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The Four Steps

The Four Steps

As noted before, in terms of “popularity,” the five basic human movements from the Strength Coach’s perspective are in this order:
1. Push
2. Pull
3. Hinge
4. Squat
5. Loaded Carry
However, in terms of simple impact, the ability to be a “game changer” to an athlete, this is the order:
1. Loaded Carry
2. Squat
3. Hinge
4. Pull
5. Push
And, the five movements have an interesting relationship when one wants to move into the area of “Metabolic Conditioning.” I first heard this term in the late 1970s or early 1980s from the work of Ellington Darden. Essentially, Metabolic Conditioning is that odd feeling when one moves from one movement, say Squats, to another movement like a Pull Up and even though the heart rate is within reason (cardiovascular conditioning, so to speak) and the muscles about to be used are fresh (so strength endurance isn’t an issue) but the athlete can’t gear up enough “whatever” to do the job.

Don’t go crazy with metabolic conditioning. Yes, it has a value. Yes, it is a “finisher” or a “gasser,” but it can also lead to a variety of issues from simple joint issues from crappy reps to some serious medical conditions that seem to be sweeping some facilities.

The important thing is the mix. Patterning movements work well for Metabolic Conditioning because the amount of movement “error” is going to be minimal. Mixing them with the other movement is the issue. Very simply, I believe that there are four natural combinations and they move naturally through this system. The key has always been: “what to mix with it (the basic patterning movement)?”

A few years ago, I discovered the simple combo called “The Eagle.” Our school mascot was the Soaring Eagle, so the name was a natural. It combined the simplest of the Loaded Carries, the patterning movement “Farmer Walks,” with the basic grinding Squat, the Double Kettlebell Front Squat. I am going to say “simply” here, but the workload is incredible. Simply, we had the athlete do eight Double Kettlebell Front Squats, then drop the weight to his sides and Farmer Walk for twenty meters, then another eight squats and repeat until you complete eight circuits. That goal is often not met.

There are some hidden benefits to this combo. The athlete needs two kettlebells and never puts them down. So, the metabolic hit is accelerated by the grip work, the wrestling with the bells and the sheer volume of carrying the load. It was this “Eagle” that made me think about the “ideal” combos.
Patterning movements work well with Grinds. However, they all don’t work well together! Oh, sure, you can slap together anything, but the “Four Steps” are ideal for most people.

As you look up the Intervention chart, it is easy to see that the Patterning Movement of Loaded Carries (Farmer Walks) was simply mixed with the Grinding Movement of Squats (Double Kettlebell Front Squats). For whatever reason, those two Kettlebells also were a sign from heaven that this was going to be a hard workout.

Moving up the chart, note that the Patterning Movement for the Squat (Goblet Squat) work extraordinarily well with the Grinding Movement of the Hinge (Bulgarian Goat Bag Swings). This single Kettlebell workout can really stoke your fires. It doesn’t have to be complex in numbers or structure, but try it.

The next movement has actually changed the way I teach both the Hinge and the rowing motions for pulls. Using the Wall RDL mixed with a Row seems to really protect the lower back (an issue for many lifters who row, including me) and seems to light up the whole back from an inch below the knee through the neck. That’s a lot of muscles.

The fourth and final combo as we walk the “ladder” up the lifts is combining the Patterning Movement of the Pull (Bat Wings) with the Grinding Push (Bench Press or Push Ups). It becomes similar to the classic bodybuilding “Superset” but the athlete is deeply protecting his shoulders. Many trainees tend to do far too many horizontal presses and totally neglect the opposite pull. That’s also why many trainees have shoulder issues.

The clever ones who have looked at these four have added: “Why don’t you mix Planks with Car Pushing?” Now, that is funny at least at one level, but one better be fully planked when push a car or a prowler.

These four combos:
1. Farmer Walks and Double Kettlebell Front Squats
2. Goblet Squats and Bulgarian Goat Belly Swings
3. Wall RDLs and Rows
4. Batwings and Push Up
can be a training program in themselves. The first two are clearly the best simple workouts I have ever used. The second two are more traditional bodybuilding movements, but work well with even the newest of trainees.

