Building your foundation

26 09 2012

The current thinking in the Strength & Conditioning world is that Maximal Strength is the key to all success.

And yes, there is too much evidence to say that this isn’t so. But…..

Is it really the be all and end all?

Not in my opinion.

It certainly isn’t the best place to start in your journey to awesomness.

My personal background is in martial arts, as are many of my athletes. From listening to the stories from my teachers, their teachers and the books that have been handed down by teacher s past is that strength must first be built in the tendons, the ligaments and the mind.
Strength must be developed in tandem with coordination, balance and will.

For me, this means bodyweight training.

There is an ever growing trend coming from some of the top strength coaches, especially those that are dealing more and more with MMA athletes, that bodyweight training is vitally important.
Yes, it must be augmented with the addition of external resistance, but for the large part, simple bodyweight is simply enough.

The foundation must be developed with the learning and execution of good movement patterns. The absolute basics of Pull Ups, Push Ups and Bodyweight Squats must be mastered. Each athlete should be rocking out full range, perfect reps with each of these drills.

Push Ups should be in the region of 50, the last of which should look exactly the same as the first.
Pull Ups should be 10 minimum. I prefer many to start out with and often return to the Chin Up grip (palms facing you) as this is a little easier on the shoulders and balances out the internal rotation from many other daily and training activities.
Squats should be full range, which means the hamstrings touch the calves on every rep for literally hundreds of reps. A single set of 500 reps should not be out of the question.

Once a respectable volume has been achieved, build the intensity of each exercise.
A simple method is to do them in reverse.
Instead of starting the push up at the top and taking breaks there, start and finish each one on the deck. Same with pull ups, start and finish with the chin over the bar rather than from the hang.
Gradually make the pauses in between each rep longer…..

Add hand placement variations.
I love mixed grip chins, bring your head up to the supinated hand. Maybe even change grip on every rep.
Same with push ups, try various hand placements, try moving the hands on every rep.

Develop your ability with body weight then add load later.

If you are looking for maximal strength development, then thats cool. Prioritise the barbell, but still keep the bodyweight drills for assistance work.

If you’re looking to learn more about adding bodyweight training into your routines, I’ll be giving a Bodyweight Training Workshop the Galway Kettlebells studio this November.
The last one in Tramore was exceptionally well received, we dissected the Push Up and the Squat, taking each one from absolute beginner to their advanced unilateral versions before moving to more exotic animal and agility based callisthenics.

I’ll announce dates shortly, but I’ll tell you now, there will be a 20 person limit, so be ready to book when details are announced.

Regards

Dave
www.wg-fit.com


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Learn to Train & Succeed with Bodyweight Training

20 08 2012

Pistol Squat

Bodyweight Training workshop
8/9/12 – Tramore Kettlebell Fitness

Due to popular demand I’ll be running a Bodyweight Training workshop.
This will be held at my friend Gan Power’s gym, Tramore Kettlebell Fitness.

You may have noticed over the last while I’ve been training almost exclusively with bodyweight exercises (read my training log here). Now while there’s been a massive emphasis on high rep squats, but there’s a lot of other exercises and drills I’ve been using that you may not have heard of.
It is also worth noting that most of my guys, even my strongest BJJ lads, are often humbled by some of the bodyweight drills I give them. In my opinion the use of bodyweight exercise is more useful to an athlete as they need to control their body moving through space. Sitting still and lifting an external weight may offer greater load, but it offers less proprioceptive feedback and requires much less intramuscular coordination.
Big words I know, but come along on the day and all will be explained.

Book your place today click here

Martial Arts inspired training methods for building genuine strength & power, not just “gym strength”

Over the course of the day I will share over 20 years of training experience from my roots in traditional martial arts, the physical training methods found in Karate, Aikido, Goshin Jitsu (Ju-Jitsu). The training I learned from the strength & conditioning coach at my school who looked after a top 15 schoolboy rowing team.
We’ll look at bodyweight training methods from Chinese martial arts, some of which were taught to me by top coach Steve Cotter.
We’ll show how to work the entire body in a balanced fashion with zero equipment. We’ll look at the best exercises for building strength, endurance, work capacity.
We’ll look at various methods for programming the exercises to suit various wants and needs. Are you a fighter? A fitness enthusiast? Do you need power or endurance? Are you looking for metabolic conditioning?

