Leading from the Front

I thought I would start to keep some of my personal logs here on the blog so that you folks could see that I am indeed, a human just like you

as such

I had a great thanksgiving, there was much beer, meat, sweet potatoes, yams (not candied), squash, pecan and pumpkin pie, whipped cream, green beans (these were from our garden this year and were frozen, still wicked tasty), gravy, rolls and single malt scotch

there was tearing of phone books

then came the next 3 days of gorging on leftovers, drinking more beer and eating a lot more of the afore mentioned pies

so, now its back to the normal day to day

today's efforts and diet log is as such

this morning: 1 cup of coffee, 1 cup of yogurt with udo's oil (1 tbsp), fish oil (1 tbsp) and greens mix, mega foods men's 1 daily multi, 1 double shot of espresso with honey

hit some club work (1lb indian clubs, english style) consisting of 10 repetitions in each direction of the 5 basic movements for a total of 100 reps, and a full body training session of I-Phase Z-Health

at lunch

20 reps in each direction of all 5 movements with the 1lb clubs, 10 minutes of kalos sthenos get ups with the 16kg bell, 100 20kg snatches, 20 reps in both directions all 5 movements 1lb clubs, full body training session of I-Phase Z-Health

this was all done in 45 minutes at a very leisurely pace

Lunchtime meal

Mixed herb salad with 1 can of sardines, feta cheese, tomatoes, bragg's amino's, caesar dressing, double shot of espresso with honey

the day is young

as I said in the beginning of the post, I will try to keep a daily rundown of my work and nutrition so that you guys can see how easy it really is to stay on top and in good working order

with a focus on Precision, Progression, and Variety (as Dr Thomas has intimated, though he stipulated it as Progression, Variety and Precision) it keeps the work light and fun and the progress forward constant and measurable

these pics are for reference, to see what 30 days of my approach to fitness can do to someone

 

understand, I am already in decent physical condition, so your mileage may vary

but lets see what I can do in 30 days

if I can do it

so can you

Get Strong, Stay Strong

and don't let the bastards drag you down

Confused about Breathing? You won't be, after this episode of SOAP

Breathing, an important and oft overlooked component of fitness and life in general
people pay lip service to the breath, saying you have to breath one way or another
behind the shield
from the belly
from the diaphragm
with the pelvic floor
hold the breath
relax the breath
mechanical
anatomical
reverse
power

confused?
you won't be after this episode of SOAP

SOAP is the acronym I have come up with to describe my philosophy on breath work

Simple
Optimal
Active
Practiced


keep it simple
really what is breathing anyway
it is a blood gas exhange that takes place in the lungs
the alveoli absorb an oxygen molecule from the gases we inhale (not all of what we breathe in is o2, FYI:Air is made up of 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and small quantities of CO2, argon and helium)  O2 moves through the alveoli to the pulmonary capillaries, then oxygenated blood moves into the pulmonary veins which return to the left side of the heart to be pumped to the tissues via red blood cells (which is why we need Iron in our diet and in many cases must supplement to get the Iron we need, most men and women especially, are deficient in Iron)
From the blood to the tissues and cells, O2 gets carried along and exchanged for Co2 (exhaled)
this is the baseline explanation of the blood gas exchange that is breathing

lets get simpler

Breathe, with every part of you that can breathe, this means full breaths, complete expansion of the ribs and stomach, all the way down to the bottom of the lungs and full relaxed exhale, forget about whether or not you need abdominal tension to brace or axial lengthening or anything else for now,
Just focus on the breath

Are you getting a full inhale and exhale on each breath?

want to alkylize the blood?
breathe
want to lower your blood pressure?
breathe
want to get stronger?
breathe
Want to .....

just Breathe....



Optimal


What is the optimal breathing pattern for you?
what are you doing?
why are you doing it?
are you under a load or not
standing, lying down, bent over, folded up like a card table?

here I may depart from some of my peers, and from the opinions of the fitness mavens and popular folks out there in iron land
groovy
this does not bother me...

the optimal breathing pattern
for YOU
not me, or the guy on the bus stop bench next to you rocking out to Jethro Tull and eating cheetos out of a baggie,

YOU
is the breathing pattern that is the most efficient for the given task
this means, that the Optimal breathing pattern is the one that gets the most oxygen into your cells, with the least amount of effort, and is still consistent with the activity you are participating in

frankly, if you can run a 100 yard dash and not breathe hard, that would be Optimal
if you can lift your 1 rep max in a deadlift and never grunt
that is Optimal

I will say that breathing with your neck and trapezius muscles, is not optimal
breathing with your mouth, not likely the most optimal methodology
holding your breath, unless you are swimming, is not optimal

So, Bracing
yep, great, go nuts,
still have to breathe, and breathing into the deepest part of your lungs will allow for more o2 to be delivered to the cells, which means more atp production, which means more muscular contraction, which means ........


