Better Is Better

Neural Fitness — Is it the missing link?

If you're not getting the results you want. If you think you are "injury prone." If you'd like to perform better in your sport, but you're plagued by lackluster development. You may be neglecting the most important aspect of your training program—your nervous system.

Listen to Dr Kareem Samouri's explanation of his Neural Fitness principle. And if you're a fan of Circular Strength Training, you can have some fun with this video. Watch out for the parallels to many of CST's core philosophies.

BTW - you can check out Kareem's innovative programs by clicking here...

Enjoy!

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3 Things You Need To Know For Lasting Body Transformation

Sonnon Kettlebell Video Library

I’m so jazzed up on kettlebells right now that I’ve been going back through everything Coach Sonnon has ever said about them. That includes my notes from private coaching, the Foundation DVDs and every clip he’s ever put up on YouTube.

Brilliant stuff! I wish I could share it all with you. But the notes are from private sessions, so that wouldn’t be right. And I can’t very well bootleg his DVDs for you. But I can make it easy for you to view all his KB videos on YouTube. You’ll find them all below.

And if you’re looking for exhaustive and innovative ways to put kettlebell exercises together into workouts for any goal, check out the new Kettlebell Revolution from Chris Lopez.

You can still grab it for 50% off (the sale ends tomorrow though—so if you’re interested don’t forget…).

And I’m still throwing in the three extra goodies I mentioned in this kettlebell post.

Kettlebell Revolution <= Check out Chris’s program in this link.

The Sonnon Kettlebell Video Library on YouTube

Scott Sonnon Kettlebell and Clubbell Yaw Press

Scott Sonnon's #2 Top Kettlebell Mobility Drills

Scott Sonnon's Official Kettlebell Foundation DVD Series

RMAX Kettlebell Push Press Pull Part I Scott Sonnon

RMAX Kettlebell Push Press Pull Part 2 Scott Sonnon

RMAX Kettlebell Push Press Pull Part 3 Scott Sonnon

The Best Kettlebell Exercise for Fighters

The Best Kettlebell Exercise for Groundfighters

The Relentless Sabertooth - How to combat the stress of modern life

30 seconds...

That's how long stress is "supposed" to last.

Either the Sabertooth eats you or you get away. Then you shake it off and life continues on.

But modern life brings with it the specter of The Relentless Sabertooth. Nowadays, the pursuit of the predator is endless. A bad boss, a negative friend, a looming deadline, a deteriorating marriage, a financial tight spot, and any number of other sources of stress mean we've always got a tiger staring us down.

Did you notice my use of the term "shake it off"? It's no accident of etymology. If you watch an animal who has been startled into great attentiveness and then decides there's no threat after all, you'll see them shake off the tension before they return to whatever it is they were doing.

We were meant to do the same thing. But as with so many other natural gifts of movement we were given, for the most part we've abandoned this practice to societal convention.

After all, it would look weird if we actually shook off the tension after being reamed out by our boss, right? Sure. Except by not doing it, we're holding onto that tension - storing it up to cause trouble for us down the road.

What are the negative consequences of chronic stress?

Among other things, if you ignore your daily stress you'll be able to look forward to:

• Disrupted learning - Chronic stress affects your ability to think and learn. Children from emotionally stable homes have better success rates at school. Stress-unchecked-even affects your memory.
• Weakened immune function - If you don't deal with your stress, you'll get sick more often. A great book to learn more about this is Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers.
• Increased disease risk - Chronic stress also sets in motion a series of physiological processes which predispose you to many of the diseases of civilization-heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, etc.

Two things you can do about it, today...

• Shake it off - Everyone I introduce to Scott Sonnon's vibration drills feels silly when they first try it. But then they get addicted. The most comprehensive guide to CST vibration drills is the RESET dvd. The concepts are presented mainly as they relate to sports performance, but the techniques are brilliant for sloughing off your daily stress.
• Find balance - Practice Prasara Yoga. It helps to realign your structure. Stress is accompanied by superfluous muscle tension. If left unchecked, this leads to pairings of short & tight muscle and connective tissue pitted against lengthened and loose tissues.

Sample Vibration Drills

(from my buddy John Sifferman)
 

Follow-Along Prasara Yoga Sequence

Bodyweight Exercise - How's Your Foundation In The "Classics"

When it comes to bodyweight training – or any training method for that matter – I love exercises that are sophisticated and intriguing.  The skill element in training is a big draw for me, and that’s what made me gravitate to Circular Strength Training.  But I realize that a foundation in the classics like a perfect push up is important.

by Joe Shlabotnik on Flickr

One of the pillar principles of Circular Strength Training (CST) is called Sophistication.  It attests to the fact that we are continually looking to improve not only the quantity of work we do, but the quality of the movement.  So we don’t just do more push ups, for example, but we take push ups to a certain point of proficiency and then we move on to a slightly more complex variation on the same basic movement pattern.

