Is your Training Sustainable? The Importance of Sustainability

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night or the early morning with a great idea? Or some thoughts on a particular subject have been on you mind for a while and you feel compelled to share them with everyone. That's what happened to me this morning. Upon waking up it was all so clear, all so obvious. As life starts to slip by and as we get older the concept of sustainability in your life and in your training becomes critically important.  As an athlete it is so tempting to want to cut corners and not put in the necessary work to build a solid foundation for a lifetime of training and strength. Very FEW athletes will truly put in the base conditioning and skill work to get very good at their sporting movements. That is why most athletes do not have long careers or end up injured or on the sidelines.

So ask yourself the following questions:

1) How long do you want to be active? For days, weeks, months, years or a lifetime?

2) How long do you want your movement quality to be good?

3) Do you have any aspirations to compete in a sport over the age of 40?

4) Do you have a system in place that allows you to monitor your orthopedic and movement health?

5) Do you want to live on pain killers and steroids throughout your retirement?

When it comes to training longevity the first person that comes to mind is Jack LaLane. He knew a thing or two about sustainability and staying super strong and fit throughout a lifetime. The concepts he taught were principles based and just as accurate for our current generation as they were for his.

Clarence Bass is another person who has lived by the principle of "sustainable progression." He has been able to stay at the top of his game over a lifetime and is still training with some very respectable loads in his seventies. If you read his books the concept of sustainable progression runs strong as one of the main themes. Just looking at Clarence in his seventies is obvious proof that getting older doesn't have to take you out of sports or training.

As a lifelong athlete I have been a complete "bonehead" at times and just flat out stupid by ignoring warning signals that my body was giving me. I have learned the hard way through various injuries, some of which are with me forever as fun little companions or amigos. The bottom line is that we as athletes cause most of our problems and most of our injuries could have been avoided (especially the non-contact injuries).  So I offer the following tips and suggestions to those who desire to sustain their training for as long as possible!!!

1) Be ULTRA clear on your goals and why they are important to you!

Our training and sporting goals may change as we get older and this okay. It is fine to change goals and directions because we will pick up other interests and ambitions. When I became a parent my life changed instantly and for the first time in my life I started to think of the long term ramifications of my training and what effect that could have on my health and family! Now it was not only about me, it was about being healthy enough and functional enough to raise my kids, play with my kids and be a great role model for them on what effective and intelligent training can do in your life. My goal of feeling like a super hero and being incredibly strong and fast has not changed. However, the methods in which I will attain those qualities has!!!

If your current training goals do not support the long term vision you have for you and your family I would advise you to re-design your training program to support that vision.

2) QUALITY over QUANTITY

This is something that I have written about for years and it is still one of the most essential principles when it comes to training and to life goals.  When I speak of quality training I am referring to big compound movements performed with great technique and with the proper intention. Perhaps nothing more than moving well and moving with the right intention will have as profound an effect on your training results.  If we look at Clarence Bass and his training protocols, technique and QUALITY has always been his priority.

Very few people have the physiques or genetics to tolerate the high mileage running of marathons. The challenge with most distance sports such as marathons and triathalons is that they are not sustainable. You can only smash your joints for you so long before your joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles get so pissed off they stop working.  That is why my twin brother Keats Snideman and I highly recommend learning to sprint for health and better athleticism. That is why we started our own sprinting company created to coach intelligent sprinting for all types of people. Our book on the subject is coming later this year called PRIMAL SPEED. Sprinting once per week is something you can sustain over a lifetime and benefits to your health are plentiful:

• More Muscle Mass
• Stronger joints, ligaments, tendons and connective tissue
• Increased levels of Testosterone and Growth Hormone (the fountain of youth hormones)
• Less Body Fat
• More usable strength and power for life and sports

3) Have some Assessment Protocol in place to evaluate orthopedic, movement and neurological health.

It has been said that the person who tries to coach themselves is a FOOL. Even doctors need doctors. It is impossible to effectively be your own coach in every aspect of  your life. We all need help as well as the expertise of others. We all need coaching. We all need an objective "EYE." We all need encouragement and a voice outside of our own head to talk some sense to us!! Most people will easily lie to themselves and convince themselves that they are better than they are!!

This is why I love the FMS and the SFMA protocols because they serve as an objective platform to measure and grade movement. If you have not heard of the Functional Movement Screen, check out their website as well as Gray Cook's site (Gray is the founder and creator of the FMS). We all need this. You may not use the FMS but I encourage you to have some system in place to check your movement quality. Also, probably a very good idea to wear your seat belt, wear helmets when necessary, get blood work done yearly, floss and brush your teeth daily, tell your spouse and kids you love them every day, and help old ladies cross the street ;-)

4) We must strive for BALANCE!!!!! Tension vs. Relaxation

As strength athletes we tend to become addicted to the "TENSION" side of things. I remember when I got bit by the dead lifting bug several years ago and I ended up pulling 415 pounds and a body weight of about 160.  My challenge came when I kept going heavier and failed to back off and focus on recovery, flexibility and mobility.  Dead lifting is a great movement that I recommend all people master, However, like any motor quality, it can be over done. Focus too much on tension and you will get injured. Consequently, if you focus too much on flexibility and extreme yoga without focus on strength and you too will get injured. 

The Key word is BALANCE!!! We need both Tension and Relaxation. Whatever your deficit is, I recommend that you at least address it in some capacity in your training. It sounds rather simplistic and the truth is; you are right!!! Strive to incorporate the missing piece from your training. Think long term and where you want to be in the next 20, 30 or 50 years!!!

