Congrats Seba, you are a W.M.D!

27 01 2012

Seba - Bronze medal, European BJJ Championships 2012, Lisbon

This is a big shout out to our boy Seba, a more humble and dedicated an athlete you’d be hard pushed to find.

Seba joined the Wild Geese BJJ class around a year and half ago, he immediately impressed his coaches with his work ethic and humility. He’s since become a near permanent fixture at the gym.

A few months ago Seba came to me and asked for help in preparation for the European BJJ Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.
This was to be his first major competition outside of the Irish leagues. Talk about jumping in with both feet.

We immediately put him on the WMD program, three sessions per week, 1 x strength, 1 x cardio and 1 x conditioning workout through the week. two cycles of this and already his work capacity in the punishing Jiu Jitsu training was improving.
Seba was already strong, so after the first 8 weeks we began to concentrate more on his explosive power, speed and recovery times.

We did this by switching the strength day to a strength/power contrast workout.
This was based on the Power Clean and the Deadlift.

Strength/power contrast training is not for beginners, but as already mentioned, Seba has a good level of strength from his previous gym training. I don’t recommend these type of workouts for people with less than a 1.5 x bodyweight Squat and Deadlift.

Our workout (yes, I trained with him and made great progress myself!) went as follows:

1: Power Clean 3 x 3, increase weight each set, 2min rest between sets

2A: Deadlift 3 x 5
2B: Broad Jump 3 x 4
Increase weight on the bar each set, rest approx 90sec between A & B

3A: 1 Arm Floor Press 3 x 5L/R
3B: Plyo Medicine Ball Push Up 3 x 4
Increase weight on the floor press each set, rest approx 90sec between A & B

4A: HtH Kettlebell Swing 32kg
4B: Sledgehammer Slam
Alternate between A & B, 20ses work : 10sec rest for 7 minutes

This entire workout should take approx 45 mins to complete. Don’t be worries about maxing out on the weights, go heavy but maintain a fast bar speed, we are looking to create as much explosive power as possible. The plyometric drills should be terminated as soon as either the desired reps are reached or speed slows below an acceptable level.
As mentioned, this type of training is for experienced athletes, if you’re new to strength training, stick to standard strength workouts.

Cardio day was switched from the usual grind to agility based Minute Drill workouts and on the third day we hit Squats and  a variety of conditioning drills including Burpee to Pull Up, Farmers Walks and Bodyweight drills. Although we varied the exercises and played with the work:rest ratios, these were always short and intense.

He soaked it up, week in week out. all the time I had him he was also going through punishing BJJ training and working a full time job. in less than 18 months he has gone from unknown to the third best in his weight category in Europe

It all goes to show that with the right attitude, some determination, drive and little support from those around you, anything is possible.

Dare to live it

Regards

Dave
www.wg-fit.com


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Categories : Personal Training Dublin

2012 – What to expect..

12 12 2011

Next year is looking good.

At the end of January our friend Kieran Dolan, owner of Dolan Fitness, Tullamore will be hosting Ireland’s top bodybuilder Patrick Lowbridge at his gym for a 1 day seminar.
even if body building isn’t your focus (it certainly isn’t mine) no body knows more about hypertrophy and fat loss than a competative bodybuilder. And these two aspects of training are vital, if you want to gain strength, you’ll want at least some hypeetrophy and if you want to remain lean, especially important if you fight in weight categories, then this could be a great opportunity to learn a few things.

Kieran is also planning a few other seminars, including a Kettlebell and Body Conditioning seminar in March run by myself.
We will be looking at the training protocols i use with fighters and also the top kettlebell lifts for ustoppable conditioning.

Here at Wild Geese, we will have Mr Steve Cotter back again. We’re looking at June and the possibility of running the 2 day CKT level 1 instructor cert.
I don’t need to tell you how highly I rate Steve and his teachings, but let it be said, this isn’t a weekend to miss!

I’m also talking to legendary Strength & Conditioning coach JC Santana. JC runs the Institute of Human Performance where he trains a variety of athletes including some of the USA’s top MMA fighters. I hope to have some more details for you soon, but in the mean time whet your appetite by checking out his site, www.ihpfit.com

Aside from that I’ll be announcing my regular Kettlebell workshops and also a 1 day Rapid Response Knife defence workshop for early next year.

