Hannah has had about 8 sessions with me here at 5 Rings Fitness
8 sessions into a 90 day program and she has already met most of her stated goals
I will let her speak for herself
Come in and see what 5 Rings Fitness can do to make your life better
Clayton discovers the importance of the grip
Clayton discovers the importance of the grip in everything we do at 5 Rings
Especially the Hardstyle Get Up
thanks again to Tommy Blom and George Samuelson for the tips.
And thanks to Clayton, for being a consistent and dedicated student who pays attention, and applies what he learns.
Especially the Hardstyle Get Up
thanks again to Tommy Blom and George Samuelson for the tips.
And thanks to Clayton, for being a consistent and dedicated student who pays attention, and applies what he learns.
Avni gives us a review!
Thanks to Avni for giving me a review and testimonial, which I am sharing here
Avni has been with us for 8 weeks now attending classes once or twice a week. Watch the clip here to see how she feels about what she has learned and how the little taste she has gotten of the 5 rings Fitness system has given her a whole new set of tools.
I love the smell of success in the morning!
Avni has been with us for 8 weeks now attending classes once or twice a week. Watch the clip here to see how she feels about what she has learned and how the little taste she has gotten of the 5 rings Fitness system has given her a whole new set of tools.
I love the smell of success in the morning!
from my mate Clayton
Clayton is my mate and a student as well
he has been attending my classes now for a while and seems to be enjoying himself ;)
any way
a while ago we were having a conversation regarding fish oil (he is a rep for Nordic Naturals, Wobenzyme, Boiron and a list of other good for you stuff that if you are not taking, you likely should be!) and he sent me this message which I now share with you fine folks
currently I am trying to get him to do some writing on the subject as he is an incredible resource of information and has much more of a knowledge base than I do on these subjects
form Clayton
"Some interesting things to take note of
Dietary fat intakes for pregnant and lactating women
This Word doc. explains why ALA (from food sources such as flax) is not a preferable source of the longest chain Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid and fish is a preferred source.
once you look at these you can read more at http://www.omega-research.com/, fish oil has about 4000 clinical studies on it, the only thing with more is aspirin."
remember folks, I am not a doctor, nor a nutritionist, and I do not play one on tv or the interwebs,
this information is presented to you for your edification and informative purposes only, decide for yourself whether or not these things are something you should be using, consult a physician with any concerns, be smart, be safe, be kind
Get Strong, Stay Strong
Remember to breathe
he has been attending my classes now for a while and seems to be enjoying himself ;)
any way
a while ago we were having a conversation regarding fish oil (he is a rep for Nordic Naturals, Wobenzyme, Boiron and a list of other good for you stuff that if you are not taking, you likely should be!) and he sent me this message which I now share with you fine folks
currently I am trying to get him to do some writing on the subject as he is an incredible resource of information and has much more of a knowledge base than I do on these subjects
form Clayton
"Some interesting things to take note of
Dietary fat intakes for pregnant and lactating women
This Word doc. explains why ALA (from food sources such as flax) is not a preferable source of the longest chain Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid and fish is a preferred source.
once you look at these you can read more at http://www.omega-research.com/, fish oil has about 4000 clinical studies on it, the only thing with more is aspirin."
remember folks, I am not a doctor, nor a nutritionist, and I do not play one on tv or the interwebs,
this information is presented to you for your edification and informative purposes only, decide for yourself whether or not these things are something you should be using, consult a physician with any concerns, be smart, be safe, be kind
Get Strong, Stay Strong
Remember to breathe
Lately...
So, on a personal note
Lately I have stepped up the work load again
I spent the time from Oct. To June working heavy on the FMS correctives and Z-health R-phase
When Viking Warrior conditioning hit the shelves I began that program, slightly modified, as a way to rebuild and gain new strength.
Yesterday I hit a pr on the dead lift (250 lbs) not a huge lift by any means, still it was a pr. I have been getting great reward from steady diet of Kalos Sthenos, strict pressing, pistols, pull ups, dead lifts, and VWC vo2 sessions, cycling them throughout a week. Now, the addition of more gtg with swings,presses, and pistols alternating with the correctives and Z should net even more gains, faster. The proof will be in the numbers.
See you all tomorrow at Get Up Get Mobile, where I will be introducing a new tweak to the tgu shared with me by Com. George Samuelson from thisfeelsgood.com and apparently stemming from conversations with Com. Tommy Blom thetechnoviking.com
Many thanks to both, that idea is an awesome connection tool for the get up
Laters mates
Get strong
Stay strong
Remember to breathe
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
Lately I have stepped up the work load again
I spent the time from Oct. To June working heavy on the FMS correctives and Z-health R-phase
When Viking Warrior conditioning hit the shelves I began that program, slightly modified, as a way to rebuild and gain new strength.
Yesterday I hit a pr on the dead lift (250 lbs) not a huge lift by any means, still it was a pr. I have been getting great reward from steady diet of Kalos Sthenos, strict pressing, pistols, pull ups, dead lifts, and VWC vo2 sessions, cycling them throughout a week. Now, the addition of more gtg with swings,presses, and pistols alternating with the correctives and Z should net even more gains, faster. The proof will be in the numbers.
