I also did sports in high school. It was cross country running in the fall, winter track, and spring track and field. I took summers mostly off, but I still ran off and on, especially leading up to the Fall. I ran so hard those seasons that I developed some major injuries in my legs from overtraining, which ultimately resulted in 3 years of physical therapy to rehabilitate me (but that’s another story). My career as a Navy SEAL was no longer plausible, so I fell back to “normal fitness training.” This is when things got interesting.

After high school, I began trying a LOT of different training styles. I simply couldn’t find anything that suited me perfectly.

One of my first focused training programs was with a training partner that was into bodybuilding. Ethan was much bigger than me, and always outperformed me a little bit on each lift (except the bench press, he had a huge advantage on that one). He would get program ideas from bodybuilding magazines, and enjoy making girls wince at the pictures inside. I spent almost 9 months in that bodybuilding-style routine. It was a classic split routine, body part specific, and I gained almost 20 lbs. By the end, I could crank out 50 parallel bar dips (full range of motion, not those sissy dips I see at the gym all the time), and 30 deadhang pullups. All of my lifts were going up consistently. I was definitely bigger and turned some heads in the gym, especially around repetition 40 on those dips! I had what most guys wanted in a physique, but I didn’t feel good. I felt strong in the gym, weak everywhere else. I couldn’t move as well as I used to. I even had trouble scratching my back, cliche, I know. Ultimately, I decided that bodybuilding-style training wasn’t for me – but what was? My search continued.

College brought some unique opportunities, like training with strength coach, Kyle Battis. Kyle was all about functional training and performance enhancement, and that made sense to me. After all, if I was going to look strong, I should also feel and BE strong too. Kyle was always at my college gym available for a new training idea, usually something that I had never seen before. One day, he pulled me aside and taught me the olympic barbell snatch – and the clean and jerk a week later. That’s when I really got interested in functional training. I learned how much weight I could put over my head. Slowly, I got immersed in classic weight training: squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and everything in between. I also experimented with kettlebells, sandbags, medicine balls, and other training tools.

This is when my training got a little bit hazy. It wasn’t focused anymore, there was too much to do, too many new things to try, and I got lost for awhile. Sure, I had some focused training cycles like improving my clean and jerk, and my deadlift, but my training was scattered at best. On top of my training, and full time college, I had also started a sole proprietorship landscaping company. I also got my National Strength and Conditioning Association personal trainer certification around this time, and began working at a local health club as a one-on-one personal trainer. I was getting burnt out, and it finally had to happen.

During a deadlifting micro-cycle, I was building up my volume, doing 225 for high reps. In the middle of a set, a disk in my lumbar spine slipped, and I immediately dropped the barbell and fell to the floor. I could lament over the details, but the takehome point is that this event initiated a major change in me. I re-examined why I was lifting weights. I clearly outlined my goals and priorities and realized that I didn’t need to lift very heavy weights to achieve my strength goals. I recognized that I don’t have to be the strongest, only strong enough. I realized that I have never in my life encountered something that I was not physically strong enough to overcome – and yet I had still been pursuing more strength.

I consider this event similar to a new birth, a completely new life and new way of thinking about health, fitness, and strength training. I began to focus on what I call “real world strength,” and putting health at the top of my physical priorities. It was two years before I was no longer in daily pain (I would go to bed in pain, and wake up in even greater pain.). Not having health insurance this time through, I had to search out my own answers, and that’s what led me to a better understanding of balancing hard and soft styles of training. This is what ultimately led me to the Circular Strength Training system (CST), which is the next logical step in my lifelong evolution. I’ve been practicing elements of CST for the past 3 years, and will be attending their certification seminar this August to get certified as an instructor.

But I wouldn’t say it will end here. I don’t think Circular Strength Training is the end-all, be-all. Sure, I think it is the most comprehensive system I have ever experienced for attaining specific goals with longevity and health in mind – but it isn’t complete, at least not yet. The CST tribe is all about constant evolution, and bringing new experiences into their community to seek excellence together. When I share the CST ranks, I’ll blend my experiences with theirs and we will all be better for it.

