Wild Geese Fitness Training

Regards

Wild Geese

every cause but our own

Kenpo / Eskrima / BJJ / Strength & Conditioning
www.wildgeesema.com/ wildgeesema.blogspot.com

info@wildgeesema.com

+353 87 672 6090

Facebook / Twitter / RSS feed

This year there will be a team of fighters from Ireland going over to compete in the first International Mixed Martial Arts Event to be held in Egypt.

If you or any of your fighters feel that they are good enough to represent their nation then go to www.rcf.ie

Team selection will take place at the Wild Geese studio (subject to change)

I’ve spoken about this in a previous blog post, but it has come up again and again since then, so here goes…..

If you are a fighter, you must train your legs.

In Tai Chi circles there is much talk of borrowing force from the ground to generate power. If we westernise this they are basically going along with the physics explanation that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If I press into the ground with X amount of force, it pushes back with X amount of force. And if the ground pushes me, I move forward with intent!

When I want to throw a knockout punch, I press my rear foot into the ground, this then gives me a solid surface to push off (or if you like, it pushes me)with my foot & calf muscles, allowing me to extend my hip, turn my waist, drive the shoulder forward and finally propel my arm to extend at speed into the other geezers mush and he goes to sleep.

With out the action of the leg extending, I’d loose a massive amount of power.

So hopefully we can see that it is necessary to replace some of the time spent on push ups and crunches with some time on power.

While the pushups etc are useful, fighters do need to have massive reserves of strength endurance, it’s not the be all and end all. Plus, we can replace the push ups with some higher value drills that will still reap massive amounts of stamina.

But first, why do fighters not train legs? It’s because of the bodybuilding approach taken by almost every gym goer. This leads to stiff, swollen muscles and little functional carryover to the ring. Kickboxers are terrified that a set of squats will lead to them being restricted to low kicks only (not necessarily a bad thing for non ring sport MA’ers)

This simply won’t happen with the correct application of training techniques.

My choice of strength drills for the fighter are simple:

1.       Deadlifts – absolutely, without a doubt, essential for any man or woman planning to get into a ring. For training the hip extensor muscles (hamstrings & buttocks) the dead will not be beaten, and when you can extend your hip powerfully, you will hit powerfully.

2.       Front Squats – I personally prefer these to back squats, due to the fact that we have no squat rack, which takes up to much space anyway. Why not just clean the bar up the shoulders and squat.

3.       Bulgarian split squats – Like a lunge but with the rear foot elevated on a bench or stability ball.

4.       Single leg Romanian Deadlifts – The benefits of the dead but with extra balance and stability issues.

5.       Pistol Squats – The No Equipment, No excuses favourite.

Incorporate them into a gym program using multiple sets of low reps (1-5reps max). I then recommend finishing the workout with some high rep work that will get the blood pumping and work the conditioning.

My fighters conditioning drills of choice are again simple:

1.       Thrusters – With a bar/pair of dumbbells/kettlebells in the rack position on the shoulders, do a deep squat, then explode up extending both the legs and arms.

2.       Swings – Kettlebells are best, but a dumbbell works. This mimics the deadlift explosively training the hip extensors to fire powerfully even while fatigued.

3.       1 Kettlebell Clean & Jerk – Done for high reps this is a rear test of character. The bell is cleaned using the hip extensors then fired up to lockout mainly with the calves and quads, the shoulder takes up the slack at the end, just like a punch.

4.       Burpees – The No Equipment, No excuses method – Drop into a push up then jump into the air. To really go nuts, jump to a pull up bar, or clean a pair of dumbbells/kettlebells. Brutal.

5.       Heavy bag – simply do a few rounds on the bag.

For best (or evilest) effect do these with the aid of a countdown timer. Training with timed sets is a brutally humbling experience but it will get you fit in a hurry.

Cool off and do some light stretching/mobility work. The combination of the heavy deads/squats followed by the high rep lower body/full body work will train the muscles to not only generate a huge amount of power, but to keep doing it over and over. Every punch you throw will start to come from the ground, and the other guy will notice (when he wakes up that is!)

