Real World Strength Training

Back in May, I announced that I would be attending my first Circular Strength Training Instructor Certification Seminar in August (article here). If you’ve been a regular reader on my blog, you know that I’m a big fan of the CST system and have been using it myself for years.

The joint mobility, clubbell training, and Prasara yoga (the 3 wings of CST) all work together harmoniously to produce superior training effects when conditioning. I’ve been very happy with the results from this system and have committed to attending this seminar as a final test of its validity and to get all of my questions that have amassed over the years answered. The seminar is the ultimate expression of CST, where student-athletes experience the seamless interdependence of the 3 wings of CST and how they work together for peak progression.

Over the years, I’ve learned that CST is not just a health-first fitness system, it is a method and collection of principles that can be applied to any physical training system, whether it’s sports, fitness, or simply natural movement. Sure, you can participate in the fitness programs that CST Coaches publish and benefit immensely from them like I have. But the real value of CST is that it provides a holistic path to personal mastery in whatever way you wish to express it.

If you want to master any physical skill or art, then CST can help you do so faster and safer than any other system I’ve encountered as a fitness professional. Martial art, rock climbing, dancing, military fitness, kettlebell sport, or triathlon training can all be augmented and quite literally super-charged with the inclusion of a CST practice.

Unfortunately, this is not something that one can just buy and reap the benefits from. It takes diligent, disciplined practice to realize the full potential of CST. I’ve spent the last three years practicing various elements of CST and I’m still realizing it!

The good news is that anyone can start CST and begin to unlock their own potential one day at a time. You don’t even need to be interested in physical mastery at all. You want fat loss through full body conditioning, try FlowFit. You want strength, try clubbells. You want muscle mass, try Forward Pressure. There is a program for almost every training goal, and each one delivers big time.

The beauty of CST is that you don’t even need to understand why it works to experience the benefits. If you put in the time and practice, the results will inevitably follow. Sometimes, it feels like magic, but in reality, it’s just good science and programming.

So, while I’m away on my trip, I’ll leave you with some CST educational materials that I’ve created over the past year. Enjoy!

Interview with Scott Sonnon (Part 1) – Creator of the CST System

Interview with Scott Sonnon (Part 2) – Creator of the CST System

Interview with Ryan Murdock – Faculty Coach of the CST System

Interview with Adam Steer – CST Head Coach

Interview with Adam Steer about Bodyweight Training

My First Clubbell Competition Results

You can find a lot more about CST on my site if you do a search for CST, Sonnon, or clubbells. You can also check out the Mobility tab above for info on joint mobility training, along with the Body Transformation tab which is a listing of some of my CST workouts in a training journal format.

I leave Thursday morning – here I come Bellingham! I’m looking forward to finally meeting the tribe!

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and CST Athlete

P.S. If you want to get started with CST today, then I highly recommend the Intu-Flow Joint Mobility Encyclopedia. This is the foundation program for the entire CST system, and I have used it almost daily for the past 3 years:

Intu-Flow Complete Package

Jude, The Bar-Barian – Incredible Bodyweight Work

Damien Walters Acrobatics ShowReel

Matt Scott – no excuses

QUESTION: Hi John, I’ve been weight training ever since I was 18. I’m 32 now. I had a hernia surgery about a year and a half ago. I am beginning to increase my weight in the gym again. But before it gets out of hand again I’d like to ask you what age should a person stop lifting heavy weights? Or should a person ever lift heavy weight to begin with? Although I love the pump and results, I would rather be healthy and not have to go through another surgery. But maybe the hernia wasn’t from working out at all, but rather an improper movement. Do you have any advice for me?

-Shane
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We now know that drinking more water leads to better hydration levels in mice.

RESEARCH…  apparently they didn’t find what they were searching for the first time. Thus, the need to RE-SEARCH for it…

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard of scientific research proving what so-and-so group of people have always known to be true. My specialization is strength training and fitness, and let me tell you… the research is significantly behind the times in this area. Any good strength and conditioning coach will tell you that the research just can’t keep up with what the in-the-trenches professionals are discovering every day. The process of researching is just too slow in the strength and conditioning community, and I’m willing to bet it’s the same for many different areas of study.

Just the other day, I read this headline:

Cutting-edge scientific research now proves what the yogis have always known: deep relaxation can have a profound effect on a wide range of medical conditions. (article here)

No kidding. You mean to tell me that it’s a good idea to take a break from our hectic lifestyles, to actually slow down for a moment, to reflect, to get quiet, to meditate, to focus strongly on our physical nature, to seriously try and relax?
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One of the things I love most about the internet is connecting with people that have similar interests, life philosophies, and goals.  Although, while I do cherish the many relationships I’ve built over the net, there’s simply nothing like meeting somebody in person for the first time. It just doesn’t even compare to an online relationship. Plato was right…

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. –Plato

Likewise, you can learn more about a person in one day of “real life” hanging out, than in one year of online communication. I experienced this first-hand just the other day when I met Damien and Renee Tougas and their three wonderful children, for a hike in Crawford Notch, NH. I had just recently become aware of the Tougas family as both Damien and Renee have blogs of their own:

Adventure in Progress: Encouraging Families to Get Outdoors and Experience Adventure

FIMBY: Fun in My Back Yard

Damien put together a very thorough Case For Minimalist Footwear, which drew me to his site.