2012 could be a good year

 


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Categories : Personal Training Dublin

Kettles, Yoga and Fit for Whatever

14 11 2011

Fitness.

What is it?

Back at personal trainer school they tell you that it is “the ability to carry out the daily tasks with enough energy to spare for recreation” or something equally wishy washy.
For me and most of the Wild Geese regulars, fitness is so much more than that. Fitness is about the ability to do and keep doing, it’s living without the fear that your body will fail, it’s about having a mind that can override the bodies pain signals, ignore it’s pleas for mercy and just keep on going.

I’d have some cool catch phrase if I was the wordy type, but for now I’m going to steal someone elses. It’s a cool definition of fitness:

“Fit for whatever comes” – Steve Maxwell (maxwellsc.com)

Lets give a couple of recent examples:

Three of my lads completed their first ever marathons recently, one of which didn’t do much running at all, another has been battling obesity and the third couldn’t run a year ago because of knee injury. All three completed the course with respectable times (anyone who completes a marathon deserves respect)

One of my Girls is a care worker, recently she was on a day trip with her charges a visited a castle. Castles do not have disabled access, so she spent half the day lumping People and Zimmer frames up and down narrow stairwells.

These are not made up, they are real stories from the last two weeks.
This is why we train, so that we can just step out the front door and run 26miles if the mood takes us, but more importantly for the days when we have to push ourselves in an unexpected situation, such as being sent to a medieval castle and having to lift, carry push and pull all day.

This is fitness.

This is why Wild Geese cover a broad range of training, only specialising  the training for those that need it.

A balanced, broad spectrum of general physical preparedness training (GPP) should cover:

Mobility
Strength
Power
Cardio
Coordination
Flexibility

For most of the above we use the kettlebell, a wide range of bodyweight drills and heavy barbell work. For flexibility we use aspects of Yoga and martial arts stretching techniques.

We have however secured a full time Yoga / Pilates coach to come in every Saturday morning and teach a class. Starting from November 26th at 9.15am.
The teachers name is Anne Dempsey, if you drop me an email I can send you her contact details if you want more info on her classes.

Flexibility is possibly the most overlooked aspect of most people’s training so I highly recommend Anne’s classes on that basis. Even a single class will give you tools and techniques to improve your range and freedom of movement.

After all, if you can’t move freely, how could you respond in an emergency?

One last thing, I’m running one last kettlebell workshop this year, it’ll cover Levels 1,2 and 3 of my syllabus and will be on the 4th December, check the side bar for details —–>

 

Regards

Dave
wg-fit.com

 


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Categories : Strength and Conditioning

A Mile in Kettle’s Shoes – The Video

27 02 2011

Here’s the video from yesterdays charity swing challenge.

Once again I’d like to say thanks to James Fennelly for coming along and supporting the cause and walking beside me.
We’ll be taking donations for the event right the way through march, there’s a link at the bottom of this post should you want to contribute.
Here’s the video:

And the link for donations:

http://www.mycharity.ie/event/1-mile-kettlebell-swing/
Thanks for helping with such a worthy cause.

I’m already considering a bigger event later in the year…..

Regards
Dave

PS:
On March 6th I’ll be running a Level 1 and Level 2 Kettlebell workshop, these cover the swing in great detail, including the walking swing. Please book a place now.


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Categories : Kettlebell lifting Dublin

Charity Kettlebell event for REHAB Care

17 01 2011

Hi Guys,

I’m looking for your support.

Last year I did some work with REHAB Care, a support group that help people with Mental Illness. You know, the kind of illness you can’t see but affects a huge amount of those around you.

The Government, in their infinite wisdom ahs decided to reduce the funding to this group. Funding which they rely on heavily to pay for courses and activities for their clients.
They came to Wild Geese for a self-defence course, it turns out they absolutely loved the course and nearly every one of the guys and girls that took part have been pestering to know when it can be run again.

Must be something about hitting things really hard and getting all your frustrations and aggressiveness out of your system….

So, Nessa (the boss lady) came in and asked if I would help with a fundraising event. I agreed and this is where you all come in.

On Saturday February 19th, I will attempt something that is probably a little nuts.