The problem many people run into when they start exploring CST as a system is that they are drawn immediately to the “sexy” version of the exercises.  They want to do the cool looking programs and the funky looking exercises before they can even do a simple push up.

If we start with movements that are too complex, we’ll just jam up the nervous system.  We’ve all experienced this.  Have you ever tried a new sport like skiing or rollerblading.  Chances are you experienced an initial period of Fear Reactivity where you stiffened up and weren’t learning anything.  That’s an extreme example of what happens when we load the nervous system up too quickly with sophisticated movement patterns.

So it’s hard to imagine jumping into some of the signature exercises of the CST bodyweight exercise repertoire if you have limited training history, and especially no experience with manipulating your body in space through the classic bodyweight exercises.

There’s tons of material out there teaching you how to perform technically solid push ups, sit ups and the rest.  But if you want a total compendium of how to execute and program the classic bodyweight exercises, I think I may have found a great resource for you.

A colleague, Craig Ballantyne, recently sent me his bodyweight conditioning system to review.  It includes a manual and 5 DVDs and it covers just about anything you could think of when it comes to basic bodyweight exercises.  I think it would provide a great platform if you want to get into more sophisticated programs like Bodyweight Exercise Revolution or something like Scott Sonnon’s Body-Flow DVDs.

The first thing that struck me when I viewed the DVDs is the high production quality.  Apart from a few minor sound glitches, this stood head and shoulders above most of the fitness industry instructional DVDs I’ve seen coming out over the last couple of years.

I was also impressed by the simple and effective technical cues that Craig gives for each exercise.  And this is what I was looking for.  If you don’t have any base at all, you want to build it in the right way, with solid structure and correct movement patterns.  The way he cues the exercises will give you a great platform for moving into subsequent levels of sophistication.

I want to be clear, Circular Strength Training programs, including the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution, are very accessible and always provide an entry level starting point.  But if you don’t have any experience with the simple but foundational classics of bodyweight training, you may benefit from seeking out a resource like Craig’s.  Click here to find out more about his program.

Then come back here and delve into the breadth and depth of a sea of exercises that will keep you enthralled for the rest of your days.  I see it daily.  The first time a client learns a new skill, and applies it in their exercise session, it always fills her eyes with a gleam of pride.  I’m constantly amazed by the nuances I discover in exercises I thought I knew so well.  But each layer of sophistication plays on the mastery of the layer before.  So it is important to systematically and patiently lay your foundation, and then take your movement to the next level.

Tacfit Metabolic Conditioning Teaser Video

I've posted before about the Metabolic Conditioning approach to exercise, and especially our unique program in the Circular Strength Training system called Tacfit.  As discussed in previous posts, the genius inherent to Tacfit is in bringing increasing Sophistication to exercise selection.  So we are not just doing more and gaining more capacity, we are also learning to move in more sophisticated patterns.

We are not just chasing more quantity, we are simultaneously augmenting quality of movement.

However, I've had several people tell me that the explanation sounds nice, but they'd like to see what exactly the program is all about.  Well, we just released a teaser of the program and I thought you might be interested in taking a gander.  It's hard to encapsulate the depth of the program in 136 seconds, but this clip gives you a good idea of what some of the exercises look like, what tools are used, and how some of the various levels of exercise sophistication might look .

Hope you enjoyed the teaser.  If you've used Tacfit personally, let us know in the comments what you think of it.  I've had the priviledge of participating in on-site Tacfit classes a few times with Coach Sonnon, the originator of the program, while in Bellingham.  I can tell you that they are a thing of beauty.  I love to hate Tacfit!

If you would like to read more about Tacfit, visit this link.

Bodyweight Challenge Workout

I turned 38 today.  Egad, that sounds really old.  So anyway, I had in my mind to do some sort of Challenge Workout, but wasn’t quite sure what I wanted it to be.  Then this morning I got an email from a buddy of mine in Thailand, and he mentioned that he’s been working with Forward Pressure.  I’ve also been using  FP extensively with a semi-private group of girls that I’m coaching.  So it dawned on me that this would be the perfect bodyweight exercise Challenge Workout!