Where will this evolution take me down the road? Who knows. But then again, I’m also hearing more and more about primal fitness systems that really get back to our roots. Things like parkour, freerunning, and most recently MovNat by Erwan Le Corre (based on Georges Hebert’s Le Methode Naturelle… Erwan’s awesome promo video is here).

Regardless, I’m taking the next step – diving head-first into what I know is the best route for me right now, and CST seems to be the hidden treasure that I’ve been looking for. Find more information about CST at the official site here:

http://rmaxinternational.com

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and CST Athlete

Scott Sonnon - the inventor of the Clubbell and the creator of Prasara Yoga

Part 1 of this interview can be found on this page.

Of all the fitness professionals I have drawn my philosophy from, Scott Sonnon, is one of the most influential on my life. I have taken more useful information from this man than probably any other coach – including information meant for more than just physical living. I had the pleasure of interviewing Scott a second time today, and I think this is the single most enjoyable interview I have ever listened in on.

Scott Sonnon has a revolutionary way of sharing his health-first fitness viewpoints, and I guarantee that you’ll learn something new by listening in on this call. Some of the key points we covered include:

- The unique nature of swinging weights (like clubbells) and how it can complement your current weightlifting program

- How the clubbell is a total body strength training tool, essentially becoming an extension of the body that enables its user to train movements holistically, rather than muscles individually.

- The upward spiral of sophisticating movement that directs and advances bodyweight exercise into biomechanical exercise.

- How to find balance throughout your body, prevent common yet needless pain and injuries, and reach movement mastery through the unique approach offered by the Prasara Yoga modality.

- How to integrate the 3 Wings of CST into a comprehensive training program that works in harmony to maximize performance and minimize injury.

- How to get started with CST Today!

John Sifferman Interviews Scott Sonnon (Part 2, 67 Minutes in Length)

I want to thank Scott again for doing this interview.  It is always an honor to learn from him, and I hope you were challenged and pursue some of the things we talked about.

Here are some ways you can get started with CST today:

Prasara Yoga Introductory Package – Book here, Instructional DVD here.

Joint Mobility Training Package (more info about mobility training on my site here)

Clubbell Quick-Start Training Packages can be found halfway down this page (you can find more info about clubbells on Scott’s official site here http://clubbell.tv.com)

As always, if you have any questions about what was discussed on the call, how to get started, or about the products themselves, please leave a comment below or use the Contact page above.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and CST Student

P.S. For more information about clubbell training and prasara yoga, I recommend Scott Sonnon’s programs The Encyclopedia of Clubbell Training and his book Prasara Yoga.

Scott Sonnon - the Flow Coach

*Listen to Part 2 of this interview by clicking here.

Of all the fitness professionals I have drawn my philosophy from, Scott Sonnon, is one of the most influential on my life. I have taken more useful information from this man than probably any other coach – including information meant for more than just physical living. It seems fitting to dedicate my 100th blogpost in honor of him, even if only a small form of recognition.

Scott Sonnon has a revolutionary way of sharing his health-first fitness viewpoints, and I guarantee that you’ll learn something new by listening in on this call. Some of the key points we covered include:

- Scott’s difficult journey discovering himself by overcoming physical challenges that ultimately gave him a world-view to help other people.

- New advances in human anatomy and physiology studies that have completely recreated the definition and methods of pursuing fitness.

- You’ll have some of your beliefs about fitness training challenged probably more than ever before. If you don’t scratch your head, think “wait a minute!” or burst out in fury over the “heresies” that Scott covers, then my hat goes off to you.

- The differences between soft and hard styles of training, and how to optimize both to ensure you maximize your training time and performance.

- Why joint mobility training is important and how to begin experiencing the benefits of this exercise style today.

