Don Stevenson - Octogen Fitness

Smolov Squats #3 06 NOV 09

2009-11-08T03:28:00.000-08:00

After a day off on thursday I was about 80% ok and ready for the workout

Back Squat 160kg 5x5
Mil Press 65kg 5x5

By the last 2 sets of squats I was a mess again but recovered fairly well over the weekend and ready to hit 170 for triples on monday.

Also embarking on a plan to clean up my diet a bit this week and add some cardio back in after completely piking on it last week.

Goals for this week - Eliminate bread from my diet this week, minimise consumption of other refined carbs.

Smolov Squats #2 04 Nov 09

2009-11-04T03:13:00.000-08:00

Did a light deadlift and bench press workout on Tuesday and tried to walk like a normal person without much success!

Fronted up to the gym today and by the time i'd warmed up i could almost feel my legs again. That didn't last long as it was straight into the workout

Back Squat 150kg 4 x 7
Military press 60kg 4 x 7
Face pulls 40-45kg 5 x 12

I intended to do cardio afterward but I could barely stand up after the squats!

Smolov Squats #1 - 02 Nov 09

2009-11-02T15:59:00.000-08:00

First Smolov Workout
Not doing the full voume protocol as it kills me for days afterward, working on approximately 25% reduction in volume.
BSQ 140kg 3x9
Mil press 55kg 3x9
Pullups 3 x 10

Almost lost lunch after the last set of squats!

November December training

2009-11-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

With the world masters games weightlifting competition out of the way I took a couple of weeks to ease back into training before going at it full bore this week.

I'm trying to crack a 600kg / 1300lb raw powerlifting total, raw being belt and knee sleeves (not wraps) but no support shirts or suits. At the moment my best lifts are
Bench 130kg
Squat 200kg
Deadlift 245kg
Total 575kg

In my last strength cycle I added 5kg to my DL and 10kg to my bench but my squat stalled out so the plan is to attack the squat with a smolov cycle and only try to push the other lifts along a little.
Bench 137kg
BSQ 210
DL 255

Will give 602 total and I think that's achievable before I go on holidays to Thailand and lose it all again!

New Blog Direction

2009-11-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

With the launch of my new blog/website for my business www.octogenstrengthcoach.com I have decided that instead of shutting down this blog I will use it as a personal blog for my training diary and any random observations about fitness, training and life in general.

If I find something cool or funny that might not be fitness related I'll post it here so as not to clutter up the material on the main blog.

Octogen Novice Strongman / Strongwoman comp 5th of September

2009-06-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Announcing the 2009 Octogen Novice Strongman / Strongwoman competition.

Strongman is taking off in Australia and this competition is an opportunity for first time strength athletes and athletes from other sports to have a crack at the challenges of strongman competition without the monster weights ot the higher level shows.

So if you are a powerlifter, policeman, crossfitter, olympic lifter, thrower, rugby player, fireman or gym junkie then this comp is for you!

Also, not forgetting the women we'll be holding a strongwoman comp on the same day

Each event in the competition will be demonstrated by experienced competitors from the Sydney Strongman Society and coaching tips will be given to get first timers up and running.

Comp details

Date - Saturday 5th of September - 10am
Location - Sydney University - meet at the Arena Gym
Entry fee - $50
Prizes - prizes for 1st to 3rd in the mens and womens comp
Events - see below
To enter - email fitness@octogen.com.au

Men - open weight division

Farmers walk 90kg 75m
Log for max weight 70kg opener then 10kg jumps to 100kg and 5kg jumps thereafter, 3 attempts per competitor
Tyre flip and sled drag medley 25m
axle clean and press reps with 80kg
Stone for reps over 1200mm bar 110kg

Women - open weight division

Kettlebell clean and press medley - 16, 20, 24, 28, 32kg
Farmers walk 60kg 50m
log for reps - 45kg
Tyre flip and sled drag 25m
Stone for reps 60kg or 80kg
Any reps at 80kg trump reps with the 60 (so a single on 80kg will beat any number of reps with the 60kg and everyone will be ranked accordingly)

Sydney Kettlebell Instructors Course

2009-05-28T01:14:00.000-07:00

Just a final reminder that our next Kettlebell Instructors Course is being held in Sydney on the 13th and 14th of June.

There are still a few spots available so if you are interested contact us ASAP. As usual there are discounts available for group bookings.

Download info pack here

Kettlebell and Barbell Training Program

2009-05-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

After several questions about Barbell Vs Kettlebell Training i've written the following article

Barbell Vs Kettlebell – Why can’t we all just get along?

One thing I’ve noticed over the last few years is that within the fitness industry there are certain people that for one reason or another have latched onto a single training method and who can’t be enticed to try anything new.