All avenues will be discussed. Including, and probably most importantly, how I integrate bodyweight training into a multi modality training program. How I combine external loading and bodyweight loading to create incredible results for my athletes.
an considering my athletes are nearly all involved in contact sports, be it martial arts or team sports, they can’t afford to have second rate fitness levels.

The workshop will cover (but not limited to):

Real explosive power

-Push Up variations to work every aspect of the body
-Squat variations
-Unilateral training
-Martial Arts strength training secrets
-Integrated core training
-Total body conditioners
-Agility
-Bodyweight for explosive power
-Mobility
-Much, much moreDate: Sept 8th,
Times: 1000 – 1600
Location: Tramore Kettlebell Fitness,
unit1,1 riverstown, business pk
Tramore, Ireland

Cost: €50

For booking:
email info@wildgeesema.com with Bodyweight Workshop in the subject line


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Categories : Bodyweight training

Bank Holiday Weekend

3 08 2012

This weekend is a bank holiday, so many of you are expecting an easy time of things.

Well….

Saturday – Kettlebell class followed by Conditioning as normal

Monday – Bootcamp as normal but the rest of the day is yours, I’ll be spending it with my family. So no Lunch or 1 on 1 sessions.
If your wondering what to do with yourself on a long weekend checkout my recent training logs and try some of those workouts as I’ve been focusing on Bodyweight only training, otherwise try:

Have a great weekend.

 

Dave
http://www.wg-fit.com

 


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Bodyweight & Kettlebell Workshop dates announced:

11 06 2012

The next few Wild Geese workshop dates have just been confirmed:

Due to popular demand I’ll be running a Bodyweight Training workshop.
This will be held at my friend Gan Power’s gym: Tramore Kettlebell Fitness

The workshop will cover (but not limited to):

  • Push Up variations to work every aspect of the body
  • Squat variations
  • Unilateral training
  • Martial Arts strength training secrets
  • Integrated core training
  • Total body conditioners
  • Agility
  • Bodyweight for explosive power
  • Mobility

Why bodyweight?
Why not? Using your own body to move and become strong is the most fundamental yet most often overlooked aspect of today’s fitness training.
No other training modality will give the coordination, balance and body awareness  epitomised by Martial Artists, Gymnasts and Wild Animals.
Time to get beck to natural movement, No Equipment, No Excuses!

Date:  Sept 8th,
Times: 1000 – 1600
Location: Tramore Kettlebell Fitness,
unit1,1 riverstown, business pk
Tramore, Ireland

Cost: €50

Click Here to book

The next Kettlebell Workshops will be the Levels 1 & 2.

Instead of me trying to sell you, have a read of these:

“It was really great, very detailed and no beating around the bush. You gave clear, precise pointers on the different moves which were easy to follow and implement. 

I feel that what I learned I will remember easily and can put into practice at home.

You welcomed plenty of questions if we had any and you were very clear that your way wasn’t the only way and that the more you practice the better you get. 

Thanks again and see you in April,

Maeve“

“Hi Dave,

Many thanks for sending on the docs so quickly. I had a quick look at them and it looks like they are really easy to follow guides. Perfect for practicing the exercises at home. I actually can’t wait to get a couple of kettlebells for myself now and get started.

The workshops were absolutely brilliant and very inspirational, too. I think everything was very well explained and demonstrated. Time just flew by and I could have gone on and on.  I think I really learned a lot during that relatively short period of time, and also realised how much there is still to learn. I’ll definitely be back for the level 3 workshop and will also try out your beginner’s kettlebell class very soon!