John Sifferman Interviews Scott Sonnon (Part 1, 53 Minutes in Length)

I want to thank Scott again for doing this interview, and for setting a stellar example for all to follow.  If you’re interested in learning more about joint mobility training, check out this collection of blog posts I have put together:

Q+A: What is Joint Mobility?

Joint Mobility Training Enlightenment – John’s First Experiences

Joint Mobility From Head to Toe in 5 Minutes (Video)

Review of Ageless Mobility – the follow along mobility and prasara yoga program

Review of Intu-Flow – the Encyclopedia of Joint Mobility and Human Movement Health

Don’t forget to check out Scott’s site www.YourPainFreeMobility.com for your free joint mobility tutorials.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and CST Student

P.S. For more information about joint mobility training, I recommend Scott Sonnon’s Intu-Flow program (all-inclusive collection of joint mobility exercises for the entire body) here: http://www.rmaxi.com/products/intu-flow.html

and his Ageless Mobility program (follow along format) here:

That fact hit me like a lead brick. I had been lifting weights since I was 11 years old – and there was no way I wanted to think that all my work wouldn’t transfer to a better athletic performance in any activity.

Once the dust of confusion settled, and I decided to take an objective look at everything I knew at the time, something suddenly began to make sense. It all became clearer when I was told “everything is an act of conditioning.” The second half of that is that “all conditioning is specific to the activity performed” for conditioning.

Said another way, everything we do will condition us SPECIFICALLY for a given activity. Now this begins to make more sense. If you want to get better at pullups, do pullups. If you want to squat more, keep adding more weight to the bar and training with it. If you want to be a better boxer, practice your jabs, hooks, and footwork. But don’t perform the best deadlift program in the world and expect it to help you wrestle any better. To get better at anything, to have your training carry over to your life, you need to PRACTICE specifically for those activities.

Now, I still believe that such a thing as “general conditioning exists.” However, in order for it to transfer over to a better performance, in life or sport, it must be specific to that activity. Sure, I can get in generally better shape for dancing by dancing more, or doing cardio training that will help my VO2 MAX improve.

However, you cannot run, swim, or bike all the time and expect it to help you row on a crew team. Even if you’re well conditioned for a triathlon, put yourself into a different activity like rowing or powerlifting, and your conditioning will be zero for that activity.

And it’s also impossible to train for anything and everything. We just can’t do it all. Some fitness systems were created to train for everything, for the unknown. What you get every time is a group of people that are very well conditioned for a certain activity, or activities, and very poorly conditioned for anything outside of the context of that fitness system.

So, we must choose the principle of specificity instead of just doing general training. That’s the take-home message. I hope to explore this topic more in the future as my own understanding continues to evolve. Of course, I would be welcome to a discussion, please leave your comments below.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and Clubbell Athlete

Clubbell: a Review about Modern Indian Clubs by John Sifferman


Your Question of the Day: are you more old-school or new age when you exercise?

To your health and success,

P.S. Please post your comments by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom.

P.P.S. Buy your very own clubbell from the RMAX shop here:www.rmaxinternational.com

Galactic Acid – can it help you get HYUUGE muscles?

Your Question of the Day is: what other funny gym stories do you have?

Please post your comments below!

To your health and success,

Warmup
Joint Mobility
Movement Specific Warmup

Goal-Specific Work
High Skill (Sophisticated) exercises
Low Skill exercises

Cooldown
Vibration Drills
Prasara Yoga
Breathing exercises
Walking

Your Question of the Day is: how long does your average training session last?

To your health and success,

In order for me to write a review, a product has to really impress me. I try out too many products, programs, and read too many books to review them all – so I only write reviews for products that I endorse and have used with success myself.

Be Breathed is one of those products that has impressed me.

Be Breathed has a very specific purpose, to teach you how to allow your body to breathe itself. Sounds a little mystical, right? Let me explain.