See you all tomorrow at Get Up Get Mobile, where I will be introducing a new tweak to the tgu shared with me by Com. George Samuelson from thisfeelsgood.com and apparently stemming from conversations with Com. Tommy Blom thetechnoviking.com
Many thanks to both, that idea is an awesome connection tool for the get up
Laters mates
Get strong
Stay strong
Remember to breathe
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
been some talk in town..
been a wee bit of discussion amongst the 5RA (if you are a gym member, you are a member of the 5 Rings Army, patches, shirts and hats to come soon) about indian clubs, club bells what have you
well
there you are, a clip of me swinging the club/mace bell that I put together this afternoon for less than 40$ with parts from a local hardware store
pics and description on my facebook page here
see you all in class tomorrow, we may just start swinging these lol
just kidding, the kettlebell will still be the centerpiece of the mon. morning Swing Fit Class, however, the Saturday Classes may well see a little more club action in the future
and
if there is enough interest, a clinic on how to perform some basic maneuvers with the club could well be in the offing soon
tomorrow the grease for the day will be the heels to butt body-weight squat
Join the 5RA using the link in the sidebar to follow me on twitter
laters mates
get strong, stay strong
remember to breathe
well
there you are, a clip of me swinging the club/mace bell that I put together this afternoon for less than 40$ with parts from a local hardware store
pics and description on my facebook page here
see you all in class tomorrow, we may just start swinging these lol
just kidding, the kettlebell will still be the centerpiece of the mon. morning Swing Fit Class, however, the Saturday Classes may well see a little more club action in the future
and
if there is enough interest, a clinic on how to perform some basic maneuvers with the club could well be in the offing soon
tomorrow the grease for the day will be the heels to butt body-weight squat
Join the 5RA using the link in the sidebar to follow me on twitter
laters mates
get strong, stay strong
remember to breathe
btw
moved 29808 pounds, plus a few more here and there today
get to work you swabbies
--
I am ready for the zombies....no really...
get to work you swabbies
--
I am ready for the zombies....no really...
from a client this afternoon
I love being me, and doing what I do
from a client that I had a session with this afternoon
pretty cool frankly, not the pain in the wrist obviously, but that without contact, and with very little coaching, the client was able to eliminate their own pain in a few seconds rather than swallow a pill, or have to RICE the issue
not to say that Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate is not appropriate at times
I'm just saying....
today, whilst the 5 Rings Army (the 5RA) was greasing joint mobility
I was greasing the pistol, or one legged squat
3 per side every 15 minutes 36 times at 138lbs bodywieght totals up to 29,808 pounds moved today
add a couple swings and snatches, a press or two with the 28kg and 16kg and I moved close to 30000 pounds of weight over the course of my day
tomorrow I have to teach in the park, so I will keep it light and work nothing but Z-Health drills all day to stay as sharp as possible and as mobile as I can be
to the class attendees form Get Up Get Mobile this morning
you keep making the progress you are making and you will have to fire me or start coming to the Z-fighter classes
if you do not need me, you do not need me
simple enough
soon you will be ready for the weighted get ups, and that will be some fun all by itself
on the subject of club swinging, indianclubs, dig this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPEe7uTuuho&feature=related
and this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nux8nu2Jaks&feature=PlayList&p=505F31E18F9214F9&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=88
I started out with 2 15oz teeball bats (hot pink)
the last link there is pretty cool as it only cost the guy less than 30$ for adecent looking club
I found some on ebay (antiques) for a good price
dig this guy as well
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/indianclub_swinging.html
not only is Ed Thomas one of the better resources, but the old time strong man site is packed full of really great stuff
also check out http://www.strongergrip.com/ for some more ideas
Avni, that is mostly for you, but anyone who can benefit should
enjoy
hope to see more faces at the park tomorrow evening for the Get Strong Stay Strong Workout at Veteran's Memorial Park in Richfield
Get Strong
Stay Strong
Remember to breath
--
I am ready for the zombies....no really...
from a client that I had a session with this afternoon
I just had some pain in my wrist after my first attempts at (fill in correct term here – cleaning?) with a kettle bell. I did the motions you suggested to get relief… within moments of starting, all the tension and pain I'd been feeling were completely gone. So awesome. More people need to know that it's so, so easy.
