Sandbag Training......are you serious???

Yes, very serious!!! Sandbag training is EFFECTIVE! But not as effective as the movement science behind it. Without a doubt, the modern pioneer of effective Sandbag training is Strength coach Josh Henkin. Nobody has done more to advance this obscure tool than Josh and when Josh speaks, I listen.

The following is a testimonial I have for Josh and his Sandbag Certification.

I have had the honor and privilege of knowing Josh Henkin for the last 14 years. Josh and I met in Arizona at a gym in the 90’s and it was clear to see at that time that Josh was determined to teach and train people with the best strength and conditioning methods available. I credit Josh for exposing me to  Kettlebells and of course Sandbags. Personally and professionally I owe a lot to Josh because I know of very few people in the fitness industry who continue to grow, learn, share, teach, coach, encourage and empower people like he does. I can count on one hand the number of people who are as educated and experienced as Josh. He has literally taken every certification out there and continues to learn from the brightest and the best. What he has done to contribute to the evolution of strength methods is powerful and his development of his LIFT certification program is the pinnacle of his career in my opinion.

I had the privilege of taking Josh’s Sandbag L.I.F.T certification earlier this year in Los Angeles and to say I was impressed is an understatement. This two day course was packed with hands on training, practical programming and direct Q and A with Josh throughout the entire weekend. Let me highlight why I think this course should be taken by any serious student of strength and conditioning.

1)      This course is QUALITY BASED with movement excellence as the goal.  Improvements in total body integration along with enhanced body awareness are the first things I noticed after day one. Josh has an amazing ability to dissect movement down to its most basic and fundamental patterns and then immediately and harmoniously teach you how to integrate all of the body. He then seamlessly progresses into more COMPLEX PATTERNS.

2)      It’s not about lifting HEAVIER all the time. Josh explained how easy it is to fall into this trap. Just get stronger and all your problems will be solved. NOT TRUE! Josh made it very clear why just putting more weight on the bar will not necessarily make you a better athlete.  It may make you stronger at that one lift but it won’t guarantee you better athletic success. The body must simultaneously get better at various patterns of movement along with improvements in coordination, power production, agility and MOBILITY!

3)      The importance of training in all planes of motion, ESPECIALLY in ROTATION!  Training in all three dimensions simultaneously is essential and is easy achieved with Sandbags.  But don’t be fooled. It’s not the typical rotational nonsense we see in the functional training movement.  Josh’s rotational progressions are the real deal and should and must be taken seriously. I was HUMBLED when I couldn’t successfully complete even some of the basic sandbag rotational movements.

4)      The PROGRESSIONS are safe, fun and more importantly effective. Josh takes all body positions, grip possibilities,  foot stances and gives you clear instruction on how  and why to progress. I was almost overwhelmed with the depth of detail that Josh goes into covering the different body positions alone.

5)      His new Sandbags are so fun to use with all of the new grips possibilities. The new bags are much more durable than any sandbag I have ever used. The POTENTIAL and infinite amount of drills, exercises and patterns is really, REALLY COOL! 

6)      This is a HANDS ON COURSE!! BIG TIME!! There is no sitting around and only discussing theory. You get your hands on these SANDBAGS from the first 10 minutes of the course.  What I love about his course is that Josh always emphasized POSTURE and BODY POSITIONS over muscles. Huge emphasis on proper DIAPHRAGMATIC FUNCTION AND BREATH! The emphasis on MASTERY is what makes Josh an AMAZING COACH. The certification was full of excellent coaches with lots of experience. We were all humbled with even the slightest change of body position or foot position.  The CREATIVITY that Josh has infused into his LIFT system is incredible. Honestly, I am JEALOUS that I didn’t think of some of these possibilities on my own.

7)      Josh emphasizes what is going on INSIDE your body (the intention you have while performing the movements) rather than focusing solely on the EXTERNAL.  This is MINDFUL practice, purposeful practice!!!! Of course you feel like you are working but that is a bi-product of focusing on the proper intentions.