5) Focus on PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY

Modern day life and stress has causes huge increases is stress related diseases and mental issues.  Too much training and not enough recovery coupled with "modern life stress" causes us to be too sympathetic dominant in our Central nervous system.  This is the fight or flight part of our CNS and leads to health issues.  I recommend that strength athletes look into following:

• Tai Chi or Qi gong - some of the best parasympathetic activities in the world
• SLEEP!!! Yes, get sleep and it must HIGH QUALITY SLEEP
• Daily Prayer and meditation - Holy men and wise have been doing this for thousands of years!
• Focus on Diaphragmatic Breathing - either in your stretching, meditation or yoga practice
• Less consumption of simple sugars, refined food and caffeine
• Primal Move - movement system by Master RKC Peter Lakatos

6) Keep STRENGTH the emphasis

this sounds like I am now contradicting myself but rest assured I am not!  Strength training (getting stronger  by lifting weights) as we age has not only performance benefits but huge health benefits. Maintaining enough muscle mass is essential for keeping our body fat levels low and our anabolic hormones high. Being strong also makes up for a whole host of deficiencies!

This is from the RKC MANUAL:

1. Strength is the master quality.

RKC is 100% behind Prof. Leonid Matveyev’s categorical statement: “Strength is the

foundation for development of the rest of physical qualities.”

Until one becomes “entry level strong”, e.g. a half-bodyweight one-arm kettlebell press,

a double bodyweight back squat for men, etc., no priority other than strength can be

justified for a healthy athlete. Master RKC Mark Reifkind has nailed it: “Strong fixes

almost everything.”

7) Focus on Restorative Movements and Correctives!!!!



Again, I look to FMS, RKC style principles, Indian Clubs and the things mentioned above.

Hope this helps. We all need to take a long term approach to our training and our life. We don't know how many days we have left on this earth, but in case we have a quite a few days left, let's make sure our quality of movement and quality of life is worth living!!!

Thoughts and comments are always welcome!!!

The Importance of Teaching.....

It has been said that if you teach something once, you learn twice. I have always been fascinating with teaching. Maybe it's because both my parents were college professors and therefore it's something that I naturally modeled from them. I learned many great things from my parents growing up but one of them that heavily and POSITIVELY influenced me was the importance of LEARNING and the importance of SHARING what we learn!!!  Other than learning, there is nothing that gets me as passionate and juiced up as TEACHING. I truly feel alive when I teach. Perhaps some of you reading this blogpost right now will relate with me and can understand what I am talking about it. Regardless of your field of expertise and knowledge, I can think of nothing more special and important for the advacement of the human race that TEACHING and teaching done well!!!

Why a blogpost about teaching? Well for one, all the knowledge that we have is because someone either wrote it in a book, taught it in a course or seminar, or personally showed it to us! We are ultimately where we are in our lives because of the teaching we have been exposed to or not been exposed to!!!

As a strength coach, I have made it one of my life's purposes to teach and empower as many people as possible to be better in movement, athletics and in life!!!  If at the end of my life people say that I was an enthusiastic teacher and was able to influence people to do greater things, than that is how I define success. More importantly, if my children say I was able to influence them and guide them with wisdom, humor, focus and a passion for learning and teaching then that will be a successful life!!! I can only pray to God that He will continue to guide me and fill me with wisdom to be able to humbly teach and share with others what I have been so fortunate to learn from the shoudlers of giants!!!

Are you a coach or aspiring coach?

The following are my top reason why you need to get out there and teach what you are learning:

1) Sharing knowledge gives you a better understanding of the material.

That's correct!!! When you teach something you learn the material better yourself and therefore futher your understanding even more!!! Teaching in a very direct way causes you to put things together in  your mind that you would have never put together just keeping it to yourself!!!

2) Teach things you are passionate about!!!

There is perhaps nothing as boring and lame then to watch someone teach a subject that they either know little about or have zero passion for! Do everyone a favor and find what you are genuinely passionate about!!  Remember the boring baked out teacher in High School or College that put you to sleep? B-O-R-I-N-G!!!!  Get excited when you teach and put some passion behind your words!!

3) Use your hands and alter the tone of your voice!!

I feel that teachers that vary the tone of their voice to accent worthwhile points in their teaching is important. It has been said that the majority of what we learn is not through words but more through body language and tone. I am not saying you have to be like Tony Robbins and jump up and down to get peopel excited but move your body, especially if you are teaching in a large group setting.

4) Make eye contact with people!!

I think when you look at people in the eye it has a very powerful impact on the person. Be genuine in your eye contact and don't just SPOOK people out by being too intense. Smile with your eyes....try it!!! Check out this great post on the looking people in the eye over at the Art of Manliness website.

5) Prepare yourself!! STUDY, READ, ATTEND WORKSHOPS AND LEARN!!!

The best teachers that I know are the ones that are always learning, always revising and always discussing ideas with others!!!  When I think of great coaches and teachers they are always the ones that study, read, attend workshops, converse with others in and out of their fields and genuinely love to learn!! Think of how lucky we are in the RKC community to have Pavel, a man who never stops learning and never stops asking questions!! Master RKC Dan John is another coach who has forgotten more information on strength training than most of us will ever know!!! Brett Jones and Gray Cook, other passionate learners and studiers!!!

The bottom line is that in order to teach you have to fill your mind with great ideas and that only comes from reading and interacting with others who know more than you. This may be the single most important aspect of becomming a great teacher. It doesn't guarantee you will be a great teacher but it definitely gives you a lot of ammunition to build some credible systems, programs and information to teach to others!

6) Hang out with people that are smarter than you!!

Simple really! Attend seminars!! Ask questions!! Go out to eat with these people!!! Befriend them and genuinley support their efforts to help you and help others!!!

So that's it folks!! Get out there and TEACH, TEACH, TEACH!!!!!!

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!
www.onetruemedia.com

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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