Personally, I'm not into taking over-the-counter pain relief medication for bodily pains, so these have been fantastic!
pretty cool frankly, not the pain in the wrist obviously, but that without contact, and with very little coaching, the client was able to eliminate their own pain in a few seconds rather than swallow a pill, or have to RICE the issue
not to say that Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate is not appropriate at times
I'm just saying....
today, whilst the 5 Rings Army (the 5RA) was greasing joint mobility
I was greasing the pistol, or one legged squat
3 per side every 15 minutes 36 times at 138lbs bodywieght totals up to 29,808 pounds moved today
add a couple swings and snatches, a press or two with the 28kg and 16kg and I moved close to 30000 pounds of weight over the course of my day
tomorrow I have to teach in the park, so I will keep it light and work nothing but Z-Health drills all day to stay as sharp as possible and as mobile as I can be
to the class attendees form Get Up Get Mobile this morning
you keep making the progress you are making and you will have to fire me or start coming to the Z-fighter classes
if you do not need me, you do not need me
simple enough
soon you will be ready for the weighted get ups, and that will be some fun all by itself
on the subject of club swinging, indianclubs, dig this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPEe7uTuuho&feature=related
and this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nux8nu2Jaks&feature=PlayList&p=505F31E18F9214F9&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=88
I started out with 2 15oz teeball bats (hot pink)
the last link there is pretty cool as it only cost the guy less than 30$ for adecent looking club
I found some on ebay (antiques) for a good price
dig this guy as well
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/indianclub_swinging.html
not only is Ed Thomas one of the better resources, but the old time strong man site is packed full of really great stuff
also check out http://www.strongergrip.com/ for some more ideas
Avni, that is mostly for you, but anyone who can benefit should
enjoy
hope to see more faces at the park tomorrow evening for the Get Strong Stay Strong Workout at Veteran's Memorial Park in Richfield
Get Strong
Stay Strong
Remember to breath
--
I am ready for the zombies....no really...
todays work
today I hit my own grease the groove with 5 16kg strict presses each side every 30 minutes, the 5 Rings Army op order for the day does not exclude myself
total was 16 sets, with 1 set of 5 28kg presses each side to finish
then
to the gym
and some Hubud drilling followed up with an hour of double stick sinawale work with gunting and Illistrisimo style drills
fun!
tomorrow for the Get Up get Mobile Class
look forward to some fun
we will be working on the punch portion, thus, curl ups
bring your water bottles mates!
Get Strong
Stay Strong
Remember to breathe
James
I am ready for the zombies....no really...
total was 16 sets, with 1 set of 5 28kg presses each side to finish
then
to the gym
and some Hubud drilling followed up with an hour of double stick sinawale work with gunting and Illistrisimo style drills
fun!
tomorrow for the Get Up get Mobile Class
look forward to some fun
we will be working on the punch portion, thus, curl ups
bring your water bottles mates!
Get Strong
Stay Strong
Remember to breathe
James
I am ready for the zombies....no really...
Finished
Finished off the day
16 sets of 28kg swings under the belt, a large greek salad from the mates at Lite Bite (skipped the chicken and dressing for more feta!) And ended strong, almost an hour of single stick sombrada flow drilling with Sifu O'Melia and 5 sets of 3 @ 160lbs of Romanian dead lifts
Off to the homestead now to see my wife, and program a new set of corrective strategies for my mate Clayton (who hit 3's on his shoulders and hips, and was symmetrical all the way across the board!!) His hard work is paying him by giving him more mobility, less fatigue and greater endurance as a mountain bike and road bike racer. Good on ya mate, the email with your new program will soon follow!
Hope to see you all on Wed. For Get Up Get Mobile
Thurs eve class in the park: rates are reduced due to logic and reason!
Now 15 per session, paid before start, FMS and 1 of my group classes per week included. Email me or check www.GetStrongStayStrong.com for further details
Get Strong Stay Strong
Remember to breathe
James
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
16 sets of 28kg swings under the belt, a large greek salad from the mates at Lite Bite (skipped the chicken and dressing for more feta!) And ended strong, almost an hour of single stick sombrada flow drilling with Sifu O'Melia and 5 sets of 3 @ 160lbs of Romanian dead lifts
Off to the homestead now to see my wife, and program a new set of corrective strategies for my mate Clayton (who hit 3's on his shoulders and hips, and was symmetrical all the way across the board!!) His hard work is paying him by giving him more mobility, less fatigue and greater endurance as a mountain bike and road bike racer. Good on ya mate, the email with your new program will soon follow!
Hope to see you all on Wed. For Get Up Get Mobile
Thurs eve class in the park: rates are reduced due to logic and reason!
Now 15 per session, paid before start, FMS and 1 of my group classes per week included. Email me or check www.GetStrongStayStrong.com for further details
Get Strong Stay Strong
Remember to breathe
James
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
So far today
Been greasing the groove with 10 28kg 2hand swings every 30 minutes
This morning there was weighted pull ups, + halved then quartered 1 stack of 10 cards and 1 stacks of 8 cards on each hand
Just finished 1 10min FBTS of R-phase, 10 minutes of 16kg Kalos Sthenos TGUs with all breakouts, followed up by 10 minutes of full 16kg KS TGUs switching sides after each rep, now another FBTS of R-phase and back to my desk job. Looking forward to the stepping up process of my regimen. Today was pull day, so pull ups this morning, deads later (160# today) 5 sets x 3 reps
I love this engine!!!-Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, from the crazy guy with the raccoon in the lincoln
More later
Get strong Stay Strong
Remember to breathe
James
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
This morning there was weighted pull ups, + halved then quartered 1 stack of 10 cards and 1 stacks of 8 cards on each hand
Just finished 1 10min FBTS of R-phase, 10 minutes of 16kg Kalos Sthenos TGUs with all breakouts, followed up by 10 minutes of full 16kg KS TGUs switching sides after each rep, now another FBTS of R-phase and back to my desk job. Looking forward to the stepping up process of my regimen. Today was pull day, so pull ups this morning, deads later (160# today) 5 sets x 3 reps
I love this engine!!!-Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, from the crazy guy with the raccoon in the lincoln
