I use it as a 'just in case' device - the camera I take everywhere. Nice and compact, both video and stills, and an external microphone jack. Incidentally, that last point is one of the key differences between this and something like the Flip. If you care about audio, it's a must.
Great little thing.
Floral Apron Adventures
Australian Fitness TourReady to add your own opinion, workout log or training article? Just head over to the Forums, Training Logs, or swing by the Article Submissions page. They're fantastic ways to share your ideas.
NB : if you enjoy the articles, show the authors your appreciation by voting (using the Like, Digg and Retweet icons). Cheers.
No doubt you've heard the '6 Meals per Day' advice at some point. But just what qualifies as a meal? You may be surprised.
Over to Brad.
This week we're taking a close look at the world of Strongman, specifically at how to integrate it with your existing training. No matter whether you're a professional athlete or just someone who loves taking care of themselves.
Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than The Strength Doctor, Tim Hull (@THull); a man who's been exploring the possibilities of Strongman work in his own training. Fantastic.
Details -
Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Incorporating Strongman Training
When : Wed Jul 21, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : Include #sbgym in your tweets.
To see when it's on in your timezone, head over to the twitterchat calendar.
NB : If you'd like to be a guest on a future twitterchat, let me know. It's great to hear how other people are training.
For those who missed out on the conversation, I'd love to hear your thoughts. What sort of conditioning do you favour, and in what form? How do you measure your progress?
Hosting the discussions is none other than Logan Christopher (certainly no slouch himself in the arena of Strongman). And to give you an idea of just how cool this is, here are a few of the guys you'll be learning from :
And many more. Fantastic.
This is one of the many superb exercises detailed in Adam's brilliant Leverage Lifts article; definitely a keeper. Dive in, and enjoy.
Rob's Training LogFloral Apron AdventuresReady to add your own opinion, workout log or training article? Just head over to the Forums, Training Logs, or swing by the Article Submissions page. They're fantastic ways to share your ideas.
NB : if you enjoy the articles, show the authors your appreciation by voting (using the Like, Digg and Retweet icons). Cheers.
This is the first exercise in the Diesel Crew's Hardest Core Exercise EVER series - the Kettlebell Sit-up and Press on GHR. Good stuff.
Oh, and to grab one for yourself, head over to prowriststraps.com and enter the coupon code AdjustStrap when you're checking out. Good stuff.
Want more? As a bonus, they're also knocking 15% off the price of your order. Perfect.
This week we're taking a close look at the world of Conditioning- everything from 'what it is' and 'the benefits it can bring' to the many, many great ways to get a dose in your own training. Helping us explore this fascinating topic is certified strength and conditioning coach Rob DeCillis, better known as Combat Trainer (@CombatTrainer). Fantastic.
Details -
Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Conditioning
When : Wed Jul 14, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : Include #sbgym in your tweets.
To see when it's on in your timezone, head over to the twitterchat calendar.
Quick update on last week's twitterchat : Thanks once again to Ryan Pitts (@strongergrip) and everyone else who took part in the discussion on Training with Clubs. Some superb ideas in there.For those who missed out on the conversation, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Are clubs a part of your current training? Fixed-weight, or the loadable variety?
Anyone read it? What did you think?
While you're using the GHR, try a few of these : several great GHR Variations from the guys at Octogen. Nice one.
Checklists and Complex Problems
My Visit to Nashville Kettlebell House of Hardstyle.Ready to add your own opinion, workout log or training article? Just head over to the Forums, Training Logs, or swing by the Article Submissions page. They're fantastic ways to share your ideas.
NB : if you enjoy the articles, show the authors your appreciation by voting (using the Like, Digg and Retweet icons). Cheers.
How do you train for speed and reaction times? Over to Smitty.
This week we're taking a close look at the Club Training world - everything from 'what they are' to the many, many great ways to put them to work. Helping us get a handle on these great tools is none other than StrongerGrip's Ryan Pitts (@strongergrip), certainly no slouch when it comes to a dose of club work himself. Fantastic.
Details -
Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Training with Clubs
When : Wed Jul 7, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : Include #sbgym in your tweets.
To see when it's on in your timezone, head over to the twitterchat calendar.
Quick update on last week's twitterchat : Thanks once again to Karsten Jensen (@CoachKarsten) and everyone else who took part in the discussion on Periodization. Some superb ideas in there.For those who missed out on the conversation, I'd love to hear your thoughts. How are you making use of periodisation in your own training? Which form are you currently putting to work?
Really looking forward to diving in.
Now here's my idea of a good time - grab your training partner and toss a kettlebell their way.
