Results matching “Bird”

Last week it was discovered that our house had at least a trace of asbestos (in the kitchen, no less) and I vacated the place for a few days whilst things were being cleaned up. I hadn't realised until then just how common a problem it is in Scotland; asbestos wasn't completely banned from use as a building material until 1999, and many houses built during the 1950s - 1980s stand a good chance of having it in some form. At least it wasn't as widely used in our house as it could have been.

With the weather finally starting to get into t-shirt mode, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to visit a couple of the 'places to see before I leave the UK' - this time South Queensferry (now most famous for the local bridges across the Forth - engineering masterpieces) and Stirling (raise your hand if you've ever seen Braveheart). Photos shortly.

In terms of exercise - ostensibly what this site is all about - it was a case of a morning bout of push-ups and Hindu squats (these seem to be staples now), prior to a nicely fattening full cooked breakfast. There's something about staying in Bed + Breakfasts that seems to demand that kind of diet.

Brian Starr has just released a book on the ancestry of those saints who left descendants. With over 110 saints discussed, this is essential reading for anyone researching a possible saintly connection.

Brian Starr has just released a book on the ancestry of those saints who left descendants. With over 110 saints discussed, this is essential reading for anyone researching a possible saintly connection.

There's a great audio interview (.mp3, 5.2mb) with Jim Wendler over at the Elite Fitness site. Enjoy.

Updated 28/09/2009 : although I wrote this article more than 3 years ago, surprisingly little has changed - these guys are all still very much at the top of their game. Good stuff.

In that time, however, I've worked with a number of other trainers and coaches who combine various bodyweight and resistance training approaches. Chief among these - and the only one I would add to this list - is Adam Steer. Extremely creative, and well worth tracking down.

To get an idea of his current bodyweight training approach, check out the brilliant Bodyweight Blueprint. Love it.

If you've ever been tempted to incorporate a few bodyweight exercises into your training, you may like to look through a few of these sites for ideas.

Mike Mahler

www.mikemahler.com

Considered by many to be the foremost kettlebell instructor in the US, Mike Mahler brings a combined weighted/bodyweight approach - not to mention over a decade of experience as a Strength Trainer - to an ever-hungry audience.

He is the first to admit that a mixed approach is usually the best - he favours a blend of bodyweight, kettlebell, clubbell and traditional free weights in his routines. My thoughts exactly.

Matt Furey

www.mattfurey.com

Matt Furey has a wrestling background, switching from a successful career as a wrestler to one as a trainer in 1987. In 1990 he began studying various martial arts and gradually combined this knowldge with wrestling - writing his first book, The Martial Art of Wrestling, in 1996.

Also beginning in 1996, Furey won 3 national titles for the Chinese art of Shuai-Chiao - the oldest fom of Kung Fu - before winning the world title in 1997.

In 1999 Furey moved to Tampa, Florida, in order to commence training under Karl Gotch. Several books followed, including the infamous Combat Conditioning.

Scott Sonnon

www.clubbell.tv

Having a solid grounding in the Russian grappling art of Sambo, Scott Sonnon gradually formed a series of techniques all centred about the principle of 'dynamic flexibility' or 'flexibility in motion'.
These were based around CST - or Circular Strength Training - and made strong use of traditional items such as Clubbells. Clubbells in particular help to strengthen the joints through their entire range of motion.

Sonnon has written two key books on the subject of CST. The first, Body Flow, establishes the theory behind CST and provides a good range of exercises to demonstrate this. The second, Softwork, shatters the notion that there are fundamental differences between conventional fitness training and martial arts. CST walks - and blurs - the line between them.

Pavel Tsatsouline
www.powerbypavel.com

Pavel Tsatsouline (aka the 'Evil Russian') cut his teeth training members of the Spetsnaz (an elite Soviet special-forces unit) for a number of years before duplicating his successes with American agencies. Although perhaps most widely known for his Kettlebell skills and knowledge, Pavel trains people using a wide variety of both bodyweight and weighted techniques.