More later
Get strong Stay Strong
Remember to breathe
James
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
So far today
Swing fit was a smash success
1 Student went to all symmetrical scores on FMS!!
A testament to the effectiveness of following the progressions and doing the work necessary to effect meaningful change in a deep set motor pattern or muscular instability. Good work mate!! Your next set of correctives should sort out the next most important issue, rotary stability.
Class worked today on the following Swing Skill Practice
10 min of 1:1 work rest ratio
2 12kg-16kg bells
swinging 1st left then right then both
Breathing Ladders with 5 rungs (breath for rep after each set, 1 set is l/r both)
Rest Period is in motion-patterning the Sport Specific Movement that is most beneficial to the individual student.
Enjoy this at home for fun and better connection to your hips, shoulders and legs, lat activation, grip work, hip extension, and flexion, and breath and postural control and stability.
I started my own addition to my daily work with 3 sets of 3 reps of 12kg dead hang pull ups from the rings utilizing the giant caribiner I found at Menards and my d-ring belt from the bungee speed trainer.4 high payoff Z drills in between each set.
More to follow
Get strong, Stay Strong
Remember to breathe
James
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
1 Student went to all symmetrical scores on FMS!!
A testament to the effectiveness of following the progressions and doing the work necessary to effect meaningful change in a deep set motor pattern or muscular instability. Good work mate!! Your next set of correctives should sort out the next most important issue, rotary stability.
Class worked today on the following Swing Skill Practice
10 min of 1:1 work rest ratio
2 12kg-16kg bells
swinging 1st left then right then both
Breathing Ladders with 5 rungs (breath for rep after each set, 1 set is l/r both)
Rest Period is in motion-patterning the Sport Specific Movement that is most beneficial to the individual student.
Enjoy this at home for fun and better connection to your hips, shoulders and legs, lat activation, grip work, hip extension, and flexion, and breath and postural control and stability.
I started my own addition to my daily work with 3 sets of 3 reps of 12kg dead hang pull ups from the rings utilizing the giant caribiner I found at Menards and my d-ring belt from the bungee speed trainer.4 high payoff Z drills in between each set.
More to follow
Get strong, Stay Strong
Remember to breathe
James
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
Saturday, its a saturday....
not a bad jam from the way back,
any way
The Saturday class was a good one, we covered some new stuff for some, and old hat for others
tension and breathing seem to be something that we will have to spend a bit more time on before we move on
the last few weeks have been devoted to the Hard Style, or Kalos Sthenos Turkish Get Up, and all who participated in those sessions appeared to have made incredible progress
In fact the group that spent 1 hour learning the movements, and managed to hit a full KS TGU with a water bottle balanced on their closed fists, on both sides, deeply impressed me
both by their dedicated practice of the technique, and by the effectiveness of the education I have recieved and the efficacy of the movement itself to teach through feedback, a very intricate and difficult manuevere to complete
you may not have mastered the KS TGU, but you all have learned well my young Jedi's
my hat is off to you
For the new faces, who as always are welcome, and for those that have received quality instruction from some folks that are my colleagues, compatriots, dear friends, and over all, I have a fair amount of respect for.
Welcome to the 5 Rings Fitness System of health and physical well-being, may it serve you as well as it has served myself, and my students
For the returning members
Thank you again for trusting me enough to follow my advise and at least consider what I have given you,
also
thank you for testing the veracity of my claims and doing your homework, there is no knowledge that can be gained from listening, you must research and place into perspective all new material, running it through the filter of your own experience and judgement
discrenment is the key to wisdom
knowledge without wisdom is a razor in the hands of a toddler-paraprhased from A. Einstien
For the world
A couple of notes
On the 5 rings of Fitness and why I dedicate so much time to achieving mastery of each one before trying to move to the next step.
Breath, Posture, Strength, Speed, Stamina
these are my "5 Rings"
Mayamoto Musashi had his, these are mine
Breath is beyond important, it is life, if you do not breathe, you will not live,
if you breathe badly, you will live badly
if you breathe well, you will experience life in a fuller, richer way, with less stress, and more joy
Posture, if correct, allows our skeletal system to accept loads that are amazing, perform feats of agility and athleticism that become the stuff of legend, and well, frankly, you feel better
Strength, this is relative to your needs and relative to the application, yet absolutely necesarry for the first two, and all that follow
Speed, Thelonious Monk is one of my favorite Jazz musicians, he new exactly when (timing) and what (position) to do, and at what rate
besides, who cares if you can move 1000 lbs one grain of sand at a time, seeing someone move it fast without injury (breath, strength and posture) is amazing!