8)      The section on Assessment was very cool.  What I liked about it was that Josh taught you how to assess various movements and muscle activation patterns such as PRONE HIP EXTENSION and then taught us how to find the correct Sandbag movement to improve our glute function and hip mobility. Every single person improved their Hip function immediately with the Sandbag movements, specifically the BEAR HUG SQUAT.

9)      Josh taught us how to successfully combine the TRX and the Kettlebell with Sandbags. As a Senior RKC Kettlebell Instructor in the RKC system, I can confidently say that the SANDBAG methods Josh has come up with are an excellent compliment to the RKC Kettlebell methods and system.

10)   The PRORGRAM DESIGN  section was worth the price of admission alone. On day two we had to demonstrate to Josh our knowledge of the sandbag exercises by designing a program for a very specific type of athlete. This was fun yet challenging because it forced us to really think through the essentials of intelligent programing and implementation.

11)   Another BONUS was that Josh gave every student a copy of his HIGH OCTANE Sandbag DVD covering many of the essential and foundational sandbag movements.

Overall I couldn’t have been happier with the LIFT certification. It opened my eyes to a new tool which I now love and to programming progressions which are pure genius!  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you take the LIFT certification and continue to grow, evolve and improve your health, body function and intelligence. Congratulations Josh, this course is the GOLD STANDARD in Sandbag Training.

Hardstyle goes to South America!!!!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
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Very excited to have taught along side of Yoana Teran the first ever Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification in South America. Last weekend on November 26, 2011 (and also my Birthday), we taught an HKC in Caracas, Venezuela.  I am still so excited and jazzed from the experience. All of the students were eager to learn, professional, focused and enthusiastic. There will be great things to come out of  Venezuela and I forsee an explosion of Hardstyle Kettlebell methods all over Venezuela and the rest of Central and South America. 

In fact let's go ahead and include the great country of MEXICO in that line up as well. We will be heading to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in March of 2012 to teach the first ever HKC in Mexico!! Exicting times for Dragon Door, the RKC School of Strength and Revolution Fitness!! We have much to be thankful for!!

We want to thank our host HKC Monica Sancio for helping us bring this incredible HKC certificaiton to Venezuela. We also want to thank our sponsors Gatorade as well as HKC Eduardo Gonzalez for all of his help and support during the weekend.  More pics and Venezuela updates to come!!!!

Are you Kettlebell Juggling?

Just got back from Fort Collins, Colorado where I taught an HKC certification. RKC Aaron Pierson was the host and was a excellent host to say the least. We had a rather small group but what was really cool was that many of the top RKC Colorado Instructors came up to watch and assist. Josh Hillis, Valerie Hedlund, Gus Petersen, Shari Wagner, Jim Perry and Heather Hubbard. It's always great to get talented RKC's together because ideas organically come to life and we all learn off each other! Really enjoyed my time in Colorado (although I am glad to be back in San Diego.....I don't like being cold and I love the ocean).

Now onto Juggling. The day after the HKC Aaron Pierson and I had the opportunity to drive to Denver and spend two hours training with RKC Gus Petersen and his lovely wife Karen. Gus is the creator of the K.A.T (Kettlebell Athletic Training System.)  The K.A.T. system is an all-Amerian system of kettlebell juggling moves that's as physically demaning and mentally engaging as your chosen sport, athletic endeavor, or outdoor adventure.  I have alway been curious about kettlebell juggling but have never had any serious coaching. To say I was impressed with Gus and his juggling is an understatement. It was some of the most challening and fun training I have ever done. The amount of hand eye coordination, FOCUS and quickness that is needed is off the charts!!!  Neurologically I felt alive.

Gus took us through his foundational juggling movements and coached us through a step-by step progression that allowed to start juggling right off the start. Gus's coaching is so effective yet so simple. He got me to do things that I thought I would never be able to do.  I was so impressed with what Gus can do and the creative mind that he has, I will be hosting a joint workshop with Gus sometime in the near future. Details to come!