Sometimes the reason for this fanaticism is purely monetary (the person sells product A or has built their reputation and marketing on knocking everything else as dangerous etc). Sometimes after years of failure with various training methods the person has found something that works for them and becomes an evangelist for that method.

That’s fine for those people but they can be a pain in the ass for the more broad minded trainer since their fanaticism muddies the waters for people new to training and it becomes the job of the trainer to straighten the whole mess out!

A classic case in point is the Kettlebell Vs Barbell debate...

View the full article and example program here

Special Offer on Massage

2009-05-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

As anyone involved in sports knows massage and other recovery methods are an important part of athletic training. Quite often when trainnig hard they can make the difference between recovering in time for the next game or session or having to back off and miss valuable training time.

Since I've been pounding myself training fot the strongman comp I've also made sure to include regular sports massage in my program. In some ways it's more painful than the training sesisons but it's been critical in allowing me to train as hard as possible.

Anyway, I was talking to Nick, the guy who does my massages and he's offering a a 25% discount on sport and remedial massage to anyone who mentions my name until the end of June. It's only valid if you live in Sydney obviously but if you can take it up i'd highly recommend it.

Nick works at Sydney sports medicine clinic with the NSW institute of sport and is also one of the team massage therapists for NSW Weightlifting.

To book your session email nickolas@massagebreak.com.au and make sure you mention my name.

Exercises You Should add to Your Program

2009-05-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Lets face it there are a lot of exercises out there. Once you get past the basics like squat, deadlift, overhead pressing and bodyweight stuff there is a bewildering variety of exercises that have been developed by various people for all sorts of reasons.

Some of these exercises are good, some are bad and some are just pointless (anyone standing on a BOSU curling a 5kg dumbell i'm talking about you).

So let's assume you've already got a solid basic program based on the powerlifts, olympic lifts, kettlebells or Crossfit often the question becomes:

What are some additional exercises you might want to add to your program that are going to push your strength and fitness along without turning your program into a circus act?

Over the next few weeks I'm going to add some short videos of exercises that I've added to my training and the training of my athletes recently and will tell you WHY you should add them to your program.

Here are the first couple

Band Benching

Face Pulls

New Kettlebell DVD Available now

2009-04-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

My new Kettlebell DVD "Advanced Training" is available now from my website.

The new DVD has 7 sections covering advanced variations of swings, snatches, turkish get ups, stretches, rows, hand to hand drills and more.

I've also included a few bonus clips of core training.

Buy the Advanced Training DVD now

Sydney Strongman Society

2009-04-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

A short video of Sydney Strongman Societys Saturday training sessions

And a video from the recent SSS Novice Comp on the 4th of April

Glute Ham Situps

2009-03-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post today with another video showing progressions and tips for the glute ham raise situp.

DVD Pre-order and Sale

2009-03-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

As promised below the new "Kettlebell Power Secrets 2 - Advanced Training" DVD is almost finished and I'm opening it up to pre-orders.

The new DVD covers all of the advanced kettlebell exercises that I use in my training and with my clients. I haven't padded it out with novel crap that you'll never find a use for, just hard hitting drills that will have an immediate impact on your fitness.

Here are a few things that will be covered

Kettlebell swing variations, kettlebell juggling, kettlebell band and chain combos, kettlebell remedial drills and stretches, double kettlebell drills, new kettlebell core drills.

There are also tips on different types of kettlebell interval workouts to push your fitness to a higher level and bonus footage from some stuff I've been shooting with CrossFit Sydney and my strongman training.

To celebrate the launch there is a pre-order discount price of $29.00 but as soon as the first DVD ships (on April 6th) the price is going up to $39.00

As well as the pre-order special on the new DVD I've also put all our other DVDs and products including gymboss timers and personalised programs on sale for a limited time.

To order the new DVD and get the specials on our other products go to the following page.

DVD launch sale page

New Advanced Kettlebell DVD

2009-03-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Ever since I released my original kettlebell DVD people have been asking for more and now it's finally on the way.

Over the last few weeks I've been shooting lots of footage and have now done most of the editing for a DVD on the advanced kettlebell drills that I use with clients.

Now, unlike some other kettlebell DVDs this one isn't going to give you a thousand variations of every exercise, 99% of which you'll never use!

I've picked the drills that I use in my own training and with my clients in order to get the best results in the least amount of time.

The DVD will be available for pre-order later this week and will ship out on the 6th of April.

Here is a short sample of the DVD, more details to follow!

2009 Kettlebell and Olympic Lifting Seminars

2009-03-22T18:25:00.001-07:00

So far this year we've run 2 Kettlebell instructors workshops and I'm now in the process of booking dates and venuse for another series of workshops all around the country for the rest of the year.

