a state of optimal being. Yet I never quite knew how to piece it all together. I'm so incredibly grateful for your distillation of wisdom in all of your videos. I also completley agree with your vision (I am an example of the kind of person that wanted to train with Ido, yet could never truly access it). I will be following you very closely & helping spread this message. With love from Sydney Australia ❤

[whytbelt]

This is an incredibly important video for the future of not only movement but the health, wellbeing and longevity of the general public. You're doing great things brother

[robertwhite]

Probably the best critique I've seen of Ido's system yet. I would love to learn under Ido's system, but just not from Ido. The guy is clearly one of the best all rounders out there but he seems to be an egotistical elitist cult leader, and for me personally I could not spend large amounts of time with some like that under any voluntary circumstance. It such a shame that he has made his own amazing discoveries so inaccessible

[normanquednau]

Thank you for this amazing video and the dedication! I am 53 and i wont probably meet the basic exercises required by Ido ever. But I know i can become a good mover. Well and the prices... So I am excited what you have to offer. Kind regards from Germany, Bren

[conanmcelduff]

At the expense of becoming a bren fanboy, I love your channel. I've never been to an ido event. But through his interviews and online content, he's sparked an interest and perspective that I have absolutely loved and benefitted from. Only for ido, I'd never have found you. I'll never shit on ido. He's changed my perspective. And for that I'm forever grateful. Let's move!

[AaronCheck-dxud]

Your monologue gripped me from start to finish, well researched, well stated, and a lot of excellent insights. Thank you! And yes, it is true, community is what stokes the flames and keeps them burning.

[Huange._.]

I’m in awe of your bravery to make this video haha. It was really cool to see you take such a bold stance in the movement community. Even though I don’t really know much about Ido, I think that he’s a pretty amazing guy for what he’s done, but I like what you said about being open to ideas and teaching movement to more people! 🔥👍

[lorainisrael]

I've only heard about Ido the first time today. Always wanted for such an idea to exist so checked his website and youtube channel. And it was clear that something is wrong, that it is a stagnation. Almost no activity online, no regular posts, no sharing with true beginners. Now your video explains it all. You're right, this idea should be in a free flow, it should attract people to combine their knowledge, experiment, create and try out new things, and not to be converted into a cult.

[gabrielvasiliu]

This is the first time I ever saw one of your videos. I had no idea you even exist. But everything you say is really resonating on the same wavelength with what I can see myself. I think that it has to be a shift of focus from being super special to being available and present in as many peoples life as possible. Otherwise you are just the leader of a secretive sect. It is very brave that you are coming out and speak in that way. And do not be afraid. For every people that will look bad or critical at what you say there are hundreds and hundreds others that are glad that finally someone is starting to talk.