Anyway, thanks again for the brilliant workshops!

Regards,

Rabea“

Level 1 and 2 will be run on the 14th October.
Level 1 starts at 10am till 12pm
Level 2 runs 12.30pm to 4pm
Both cost €35 each or €60 for both.
Pdf manuals will be emailed out on completion of the course.

Click Here to book

Regards

Dave
www.wg-fit.com


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Categories : Bodyweight training, Kettlebell lifting Dublin

ESSENTIAL Gym Equipment

10 06 2012

On facebook recently I’ve seen a few coaches talking about what they considered to be essential equipment for their gyms.
Naturally I was interested in reading these posts as these lists give an insight into people’s training methods. Since I make a living out of training people, it’s always nice to see how others do the same.

A thing that really stood out about these posts was the amount of kit and the sheer expense involved in putting together the gear. It got me thinking about how I’d create a list.

Like any shopping list lets start with the essentials:

  1. My body
  2. Floor Space

Yup, that’s it. That’s all I need to get a great workout and many’s the time I’ve gone through a training phase using nothing but my own body for resistance. Admittedly these training phases coincided with times of travel or injury, but sometimes through choice. If you look over any of my training logs or the programmes I create for my clients then you’ll see a huge emphasis on bodyweight exercise.

Is bodyweight enough?
For most people, most of the time, yes. Now obviously we’re talking general fitness (GPP) here, not sports specific work, although for many team sports learning how to train with bodyweight would be a huge bonus to their training efficiency.

The only drawbacks with bodyweight only training is a lack of load for maximal training and the difficulty of working the upper back.
The upper back problem can be easily fixed with the purchase of a pull up bar or scouting out anything sturdy enough for you hang from and do pull up. I can often be found in the park walking the dog and doing pull ups from the goal posts as we wander round.
As for maximal strength, how many of you have a good level of proficiency in the unilateral lifts? We’re talking single leg squats, one arm push ups, handstand push ups, even one arm pull ups?
Very few I’d guess, so you’ve plenty of room to build your max strength before needing to add any kit.

Even still, once a relatively high degree of proficiency with the basis has been achieved try adding in plyometric or rest-pause versions.
Plyo’s will involve getting airborne, think of the clapping push up as the most common example. Try clapping pull ups. Try jumping and swapping hands during one arm push ups. Do jump squats, broad jumps, hops etc for lower body.
Rest-Pause involve stopping moving. Lower into a push up and stop, actually rest on the floor for the count of 4 seconds then explosively push up. Hang at the bottom of a pull up for a few seconds before lifting. Try swapping hands during one arm push ups or one leg squats, either at the top, or for a real challenge, at the bottom.

If you do want to add gear try the following:

  • Interval timer or stopwatch
  • Pull Up bar
  • Rings (hang these from the pull up bar)
  • Kettlebells
  • Barbell & Plates
  • Punch Bag
  • Skipping rope
  • Matted floor

None of that will cost you the earth and if it still looks like too much expense (a barbell set can be pricey) but you need something there is one simple solution. A sandbag, which can be homemade for around €20.

The day you find yourself relying on expensive equipment like Smith Machines, GHR’s, Vibration Plates etc. Step back and really have a think about what you’re trying to achieve.

 

regards

Dave
www.wg-fit.com

 

 


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One Arm Push Up – Pressing Perfection

27 02 2012

One Arm Push Up for athletic pressing powerWe all remember the Rocky training montages, the inspiring music, Rocky pushing himself while Mickey or Apollo stand over him shouting and encouraging. By the end of the clip Rocky is the Man, we the viewers are pumped and itching for the finale where he will undoubtedly become victorious.

One of the most iconic moment is the one arm push up sequence.
Put your hands up if you didn’t try to do a one arm push up immediately after watching it. I know I did.

