Better Is Better: February 2009

I got this question yesterday, and thought perhaps other people looking into the Circular Strength Training® system (CST) might get some benefit from me answering it here.

What would be the 3 basic exercises for each of the 3 components of CST? The purpose of this question is to get me started in CST.

One of your videos, suggested the mill, the swipe, and the hammer swing for the Clubbell.

What about the other two components? Intu-Flow & Prasara Yoga?

Thank you for you time and effort.

I think it is important to make a distinction here. The Mill, Swipe and Hammer Swing are what I consider the “core” exercises of the Clubbell® component of the CST system. But they are far from basic. In fact, they are sophisticated amalgamations of simpler movements which should be learned and absorbed first.

If I had to pick three foundational movements to start out with in Clubbell® training they would probably be:

The Swing
The Arm Cast
The Side-Semi

I’ll save my reasons for another post. These exercises are all found in The Big Book of Clubbell Training and The Encyclopedia Of Clubbell Training.

As to the second part of the question, rather than choosing 3 basic movements for the Intu-Flow and Prasara Yoga components of the system, it is much more apropos to suggest one program from each wing which would provide a foundation for further exploration. You see, it is impossible to single out one joint or one part of the body as being more important in your overall health than another. So we need to address the entire organism through each of the Intu-Flow and Prasara elements.

Hands down, the Intu-Flow DVD set is the place to start your CST journey. Before anything else, you need to give your joints the gift of moving through their entire range of motion in this systematic and deliberate way. You'll decompress your joints, wash them with synovial fluid, polish them, nourish them and rid them of toxins.

And at the same time you will be “re-learning” an entire vocabulary of natural movement. Use it or lose it is so true, and we don’t move our bodies nearly enough through these primal patterns which are captured so well through Intu-Flow. As you progress, you’ll move through four increasingly sophisticated variations of the program, building neuromuscular capacity and control with each passing day. If you do nothing else related to CST, you owe it to yourself to do Intu-Flow.

As an introduction to Prasara Yoga, for most people I suggest FlowFit® as an entry point. Every single person will find a level of difficulty in this flow which is immediately accessible. Yet you can spend years with this flow and continue to discover new subtleties. It moves your body through all the 6 Degrees of Freedom and it allows you to discover and practice the building blocks which will make the rest of Prasara Yoga more attainable.

Thanks for the question! If you are just discovering CST and have a question, just leave it in the comments below. Or if you have been around CST for a while and have some nagging point you would like clarified, I would love to help. Just let me know.

Cheers,
Adam

Few things in life are free, but by using your own body weight, exercise can be virtually free. You don't need to deal with gym memberships, crowded equipment and long gym commutes to get in phenomenal shape.

"But bodyweight exercises are boring," you say. Who wants to do hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups? If that's what you think about bodyweight training, you've never been exposed to the Circular Strength Training® system. It's chock full of captivating exercises in multiple variations. CST borrows from ageless physical cultures and modern fitness movements alike to create an innovative system of movement which gets better and more sophisticated as you grow stronger, fitter and healthier.

Here is a look at just one of the many bodyweight exercises featured in the CST system. It's called the Leg Swoop and it comes from Scott Sonnon's FlowFit® program.
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The Power of Sophistication

The Leg Swoop is a great movement in and of itself, and one that my students "love to hate." But it is but one of 7 movements in the FlowFit® program. And each of those movements are presented in 7 variations. Each variation follows a principle called Incremental Sophistication. This means that as the trainee improves his or her strength and conditioning, we don't just add more reps, sets, time or load to an exercise. We can do all those things, but we also consistently increase the neuromuscular sophistication of the exercise. So we don't just do more, we do better. Better is better afterall...

This next clip is a brief exploration of some of the ways that the various movements in the FlowFit® program can be progressed according to the Incremental Sophistication principle.
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So, as you can see, there is certainly no justification for calling bodyweight exercise boring. With a few simple resources and some imagination, you can create a complete at home workout solution for pretty much any health or fitness goal. If you want it done for you, you can check out the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution e-book (which I coauthored with Ryan Murdock - yes, shameless plug...). It delivers five turn-key programs which require absolutely no equipment and provide spectacular results.

I love my Clubbells®. I get a real kick out of my sandbags, kettlebells and rings. You'll even find me in the power rack doing some front squats from time to time. But I'm continually amazed at what can be accomplished with nothing more than the weight of the human body.

(Photo source - gymnasticbodies.com)

Modern male gymnasts are a graphic example of what training with the weight of the body can accomplish. The physiques these guys build with very little weight training are phenomenal. In fact, the history of physical culture is rife with examples of healthy bodies and beautiful physiques built solely with bodyweight exercises.

So What Now?

If you're convinced about the power of training with your own body weight and want to craft an at home workout for yourself, where do you start?

Option 1
Start with someone else's program. By going through a program designed by someone else, it is like a mini-immersion into the training methodology and the execution of the exercises. I find this is by far the best way to get started in something new. As I already mentioned, perfect options for this are Scott Sonnon's FlowFit® or the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution e-book.

Option 2
Hire a good coach to build you a personalized program. If you know of a coach or trainer who works with bodyweight exercise, a small investment could reap big rewards. Having a program tailored specifically for your current needs and your activities means there is absolutely no hit-and-miss element to your plan (assuming the coach really knows what he or she is doing). There are good coaches doing this over the internet as well with excellent results. If you find a coach on the internet who interests you, contact him or her and ask if online program design is part of their offering.

Option 3
DYI. You can absolutely figure something out for yourself. Step 1 would be to head over to YouTube and do a search for bodyweight exercises. I'm sure you'll find a gazillion hits. Sift through them and find some that are interesting. Next, think a bit about what you do in your daily life or your sport that you would like to train for. Also, put some thought into what you need to compensate for (where are you tight, what are positions that you are constantly spending time in throughout your day?). Then go back to your exercises and pick out a few that seem to fit with your objectives.

Take 4-5 exercises and arrange them so that they work different areas of the body alternatively. Then perform the first exercise for 45 seconds, rest 45 seconds, proceed to the second exercise for 45 seconds, rest 45 seconds and so on. Perform that circuit 3-5 times depending on your time constraints and your current conditioning. This is a very simple way to set up your program - and only one of many.

If you have your own ideas about using bodyweight exercises for at home training? Do you have any questions? Just drop your thoughts in the comments below. I always love to hear from you!

Cheers,
Adam