Tim Anderson’s VERY smart review of the 40 Day Workout

I read some real idiots discussing “why this won’t work.” Of course, like Mike Boyle tells me, they are probably 14 year old boys training “hardcore” in Wisconsin or whatever. Tim did something different…he tried it!
Tim’s Blog

Tim was my partner at CK FMS and he is an upcoming guy in this field…pay attention to him!

A great book to supplement “this idea,” beside my other books, is Return of the Kettlebell. It will give you some other ideas about this “kind” of planning. Enjoy.

Even Easier Strength

Even “Easier Strength”

Years ago, when I first met Pavel, he challenged me to do a “40 Day Workout.” I followed his simple instructions to a “T:”

“For the next forty workouts, pick five lifts. Do them every workout. Never miss a rep, in fact, never even get close to struggling. Go as light as you need to go and don’t go over ten reps for any of the movements in a workout. It is going to seem easy. When the weights feel light, simply add more weight.”

So, I did exactly as he said. On the 22nd workout, alone in my garage gym, I broke my lifetime best Incline Bench Press record that was 300 for a single. Without a spotter, in a frozen garage, I benched 315 for a double. All the other lifts went through the roof and I was as amazed then as I am now.

It is “too easy.” In fact, it is so easy that I have had to break it down into literally dozens of pages of article to make it as simple as possible! And, the more I try to simplify it, honestly, the more lost some people become about the program.

I am not entirely convinced that I am a genius, but somebody has to prove to me why I followed those simple instructions so easily and vast hoards of trainers can’t seem to follow the concept without the obvious answer is that I have an unrivaled intelligence. Or, perhaps, I just can follow simple rules.

So, I came up with “Easier Strength.” I didn’t want to but I was exhausted explaining to people that “Three Sets of Three adding weight each time” meant to do “Three Sets of Three adding weight each time.” So, my frustrations, I think, lead to even more clarity.

Read more

A Draft of the “Coyote Point Kettlebell Club” How-To Manual

cpkb2
This is the Second “Edition.” Thanks for all the help!

This is a “work in progress,” but let me know if you see terrible errors. This is one of many free “books” and things at my little website. I am still working on it, but I wanted to get this out as soon as possible.

Lots of simple ideas for you to kick around in your own training.

Martha Peterson’s New DVD

I am a pretty banged up guy. I have had surgeries for nearly every joint in my body and enough pulls, strains and cramps to last a lifetime. I’m also not afraid to try new things. Let me tell you from the heart: you HAVE to do something to bring you “back to center.” After learning the CK FMS system from Cook and Jones and having had some great hands on care from the best, including Laree Draper, I know the value in taking the time to rethink and reapply the basics of mobility.

In the past few months, I have been following Martha Peterson over here. I have attempted many of her movements from what she calls “Somatics” and found some relief in simply following along. Finally, she has come out with a DVD that walks you through the moves and I can’t recommend it enough. What I thought was the “dishrag” and what I quickly learned was the dishrag have almost nothing in common, but it is the simplest “wake up” call form my body I have ever experienced.

Martha’s site is a great place to learn the basics, but, if you are like me, seeing something for a short video or just a picture misses the nuances that makes a movement work. It is like what we did as kids and taught ourselves the O lifts and the discus in my case. I stuck my tongue out at the back of the ring when I started for years because of a picture I saw in Track and Field News. It didn’t help by the way. Martha’s DVDs are very simple, very basic. There isn’t a lot of groovy music and words flying in and out. It is short and to the point and well worth you discovering it.

Again, I can’t recommend it enough. You can use this as a daily tonic to realign and revisit your body. I certainly have the time to do anything I want, but I am beginning to move towards Martha’s simple approach. I don’t have the background to explain why it works, but Martha does and explains it very well. I would like to have a “Hips Only” version, but, honestly, the whole program will make you feel better. Again, I highly recommend it!

Find it here.

Pretty Good Day

My daughter, Kelly, got a teaching job…not bad considering she graduated high school in 2008 and she begins her career three years later. I have another exciting bit of news, but I have to swallow it whole for a little while. Also, today Laree Draper (the world’s best at everything) got “Never Let Go” up on Kindle. I am very happy, to say the least.

Enjoy it by clicking here.