It’s an exercise I didn’t really pursue until many years later when due to injury I was  unable to perform any weight training. I had two consecutive back injuries and was pretty much sidelined, my entire training program consisted of the One Arm Push Up, Pull Ups and a shed load of rehab.
Fast forward to now and it has become a regular feature of not just my own training but many of my martial artists.

Why?

The reasons for the one arm push up are as follows:

  1. It’s cool. No really, it is.
  2. It requires a strong core
  3. It promotes a stable shoulder
  4. It requires concentration
  5. It doesn’t require any kit

It really is functional.

Hang on, did i just say that? I hate the term Functional when it comes to training. But lets just hold on a moment and look at why I feel this drill deserves the title.
The above list is already fairly conclusive, all the points listed are valid. But one thing extra should be said, the one arm push up utilises a force vector that closely matches that of a punch/throw/palm off in sports & martial arts. The force travels from the loaded arm, through the core to the opposite hip and leg, just it does in most sporting actions.

Yes, the iron heads in the audience will talk about load and how maximum strength is better developed with a barbell. But I feel the carry over to your sport is greater with a one arm push up. How often do you really exhibit maximum strength when throwing a punch?
Never, unless your punch is actually a push! And even then, if you’re on your feet you’re limited by the angle of the body and contact with the ground, you’re never anchored into a bench. (don’t read that wrong, I still think benching is a valuable exercise in the right circumstances)

A good one arm push up requires you to eliminate the weaknesses through the torso. If you don’t you’ll end up either face-planting or totally twisted. Your hips and shoulders should stay as close to parallel to the floor as possible, this is only possible if the musculature around your torso is firing properly, including the rotator cuffs and Lats (shoulder stability).

To begin we go though progressions:

  1. Kneeling – both knees on the floor
  2. Half kneeling – take the opposite leg out to the side, as you gain strength move it further and further behind.
  3. Negative only – Lower under control as slowly as possible, have the spare hand ready to catch you and help you back up.
  4. The One Arm Push Up
  5. Feet elevated One Arm Push Up
  6. Alternating hands, changing at the top
  7. Alternating hands, changing at the bottom
  8. Plyo, changing hands in while airborne (jumping)

Here’s a video showing the basic progressions:

Take as long as needed at each stage, perform multiple sets with low reps. Only once technique is mastered should you move to the next stage or increase the reps.
A simple program to use is the Ladder Protocol. This is exactly the way I increased the volume.

Perform 1 rep each arm, then two, then three and so on until you can no longer complete a rep perfectly. At this point return to a single rep.
Start with three rounds up to three reps (1,2,3)(1,2,3)(1,2,3)
Add a round each week until you can complete 5 rounds.
Then start adding reps (1,2,3,4) (1,2,3,4)…….
Eventually you will hit 5 rounds each going up to 5 reps, this is now a good time to increase the difficulty.

If athletic efficiency is your training focus, if you covet the ability to put your entire bodyweight through your arm into your opponent, I highly recommend this drill.

Regards

Dave
http://www.wg-fit.com


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Categories : Bodyweight training, martial arts

Yoga / Pilates Classes Start THIS Saturday

18 01 2012

Quick reminder:

Yoga / Pilates / Somatic Movement Training – Saturday 9.15am at Wild Geese.

This is something we’ve wanted to introduce to our studio for some time but have always struggled to find a decent instructor that we can trust in.
Well, we found one, we tried her out by having her run workshops for us and was always well received. So now, hopefully Anne Dempsey will become a regular part of our team, albeit working at the opposite end of the spectrum to the rest of us.
Where we advocate hard and heavy most of the time, this creates tension and stress in the body, Anne will give you the tools to release this tension, to decompress, lengthen and unwind those hard and tight muscles.

Yoga is the Yin to the Iron’s Yang.