Active

don't passively breathe
be active about it, draw breath in and exhale willfully
sure
its a reflex
still
practice breathing like every other thing, as a skill
(more on skill development in a later posting)
become a master of the breath and you will be aware of your body, which will lead to more fine motor and thus more gross motor skill
period
full stop

even Anatomical breathing is an active endeavor after a certain point, as you will start to want to suck air in as though it were going out of style when your hear rate goes up
(honestly, if you are in a state where you are sucking air in, you may want to rest, this is not efficient, unless you are working on distress or stress reaction management, more on that in a later post)


Practiced
that word again
yes
it means exactly what I think it means, that is why I keep using it

Practice different methods of breathing
like
a
skill
develop breathing
as
a
skill

become a master of your breath
you would be amazed at how simple other activities can become when you can manage your breath

it is the one reflexive action, the single autonomic nervous system function, that we can exercise a good amount of control over and thereby control of our physical, mental, and emotional state

5 minutes of crocodile breathing can establish the baseline for good breathing while moving
which will lead to higher quality movement
which can quickly establish new movement patterns that are more efficient
which can remove compensatory patterns built up to overcome restrictions caused by poor movement, or guarding reflexes stemming from prior injuries or trauma (even if it was 10 years ago, the residual effect can still be with you)
which can lead to......

seriously
5 minutes on your stomach, breathing into your gut and not your chest (accessory breathing, akin to doing tens of thousands of shoulder shrugs every day, sore neck and shoulders? really? you don't say....) can set the stage for some serious strength and mobility work

Breath,
Posture,
Strength,
Speed,
Stamina

the 5 Rings of Fitness


next

Posture

why the spine is the most important component of any physical endeavor

The beginning of wisdom is a definition of terms-Socrates

So first let us define our terms

I will be continuing the conversation I began with my last post by first setting the stage for the conversation. 

My over arching goal, is to bring health, wellness, mobility, strength and longevity to any that have contact with me. Be that in the real or virtual world.

A little history for those that do not know me or are new to my blog

I am a 20+ year martial artist, and physical culture proponent, student, and instructor

I teach the Hardstyle method of Kettlebell lifting (RKC) the Thomas method of Indian Club Swinging, and Jeet Kune Do concepts and Filipino Martial arts as passed on to me by my instructor Sifu Michael O'Melia through his Instructor Guru Dan Inosanto with a direct and unbroken line to Sigung Bruce Lee. As a physical culture, and martial art/sport/science instructor I have a very pragmatic and sometimes jaded view of function and utility.

I am not, a doctor

nutritionist

chemist

psychologist

or anything else that I have not stated that I am

Take my wee little column for what it is, my opinions and observations based on my experience

Filter what I present through your own experience, and come to your own conclusions

Test the veracity of any claims I make and if you feel like correcting me, there is a form to make comments, please use it

Lets talk first about Diet

currently, it seems there is a new version of variable fasting and modified Atkins/Ornish diet, gluten free, casein free, nothing that casts a shadow diet every 15 minutes

if they have bought you success, groovy

I will state however that my understanding of pain is this-pain is any thing that produces a noxious response in the body

since we as humans are evolutionarily wired for survival and not for performance, anything that registers as pain with the cns (central nervous system, the governing body, nothing happens without it) 

that stimulus will be remembered very clearly and concisely, we may adapt to the stimulus over time, but it will always be a pain signal, we will in fact be adapting to pain

jumbled?

ever talk to someone that comes off the Atkins diet, the person who lost a buttload (literally in some cases) of weight, and when they went back to eating like a normal person they packed the weight back on in short order

their body thought they were starving, it went into a state of ketosis, consuming its own tissues to feed the daily caloric needs for survival, and when eating pattern was returned to normal, the cns told the body to pack on the pounds,

 because another famine could be just around the corner and if we survived last time with what we had around our hips thighs and butt, we need more of that 

survival

not performance

how bout vegans?