Here is a video compilation I put together of our session with Gus! Truly is amazing what is possible with kettlebell juggling. The MINDFULLNESS it requires is more than you could imagine!

How many of you are doing kettlebell juggling? Thoughts and comments are welcome.

Sprinting......why you should be doing it

Last Saturday I was forunate enought to give a brief lecture at the Hardstyle Ventura Workshop on the importance of SPRINTING and the many positive benefits of including this primal movement into your regimen!  It was amazing to see 50 plus people performing sprint technique drills and focusing on the basics. Just like we teach at the RKC, anybody can pick up a kettlebell and swing it; but not everyone can properly perform the KETTLEBELL SWING.  It is no different with sprint technique; everyone can attempt to run fast, but not everyone can run well.What I want to share with you today are some of the main principles I taught the group.

"You run on the ground - you sprint over it." - Perry Duncan

Why Sprint?

• Being able to move fast could save your life (and someone else as well)
• It keeps you functioning a very high level throughout life
• Better communication and activation of fast twitch fibers
• Can build MUSCLE and encourage FAT LOSS
• Makes you LOOK better - which is why the majority of people train anyway

• Positive hormonal reaction - Growth Hormone and Testosterone
• Anabolic Stimulus
• The most practical way to demonstrate ballistic HIP EXTENSION
• The ultimate in power training with just your bodyweight
• Some of the highest power outputs have been found in sprinting
• Very dynamic form of strength training / mobility training
• PALEO PEOPLE would say that sprinting was needed for evolutionary reason to catch prey or escape predators
• The ability to sprint at high intensity is a very good sign of orthopedic and neuro-endocrine health

Like any movement worth doing, the secret is learning CORRECT technique.  Although explaining proper technque in detail is far beyond the scope of this blog post, here are some essentials that you must know about proper sprint technique.

PROPER SPRINT POSITION

1. Head is held high and is the beginning of running tall
2. The torso erect
3. The hand of the driving arm comes up to the level of the face
4. The shoulders are relaxed
5. The hips are high enough above the ground to allow the driving leg to extend fully to the ground
6. The ankle of the recoevery leg clears the knee of the driving leg - MOST IMPORTANT****
7. The ankle fully extends at the end of the leg drive

Next post I will show the drills that I taught in learning proper sprint mechanics.

Question to all of you: are you currenty sprinting, why or why not?

Your thoughts and comments are always welcome!

Ginastica Natural Workshop with Senior RKC Peter Lakatos

Ginastica Natural Workshop

Taught by Senior RKC Pater Lakatos


When:  Thursday November 17, 2011  7pm - 9pm

Where: Revolution Fitness, La Jolla, CA

Host: Franz Snideman Senior RKC / Yoana Teran Casabianca  RKC Team Leader

Price:  $69 (when purchased before October 31)

* price will go up to $99 on November 1

We are very excited to be hosting Senior RKC Peter Lakatos from Hungary. Peter will be teaching a two hour workshop on Ginastic Natural. What is Ginastic Natural?

Ginastica Natural was developed by Alvaro Romana, from Brazil. Peter has spent extensive time training with Alvaro and has become a gifted teacher and practioner in this method of movement.

Here are some of the principles and benefits you will learn of at this Ginastica Natural workshop:

• based on Natural Movements of Primitive Man
• based on activities performed in nature or in any natural environment
• exercises can be practiced outside or inside
• Ginastica Natural is based on Jiu-Jitsu ground movements
• basic gymnastic bodyweight movements
• dynamic stretching and breathing techniques
• combines strength, flexibility, power, coordination and agility
• through dynamic breathing techniques the practioner will greatly improve mental and motor control

This is a hand on workshop and you will be learning the details and fundamentals of this incredible movement system. Peter has spent years studying this system. Through his years of training and experience Peter has also come up with some rather extraordinary methods for using these primitive movements for athletic enhancement as well as for corrective measures.

Who should take this course?