One other thing: I got this email from a classmate of Kelly. I never thought I made a difference at Juan Diego, but I am beginning to thing different:

Dear Coach John,

It has been years since I have seen you, but I wanted to take the time to tell you how much of an impact your coaching in high school has had on me. Not only did it improve my swimming while at Juan Diego, but your training has had benefits well beyond high school sports. Since graduating in 2008 with Kelly, I have attended Weber State University for 2 years and then made a huge move across the country last May. I chose to move back to my hometown in upstate New York. I now live, work, and attend school in Massena, NY. For the last year since I moved home I have been waiting tables at a local restaurant and working hard to land a job that will be a better vehicle to my future goals.

I completed a Health Care Clerical Certification course in January and have since been sending out my, now well padded, resume to jobs all over the North Country. I had several promising interviews, but only one landed me a position. Much to my satisfaction, the job is in the Health Care field, but is a more active opportunity rather than a clerical desk job. The interview was for a full time position on the reservation with St. Regis Mohawk Health Services.

During my interview they asked for my background in fitness. I explained that I was a varsity swimmer spending over 20 hours per week training, both in the water and in the weight room. I gave some details on how John Moran coached and mentioned that when you became my weights coach how things changed in the school and for me personally. I also was proud to say that I had trained under you for a few years and that your streamlined weight room was featured in a men’s health magazine. I was so shocked when the fitness specialist sitting in on the interview interrupted to tell the team that he knew of you, explained your national reputation in the fitness community, and then began asking multiple questions about your training techniques and work outs. It was very obvious he was excited, so I continued in more detail about kettle bells, Olympic lifts, sleds, drum lines, and your assessments with the caps and pvc pipes, (I demonstrated the assessment in dress pants and high heels). My interview, which was supposed to only take up a 15 minute block, lasted almost 45 minutes!

I just accepted the full-time position. My title is Health Promotion Specialist. I am under a grant funded department called the Let’s Get Healthy Program. It was created to educate and help fight and prevent Diabetes and Heart Disease.

The program provides information on these two health issues through a well staffed team, (that i am now a part of), that puts out information in a tailored format for all ages, youth through seniors, provide work out space and classes for free, and other community activities involving proper nutrition, exercise, testing, and accurate information. I am so happy to tell you that my work out area includes power sleds and Russian Kettle bells! The LGHP team includes 2 RN’s, a dietitian, a physician, and a fitness specialist. My position is replacing someone who has been with the program for 7 years, so I definitely have some shoes to fill. I will be able to create my own schedule to maintain 40 hours, I have my own office space, will be able to work closely with the community, and continue building my resume as I receive more certifications through this new role. Starting out I will be certified to plan and teach group fitness classes, and will be given the opportunity to also get a personal training certification. I may also choose to be licensed in fitness styles such as Zumba and Yoga.

I am very excited for this new opportunity. The program is something I can be very proud to have a part in and it is a forum that welcomes change and improvement. I already have some ideas that I plan to bring to the table and hope to implement in the program. I feel that if not for your training, I would not have been the strongest applicant for this position. I would like to thank you for all the time and expertise you brought to the JDCHS athletic community and for the benefits I received while training in your weight room.

Sincerely,
Rachael Leigh Ward Murphy

Hotel in Salt Lake City Insights

For the new “Tabata” article: It’s at T-nation

Somebody asked “Where do you find “Never Let Go.” Really? Really.

Here is “Mass Made Simple” to answer the next question…

If you Facebook, type in “Coyote Point Kettlebell Club” for more information.

Tactical Frogs

I learned these from Pavel. Don’t bring your knees in when you move to the hip pumps. Keep your feet “inside” the knees, too. Enjoy

Lots of fine progressions can be found in Dynami. If you just don’t know where to begin, look here.

Can Openers

After the Bird Dog series, we immediately slide into these.

This is like a lot of other moves, but don’t ignore the pumping squat moves.

Bird Dogs, Can Openers and Frogs!

In case you miss the point, and it can happen, here is a picture of Dan Martin, my good friend doing the Bird Dog “wrong.”
By the way, there is no “right or wrong,” but for my purposes, I teach it this way:
In the second picture, Dan is doing it right. He gets an excellent Hinge position in his hips here, that’s what we want.

For more information about why I think Bird Dogs are so important, buy this: My New Book: Mass Made Simple

You can also get some excellent ideas from this book about combining flexibility with strength moves: Return of the Kettlebell

If you like these low tech explanations, let me know. I don’t mind doing these, but please don’t ask for “better quality.” I am doing what I can with my limited IQ.