Stamina, can you do that again, can you do that again, can you do that again, .......
being able to complete a task is one thing, being able to comfortably complete a task repetitively for an extended duration is a whole other animal
Sprinting 100yds and then collapsing with breaks and tears in the muscles and bones is useless, unless you are being chased by something (see amygdala)
so, lets talk about movement and how it relates to the 5 Rings of Fitness
if you move badly, your performance will always suffer
your body is stupid, it will do whatever you tell it to do
without regard for the aftermath in some cases
(there is still a set of safety mechanisms built into our neurological systems that shut things down for us when the activity becomes dangerous to the structure, this is a survival mechanism though, and kicks in only when things start to get really bad)
However
If you try to lift a car, and ignore the lack of strength you seem to have "all of a sudden"
and you continue to try to lift the car
your body will say, fine! you asked for it, you got it!
your body will try, and it will likely fail, catastrophically in some cases ( herniated discs, strained, torn, pulled muscles etc. )
Let us consider the following though
if you gradually increase the demand on the system, be it cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, skeletal etc.
your body will adapt to the increased demand by increasing its ability to meet the demand
you get stronger, faster, have more endurance etc.
this follows for the neurological system as well
if we overload our CNS (central nervous system) with information, it will shut down
come in to the Martial Arts side of our gym and I will easily demonstrate this with a stick, and you trying to sing the abc's song
if however, we gradually increase the demand on the system over a period of time that allows adaptation to the imposed demand
( SAID principle- Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand )
and we keep the threat level of the stimulus, whatever that stimulus may be,(mobility exercises, muscular control, visual, auditory, kinesthetic input etc.) as low as possible so as not to ever activate the "survival" or "fight or flight" systems in our CNS, the Amygdala
we can then teach the CNS that whatever the demand, it is not a threat, and therefore our CNS will begin the process of adapting to the stressor or stimuli by
adding new neural pathways to accommodate the demand (neuro-plasticity)
begin the process of adding volume to our tissue to accommodate the demand on our muscles and heart (muscular hypertrophy; Ventricular Hypertrophy)
increase the bone density to protect us from impact and increased load on the skeletal system (Wolff's law )
Increase the efficiency of the Respiratory System ( Sr. RKC Kenneth Jay, has imho the simplest method and frankly, the best method, detailed in Viking Warrior Conditioning )
improve the pattern and efficiency of movements to accomodate the demands
the list goes on
If on the other hand, you simply latch onto whatever seems shiny and fun, whatever the models (they are models, whoever they are, they do not likely use the products they are selling to get the bodies they have) on late night infomercials and slick ad campaigns are pimping to everyone with a bit of money burning a whole in their pockets and a desire to get it now, not later, now, without the effort and dedication that is actually required to achieve a goal
your body will adapt to that
whatever that is
so
go get a tens unit and strap yourself in, tell your self that electrocution is a better way to get your "core" in shape
go "confuse" your muscles (show me the Cerebral Cortex located in any muscle and I will give you a dollar!)
go get a coach that yells at you like the guys on tv, the ones that heartbroken mothers bring their fatherless, ne'er do well children to, the ones that are selected to make "the biggest loser" out of a handful of carefully screened participants in a program that was designed to generate advertising revenue and sell products
go join a box gym where you can keep paying your membership fees till the end of time, whether you come or not, they will not care, you can keep pushing your self to "the max" to "feel the burn" while you are stationary in a mobile dynamic world strapped into a machine that restricts your range of motion and provides zero feedback while your "trainer" checks his text messages and mumbles slogans at you
go jump on a bosu or physio ball and wobble around while you try to lift weight that you have a hard time lifting in a stable environment through ranges of motion that would make any elite athlete's joint scream for mercy
knock yourself out
I will still be the guy in a no-where gym, that no one has ever heard of, with a pile of cannonballs with handles and some other seemingly innocuous tools
and myself, and my dedicated students, will be getting stronger, faster, with greater flexiblity and range of motion, with full control of every joint in our bodies and every muscle in at our conscious disposal, and we will be smiling and laughing the whole time
I will not condescend to you or say "I told you so" when you show up on my doorstep, or at the door of someone like me, seeking to fix the damage, and take the road that leads to a successful outcome, rather than the easy path
I will however still charge you for my services
my generosity has its limits
selah
Get Strong, Stay Strong
and remember to Breathe
James
any way
The Saturday class was a good one, we covered some new stuff for some, and old hat for others
tension and breathing seem to be something that we will have to spend a bit more time on before we move on
the last few weeks have been devoted to the Hard Style, or Kalos Sthenos Turkish Get Up, and all who participated in those sessions appeared to have made incredible progress
In fact the group that spent 1 hour learning the movements, and managed to hit a full KS TGU with a water bottle balanced on their closed fists, on both sides, deeply impressed me
both by their dedicated practice of the technique, and by the effectiveness of the education I have recieved and the efficacy of the movement itself to teach through feedback, a very intricate and difficult manuevere to complete
you may not have mastered the KS TGU, but you all have learned well my young Jedi's
my hat is off to you
For the new faces, who as always are welcome, and for those that have received quality instruction from some folks that are my colleagues, compatriots, dear friends, and over all, I have a fair amount of respect for.