• Any RKC or HKC that is wanting to learn how to move better and with more fluidity and grace
• Any type of strength coach or trainer who wants to learn how to personally move their bodies better and help their clients do the same
• Any type of athlete who is not currently satisfied with mobility and flexibility
• Anybody who wants to look, move and feel better

If you have questions, e-mail me : franz@revolutionlajolla.com

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10 Random Thoughts

Every now and then I like to blog about random cool things that I feel are worth sharing and our making a difference in my life and in my clients life. For those of you that know me, you probably notice that I don't blog too much. If you don't know me, hopefully you'll find some information on my blog that will prompt you to make some positive changes in your health and fitness journey. Let's dive right into the topics....

1) Recovery weeks -  The older I get and more wear and tear I have on my body the more benefit I get from taking de-loading weeks. These are weeks where my volume is cut way back (sets and reps) and the intensity is cut way back as well (load). I think it is a HUGE mistake to continue to push the envelope. There is nothing wrong with getting stronger, however, eventually you have to pay the piper some time. Learn to back off every couple of weeks and listen to the warning signs your body is giving you. Constant aches and pains, lethargy, poor sleep and mood swings could mean you are pushing the training a bit too hard. The goal of training is get stronger and healthier not weaker and sicker. Most workouts should feel "Good" and you should leave feeling fresh and energized., not trashed and sick!

2) Program Minimum under times of Stress - When life gets stressful (and we will all  cycle in and out of stressful periods of life as long as we are alive) we need to find training methods which allow us to continue to train without smashing our immune systems into the ground. Pavel's Program Mimimum of GET UPS and SWINGS is just what the doctor ordered.  It could be as simple as this:

Monday - 15 Minutes of Get Ups ( sets of 3 per arm) + 20 swings (two hands on KB).
Tuesday - Walk, get outside for some fresh air
Wed - 15 Minutes of Get Ups (heavy singles) + 10 swings (heavy KB-two handed)
Thursday - Stretching - breathing - mobility work...should not feel like a workout
Friday - 15 minutes of Get Up Ladders (1 each side, 2 each side, 3 each side). Finish with 2 sets of easy swings (25 reps per set)

That is a sustainable training program for a couple of weeks during times of high stress and/or limited time. Constantly focus on the QUALITY of movements and try to get through the first week without feeling exhausted or worn out).

3) Get some SLEEP - this doesn't sound too sexy or important but trust me, it is. It seems rather obvious and simplistic but I think lack of sleep causes a lot of auto-immune issues such a fibro-myalgia and other similar types of disorders. Try to get to bed before 10:30pm (and earlier than that if possible) and watch how much better your joints and muscles feel in the morning. Possibly look into getting a ZEO sleep device to monitor your sleeping patterns.

4. Fish Oil - take your Omega 3's.  - Do I really need to even be talking about this? The truth is yes...I still meet people all the time who are not taking fish oil and eat little fish such as wild caught salmon. Read what Robb Wolf author of the Paleo Solution has to say about Fish Oil here.

5. Look into Fascia work -  Yes, that means rolfing, anatomy trains type of soft tissue work. I personally think the the connective tissue/fascia is still a huge key in getting people well and getting people to move pain free. Yeah I know, it's all about the nervous system, but you sure as hell can't wiggle your pinkey toe and expect your fascial trains to open up (at least it hasn't worked for me).  Check out Anatomy Trains by Thomas Myers. The challenge I see with fascia work is that it takes a very skilled practitioner with lots of experience and great touch to soften up and bring health to your fascia. I for one have a lot of practice to do in order to master this fascial work.

6. Get into NATURE more often - Again, this sounds so simple and easy but how many of us consistently get out into nature (ocean, beach, mountain, rivers, streams, hiking, deserts) and re-connect to a more simpler natural way of living. I for one feel the negative effects of excessive work loads and too much connection to technological devices...damn cell phone and computer! I don't want to live with out a cell phone or computer but I certainly feel the negative effects on my physiology and mental state from constantly checking text messaged and being addicted to checking my e-mail. Get out into nature as often as possible....better yet..do some MovNat training!!!