The legendary Persian and Indian wrestling schools knew the value of this. Their athletes trained many hours every day, lifting heavy stone weights, maces and clubs for strength, performing hundreds of squats, push ups and rope climbs for endurance and hour upon hour of wrestling for martial effectiveness.
Part of their daily routine was also dedicated to unwinding, recovering and recuperating so that they could train again the next day, and should they be called into battle at any given moment, they would always be ready.
This eventually became Yoga.

if you are serious about walking the warrior path, add this class to your schedule, even if you only attend a few so that you can avail of Anne’s detailed knowledge and round out your training. Your future self will thank you for it.
I certainly couldn’t do what i do without my yoga inspired sequences.

 


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12 Days of Fitness Starts on Monday!

10 12 2011

I’ve not done a great job of promoting this, but each year I send out a 12 part series of bodyweight workouts, that 1 a day for the 12 days running up to Christmas.
I started this because I usually head away for a few weeks and felt guilty leaving my guys to fend for themselves. As most wanted to continue training but had no kit at home to use, I started giving them bodyweight only training programmes.

Each workout is different, covering a variety of styles, each has a description, a video and suggestions to adjust the workout to your level or even add equipment.
There are even suggestions of Stretching, relaxation and recovery.

You don’t have to do the series, you can take two or three of the workouts and simply use them, or you can completely ignore them.
But if you want to see them click on the image below where you’ll be taken to a sign up form and then open your inbox on Monday morning for day 1!

Earn your Xmas pudding! Click to get your Bodyweight Training workouts


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Categories : Bodyweight training

Back to basics

6 12 2011

I’m getting back to basics this week with my workouts.
which means one thing, Bodyweight Training.

Nothing is a pure, honest and truly efficient as bodyweight training or calisthenics, not even my beloved kettlebells.

The reason for this?
Aside from the fact that I always try to incorporate bodyweight into my training anyhow, I’m also creating this years “12 Days of Fitness” series, which in true style I’ve left to the last minute.

If you remember last Christmas I sent out a series of bodyweight workouts for you lot to use while I was away on my holidays (it was also recently featured on the My Mad Methods website), well I’ll be doing the same this year.
In the next day or so I’ll give you details of how to get hold of this, check back soon.

Until then I’ll keep having fun creating No Equipment, No excuses workouts for you

Regards

Dave


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Categories : Bodyweight training, Personal Training Dublin

A Beast of an Exercise

5 08 2011

Here’s another entry in the No Equipment No Excuses workout arsenal and it’s an animal drill!

Plain old

push ups

are good, but a little 1 dimensional, once you can do a decent number (around 50) with good form, where do you go next?
Well I suggest you try this little beut.

The Bear Push Up is a combination movement that involves the entire body.  After a few reps you won’t know whether you’ve had to stop because of the pain in your shoulders, the pain in your quads or the pain in your lungs.
You will know that you’ve taken your Hips, Spine and Shoulder through a great range of motion, you’ll know that you’ve opened up the chest and lengthened those tight hamstrings. And you’ll know that all you major joints have been mobilised and lubricated.

There’s not much that this drill doesn’t do.

The limiting factor for many will be upper body strength, this is taxing on the shoulders. If this is the case, you are allowed to put the knees down untill you develop th

e required strength. For other, mobility will be an issue and for you guys, I suggest you back over my Mobility and Yogability posts, or simply work the Bear with a shorter range of motion.

Here’s the video:

I suggest using this either as a warm up before a weights session, a finisher at the end of a workout or as a main part of a bodyweight routine.

I combine the Bear, Pull Ups and  Single Leg Deadlifts into a Bodyweight Only strength workout when I’m in the park with the dog or away travelling.

As always, use your common sense and  take your time to learn the movement before adding it to any workout.

Have fun with this.

Regards
Dave

http://www.wg-fit.com

PS – The Level 1 Kettlebell workshop will be going ahead on the 21st of this month. If you haven’t booked your place, get on with it.

Also – Paul Cox is back from the Philippines (where he won gold at the Doe Pares world championships), so we can get working on our MMA Supplementary Training & Injury Prevention workshop. Keep an eye on the side bar for a date announcement, it’s going to be an amazing seminar!


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