The idea behind Be Breathed is to allow your body to be breathed by your movement. So, for instance, when you do an exercise that compresses your lungs (ie ab crunch) you exhale the air out of your lungs forcefully. Conversely, when you do an exercise that expands your lungs (ie the down position of the pushup) you inhale passively. Now, we could get really deep into this, but I think it would be best if you experienced it for yourself. At least you now know that there is nothing mystical about Be Breathed at all – it’s just a method of breathing while moving or performing an exercise.

So why do we need to Be Breathed? If one can learn to reprogram their breathing, they can adapt to different exercises much faster. Essentially, learning to Be Breathed is a way of fine-tuning your movement in any activity. Every action has three components: breathing, movement, and structure. Each of those components controls the other two, at least to a degree. At all times, we are breathing. At all times, our breath is creating a structure in our body (whether expanded or compressed/exhaled). Our breath also controls our movement in that, if we breathe a certain way, it will move our body.

I know this sounds a little sciency, and a little like wordplay, but stay with me here.

Consider with me, what it would be like if we could master our ability to integrate our breathing, movement, and structure in any activity. Essentially, we would be able to perform almost anything effortlessly in a perfect environment.

And that’s the goal of Be Breathed, to teach the breathing component to help you move effortlessly through your day and through your training sessions.

If you and I were to master the skill of Being Breathed by our movement, we would never be out of breath – even at high exertion levels.

So, what are some of the other benefits of Be Breathed?

If you’re interested in a VERY strong core musculature (who doesn’t want great abs???), then Be Breathed will help you do this. This program is a superb ab training routine, which is a little hard to see at first with the emphasis being placed on breathing.

You see, when we train ourselves to be breathed by our movement, our core muscles are actually what breathes us through the contractions and co-contractions of movement. If you learn to contract your core muscles to exhale air out of your lungs, not only are you becoming more adept at physical activity in general, you are also building rock-hard abs, obliques, and lower back muscles.

I’ve heard many stories of people relieving their lower back pain by using Be Breathed because it not only trains the abs, it trains the entire core – and that includes the lower back muscles.

There are several different exercise demonstrations included as well as a workout program demo at the end of the DVD. Sonnon even gives you a seated Be Breathed routine for those of you who drive a lot or work at a desk and don’t have the ability to lay on the floor for the main exercises.

The DVD quality is good, but not great. I’ll emphasize that you are paying for the information contained on the DVD, not necessarily a flashy, high quality video production.

Is there a downside to the Be Breathed program?

If there is a down side, it is that the program is only for beginner to intermediate trainees. Although Sonnon refers to some of the exercises as advanced, I think there are some much more sophisticated versions that are not covered in this DVD.

The Bottom Line

If you’re looking to tone up your midsection, lose your gut, or get a flat belly, then Be Breathed is probably the most effective and healthiest program for your needs. The methods that Sonnon uses teach you how to relax the body and relieve tension, rather than store up tension like crunches and situps do. I would rate this DVD program far above many of the other ab exercise programs available today.

Get your copy for $29.95 today.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and Wellness Warrior

For more information about Be Breathed, check it out by clicking here.

image courtesy of Norman Conquest Encyclopedia

In trying to define my Real World Strength Training blog, I’ve been wrestling with ideas about who I am and what my purpose is. I have been asking myself the questions, “how can I help the world around me, and how can I help you?”

Strength training is something that has changed my life in dramatic ways. Among many other things, strength training is one that has literally given me so much to be thankful for. (I’d like you to think to yourself if you can identify with any of the following benefits.)

I enjoy vibrant health and abundant energy. I can do almost any physical activity I choose from scaling a mountain to keeping up with toddlers. My health is so great that I rarely get sick, so I can enjoy life with others around me. Strength training has given me the mental acuity and confidence to progress in my career. Strength training has allowed me to inspire other people to change their lives, and has even solidified my role as husband, brother, son, friend, coach, and leader. Strength training has also shown me the fragility of life, and the blessing that it is to be living, breathing, and active.

I could go on and on, but the truth is that for me, strength, health, and athleticism are the glue that holds John Sifferman together. I don’t deserve any of this, but I will accept it with open arms. And with open arms, I will freely give it away to as many people as will accept it.