Regards

Wild Geese

every cause but our own

Kenpo / Eskrima / BJJ / Strength & Conditioning
www.wildgeesema.com/ wildgeesema.blogspot.com

info@wildgeesema.com

+353 87 672 6090

Facebook / Twitter / RSS feed

I wish to notify you of a special prelaunch offer from Wild Geese Fitness Coach, Dave Hedges

Dave has spent his entire life immersed in the world of physical fitness and martial arts training, even while working 80+ hours a week as a manager in a hotel or backpacking across rural asia.

He has just finished writing and is now preparing to launch a book that is a culmination of 15 years researching how to get in shape and remain fight ready anywhere, anytime.

In “No Equipment, No Excuses, bodyweight training for the home, office or on the road” there are over 200 photo’s detailing exercises and drills to strengthen and mobilise every part of the body with nothing but your own body.

You will learn:

·         How to get fit, loose weight, gain muscle and take control of your body and your health without having to go to a gym or buy any fancy equipment.

·         How to turn your own body into a gymnasium

·         Discover ways to exercise that require nothing but a few feet of floor space, 5 or 10 minutes of spare time and a sprinkling of will power

• Take control of your body
• Exercise anywhere, anytime
• Never queue for gym equipment again
• Save hundreds of dollars on your gym membership
• Burn fat
• Build muscle
• Quick workouts for the time starved
• Too busy to exercise? Think again with time saving workouts

Now the sales pitch…

If you are a PayPal user, log on and simply send half of the eBooks retail value (a mere €8 or $10) to dave@wildgeesema.com

He’ll then email you the book plus a couple of free bonus gifts. Couldn’t be simpler.

This offer is open until May 13 (Dave’s wedding day, he’ll be getting mean after then…)

Regards

Wild Geese

every cause but our own

Kenpo / Eskrima / BJJ / Strength & Conditioning
www.wildgeesema.com/ wildgeesema.blogspot.com

info@wildgeesema.com

+353 87 672 6090

Facebook / Twitter / RSS feed

Over the last few months we’ve been teasing you with the following text on our newsletter:

If you are looking for authentically trained and recognised* coaches of Girevoy Sports/ Kettlebells, look no further than the real deal of the metal Vasilijs Ginko, 7 Time World Record holder Master Coach from the motherland of Kettlebells.
*TAFISA Association only work with the finest as they are overseen by the I.O.C. which is why they have accepted the I.U.K.L. as their only recognised and official Kettlebell Association, working together to bring Girevoy Sports to the Olympic Games. http://www.aiklf.org/world_trex_games.html

Well, sorry to say, you probably missed your chance to see one of the all time great Kettlebell masters come to these shores.
Kettlebells have received a huge amount of publicity of late and as a result there are many “YouTube guru’s” and “Kettlebell Kultists” out there peddling misinformation and poor technique. This is the reason why attending seminars, like the weekend jut passed, and seeing how the masters do it is so important.

Plus, there are now a small group of people that have the privilege of holding a level one instructor certification from non other than the 7 times World record holder Vasilijs Ginko. Wild Geese Instructor, Dave Hedges is one of this group.

Unlike many Kettlebell camps and certifications, there is only a small emphasis placed on the students physical fitness, instead Vasilijs spends a lot of time on technical ability. His attention to detail and ability to correct even slight errors with just a few words is incredible to see, you could see every member of the group improve immensely in just a few short hours of tuition. Although when it came tot the certification, it does require a certain level of physical fitness in order to complete the exam, especially while maintaining perfect technique.
While he focused mainly on the classical lifts, the swing, snatch, clean and jerk, he also showed juggling and general strength and conditioning drills. But is the classical lifts that really separate the kettlebell from other forms of training. Few drills can match the simplicity of the swing, the full body ferocity of the clean & Jerk and the lung burning dynamism of the snatch.

For more on kettlebells, kettlebell training and buying your own bells, drop us a line on info@wildgeesema.com

And of course, take a look at the homepage of the All Ireland Kettlebell Lifting Federation, the only group in Ireland associated to Vasilijs and his group. Their homepage is www.AIKLF.org , if you are in the north, give AIKLF head coach Jason a shout and say hello from us.

Regards
Wild Geese
every cause but our own
Kenpo / Eskrima / BJJ / Strength & Conditioning
www.wildgeesema.com/ wildgeesema.blogspot.com
info@wildgeesema.com
+353 87 672 6090
Facebook / Twitter / RSS feed

Women have it all wrong!
By Rachel Cosgrove

Women have it all wrong when it comes to weight loss. The average woman when she joins a gym looks at how many treadmills there are and the aerobics schedule to see if there are classes that fit in her schedule. When women want to lose weight they torture themselves with repetitive movement for hours on end spinning their wheels or running to nowhere like a hamster in a habitrail! If you take a look at all of the women walking on the treadmills you’ll notice none of them have the body most women want.   