not enough protein, too much fat, bad skin and poor digestion, uptake of nutrients is deficient

they look like death warmed over with acne

great....

not the diet, its them, and their lack of understanding in how to get the nutrition they need to survive from the diet they have chosen....

do you have a thyroid problem is that why you are fat?

are you sure

have you had that confirmed by a doctor?

or do you really have a fork control problem?

some would make the case that what we put in is not as important as how our body uses it

ok

eat dirt, it has calories, how long will you last?

live on ramen and pop tarts (college right?)

think your liver will love you for long?

can you in fact survive on mc food and live long and hale?

dunno, I posit that you will live better if you avoid mc anything and stick with food, not mc food

there is a clip on youtube of a 4 year old cheeseburger, is that right?

with obesity, diabetes, cancer of all types, and a host of other horrific stuff going on in our population, I have to wonder

is it us, or is it the crap that we get sold as being food?

can you honestly tell me you get 8 servings of fruits and vegetables every day?

take my challenge, 

go to your cupboards or fridge, pull anything that has

high fructose corn syrup, or more than 5 ingredients and set it on one side, 

then

gather all the other things in your cupboards and fridge that are considered food on the other side of your kitchen

how big are the stacks?

which one is bigger?

are you eating food or a chemical slurry that allows a hamburger to last 4 years without being eaten by pests or decomposing?

here are my dietary guidelines, the ones I follow

eat as close to the ground as possible

eat as fresh as possible

eat food that is cooked as little as possible

eat as close to home as possible (food form local farms etc)

try not to eat anything that came from a box or was wrapped in plastic

eat more vegetables and fruit than meat

drink more water than any other beverage, coffee, tea and alcohol in moderation

eat when I am hungry, stop eating when I am thirsty

leave the beverages for at least an hour after I have eaten to let my stomach do its thing, but if I need a swig of liquid to get my food down, groovy

if it comes from a package, keep the ingredients list to under 5 ingredients, less if possible

if it has a label, be wary

give this a shot for 30 days, let me know what you think

we are just talking diet so far,not exercise, sport, athletics, martial topics, or self defense

health is the best self defense

next up

breathing

Over the next few months, I will be setting the stage for an upcoming project.

The project is a return to common sense methods of maintaining health, mobility, flexibility, and functional movement. Many fitness “professionals” these days, seem to be frankly, trying to keep up with the latest trends and fads.

Why?

Why not look to the methods that have lasted for hundreds, and in some cases, literally thousands of years.

In a world where the general public seems to be assuming more and more abnormal shapes, question marks, pears, apples, odd fruit indeed. People should not be compared to fruit in their physical appearance. Imagine if someone said you look like a Durian

Well?

As people grow into these abnormal shapes, they also lose important physical abilities, circulation suffers, range of motion becomes limited, walking becomes a study in bio-mechanical adaptation that would make Darwin pull his teeth out.

So, I will be presenting some of the methods that have lasted, and though they have faded from the headlines, the principles are still present and currently used, no matter how the sales guru's and marketing mavens may hide them.

We will be discussing breath, posture, strength, speed and stamina. The 5 Rings of Fitness as I present them to my clients and students. I say we as I expect that my readers and clients will participate in the conversation, adding to it when they can, questioning me at every turn and testing the veracity of every claim I make. I exhort you to not believe a damn thing I say, research it, run your findings through the filter of your own experience, then decide for yourself if the information is germane to the task that you are faced with.

We will be discussing dietary guidelines, supplementation, exercise, joint mobility, movement as a means of ameliorating the stress of daily life and physical activity, and occasionally why I think something is insane, stupid, or dangerous.

So, in the immortal words of Mike D, get ready cause this aint funny......

out for the weekend

I will be attending the first Certified Indian Club Specialist clinic being held this weekend in St Paul (hosted by Dragon Door, thanks John, Dennis, Brett, and the rest of the crew)
This means that I will be getting to hang out with my mates from the RKC, and getting some first class instruction on the use of the indian club from Dr Ed Thomas ( a recognized and humble authority on the use of the club, and a really really nice guy to boot )