Since it’s my 38th Birthday, I decided on 38 rounds using the second level of the flow (you can see the flow at the link above if you aren’t familiar with it).  This took me somewhere around 45 minutes.  As usual, I forgot to set a timer…  When I was done, I decided this would be the inaugural event.  So next year it'll be 39 rounds, and so on!  By the time I’m 75 years old, I should have some pretty serious pressing strength-endurance!

The Power Of A Challenge Workout

The occasional Challenge Workout is a powerful tool.  Not only does it give you a physical kick in the rear, it can be an excellent tool for exploring the mental side of performance.  I’ve experienced this many times doing Clubbell® challenges like the Trial-by-Fire.  A faint voice of dissonance always accompanies you through the first part of the session, telling you that you can give up any time.  Sometime before you get halfway, that voice grows very loud.  "Your sunk costs aren’t so heavy that you can’t walk away," the voice says.

Then you hit the halfway point, or just beyond, and you realize, for the first time, that you are going to make it.  You’re tired and hurting, but no more that you were at a quarter of the way through.  You’ve hit that steady zone that will carry you through.  And that realization gives you a boost - almost euphoric.

Then, close to the end, you just start to feel relieved that you’re going to make it.  You grit your teeth and try to push through with as much class as you can muster.  And when you’re done, you look back and think, “what was all the fuss about.”

I may not be able to turn back the clock.  But I can make sure that I keep moving, keep pushing myself, and hold the aging process at bay through natural exercise methods that develop flow and grace as much as strength and endurance.

Here Is Your Mission...

So here is your Workout Challenge.  How old are you?  Can you do that many rounds of Forward Pressure?  You’ll never know until you try.  And if you can’t YET, just start working up to it incrementally.  Take a look at the video in this post about Forward Pressure to learn the flow.  If you want more instruction, you can find Coach Sonnon’s detailed teaching here.  He also offers an easier and a more advanced version of what you’ll see in the linked post and video clip.

Don’t wait for your birthday.  Try it today!  The ultimate bodyweight Challenge Workout - your age in rounds of Forward Pressure.  Tell us in the comments how you did.

Cheers,
Adam

Top 5 Mobility Exercises For Desk Jockeys

I start every training session with an Intu-Flow joint mobility warm-up session.  And without fail, no matter how long the client has been with me, they always comment on the wonders of systematically moving the body through 6 Degrees of Freedom.  They recount how they religiously perform certain movements throughout the day, and how much better it makes them feel.  And almost universally, I hear the story of how “viral” the movements are, as coworkers join the party and reap the benefits.

Everything you do repeatedly in life causes your body to adapt in order to make that task more repeatable.  An athlete training for an event adapts to better perform in that event.  But a desk jockey’s body adapts over time to being bent over a keyboard all day.

Most often, the desk jockey’s head will come forward and down.  The upper back rounds out.  The hip flexors shorten and place strain on the low back.  And the wrists develop overuse injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.  But a few minutes a day of focused joint mobility can go a long way to preventing pain and limitations.  It's interesting to note that the movements my clients like the most - the ones that feel great - are the ones that target the specific over-compensations of the office worker.

So, here are the top 5 mobility exercises for any of you desk jockeys out there, as picked by my regular clients.

1. Neck Yaw (rotation)

2. Neck Surge (front to back)

3. Wrist Pitch & Yaw (up/down & side/side)

4. Thoracic Surge (front to back)

5. Pelvic Pitch (tilts front to back)

Your best bet is to regularly perform a full course of Intu-Flow from top to bottom and from the centre out.  The reasons for this are thoroughly explained by Coach Scott Sonnon in the Intu-Flow DVD set.  And all the exercises are also taught in detail.  But these 5 movements can greatly contribute to your well being throughout the day.  So learn them and, above all, share them.

If you’ve tried Intu-Flow, what are your favorites?

Bodyweight Training Meets Anabolic Diet - A reader's experience

Recently I had the good fortune of stumbling across one of the blogs of reader Andy Fossett, Anabolic Diet Results.  I enjoyed the writing and found the content to be thought provoking.  The following is a guest post from Andy about his experiences with the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution in conjunction with the Anabolic Diet.

Since the beginning of this year, I've been involved in an experiment to become "great." It's a relative term and a fuzzy goal. But as someone who has always just been good, it's a very real challenge to go beyond the results I've experienced so far in my life. Getting better results requires better effort and better tools. Effort comes down to motivation. My two primary tools in this experiment have been the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution and the Anabolic Diet. Before I describe my experience with combining these tools, let's skip to the results so you can see where this is going.

4x7 + Anabolic Diet

In a little less than three months following the Anabolic Diet and programs from the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution, I've:

• gained about 10 pounds of muscle and
• reduced my body fat by 1 or 2 percent.