The problem is that most personal trainers haven’t figured it out yet either. They get a female client who hires them to change their body and they think, "Oh man…another one of those stupid toning programs in the ladies only section with the pink dumbbells doing lots of reps…" Most trainers don’t realize that they need to challenge women to get their bodies to change and to stop being afraid of pushing her to gain muscle to boost her metabolism to change the way her body looks, permanently.  

Weight Loss Program the average woman does:

• Endless hours of cardio or aerobics classes
• Avoids strength training because she doesn’t want to get "big and bulky" or maybe she uses some rinky dink pink dumbbells to "tone" for lots of reps
• Cuts back her diet to practically starve herself
• Focuses on the scale weight and a number she wants it to say

What works about this plan: NOTHING!
What is wrong with this plan: EVERYTHING!  

She will lose weight but it will be a mixture of muscle, water and maybe some fat so she’ll end up looking like a smaller version of her same self but in the process she will have dropped her metabolism so there will be no way she can keep the weight off and will gain it back guaranteed. This is the cycle most women have been through many times throughout their lifetime. Yet, when they want to lose weight they do the same thing again. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.  

Weight Loss Program the average Women SHOULD do:

• Metabolically demanding full body strength training program lifting challenging weights. This should be their priority workouts 2-4 days a week.
• Boost their intensity and drop the duration on their cardio sessions performing interval style workouts for no more than 30 minutes at a time.
• Fuel their body with healthy food every couple hours getting their metabolism revving.
• Focus on how her clothes fit and how she looks and feels and not on a number on the scale. Focus in Fat Loss, not Weight Loss.

What works about this plan: It will boost her metabolism, it will change her body, it will make her feel confident about herself, she can eat and she will be able to maintain her new body!  
What is wrong with this plan: NOTHING!  

To really change their bodies permanently women need to start checking out the strength training floor. They need to get out of their comfort zone and push their bodies beyond what it is used to. No more walking to nowhere on the treadmill! I am not talking about bodybuilding routines where you split up each body part and bomb and blitz the pecs or pump up the biceps. It is not necessary for a woman to isolate any muscle group to get the defined look she wants.  

Instead a woman should do a full body, metabolically demanding program in which she alternates between an upper body compound movement such as a push up or chin up with a lower body compound movement such as a squat or lunge. Keep the rest periods short and use a weight that is challenging. Use 3-4 pairs of exercises working out for no more than an hour at a time.  

The woman with toned arms and defined legs looks that way because she has the very thing most women are terrified of, muscle. They are so afraid to lift weights in fear of bulking up that they never get their bodies to look the way they want them to. They have it deeply seeded in their subconscious that as soon as they touch anything over 10 pounds, they will sprout humungous muscles! Even if they do use weights, they probably still aren’t lifting heavy enough and pushing themselves hard enough to get the look they want. Most women don’t know what their bodies are capable of and tend to not push themselves hard enough. There was actually a research study done on this where they showed that women when left to train on their own, lifted loads below what they were capable of.  

So how do you get your body to change? You have to lift enough weight to build muscle to increase your metabolism, fuel your body with healthy food and turn your body into a fat burning machine. Stop pounding your body with hours of cardio and stop starving yourself!  

If you are a gym owner or work in a gym start looking around at what the women in your gym are doing to lose weight and change their bodies. Do you have members who have been walking on your treadmills for the last three years and still look exactly the same? Educating your trainers and your female members you can help them to make permanent changes that will last a lifetime which also means their memberships will last a lifetime.  

Your gym will be packed with toned, strong women doing squats, chin ups and push ups showing off their new found six pack or their defined delts, feeling confident and good about themselves and I don’t think the men in your gym will complain…  

 —

*Convincing female clients to embrace heavy strength training
*How to explain the importance of correct metabolic training and implement smart protocols
*Increase motivation through the power of social support
*Key differences in the psychology and physiology of training males and females
*Increase results by using an Athletic approach to program design
*The "Crab Theory" and other insights into the female mind

Pick up the DVD here: Training Jill Not Jack!