Welcome to the 5 Rings Fitness System of health and physical well-being, may it serve you as well as it has served myself, and my students
For the returning members
Thank you again for trusting me enough to follow my advise and at least consider what I have given you,
also
thank you for testing the veracity of my claims and doing your homework, there is no knowledge that can be gained from listening, you must research and place into perspective all new material, running it through the filter of your own experience and judgement
discrenment is the key to wisdom
knowledge without wisdom is a razor in the hands of a toddler-paraprhased from A. Einstien
For the world
A couple of notes
On the 5 rings of Fitness and why I dedicate so much time to achieving mastery of each one before trying to move to the next step.
Breath, Posture, Strength, Speed, Stamina
these are my "5 Rings"
Mayamoto Musashi had his, these are mine
Breath is beyond important, it is life, if you do not breathe, you will not live,
if you breathe badly, you will live badly
if you breathe well, you will experience life in a fuller, richer way, with less stress, and more joy
Posture, if correct, allows our skeletal system to accept loads that are amazing, perform feats of agility and athleticism that become the stuff of legend, and well, frankly, you feel better
Strength, this is relative to your needs and relative to the application, yet absolutely necesarry for the first two, and all that follow
Speed, Thelonious Monk is one of my favorite Jazz musicians, he new exactly when (timing) and what (position) to do, and at what rate
besides, who cares if you can move 1000 lbs one grain of sand at a time, seeing someone move it fast without injury (breath, strength and posture) is amazing!
Stamina, can you do that again, can you do that again, can you do that again, .......
being able to complete a task is one thing, being able to comfortably complete a task repetitively for an extended duration is a whole other animal
Sprinting 100yds and then collapsing with breaks and tears in the muscles and bones is useless, unless you are being chased by something (see amygdala)
so, lets talk about movement and how it relates to the 5 Rings of Fitness
if you move badly, your performance will always suffer
your body is stupid, it will do whatever you tell it to do
without regard for the aftermath in some cases
(there is still a set of safety mechanisms built into our neurological systems that shut things down for us when the activity becomes dangerous to the structure, this is a survival mechanism though, and kicks in only when things start to get really bad)
However
If you try to lift a car, and ignore the lack of strength you seem to have "all of a sudden"
and you continue to try to lift the car
your body will say, fine! you asked for it, you got it!
your body will try, and it will likely fail, catastrophically in some cases ( herniated discs, strained, torn, pulled muscles etc. )
Let us consider the following though
if you gradually increase the demand on the system, be it cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, skeletal etc.
your body will adapt to the increased demand by increasing its ability to meet the demand
you get stronger, faster, have more endurance etc.
this follows for the neurological system as well
if we overload our CNS (central nervous system) with information, it will shut down
come in to the Martial Arts side of our gym and I will easily demonstrate this with a stick, and you trying to sing the abc's song
if however, we gradually increase the demand on the system over a period of time that allows adaptation to the imposed demand
( SAID principle- Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand )
and we keep the threat level of the stimulus, whatever that stimulus may be,(mobility exercises, muscular control, visual, auditory, kinesthetic input etc.) as low as possible so as not to ever activate the "survival" or "fight or flight" systems in our CNS, the Amygdala
we can then teach the CNS that whatever the demand, it is not a threat, and therefore our CNS will begin the process of adapting to the stressor or stimuli by
adding new neural pathways to accommodate the demand (neuro-plasticity)
begin the process of adding volume to our tissue to accommodate the demand on our muscles and heart (muscular hypertrophy; Ventricular Hypertrophy)
increase the bone density to protect us from impact and increased load on the skeletal system (Wolff's law )
Increase the efficiency of the Respiratory System ( Sr. RKC Kenneth Jay, has imho the simplest method and frankly, the best method, detailed in Viking Warrior Conditioning )
improve the pattern and efficiency of movements to accomodate the demands
the list goes on
If on the other hand, you simply latch onto whatever seems shiny and fun, whatever the models (they are models, whoever they are, they do not likely use the products they are selling to get the bodies they have) on late night infomercials and slick ad campaigns are pimping to everyone with a bit of money burning a whole in their pockets and a desire to get it now, not later, now, without the effort and dedication that is actually required to achieve a goal
your body will adapt to that
whatever that is
so
go get a tens unit and strap yourself in, tell your self that electrocution is a better way to get your "core" in shape
go "confuse" your muscles (show me the Cerebral Cortex located in any muscle and I will give you a dollar!)