Kettlebell Juggling for Two.
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
Strategic Negotiation by Brian Dietmeyer
The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Eric S. Raymond
and
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
I have borrowed heavily from each for key concepts and examples and wish to give the works and their authors full credit for anything beneficial that you derive from this article. If you find this article at all interesting (which I hope you do), then I recommend that you review the above texts, as they are all excellent reads. Also, I am indebted to those that participated in Scott Bird's Twitterchat #69. The generosity of the participants in sharing their best practices and personal experience helped me to refine my thinking and encouraged me to follow-up with this article.
During the last century, the world's greatest achievements came from solving complicated problems. For example, splitting the atom and putting a man on the moon, required multiple people and teams with specialized expertise. Unanticipated difficulties were frequent and timing and coordination of the work was critical. However, as experience was gained, we were able to repeat and refine the process, until it was nearly perfect.
Encouraged by our success, we entered an age of specialization. This is no less true in the strength and fitness world, where we now have a panoply of experts from science, medicine, and coaching focused on particular and specialized aspects of exercise, nutrition, and recovery. There are experts, including entire sub-specialties for doctors, physical therapists, kinesiologists, and dietitians and technical experts, who can be certified generally (e.g. CSCS for strength training and conditioning) or specifically (e.g. particular training methods like kettle bells). Professional athletes now assemble teams of experts to help with their training. Amateur athletes and serious exercise enthusiasts have access to physicians, personal trainers, nutrition professionals, and various therapists to help with recovery, not to mention the wealth of information and data that can be pulled from the Internet.
Unlike building a rocket ship, maximizing individual athletic performance includes variable factors that are different every time. These factors differ between athletes and even within the same athlete (training methods change as athletes age, are injured, gain strength, improve skills, etc.). It is this variability that makes training a complex problem.
So, what is a complex problem? Well, complex problems are not simple problems. Simple problems are best managed by following an established set of actions with little or no variation in technique. Think of baking a cake from a mix. If you are careful and follow the instructions, you will successfully bake a cake.
Complicated problems like building a rocket ship and sending it to the moon and back, cannot be accomplished by following a recipe. Complicated problems require multiple people or teams with specialized expertise. Unanticipated difficulties are frequent and timing and coordination of work is critical. But, with complicated problems, you can repeat and refine the process, until it is nearly perfect.
Complex problems, like raising a child, helping a client manage a lawsuit, or maximizing athletic performance include variable factors that are different every time. Expertise as a parent, attorney, or trainer is valuable, but not sufficient to adequately address complex problems, because their outcomes remain highly uncertain.
This does not mean that acceptable outcomes for complex problems cannot be achieved or are merely the result of good fortune. Rather, there are certain strategies that greatly enhance the probability of achieving acceptable outcomes. As our awareness and understanding of complexity improves, it becomes clear that the job of a professional is not just to be an expert in a particularized field, but to become a team member actively engaged in achieving an acceptable outcome.
As an attorney, the most important question that I can ask a client is, "What do you believe is an acceptable outcome?" Notice the term acceptable. Perfect outcomes are not achievable. A client that is hoping for a perfect outcome to a complex problem is sure to be disappointed, as trade-offs become necessary, when responding to unexpected problems.
Determining an acceptable outcome is really a matter of negotiating. On the one hand, there is the wish list that defines a perfect outcome. After clients have brainstormed or told me about everything that they would like to achieve, we put those interests in rank order. Then, we turn and consider competing interests. These often include incompatible goals, conflicting obligations, the interests of other parties, and limits on time and resources (this by no means exhausts the list of potential competing interests). Comparing the two lists helps define an acceptable outcome and determines where efforts can be focused to achieve the greatest results.
When dealing with a complex problem, any plan for achieving an acceptable outcome must include a list of necessary tasks and a plan for maintaining communication. The task list ensures that routine steps are not missed. The communication list guarantees that everyone talks through and contributes to resolving the unexpected and hard problems.
Properly formulated task focused checklists are very good at reducing the probability that a key step will be skipped or missed, because they engage the thinking part of the brain. In the field, key steps are not so much consciously skipped, as much as they are missed due to environmental distractions. By creating an agreed upon checklist of action items, you decrease the risk that you, your client, or another member of the team will skip a key step due to distractions. The checklist serves as a cognitive safety net, making it easy to embrace the project at hand, without skipping simple steps.