I will attempt to perform 1 mile of walking kettlebell swings along Sandymount Strand.
1 mile is 1.6km, which is a little over 1600 paces or 1600 kettlebell swings.

As far as I’m aware, this kind of event has never been done before.

Some of my regulars will be taking part with me, some are forming teams to work the mile as a relay / tag team event. I’m not sure if any are willing to go the full mile with me yet.

I’ve to sort out some of the final details, but all going well we can collect enough sponsorship to pay for several courses for this overlook and often ignored subset of our population.

Keep an eye out on this blog as I will give out details for you to make donations and download a sponsorship form for you to take around your friends and family.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Dave
www.wg-fit.com


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Where did the week go?

22 01 2010

Do you ever sit and wonder where the time goes?

Today is Friday, it’s almost the weekend and it feels like the last few days never happened!
However I can look at my training log and see that I have completed my scheduled training sessions on Mon and Wed, I can look at my other log books and see that I’ve had a dozen or more clients in and I can see exactly what they’ve done and on which day they did it.

So while the week feels like a blur, I can actually see the amount of work done in simple black and white.

Such is the benefit of keeping a log.

It means you never have to guess. I know that on Monday I performed a total of 21 reps in  the front squat, the time before that I hit 18. I know that today I have to hit 22+ using the same weight.
I can tell you that last friday I missed a workout, I had pain and stiffness that just would not loosen up so instead of the Deadlifts I had planned I did a mobility session.
This was all noted in my log book.

I’m going to ask you, do you keep a note of your training?

I’m guessing most of you don’t, you try to remember what it is you did on any given day. I have to tell you, if you’re looking to make improvements in performance, you’d better start writing down your results.

How else do you know if what you’re doing is working as well as you think it is?

Anyhow, this weeks saturday session:
It’s going to be a little later as I’ve clients in the morning.
So I’ll be in the Phoenix Park, by the old fort (crossing of the Military Road and Khyber Road) for 14.30.

Last week was fun, I’m already looking forward to getting out this weekend.


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Categories : Personal Training Dublin, Saturday Session, Uncategorized

Every Cause But Our Own

18 01 2010

War battered dogs are we,
Fighters in every clime;
Fillers of trench and of grave,
Mockers bemocked by time,
War-dogs hungry and grey,
Gnawing a naked bone,
Fighters in every clime..
Every cause but our own.

“With the Wild Geese” by Emily Lawless

A long time a go people were leaving Ireland to join the ranks of the Wild Geese.
They were leaving because their homeland was under attack and they were too small to put up a decent resistance, instead they’d travel and join their enemy’s enemy where they could now really make a difference.

In essecne they we’re mercenary warriors, fighting not for money, but for the good of their homeland. in the poem above this is summed up by the last line, “Every cause but our own”

We call ourselves Wild Geese. And we have just found a new cause to fight for.

Please go over to our other blog and have a read of this:

http://wildgeesema.blogspot.com/2010/01/please-help.html

Regards

Dave


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The Stability Bell

21 11 2009

Everyone has their pet lifts, the drills and exercises that are the most fun to do.

For blokes it’s usually bench pressing and bicep curling, women it’s those daft inner thigh (adductors) machines and anything involving those paperweights called gymsticks.

And while this is fine, it does leave the question asked, could my pet lifts be improved by training other areas of the body? Or even more importantly in my book, can my main skill set be improved by working on specifics of that skill?

The answer is a resounding yes. If your in any doubt look up Louis Simmons and his legendary Westside gym. He’s famous for having his lifters work on their weakest lifts while almost ignoring their strongest.
His gym is known as being one of the strongest gyms in America.

Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : kettlebell, Kettlebell lifting Dublin, Personal Training Dublin, Strength and Conditioning

Steve Cotter and the Wild Geese

16 09 2009

It’s been a long time coming but Steve Cotter, president of the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation (www.IKFF.net) has just landed at Dublin airport. He’s in Ireland to teach his Certified Kettlebell Trainer Level 1 course. A course that since it’s launched has picked up the reputation as being the premier Kettlebell lifting certification to attend.

This is the first time it will have been run in Ireland.

  Read the rest of this entry »


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Bring the Fun Back To Fitness

14 06 2009

Look around the gym, how many people are smiling?
How many are getting results?
Here’s an alternative to the hamster wheel workouts we’re all getting bored with.