Last weekend I had the honor of helping Dr Thomas teach some of the participants in the MPD PAL program how to perform some simple bodyweight, medicine ball, dumb bell, kettle bell ( I got to put on that presentation, and apparently I sound like a drill seargent ;) ) and agility drills to maintain and promote health and wellness
This program came out of the correspondence that Jason Green of CES Fitness and Dr Thomas had regarding the good Dr's program in Iowa ( see http://www.ihpra.org/ for more details on that )
This was not only a great time and great opportunity, but it was a huge learning experience for me as well
getting to help out was both an honor and a privilege that I am thankful to Jason and Dr Thomas for, and I have not forgotten Jason's crew of dedicated trainers (Laura, Nate, Will Kirsten, you guys were a hit) who helped out with every aspect of the event

The MPD PAL program is a worthwhile effort and needs your support, if you can, help them out


In other news, here are a few pics from my recent appearance at the Richfield Wellness Expo
The photos were supplied by Jennifer, one of my regular students at the Veteran's Memorial Park Arts Center classes
thanks to her for the pics, to Hannah for assisting me, and to Ben and Usman for showing up to support and hang out

This was a lot of fun and some good folks seemed to get the idea pretty quickly. I am always somewhat surprised by how fast the buy in is on the kettlebell, you either realize right away that there is way more to the cannonball with a handle, or that you are perhaps not as in shape as you thought, either way, the bells are always a crowd pleaser, and the club swinging that came at the end of the hour was praised by all who hung out for it.

Coming up in May (the 22nd) I will be giving a clinic hosted by the folks at 

MN Valley Martial Arts

I will be covering the basics of the Z-Health system, and how Z-Health can help you overcome movement restrictions, help to restore mobility, gain strength, become a better athlete, and get more pleasure out of your daily life through joint mobility and quality movement. The cost of the clinic is yet to be set, but it will not break the bank

DVDs and other Z-Health material will be available for purchase, so this will also be an opportunity to save a few bucks on shipping, if you would like to pre-order dvds email me by May 15th and I will have your order waiting for you at the clinic.

To get a pre view of what will be happening, show up for one of the fitness classes offered at the host academy and get warmed up before they put you through your paces for a good workout that looked like fun for all involved.

See you all next week either in class or in private

Get Strong

Stay Strong

make it easy, every time, and it will always be easy

a call to action

a lot has been going on here at 5 Rings Fitness, personally and with my clientelle

bio-feedback has been the topic of many conversations and posts, and if you follow anyone on this you should be following these people

The Movement

Mike T Nelson

Adam T Glass

if you have not heard of them, then you are missing out

we are all part of a growing community of folks that realize some basic, fundamental truths

your brain and nervous system are the governing things in your body
without which, you will be a lump of goo with some calcified structures and visecera

so

use that system that governs you to your advantage, or not, up to you really

you can
use bio-feedback ( a term and method that is older than any of us ) to become better faster and never stop advancing
or
you can ignore what your body tosses up as road signs, run off the road now and then, and occasionally through blind luck and genetics, make some gains

want to get that fat off?
biofeedback
wnat to get stronger
biofeedback
want to get faster?
biofeedback

am I reaching you herbert?

try it, just try it
and tell me if you are not a little creeped out

perform a toe touch, when you feel tension "anywhere" in your body, mark that range of motion

perform a movement pattern

perform the toe touch again with the same speed and test the range of motion at which you feel tension

if it got better, the movement is good, if not, pick a different movement

pick a few movements that co-incide with your goals (strength, speed, agility, fat loss, muscle gain etc)

pick the one that tests the best

use that movement as your work for the session

there is more available on this at the sites I listed, go
investigate
test the veracity of my claims

join us
become one of a tribe of folks that are making leaps and bounds toward our personal bests everytime we put our wheels on the track

or get run over

the only thing in the middle of the road, is road kill and paint

get strong
stay strong

dont take your guns to town son.....

put the pistol away after my third day last week
1/1 x 3 every 15 minutes was more than enough work
the next day the pistol tested b adly so I switched to one arm pushups at a roughly 45 degree incline for the rest of the progression
by friday 5/5 was hit and the fun was over

next week the clubs come out
not to hit any one with
to swing
Indian Clubs are a fun and functional tool that I employ on a regular basis
it seems that the trend has come around again

John DuCane at Dragondoor has put together another cert for us, The Certified Indian Club Specialist Workshop

looks like I will be attending, a chance to commiserate with my mates in the RKC, learn from Dr Thomas, and swing sticks....

what can I say
I am a simple man

since many of my students and clients have expressed interest in using the Indian Clubs, and
some of them have taken up club swinging
it seems a natural fit

at any rate

here we go!