An example from training might be properly warming up. Everyone knows it's foolish to engage in physical training without warming up first, but with time pressure, competing interests, or environmental stress, this step occasionally gets skipped. The risks associated with skipping this step, are significant. Pulled muscles are a major setback to a training program. When you balance the interests involved, saving a few minutes versus suffering a major setback, the risk associated with skipping this key step is unacceptably high. Therefore, item number 1 on your checklist could be:
My friend The Human Vice.
The Magnificent SevenReady to add your own opinion, workout log or training article? Just head over to the Forums, Training Logs, or swing by the Article Submissions page. They're fantastic ways to share your ideas.
NB : if you enjoy the articles, show the authors your appreciation by voting (using the Like, Digg and Retweet icons). Cheers.
If you've ever thought about building your own obstacle course, here are a few ideas. Nice one.
This week we're taking a look at one of the many kinds of physical preparation available, Periodisation - itself having a variety of uses and implementations. Helping us peek into this fascinating world is Strength Coach and 'Trainer of Trainers' Karsten Jensen (@CoachKarsten), himself a long-time adherent to a structured, cycled training approach.
Should be a fantastic discussion.
Details -
Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Periodisation
When : Wed Jun 30, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : Include #sbgym in your tweets.
To see when it's on in your timezone, head over to the twitterchat calendar.
Quick update on last week's twitterchat : Following the discussion on Training Whilst Travelling there have been a number of superb videos showing various DIY and travel-ready pieces of equipment.Of these, my favourite is the setup shown in this video - an inexpensive suspension training system which is perfect for both indoor and outdoor sessions while you're on-the-road. Nice one.
Among them is Josh Henkin's new SELECTED! DVD, which outlines a series of workouts based on those used with US Army Special Forces candidates. I have to say, it looks fantastic.
Full review shortly; in the meantime, swing by Josh's site and check it out. Good stuff.
NB : as I mentioned above, there's a stack of great material here. If you're interested in reviewing any of it, drop me a line or grab me on twitter. Look forward to it.
Here's a brief tutorial on a kettlebell staple - The Snatch. Good stuff.
Rob's Training Log
Deven's Training LogReady to add your own opinion, workout log or training article? Just head over to the Forums, Training Logs, or swing by the Article Submissions page. They're fantastic ways to share your ideas.
NB : if you enjoy the articles, show the authors your appreciation by voting (using the Like, Digg and Retweet icons). Cheers.
Here's a subtle variation of the Turkish Get-Up. Note that Josh is using a sandbag here, but the same idea applies to whichever form of resistance you're using. Good stuff.
I love a dose of club training, and the StrongerGrip thick-handled clubs are a clear favourite. Challenging, loadable and beautifully made. Brilliant things.
As a bonus for readers of this newsletter, Ryan has agreed to offer a discount on these superb training tools. The first 20 people to order one of the StrongerGrip thick handle grip clubs will receive a tasty %30 discount - just enter STTB at checkout.
Perfect.
NB : thanks to everyone who grabbed one of the StrongerGrip Monster Sledges we offered a couple of weeks ago. Based on the rate that they disappeared, well, get in quick.
This week will be be an open discussion on this very subject, with a few key questions at its core - how do you train when you're on-the-road? Is it a matter of maintaining strength, seeing what's available, or simply taking a break?
How about diet; nice and strict, make a few allowances, or just eat whatever's available?
Should be a good one.
Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Training Whilst Travelling
When : Wed Jun 23, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : Include #sbgym in your tweets.
To see when it's on in your timezone, head over to the twitterchat calendar.
One of these is Jedd Johnson's new one - Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball - which looks fantastic. Full review shortly.
Looking for a challenge? How about some Inverted Rope Climbing. Good fun.
Rob's Training LogDeven's Training LogReady to add your own opinion, workout log or training article? Just head over to the Forums, Training Logs, or swing by the Article Submissions page. They're fantastic ways to share your ideas.
NB : if you enjoy the articles, show the authors your appreciation by voting (using the Like, Digg and Retweet icons). Cheers.
How does a 1,000 mile Parkour Ultramarathon sound? Incredible.
Over to Johnny 'Sticky' Budden.
This week Kira Robert Clarke - better known as The Fight Geek - continues the discussion on Underground Strength and Fitness, taking a close look at the 5 types of 'Underground' gyms. Good stuff.
Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Underground Strength and Fitness
When : Wed Jun 16, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : include #sbgym in your tweets.
To see when it's on in your timezone, head over to the twitterchat calendar.
One of these is Jedd Johnson's new one - Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball - which looks fantastic. Full review in a bit over a week.
Love the humble burpee? Try these variations. Good fun.
NB : looking for more? Have a go at these.
Enjoy.