To me, those are great results. Even better, I've achieved them while eating food I love, pursuing my hobbies, working at my career, and spending time with my friends. I'm convinced that, with greater effort and stricter compliance, I could have exceeded these results by a wide margin. However...

I've tried to "go hardcore" before. I ate almost nothing but oatmeal and chicken breasts for a couple of months while following a program of Olympic lifts and sprints. I got results with that too, but I hated life and eventually reverted to my old lifestyle - losing most of my gains in the process.

I've since come to grips with the fact that I'm not a Spartan. I don't live to train. I like beer. I like ice cream. I like having fun. Anyone who reads this blog probably already knows that CST is A LOT more fun than oatmeal and chicken breasts.

What's the Anabolic Diet?

On that note, I should probably write a few words about what the Anabolic Diet is all about. In a nutshell, the Anabolic Diet a carb-cycling diet that alternates between periods of insulin-fueled anabolism and lypolysis sparked by carbohydrate-depletion. Though there's a lot of science involved, it's extremely easy to put into practice. Monday to Friday, I eat a lot of healthy fats, meats, eggs, and vegetables. No sugar or grains. On the weekends, I eat pasta, bread, ice cream, whatever. The weekend "carb-up" lasts until I start to feel bloated or lethargic. Then it's back to high-fat and low-carb until next weekend. I love eating this way. I don't have to worry about eating too much of anything or timing my pasta meal an hour after my workout or anything like that. When I get hungry, I eat. Simple.

[Adam's Note: I just wanted to point out that although this nutritional strategy has been very successful for some people, I've never been able to make it work for myself or my clients.  People who do meet with success generally find they are taking two steps forward and one back.  I find that I take one step forward and two back.]

Bodyweight Exercise 4x7

This is actually pretty simple now too, thanks to the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution ebook. I'm by no means new to CST. I began using Warrior Wellness (the precursor to Intu-Flow) and Clubbells in 2005 and have since enjoyed working with a number of RMAX resources. I remember being intrigued when Coach Sonnon first made the 4x7 methodology public. At the time however, it just seemed too big, too complex, too expensive, and too difficult to integrate with all the other stuff I had going on in my life. Coaches Steer and Murdock totally destroyed that conception in the BER. The ebook came out a week before I had planned to begin my experiment, and it looked like the perfect way to apply 4x7 to my lifestyle. The targeted programs, the adjustable difficulty levels, and the ability to perform the workouts at home in a short time were especially attractive to me. I bought BER the first day it went on sale, and I read the whole thing in one sitting. After that, I couldn't wait to get started.

My Experience So Far

Since my primary goal (as a lifelong skinny guy) was to gain weight, I started off with the hypertrophy program. I found the workouts very challenging despite their minimal time requirement. I also enjoyed the creative application of the various protocols to make each workout fun and interesting. As I grew accustomed to each exercise, I looked forward to trying the next level in a subsequent session.

Though my workouts were a blast, and I felt like I was improving, the metrics did not agree. I was varying my diet heavily from week to week, trying to find the sweet spot with a few variables. I gained a little bit of weight, but it was mostly fat - not what I was looking for. I got somewhat discouraged, but decided to stick with both the Anabolic Diet and 4x7 for one more month. I'm now very glad that I did.

My second cycle was much more successful. I began working on the strength program in the BER. I found this program even more fun than the hypertrophy program. I loved the dynamic exercises and got super excited about bouncing around my dining room on those days. I also corrected my dietary balance during this cycle by eating more varied meats and a little less ice cream. I gradually increased my overall caloric intake and began to put on muscle.

The workouts in the BER are challenging and fun, but the high and moderate intensity days are only one half of the program. The low and no intensity days are integral to the the overall effect, which is a major point of departure from most workout programs I've seen. Having dedicated days for recovery and compensation is a huge benefit of the 4x7 system.

I'm a big believer in joint mobility training and yoga, but I've always found it a struggle to integrate them into a cycle. For one thing, I always thought of them as extras to be done in addition to my workouts. there's only so much time in a week, and extras are the first to get cut when life gets hectic. The 4x7 program makes a space for these important modes of training, and helped me slow down and make the most of each session.

Making It Life-Proof

The Anabolic Diet is that is works by causing a bodily adaptation. Basically, you train the body to prefer fat to other fuels. Of course, this is great for burning body fat, but it has a neat side benefit. After you are fat-adapted, occasional higher-carb meals during the week (or a beer or some ice cream) won't set you back - the body still prefers fat.