get ready mates, 6 pairs of 1 lb clubs are enroute to my home for use in the Richfield classes and with my private clients

in other news


Someone figured out that kettlebells do indeed burn a lot of calories in a short time....
this from the Office of Captain obvious

sorry to sound snarky
if you could not figure out that moving a chunk of metal at high speeds in explosive full body motions did not burn a ton of calories, build incredible force production and strength output, and deliver mind numbing endurance

you have not been paying attention

either way
good on ACE for stepping up with some truly empircal studies of the effects of kettlebell use

if you are coming to the classes I teach, you will already recognize the 15:15 protocol of snatching/push pressing/high pulling/swinging from our bouts

if you are not in my class,
I have to ask
Why not?
where else can you get quality instruction from an RKC that incorporates the Functional Movement Screen, Z-Health, and other cutting edge exercise science to deliver the best fitness experience at the lowest cost?

answer?
no where

15$ at the door, $150 for a 12 punch card
Monday Evenings 6:30-8pm

10$ at the door, $100 for a 12 punch card
Tuesday afternoons 12:15-12:45pm



PS

I recently got the High Gear from Tony Blauer Tactical and am impressed so far with the suit

for the private Martial Arts Students I have, you know what that means
better training, more realism, deeper knowledge of the use of the self defense and sport material I have been teaching you

See you when I see you

pistol packing

FMS Corrective Strategies and or Z-Health Warm Up

10 Minutes of Kalos Sthenos with a light Kettlebell

Take 2 Bells of equal weight

Place bells side by side and perform the following complex:

1 Push up

1 Renegade Row per Side

Clean both bells to the rack

1 Front Squat

1 dbl Press

Continue for 10 minutes

Rest when any of the 4 Elements of Efficiency are no longer present

Finish with 10 Minutes of Hardstyle Turkish Get Ups with a bell weighing no more than 20% of your bodyweight

Z-Health Cool Down

Last week was a good bit of work

Mon

12,600 lbs of pressing 5/5 every 15 minutes, 36 rounds

Tue

14,000 lbs of pressing 5/5 every 15 minutes, 40 rounds

Wed

16,800 lbs of presssing 3,2,1 l/r every 15 minutes, 40 rounds

Thur

19,600 lbs of pressing 3,2,2 l/r every 15 minutes, 40 rounds

Fri

54,000 lbs of pressing 3,3,3 l/r every 15 minutes 40 rounds + 40 rounds of mvo2 Viking Push press

all done with the 16kg bell

this week is pistols

all pistols

all week

today

1/1

tomorrow

1/1 1/1

 etc

until friday which will culminate in 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 every 15 minutes

grease the groove with me

pick one thing

do it once or twice per hour

all day

go

its brand new, its brand new to you

Workout of the Day

FMS Corrective Strategies and or Z-Health Warm Up

10 Minutes of Kalos Sthenos with a light Kettlebell

3-5 Sets of 3-5 Reps:Body Weight "Bone Rhythm" Squats

3-5 Sets of 3-5 Reps"Bone Rhythm" Push Ups(these can be performed on any surface that allows the movement to be crisp, precise, and puts the least amount of stress on the system

Rest when any of the 4 Elements of Efficiency are no longer present

10 Minutes of Hardstyle Turkish Get Ups with a bell weighing no more than 20% of your bodyweight

Z-Health Cool Down

Its a new year

again

yesterday I started my new year routine as I do every year, revisiting the basics

the first piece of the basics pie is the press

so,

Mon

strict press 16kg 5 left/5 right every 15 minutes 36 rounds

Tue

Strict Press 16kg 5 left/ right every 15 minutes 40 rounds

Wed (thats today)

Strict Press Ladder 16kg 3,2,1 left/right every 15 minutes 40 rounds

Thurs

same deal,

every morning I test my one set maximum

Mon it was 6 with the 24kg, Tue it was 16kg for 10, today it was 16kg for 12

this is one set of very precisely executed, perfect form, no tension press from below the chin to full lock out with the arm behind the ear military press with the 16kg bell

I will stay with this until next monday, when I will test with the 24kg again

get the picture?

the matrix I am following for the month of January is as follows

Max set left + max set right= A

A/2=b

B=top rung of ladder

so

every day, the ladder will be run from top to bottom every 15 minutes for 36-40 rounds (depending on when I arrive at my office job)

I will add reps as needed and flow up the matrix until I hit a new max set per arm and reset

this is my January

what are you doing for the first month of the new year?