Evolution of Sandbag TrainingEnjoy.
Summer Freak Program - ArmsGood stuff.
Ready to add your own opinion, workout log or training article? Just head over to the Forums, Training Logs, or swing by the Article Submissions page. They're fantastic ways to share your ideas.
NB : if you enjoy the articles, show the authors your appreciation by voting (using the Like, Digg and Retweet icons). Cheers.
Love pull-ups - on a bar, tree branch, wall - whatever's available. Mason Doherty demonstrates several variations of this great exercise.
Enjoy.
Adam Glass first put me on to the StrongerGrip grip tools a couple of years ago now (cheers Adam), and it's abundantly clear that they're built by someone who actually trains with them. Not only are they exceedingly tough (virtually indestructible, really); they feel 'right' when you're training with them.
Beautiful things.
When Ryan created the larger, loadable line of sledgehammers - particularly the Monster Sledge - I can't tell you how excited I was. Whether you use it for strength or conditioning work, if you enjoy a solid dose of hammer work, the Monster Sledge is ideal.
Up to 50lb of shot-loading sledgehammer goodness. Perfect.
NB : want to save some cash? How does a 20% discount sound?
When you're grabbing your Monster Sledge, enter the coupon code 'STTBMS' at checkout. The first 15 purchasers will receive a tasty %20 discount.
Beautiful.
This week we're taking a look at the many approaches to Managing Training Complexity, from both the trainer's and client's point of view. Addressing the needs of everyone involved in the most efficient way possible.
Helping us navigate this fascinating area is none other than SEE's Adam Stoffa, a man who defines both inspiration and creativity. Fantastic.
Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Managing Training Complexity
When : Wed Jun 9, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : include #sbgym in your tweets.
To see when it's on in your timezone, head over to the twitterchat calendar.
Quick update on last week's twitterchat : Following the discussion on Fitness & Health Gadgets there have been several new devices and services noted; particularly iPhone and iPad applications.With so many fantastic apps appearing all the time, I'd love to know - which is your favourite?
NB : If you'd like to be a guest on a future twitterchat, let me know. It's great to hear how other people are training.
One of these is Karsten Jensen's new one - The Flexible Periodization Method - which looks fantastic. Full review in a fortnight or so.
Looking for a few ways to put your sledgehammer to work? Here's a great one - the Vertical Tyre (or Tire) Slam. Good fun.
, Martin Rooney has delivered another informative and useful training resource for fighters - Ultimate Warrior Workouts.
The premise of the book is simple - Martin set out out on a world-wide trek to investigate and document the strength and conditioning practices of the most influential martial arts that are used in MMA. He travelled to the birthplaces of these martial arts and trained his ass off with their elite practitioners. Great idea, huh?
The fight-styles that Martin focuses on in the book are BJJ, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Boxing, Kickboxing, Judo, Sambo and Karate. It's easy to see the logic behind these choices - the first four are obvious--techniques from these disciplines make up the majority of the MMA technical syllabus. And the later four have been used successfully by a number of MMA champions.
With this book Martin set himself a number of goals ...
Now rather than go into a detailed account of the structure and content of Ultimate Warrior Workouts, I'll take a look at my four favorite features of the book - the Warrior Challenges, style-specific exercises, exercise variations and partner drills.
Each challenge 'favors' a particular martial art. Taken as a whole, the full set of Warrior Challenges provide a simple and effective way to pinpoint the 'gaps' in a MMA fighter's strength and conditioning. For example, I'm into Muay Thai, so it's no surprise that I scored very highly on one of the challenges geared towards muay thai conditioning (a speed kicking drill). However, when it came to a more BJJ-oriented challenge, I scored MUCH lower. No prizes for guessing what I'll be emphasizing in my training over the next few months, eh?
I actually think portraying strength and fitness benchmarks as 'Warrior Challenges' was a stroke of genius. A fighter is a highly competitive animal. By issuing a 'Warriors Challenge', Martin Rooney is basically waving a red flag at a bull. Challenges motivate fighters! So bringing measurable and graduated strength and fitness challenges into the gym is a great strategy to keep fighters motivated and hungry for training :)
Indeed, a key lesson we can learn from this book - and Martin's whole approach to training - is to be willing and open to learn from others. Fighters must be willing to learn from other fighters, other styles, and other training methods. Does that mean boxers should implement every exercise a kickboxer uses? Or a BJJ fighter should utilize every training tool a muay thai fighter uses? No. But we should be open to learn from others, and be prepared to adopt and adapt any relevant concepts, strategies, tools or exercises that can potentially enhance our own training.