His thinking encompasses a concept rarely considered by many bodybuilders. Rather than increasing strength by adding muscle, he teaches methods of contracting existing muscle much harder. Naturally, both approaches have value; however it is far more common to see people 'building' than 'enhancing'.

Scrapper

http://www.trainforstrength.com/

The man now known as 'Scrapper' certainly has the credentials to train others in bodyweight exercises. Having spent over 10 years as a Navy diver (4 years of which was supporting Navy SEALs), he trained with World Jiu-Jitsu Champion and Super Brawl Champion Egan Inoue for 3 years; going on to win Future Brawl 6 in 1996 and his debut professional fighting match in 1999.

He has also worked for a number of years training various military personnel using his particular brand of physical fitness. This has proved to be astonishingly successful, with those who had previously failed PRTs finding themselves passing after his training. His Basic Training by Fish program has also enjoyed a 100% success rate in preparing candidates for SAR training.

Brooks Kubik

www.brookskubik.com

Realising that nearly 40 years of traditional weight training was beginning to take a toll (the usual nagging injuries gradually became more frequent, and more severe), Brooks Kubik completely redesigned his training regimen - based on a combination of bodyweight exercises and a few items more commonly associated with strongman and grip training.

This new training style quickly became the basis for Dinosaur Training, and a swag of books and DVDs soon followed. I have to say, it works.

But wait, there's more

If you need some more motivation, check out Alwyn Cosgrove's latest piece on EliteFTS. It may just change your thinking on the value of bodyweight training.

Update: Mich pointed me in the direction of Ross Enamait (of rossboxing.com fame), outlined below. A great find.

Ross Enamait

www.warriorforce.com

Ross Enamait has been involved in competitive athletics for over 20 years - baseball, soccer, US football, wrestling and most notably boxing. Unfortunately, the boxing resulted in injuries (fractured hands and damaged ligaments), which steered him toward the helping of others.

In addition to his formal education (Enamait is a certified trainer with the International Sports Sciences Association), he has trained with world champion Marlon Starling, title contender John Scully, Olympian Lawrence Clay-bey, and many other world-class athletes.

A question that's been hovering around the back of my mind for a while now :

Is there any physiological benefit to increasing aggression before and during weight training?

This is commonly done via music, or pre-workout coffee; but is there actually any benefit to this? Could a relaxing approach - with the benefits of a lower pulse and deeper breathing - not be just as effective?

Too much to give up, it seems. Although the last run (a couple of months) wasn't a bad attempt. As with everything I eat and drink, the goal is moderation. So far, that seems to be working.

I'm currently only drinking a cup of coffee every 2 or 3 days - far from previous levels. In addition to this is a fair amount (probably 2-3 cups per day) of green tea; once again this is well below previous levels. A couple of things to note here :

The first is timing. I never have coffee as an accompaniment to a meal; instead it's considered a relaxing treat. The aroma and flavour - in fact the entire experience of preparing/serving/drinking it - is far more important than simply drinking it for short-term benefits as a stimulant. For this reason, it never coincides with a pre-workout meal.

The second is quantity. The days of drinking 5-6 cups in a row are not set to make a return because, quite honestly, I get hungry after the second cup and my mind switches instantly into food mode. Hunger makes everything else seem insignificant.

Nary a day goes by without one study or another looking at the effects of caffeine consumption. Strong coffee, caffeine tablets, soft drinks etc; yet the subjects of such studies are rarely those involved in weight training, or even some form of regular exercise. Instead, many of the studies focus on the average adult with what is believed to be a typical caffeine consumption.

As a result, there have been many varied opinions on weight training and caffeine consumption. A few I came across during today's cup :

Caffeine Roundtable
T-nation
Dr John Berardi, Dr Lonnie Lowery and Douglas Kalman

Caffeine Limits Blood Flow To Heart Muscle During Exercise
Science Daily
NB : Full text of the referenced study is here (subscription - free abstract available)

Is Caffeine Withdrawal a Mental Disorder?

More words of wisdom from the inimitable Jim Wendler.

The 1851 census of Scotland - complete with images - is now online at Scotlands People.

The 1851 census of Scotland - complete with images - is now online at Scotlands People.