So you can pick up where you left off and not have to worry about wrecking your results for the week. I've done this a couple of times for social engagements and the like. In each case, my body composition still improved over the course of the week.

I've found the 4x7 to also be pretty bullet-proof. Like most people these days, I'm busy. I work, I work on the side, I practice martial arts, I have friends. All the usual stuff.

In the past, this has made it difficult for me to stick with a workout program. Sometimes, my Taido training conflicts with my recovery. Sometimes, I can't make it to the gym during hours. Sometimes, I'm just too damn tired to work out.

Since 4x7 is based on the concept of varying intensity (rather than sets, reps, etc.), I can adjust the day's plan based on my energy level. If I have training in the evening, I can downshift a high-intensity workout to moderate intensity. If I'm absolutely exhausted, I can take a recovery day and restart the cycle from there. And it's not difficult at all to make these adjustments. I just make sure to keep my effort, technique, and discomfort within the correct ranges. When I step outside the acceptable range, I back off or step down in exercise sophistication. Learning to use the Intuitive Training scoring has been the key to making 4x7 fit with the rest of my life.

Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together

4x7 and the Anabolic Diet work really well for me. I'm getting the best results of my life without having to sacrifice the things I enjoy. it's as close to a perfect combo as I've found yet. The BER really helped make 4x7 accessible for me. Besides providing a good variety of ready-made programs for specific goals, it explains the methodology in a very easy-to-understand way. Everything is easily customizable to your own individual capabilities and goals. In fact, after my current cycle (I'm working on the fat loss routine right now), I'm planning to try to put together a 4x7 cycle to increase my jumping ability. So I'm obviously pleased with my results so far and plan to continue using the Anabolic Diet the and 4x7 and BER programs in the future. The combination has been very effective for me and easy to put into practice.

Bodyweight Exercise: The Ninth Zen Habit to Make Huge Savings in Your Budget

Bodyweight exercises could actually save you money and reduce stress in these  trying times.

Leo Babauta of Zen Habits recently posted a collection of eight habits to help you save big money in these troubled economic waters. But in my book, he forgot an important one. Are you paying big bucks on your gym membership?

The average monthly dues are pegged at about $50 per month. But that can climb as high as $100 or more depending on where you live and what kind of gym you attend. That means cutting out the gym could save you anywhere from $600 to $1200 and more each year!

Yes, this is a health and wellness site. No, I’m not saying you shouldn’t exercise. What I am saying is that conventional gym exercise is not the only way to approach physical wellness. With or without equipment, there are a myriad of more interesting ways to express yourself through movement and stay in shape. You can...

• Exercise at home or in your hotel room
• Work out in the park
• Train at work

...or wherever you care to tote your portable gym. Hint - you carry it everywhere.

The Power of Bodyweight Exercise

The most versatile exercise tool in your possession is the weight of your own body. For centuries, sophisticated physical cultures have been using exercises employing bodyweight only to build impressive physiques, ample strength and legendary wellness.

But in these stressful times, the benefits of gymless training goes well beyond the monetary. It is well established that physical activity helps combat stress. And we have stress in spades these days.

But what about the process of fighting rush hour traffic to get to the gym? What about tussling for crowded gym equipment, dealing with blaring music and feeling like you are on display? These are hardly good stress relievers. Compare that with a quiet workout in your backyard or your rec room.

Bodyweight Training Options Are Deep & Wide

You may be thinking that bodyweight exercise will not be sufficient to garner sustained improvements in your conditioning, or that it doesn’t offer enough variation to hold your interest. This is far from true. Certainly, vanilla flavoured varieties of bodyweight exercises are limited to endless repetitions of push-ups and crunches. But there are endless choices of movements if we turn to examples such as ancient physical cultures and modern innovators like the Circular Strength Training® system (CST).

Here is a brief example of an effective session that you can do anywhere. These movements are pulled from CST. Perform one repetition of each movement before moving on to the next. One rep of each exercise comprises one circuit. Continue doing the circuit for the time you have available to you. Take rest pauses as needed.

CST Bodyweight Exercise Circuit

Quad Squat

(At the end of the rep tip up into a low squat to perform the…)

Prisoner Squat

(finish in a low squat and tip forward onto all fours to perform the…)

Leg Swoop

(Transition directly into the Quad Squat for a subsequent circuit.)

For a virtual library of bodyweight exercises, consider picking up the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution.

Give the circuit a try and let me know in the comments how it went.  How long can you go without stopping?  How many circuits can you complete in 10 minutes?  Play with different ways to challenge yourself with these three equipment free exercise options.