====

Wild Geese

every cause but our own

Kenpo / Eskrima / BJJ / Strength & Conditioning
www.wildgeesema.com/ wildgeesema.blogspot.com

info@wildgeesema.com

+353 87 672 6090

Facebook / Twitter / RSS feed

Hi All,

We’re looking to improve the Wild Geese and for this we need your help. 

We want to know how you rate Wild Geese Martial Arts. We’re looking for feedback about:

    Classes – What classes do you take, how good are they, how do they compare to other classes you’ve attended and how can we make them better?

    Instructors – Who is your instructor, could you write a few lines as a review?

    Management – Is there any way in which you think the club could be better managed?

    Premises & Facilities – What about our club, can we make it better for you?

    Anything else that you feel  may help us to make the Wild Geese Martial Arts Academy a better training ground

All the above will be treated in the strictest of confidence.

Plus a new area on the website is being set up for your testimonials and reviews on classes, personal training and workshops. 
We would like you to share your story and encourage more like minded people to make the club stronger, the first 5 people to have their testimonial or review that get chosen and published on the site will get a wild geese t shirt.

So, send an email or pen a letter and send it to info@wildgeesema.com

If there is something you’d like a response on, let us know.

PS The first draft of the bodyweight training manual, “No Equipment, No Excuses” by Dave Hedges is written and almost ready for release.
Keep an eye on your inbox’s for more updates.

Regards

Wild Geese

every cause but our own

Kenpo / Eskrima / BJJ / Strength & Conditioning
www.wildgeesema.com/ wildgeesema.blogspot.com

info@wildgeesema.com

+353 87 672 6090

Facebook / Twitter / RSS feed

In the perfect world you would be able to walk into any gym or any martial arts studio and receive the best of instruction and training .

Unfortunately, this is not the case.

The martial arts world is almost completely unregulated and is fraught with politics and ego’s. The fitness industry is little different.

Many times over the years have I met instructors who are teaching information that they have no experience of and  people who have been on a weekend course cashing in on their new “expertise”.

I have personally witnessed instructors checking out video footage before stepping onto the training floor to teach the same thing they just learned from the screen. I’ve seen instructors try to teach things that they read in a book the day before. And I’ve seen instructors teach things that if tried for real, would get the student badly hurt.
That’s not all.

There are Martial Arts instructors giving themselves and their buddies grades, fabricating tournament results and fight experience on order to make themselves look cool. This is both disrespectful to their own teachers but also to the students.

The gyms are no different. Spotty skinny teenage personal trainers? It has taken me 15 years to build the knowledge and experience to train other to a high level of fitness and performance, and you know what, I’m still learning every day (check out my inbox, there are around 20 newsletter updates from top trainers around the world every day!).
Gym instructors who have no knowledge of correct bodymechanics, of how to perform the basic lifts and are limited to aerobics and machines. Ask one of the regulars at the Kettlebell class, he was the victim of one such gym instructor. The instructor refused to teach him the Deadlift, as it is too dangerous, the lad was left to his own devices and got himself hurt trying to do it on his own.

OK, you could blame the lad for trying on his own, but seriously, the deadlift is a cornerstone of any strength program and is one of the simplest, most basic moves in the world.

I strongly advise you to check out your instructors. After all you will be paying them a substantial amount of cash to get you fit, strong and fight capable.

You wouldn’t employ somebody at work without checking their references, so why not check your instructors certifications and claims. Just remember, look at who signed the certs.

Certificates are easy to forge, signatures not quite so. Plus, why not contact the people who issued the certs?
I know of several notable instructors who show off false certificates, one even has a cert signed by an instructor who can’t write! How is that right?

If you are looking to train, you are looking for quality instruction.

Make sure you get it.

Self Defence is about a lot more than hitting people, it’s about protecting yourself from all forms of attack, and that means scam artists and shams.

Regards

Wild Geese

every cause but our own

Kenpo / Eskrima / BJJ / Strength & Conditioning
www.wildgeesema.com/ wildgeesema.blogspot.com

info@wildgeesema.com

+353 87 672 6090

Facebook / Twitter / RSS feed

—
www.kettlebellsscotland.com
www.simplestrength.com

"What we teach is how we train"

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.557 / Virus Database: 270.12.1/2069 – Release Date: 20/04/2009 10:36