go get a coach that yells at you like the guys on tv, the ones that heartbroken mothers bring their fatherless, ne'er do well children to, the ones that are selected to make "the biggest loser" out of a handful of carefully screened participants in a program that was designed to generate advertising revenue and sell products
go join a box gym where you can keep paying your membership fees till the end of time, whether you come or not, they will not care, you can keep pushing your self to "the max" to "feel the burn" while you are stationary in a mobile dynamic world strapped into a machine that restricts your range of motion and provides zero feedback while your "trainer" checks his text messages and mumbles slogans at you
go jump on a bosu or physio ball and wobble around while you try to lift weight that you have a hard time lifting in a stable environment through ranges of motion that would make any elite athlete's joint scream for mercy
knock yourself out
I will still be the guy in a no-where gym, that no one has ever heard of, with a pile of cannonballs with handles and some other seemingly innocuous tools
and myself, and my dedicated students, will be getting stronger, faster, with greater flexiblity and range of motion, with full control of every joint in our bodies and every muscle in at our conscious disposal, and we will be smiling and laughing the whole time
I will not condescend to you or say "I told you so" when you show up on my doorstep, or at the door of someone like me, seeking to fix the damage, and take the road that leads to a successful outcome, rather than the easy path
I will however still charge you for my services
my generosity has its limits
selah
Get Strong, Stay Strong
and remember to Breathe
James
Meals, recipes, and what feeds the machine
| ||||||
From H. Valentine, a 90 day program client
She is working through a 90 day program with me, 2 1 hr sessions a week
"Those quick lil' stretches you recommended that I do @ my desk really make a difference in how I'm feelin' (less sleepy, despite not getting enough zzz's)… Between taking my eyes of the screen for a moment and getting to move around, it's awesome. Thanks!"
come and find out what she is talking about
--
I am ready for the zombies....no really...
--
I am ready for the zombies....no really...
Last night, this morning and from now on
Not a huge turnout at the park last night, but the folks that di come out had some fun and learned a little about how they move, and how to move better.
--
I am ready for the zombies....no really...
Thanks to Vicki and Mike for supporting me last night by showing up with the camera and getting some action shots, they will be forthcoming
Tis mornings Z-Fighter Training was a really great session with my newest rising star...Heidi
Heidi is an old friend (first person Muns and I met when we hit Mpls way back in 95) and we lost touch for a while
she had a life, had some kids, had some tough bits, and is now on the road to an incredible recovery. Her story will be coming to the 5ringsfitness.com site soon
so look for updates there
if you have been attending the group classes and are a regular, I will be making a few minor changes that I will discuss with you individually
the general gist is this though,
my generosity has limits, and I think I may have reached them
commitment is necessary for anything to function
that means a commitment of time, and effort
thus
change will come again
I am new to this professional game, and will make no bones about it
see you when I see you
and I hope to see you soon
Get Strong, Stay Strong
James
--
I am ready for the zombies....no really...
Today's meet at Veteran's Memorial Park
James will be flying solo this evening, Spencer has obligations that must be met. However, the work will not! So, bring a towel, a lot of water, a notebook and pen, and be ready to learn, and get the work done. I promise to keep it fun and simple, yet still efficient and effective. You are encouraged to bring whatever kettlebell you currently use, I will have my FMS screening kit and will screen any that wish to benefit from that service. Tonight will be the first official "class" at this new location and I am looking forward to it being an excellent experience for all who participate. See you there.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
Join my twitter army!! Become a grease monkey....
what is a grease monkey?
if you join my twitter army ( follow me @5RingsFitness )
you can get in on my daily "grease the groove"
this is the method by which you can become exceptionally skilled at a particular lift, movement pattern, or feat of strength.
For example
if the push up were the gtg (grease the groove) for the day
when the tweet goes out to the twitter army, you do 1-3 push ups
this could happen every 15 min or every hour, depending on the day and the movement/lift/strength feat for the day
proving you have done the assigned task will be easy, you will demonstrate marked improvement in that movement/lift/strength the next time you report for class.
off to 5 Rings Fitness now, to administer the kind of instruction that only I can provide to my students
enjoy the day
enjoy your world
enjoy your life
it could be the best one you have ever had....
now back on your heads
if you join my twitter army ( follow me @5RingsFitness )
you can get in on my daily "grease the groove"
this is the method by which you can become exceptionally skilled at a particular lift, movement pattern, or feat of strength.
For example
if the push up were the gtg (grease the groove) for the day
when the tweet goes out to the twitter army, you do 1-3 push ups
this could happen every 15 min or every hour, depending on the day and the movement/lift/strength feat for the day
proving you have done the assigned task will be easy, you will demonstrate marked improvement in that movement/lift/strength the next time you report for class.
off to 5 Rings Fitness now, to administer the kind of instruction that only I can provide to my students
enjoy the day
enjoy your world
enjoy your life
it could be the best one you have ever had....
now back on your heads
Classes in the park
Some fun last night at Veteran's Memorial Park in Richfield (I was at 66th and Chicago)
The classes will continue apace out there and hopefully those who showed interest will return, get screened, get mobile, get strong, and stay strong.