What is the goal of this Real World Strength Training blog? And more importantly, what is your responsibility by coming here and absorbing this lifestyle?

I want to create massive change in your life. I want to show you the way to work for true health, in all areas of your life. I want your newfound strength and health to shine brightly in your relationships, in your career, in your spiritual walk, and in your leisure time. Most importantly, I want to impart on you the privilege and responsibility of caring for others. It starts with taking care of yourself, but it must progress from there. The people around you, your “circle,” are your responsibility. The truth is that we need each other, we depend on one another – and one of the greatest things you can do is set a superb example and inspire others to do the same.

One of my favorite quotes is by Coretta Scott King who said “It doesn’t matter how strong your opinions are. If you don’t use your power for positive change, you are, indeed, part of the problem.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. We’re here to interact with others, to set an example, to lead from the front.

Now, I’ve been thinking long and hard about what characterizes you and I. What are the quintessential qualities that we have? Better yet, what word or phrase best describes people like you and I?

warrior – that’s what comes to mind. Put it into context and we are “wellness warriors.”

I think that phrase sums up an ideal that we are meant to pursue. Wellness is a broad term, but paired with warrior and it becomes a character, a persona, an ideal to aspire towards.

Wellness Warrior

One definition of wellness that I like is: a state of optimal well-being that is oriented toward maximizing an individual’s potential. This is a process that can take a lifetime to perfect, as you ultimately seek wellness in your physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, familial, social, financial, and vocational lifestyle.

I’ve used the pursuit of health and strength as a channel to radiate positive energy into the rest of my life. I don’t mean to sound mystical or vague – it’s simply a means of mastering one area of your life and watching as that mastery spreads into other areas. Ask anyone who has overcome a challenge, and they will assure you that they are stronger because of it. That’s what being a wellness warrior is all about – taking on the challenges of life, seeking strength and health for yourself and your loved ones. Becoming the master of yourself, and admitting that you are strong, smart, attractive, confident – you ARE everything you want to be.

It wasn’t my goal to give a pep talk, because over-hyped energy is misleading. I DO intend to offer you a new perspective, and ask you a very important question.

Are you on board with the wellness revolution? It’s coming!

To your health and success,

P.S. Post your comments by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom.

Here is a video about the difference between practice and training which can be applied to every physical skill.

Practice vs Training by John Sifferman


So, let’s go over the process of transitioning from practice into training.

You must start all new movement training off from the premise of improving technique (form). Focus on maximizing your efficiency, and moving with as little effort as possible. At the same time, you must ensure that you are not moving in a way that causes you pain. A little bit of discomfort is acceptable, but moving into pain is dangerous and not recommended. Once you can maintain very good technique without any significant discomfort (pain), then you can increase your effort in that particular exercise.

This is when you may transition out of practicing a skill, and begin training with the new skill you have acquired. I guarantee that you will be pleasantly surprised with the training benefits you receive from practicing skill instead of training skill.

Final Words

I have been taught and will continue to teach that strength is a skill before it is an attribute. Sure, we have “tests” that measure one man’s strength to the next. Who can bench press more? Who can squat more? While these tests fulfill their purpose, they fail to quantify whether strength can be applied across a wide range of activities. Strength is a quite broad concept, certainly not limited to how much raw weight one can lift.

If you put two athletes who both have identical strength test results on the field or in the ring (let’s say they both squat and deadlift the same exact amount of weight), how do you determine who is the stronger athlete? I say the simple answer is performance. We can break down traits of movement quality and determine who moves with more efficiency and is effective in their movement, but this is hard to quantify and subjective in nature.

In every activity in real life, strength is just a part of a larger whole – the entire person, the entire athlete. The more we can do to take a global perspective on practice and training, the better we will function in daily life and physical activity.

Your Question of the Day: What skills have you been training lately, and do you think it would help to take a step back and start practicing?

To your health and success,