Check out MovNat and what Erwan Le Corre and Clifton Harksi are going. I highly recommend their workshops.

7. Two workshops I want to take: 

a) I want to take the Indian Club Workshop with Brett Jones and Dragon Door. Ever since I started using Indian Clubs last year, I fell in love with them. Talk about mindful movement......Indian Club Training is mindful movement to the max.

b) MovNat Certification - with Erwan Le Corre and Clifton Harksi
- I has the honor and privilege of taking a one day MovNat workshop with both Erwan and Clifton in the summer of 2011 and was beyond impressed. As soon as the certification is up and running I plan on becoming certified in their method. I see it as a great compliment to the RKC system.

8) I love COLDTONE Ice Cream....that's right.. I love it ! It may kill me sooner or later or cut my life span but it certainly brings a lot of joy and happiness to me and my family.  I specifically like the Cake Batter Ice Cream with Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, Cookie Dough and chocolate syrup mixed in! Ironically I am usually leaner the day after I eat this! ahhhh...genetics!!!

9) EVERNOTE - love this App for making my life more organized and for sharing ideas with others. This has been huge fore me because it automatically sinks all of my notes and projects with any computer I have and my cell phone. If you struggle with organization (like I do), get this: www.evernote.com

10) HKC is an incredible workshop - The more I teach these HKC one day certifications, the more excited I am about the incredible depth that is invovled in the big three movements: Swing, Get Up and Goblet Squat. The secret in learning about anything is to teach it! The more you teach, the more you learn. So if you want to learn about more about the Swing, Get Up and Squat, teach it to as many people as you can. You will learn more from teaching than anything else.

Here are the next couple of HKC workshops I will be teaching:

Fort Collins, Colorado HKC November 12, 2011
Caracas, Venezuela HKC November 26, 2011
Houston, Texas HKC December 10, 2011
Modesto, CA HKC January 21, 2011

And there we have it! My 10 random (but important) thoughts for the day!

Your thoughts and comments are always welcome!!

My MovNat Experience on Venice Beach!!!

On August 7th, 2011 I had the privilege of taking my first ever MovNat workshop in Venice, California with founder Erwan Le Corre and one of his top instructors Clifton Harski. I have been following Erwan and his MovNat principles since I first discovered the MovNat webpage a couple of years ago. Clifton and I also have done some RKC style kettlebell work together in the past and he was also the first person to expose me to what a MovNat style training session even is. As a full time RKC Kettlebell Teacher and Kettlebell Studio owner, I have not been this excited about a new style of training in a long time.  The MovNat experience for me was life changing and further made me appreciate movement in some rather profound ways.

Below are some of the Key Principles and Methods that  I learned from this workshop.

1. Moving well has more to do with intention, awareness and relaxation than I had previously thought. Erwan did an amazing job on emphasizing the importance of always being aware of gravity and where in your body you are "FEELING" the effects of gravity. For example, when standing upright the obvious place where we feel gravity is in the feet. When crawling on your hands and knees, you feel gravity's effect on your hands and on your knees. When hanging from a pull up bar with your elbows and forearms pressing down on the bar, that is where you feel gravity.  Moving well in nature or whatever environment you find yourself in an "INTERNAL" job. It is mindfullness taken to the extreme.  Rather than focusing on muscles or external things, your focus in constantly switching from contact point to contact point!
2. Where you CONNECT TO THE EARTH is where you should focus. This is a natural extension of the first point I made.  Balance is maintained and efficiency in movement is enhanced when you focus on your contact point!!! The second you take your mind off of your contact point (or multiple contact points) is when you lose balance, go into excess tension and overwork.  This concept has roots in the work of Moshe Feldenkrais and again emphasizes the INTERNAL workings of thought, attention and focus rather than only be concerned with the external environment and conditions. I would argue that unless one is INTERNALLY focused one cannot be truly aware of the external conditions that are present in a meaningful and reliable way. 
3. Adaptability is the GOAL!!Your ability to adapt to whatever environment you are in is the difference maker in moving well, training intelligently and SURVIVAL. Being able to immediately adapt from climbing a tree, to jumping from rock to rock and then diving into a river and swimming to safety is key.   How does one achieve this ability to harmoniously blend and weave together multiple bio-motor abilities such as Strength / Power / Endurance / Agility / Coordination / Mobility / Speed and Problem Solving? The answer is in exposing yourself to many different environments and performing many different type of movement challenges such as:

• Climbing 
• Jumping
• Carrying Objects
• Sprinting / Running
• Crawling 
• Swimming
• Balance challenges
• Diving into Water
• Lifting objects from the ground
• Dragging Objects
• Throwing Objects
• and many more .....

The myriad of movement challenges are endless and one only has to get creative and imaginative to improve.

4. Studying and watching animals in Nature is very eye opening into the concept of efficiency. Gorillas and Monkeys do not struggle in moving on land or from tree to tree. In fact, they make it look easy and graceful.  Humans on the other hand need to learn this graceful movement and thank God it is something that can be practiced and learned. Erwan made several funny jokes about how tense we were all getting trying to get ourselves up on top of the pull up bars and how trying harder actually worked against us.

5. RELAXATION and TENSION are co-dependent, but relaxation is what allows us to sustain graceful,SAFE and powerful movement. Not that tension doesn't have its' place, but usually excess tension prevents us from enduring movement challenges in potentially dangerous environments. 

This is where I see a great marriage between the RKC School of Strength Principles and the MovNat principles. At the RKC we teach and stand by the following five principles.

1st) View of Training as PRACTICE, not "WORKING OUT."

2nd) Yin/Yang focus on relaxation and tension

3rd) Use of Speed Endurance training for development of power, different types of endurance and promoting fat loss.

4th) "Safety is viewed as a part of, not the opposite of, performance."

5th) Reverse Engineering of what the strongest and most coordinated people do naturally

I especially want to highlight the 4th principle. Erwan did a wonderful job of teaching us about risk tolerance and just flat out stupidity and danger. It is safe and wise to challenge yourself in the beginning with environments that have little potential danger and risk. As you masters some of the basic challenges, your risk tolerance goes up as does your confidence to move into more difficult situations and environments. However, some risks are just not worth it because there is always a higher tree, a higher ledge or more dangerous obstacle to surmount in which the benefits are just not there (if you fall.....you may not make it). I thought this concept of risk tolerance and reward was outstanding and one that needed to be addressed. All in all I know that people will be better suited and fit to handle difficult and potentially dangerous environments when one focuses on less dangerous challenges in the beginning. Because Erwan and Clifton emphasize the focus on movement PRINCIPLES, the environment is secondary to learning to move well. 

So, as we teach in the RKC and as MovNat teaches, SAFETY is viewed as PART OF, not the OPPOSITE OF, PERFORMANCE.

I also want to highlight the first RKC principle, a VIEW OF TRAINING as PRACTICE and not WORKING OUT. Erwan was very clear that there must be an element of PLAY and enjoyment in our MovNat sessions. Rather than just mindlessly focusing on sets and reps, focus on very specific motor skills and qualities that you want and need to improve.  Also, be free and open to exploring the possibilities of movements. Again, the focus in INTERNAL and not so much external. 

On a personal level, I found that by the end of the day I was more ALIVE (though exhausted), more FOCUSED and more AWARE of my body in a very new yet FRESH way. Movement was FUN and I had developed a new confidence in my body and it's potential to PERFORM and MOVE better.  Not only do I plan on continuing my MovNat PRACTICE but I plan on educating others how the RKC principles (and that includes the Functional Movement Screen Principles) and MovNat principles are really expressing similar truths about the human body and what we are capable of doing. 

Very excited to see where this goes and am very excited to get certified as a MovNat Coach as soon as soon as the certification is up and running. Thanks for reading!