Wish folks would pay less attention to the commercial version of health and square away their ability to move themselves through the world in an efficient and pain free manner, it is my mission to cure this viral disease with the tools I have accumulated. The focus on breath, posture, strength, speed, and stamina in that order, is not just a cute ad gimmick. Dedicated practice will lead to a life filled with strength and fun. Why would you not want that?
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
The classes will continue apace out there and hopefully those who showed interest will return, get screened, get mobile, get strong, and stay strong.
Wish folks would pay less attention to the commercial version of health and square away their ability to move themselves through the world in an efficient and pain free manner, it is my mission to cure this viral disease with the tools I have accumulated. The focus on breath, posture, strength, speed, and stamina in that order, is not just a cute ad gimmick. Dedicated practice will lead to a life filled with strength and fun. Why would you not want that?
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
Up a size and today's work
I need to buy a new wedding band, my knuckles are larger, not swollen, the bone density and size has increased...
My hands hurt less, I do more with them, and now I have to get a new band. Thank goodness we opted for titanium eh?
Today so far
Full body z session (5 min)
20 sets of Vo2 max snatches at 6 per set on a 15:15 work rest ratio
Split a deck of cards into 2 stacks of 26, tore them each in half, split the 4 halves into 8 sets of 13 and quartered them.
Later today you can come and hang out with me at Veteran's Memorial Park in Richfield MINUTE where I will be holding the first session of an ongoing 6:30 pm kettlebell class/guided workout. Details at www.getstrongstaystrong.com
Remember to breath
Get strong
Stay strong
Now back on your heads
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
My hands hurt less, I do more with them, and now I have to get a new band. Thank goodness we opted for titanium eh?
Today so far
Full body z session (5 min)
20 sets of Vo2 max snatches at 6 per set on a 15:15 work rest ratio
Split a deck of cards into 2 stacks of 26, tore them each in half, split the 4 halves into 8 sets of 13 and quartered them.
Later today you can come and hang out with me at Veteran's Memorial Park in Richfield MINUTE where I will be holding the first session of an ongoing 6:30 pm kettlebell class/guided workout. Details at www.getstrongstaystrong.com
Remember to breath
Get strong
Stay strong
Now back on your heads
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
Good show mates!
To all who made this mornings class, I think you all get it now, why the motion is so important, and the weight is not. Excellent performance.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
Today's fun tomorrow's class, and Thursday's
Dig
My personal work lately has leaned toward the "simple and sinister"
Deadlift and pullup
Press and Pistol
Pushup and Overhead Squats
Swings, Kalos Sthenos or Hardstyle Get ups,and of course snatching on the Viking Warrior Conditioning protocol
Today was a low volume day,
Neural Warm Up lvl 1
10 minutes HS TGU swithing sides after each rep
Then
On a 1:1 work ratio 10 minutes
1 minute of 1 clean and press 16kg then 1 pistol left and right
1 minute of S-phase sprint patterning
Repeated for 10 minutes
Some double stick, and double dagger work, and some jkd kick boxing entries from the lead hand response with pak sao bridging and sum choi
Tomorrow in the am class we will go over last weeks work with the TGU and cement the amazing gains you all made last wed.
Announcement-
Starting 7/2/09
That's this thur.
RKC II Spencer Bradford and I in our collaboration as "Get Strong Stay Strong" will be presenting a new class 6:30pm every thur. Till we can not be outside anymore.
The classes will take place at Veteran's Memorial Park in Richfield.
The cost will be 150$ for a 4 week session. Call or email for details. As soon as all the spots are taken registration will begin for the August cycle. Join us and enjoy a fantastic workout, a lot of learning about kettlebells, strength, and yourselves.
Now
Back on your heads
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
My personal work lately has leaned toward the "simple and sinister"
Deadlift and pullup
Press and Pistol
Pushup and Overhead Squats
Swings, Kalos Sthenos or Hardstyle Get ups,and of course snatching on the Viking Warrior Conditioning protocol
Today was a low volume day,
Neural Warm Up lvl 1
10 minutes HS TGU swithing sides after each rep
Then
On a 1:1 work ratio 10 minutes
1 minute of 1 clean and press 16kg then 1 pistol left and right
1 minute of S-phase sprint patterning
Repeated for 10 minutes
Some double stick, and double dagger work, and some jkd kick boxing entries from the lead hand response with pak sao bridging and sum choi
Tomorrow in the am class we will go over last weeks work with the TGU and cement the amazing gains you all made last wed.
Announcement-
Starting 7/2/09
That's this thur.
RKC II Spencer Bradford and I in our collaboration as "Get Strong Stay Strong" will be presenting a new class 6:30pm every thur. Till we can not be outside anymore.
The classes will take place at Veteran's Memorial Park in Richfield.
The cost will be 150$ for a 4 week session. Call or email for details. As soon as all the spots are taken registration will begin for the August cycle. Join us and enjoy a fantastic workout, a lot of learning about kettlebells, strength, and yourselves.
Now
Back on your heads
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by CREDO Mobile.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