Gyms have become soulless places. I spent much of 2008 in a couple of gyms belonging to an Irish chain and some of my time in a privately owned “lifters” gym. Guess where I had most fun?
That’s right the lifters gym.
Why, you ask.

The atmosphere in most commercial gyms has gone the way of effective training. The free weight section is small and unkempt, machines take up more floor space than necessary and at least half the floor is made up of Treadmills, Steppers, Stationary bikes, rowing machines and those silly cross trainers.

And then there are the people that use them. IPods on, eyes glued to the many TV screens, these people look like a scene from Orwells classic novel, 1984. I think the contracts these people sign forbid them from any social interaction and frivolry within the confines of the gym.
If anyone smiles or makes eye contact, never mind conversation, they get removed and shot.
Get down to the lifters gym and you’ll see complete strangers looking out for each other, helping and encouraging each other, cracking jokes between sets and generally building camaraderie.

Which gym produces better results?
The modern Orwellian gym 101 or the old school lifters gym?
No question really, thers IS no school like the old school.

Would you be comfortable training near this guy?

Now I have an admission for you, I have never held a commercial gym membership. I prefer to train either at home, outdoors or at Wild Geese HQ. Minimal kit, no IPods, no TV screens. I always get results.

Why? Because making training fun, making it interesting, taking the chore away from it means you’re more likely to stick to it, to work hard and to make progress. And what’s the point of paying some commercial giant a small fortune if you aint going to get results. Many of you reading this may have just spent up on a new membership, if so, sit and rethink. Would you be better in a smaller place, a little of the beaten track, less shiny but with a smell of sweat and an atmosphere of determination, grit and camaraderie?
The chances are you would, plus you’d save a few quid and have more fun.
Failing that do what I do. Buy a kettlebell or two, make yourself a sandbag and learn some bodyweight drills. You may now train in your front room, back garden, the beach, the park or one of my favourites, the kid’s jungle gym.

Yes I said it, I go to kid’s playgrounds and workout. Obviously not when it’s full of kids. Sometime I take the kettlebell or sandbag, otherwise I just use bodyweight. Every time I go the workout is different, sometimes it’s simple circuit of squats, press-ups (do these with your feet elevated on the slide) and pull ups from the monkey bars. Other times are super sets of Pull ups, sandbag clean & press or dips, hanging leg raise, pistol squats.
I may use the swing set for jackknife or pike push-ups. The swing set provides a thick bar for really challenging pull ups.

The slide is for incline or decline push ups. The monkey bars are for pull ups, chin ups and all kinds of hanging abdominal work. The hopscotch gives you agility work, the fireman’s pole can be a tough no feet hand over hand climb, the bridges provide bodyweight rows and dips, benches can be jumped onto, imagination is your only limitation.
And all that is without taking any kit with you. Add sandbags and kettlebells to get really brutal.
Training outdoors, even here in rainy Ireland, is fun, the fresh air is great for you, you’re not sucking in recycled air conditioned muck and there’s never some skinny-fat twerp with an ego bigger than his biceps getting in your way.
Give it a go, bring the fun back. Even better again, get some mates together and compete a little.

Here’s an outdoor partner workout:
You need a pull up station and some markers, these may be bags, jumpers or other bits of playground kit.
Assign each marker an exercise, for example:
  • Monkey Bars – Pull ups
  • Slide – Push up
  • Swing – Jackknifes (for the abs)
  • Bench – Bodyweight squats
Here’s how it works:
  1. Partner A is on the pull ups, as soon as he starts his set partner B sprints to the first station, e.g. the slide and does 10 pushups.
  2. B then sprints back to A where they swop over and A runs to the slide. When A returns to the pull-up station, B runs to station 2, the swing. After his set of Jack knifes he returns to the pull up so A can sprint to the swing.
  3. The pull up guy must do as many as he can until the other guy runs to his station, does his set and runs back.
The obvious incentive here is for you to be as quick as possible. If B dawdles while A does pull ups, I’d say A will take his sweet time to punish B with a whole heap of pulls!!
That’s only an idea. Get out there and do something different, just enjoy it!
Regards
Dave
www.wildgeesema.com / noequipment.blogspot.com
info@wildgeesema.com
+353 087 672 6090
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Categories : Bodyweight training

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