My wife and I enjoyed meeting them for the first time, and I think we “hit it off” very quickly. We spent the day hiking through the woods while being continually pelted with heavier and heavier rain (Damien and I decided to go barefoot). I saw this as plain old “miserable” fun, but also as a test of our new relationship. We were immediately placed into a situation outside of our comfort zone with people we had literally just met, and our shared hardship only strengthened our initial bond.

Damien and I also got a chance to play around with some clubbells that I brought up for the day. He was waiting for his clubbells package to arrive in the mail any day, so I offered him a taste of what they would feel like – we used 10’s, 15’s and a 45 lb single. We practiced many exercises for about an hour and a half. It’s truly amazing how quickly one can learn a new exercise when applying the 7 Key Components of Structure. Damien picked up on the movements very quickly for a beginner.

Some other highlights were visiting the Weather Museum and learning about the most extreme weather on Earth atop Mt. Washington (recent trip report here), sipping coffee and smoothies at NH’s Best Small Coffee Shop in North Conway (according to NH Magazine), sampling a wide array of tasty vegetarian fare, having the Tougas children thank us for “bringing a delicious salad” (children who like salad – I love it!) and having Ronin perform tricks for the kids…

“Gah-huh, look at my goofy face…”

I brought my video camera with me, but it didn’t seem right to “spoil” the experience with a video. I just wanted to soak it all up, to forget about trying to “capture the moment” and just live in the moment all day long. If you want to know what our trip was really like, you’re just going to have to get out in the woods yourself! My writing talent just won’t do it justice

WRAP-UP

One of the long-term goals for my site is to help people connect with each other in their local community. The internet is great and all, but nothing beats personal contact in every day life. It meant a world of difference to be able to share a full day with Damien and Renee. I don’t know how I’ll accomplish this with the site in the future – whether it is a forum or something else, but for now I do want to encourage you to get “out there” and enjoy physical living with others, in any way possible.

For those in the New England area, we’re planning a trip up Mt. Katahdin pretty soon. This will be a “difficult” level hike, and all of my readers are invited for the day. More details forthcoming.

I also want you to check out Damien and Renee’s sites about family, fun, and adventure:

Adventure in Progress: Encouraging Families to Get Outdoors and Experience Adventure

FIMBY: Fun in My Back Yard

We have so much to learn from each other!

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional

P.S. I know a lot of my readers are interested in the Circular Strength Training System. Damien has just recently decided to “do a cannonball” into the ocean of CST. He has sold all his traditional weight equipment and purchased a collection of CST materials to get him started. If you have a minute, stop by his blogpost about this transition and wish him well on his new journey:

http://www.adventureinprogress.com/change-in-routine

Do you think this guy counts calories, plans for proper post-work nutrition, or follows a perfectly periodized work program?

There’s something about manual labor that really hits home with me after doing landscaping for 10 years. What started as mowing lawns in the summer for some cash, ended up becoming my own professional landscaping business in my college years. Hard physical labor has numerous lessons to teach, not all of which are physical.
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Mick Dodge, a former Marine, is someone that we can all probably learn something from. He’s questioned the conventional model of physical living and found it severely lacking, and he has taken drastic action on that. Mick is someone who has a truly unique perspective on health, movement, and fitness, and I think we would do well to listen to him.

This is a collection of clips shot at a recent “footcamp” seminar he taught on Whidbey Island, WA. As of a couple weeks ago, Mick is walking through Washington into Oregon and California, “stealing shoes” and talking about getting back into one’s senses through being outdoors and also being barefoot. He’s teaching and distributing the Antidote for our modern predicament, which is a set of general principles for healthy living that will increase your vitality, health and exuberance. Watch Mick in action…

Mick Dodge – The Barefoot Sensei

Some of what Mick says may sound like mumbo-jumbo – you know, connecting your spirit to the land, and all that. But I’ll tell you one thing. Taking your shoes off absolutely makes you PAY ATTENTION. Your general awareness increases and perception sharpens, and with practice it becomes much more than a physical activity. Nothing is performed in isolation, even fitness training. Our physical health and conditioning has a direct correlation to our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Our entire being is intimately connected – mind, body, and spirit. They cannot be separated, which means they can’t be isolated. I don’t think it’s a stretch at all to say that taking your shoes off will profoundly affect your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. It sure has rocked my world this past year!

You can learn more about Mick’s journey here:

http://exuberantanimal.com/mick/index.php

Check out the Definitive Guide to Going Barefoot here:

The Definitive Guide to Going Barefoot

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and Barefooter