The plan is to get to all the major capital cities like last year but also if there is enough interest to get to a few smaller cities and towns so if you've got a group who might be interested in doing a 3 hour kettlebell or olympic lifting workshop or an instructors course please give me a shout at fitness@octogen.com.au and we can arrange something for you.

Strongman Competition and Workshop

2009-02-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

Two quick updates on Strongman

1. The first Novice comp of the year for NSW will be held on the 4th of April at Sydney Uni. Details can be found on the Sydney Strongman Society Facebook page and you can download the entry form here http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?liwzmydjwut

2. For those who aren't quite ready to compete Jonathan Gordon and I will be running a Strongman Workshop from 10am to 1pm on Saturday the 18th of April at Sydney Uni.

The focus of the workshop will be on teaching the correct lifting techniques for common strongman events such as stones, log, farmers walk, tyre flip and more. Cost is $99 for the three hours and a lot of the profits are going back into new equipment for the strongman group so that we can expand and run more workshops and comps. Email fitness@octogen.com.au to sign up.

Cool Links to Check Out

2009-02-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

Just thought i'd share a few resources and websites I've found recently.

www.nickmckinless.com

Nick is a top level stuntman, trainer and strongman and at the moment he's been advising me on training for my first strongman comp. Nick is currently training a bunch of other stuntmen as well as one of the competitors for Worlds Strongest Man 2009.

Check out his website for some wiked videos of his stunts and strongman events! Nick is Also available for training consultations and he recently told em that he's looking at doing some more detailed online coaching so if you need a program for strongman he'd be the guy to call!

www.mikemahler.com

Mike was one of the original Senior Kettlebell instructors in the US and way back in 2004 I got to train with him both privately in LA and then again at the RKC in Minnesota.

Mike has got some great articles on kettlebells, diet and hormonal control for maximal performance and he's also got some excellent DVDs.

I just watched his latest 4 DVD set "Collision Course" which includes over 9 hours of footage from 7 different trainers (including grip legend John Brookfield and Pro Strongman Mark Phillipi) and there is some excellent stuff there.

If you want some new ideas to sharpen your kettlebell or strength training program then I highly recommend checking out Mike's site.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MusclePitWA

Some great videos here of innovative strength and power training. I met Henry Day on one of my trips to Perth last year and he's not lying when he calls the Muscle Pit "Perths Strongest Gym"

If you are in Perth i'd recommend giving them a call but even if you aren't check out their videos.

Core Strength Videos

2009-02-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

Over the last few weeks I've again been reminded of how important (and overlooked) core training is.

For a start the strongman training I've been doing has been absolutely hammering all the muscles between my neck and my legs. After some of the sessions I'm so sore that it hurts to breathe.

Secondly I've got a couple of new clients who have got great leg and upper body strength but who are being held back because their core is the weak link the the chain and they can't effectively transmit those forces from one end of their body to the other.

Third, I went to an excellent seminar on lower back pain by Mike Robertson (more details on that one later)

At the end of the day core strength training isn't as sexy as Olympic lifting, powerlifting or strongman but it's very important stuff. Too often people get to the end of a workout and just throw in some crunches without thinking about doing any harder core strength and stabilisation work.

So here are some new videos that I've been shooting with the guys at CrossFit Sydney showing some very effective core exercises. We've shown several progressively harder variations of each exercise so you'll be challenged no matter what level you start at.

Hanging Leg Raise Variations

Glute Hamstring Situps

Strongman Training - Some thoughts and a new video

2009-02-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

Ever since throwing my hat in the ring for this Strongman comp in June I've been doing a lot of thinking about strongman training, especially as it relates to guys having a go at their first comp.

So as I progress toward the comp I figure I'll make some notes about my musings and see how they work out in reality.

This weeks random thoughts

1. 5kg may not seem like a lot but in strongman it can be the difference between easy and impossible! This week I did farmers walks at 100kg (relatively straight forward) 105kg (hard but doable) and 110kg (made it a whole 8 metres!) and had the same experience of axle cleans. 80 for triples and then a bunch of missed attempts at 85kg.

2. Strongman is unforgiving of weaknesses and when you find yours you need to prioritise training. I'll freely admit that my overhead strength is crap at the moment but in the first weeks of my program I was treating mil press and push press as accessory exercises but now i've made the first exercise in each gym session an overhead lift with an additional overhead lift later in the program. No use having a huge deadlift and squat if you are going to fail as soon as the events head above the shoulders.

3. Back off weeks are your friend! Last week I was cranky and sore but a week of lighter workouts has renewed my enthusiasm for training and i'm looking forward to attacking the next few weeks of training.

Anyway here is a video of some farmers walks and stone simulator training. Stay tuned for the next video of some squat and deadlift variations i'm experimenting with in my quest to hit a 230kg / 500lb deadlift before April.

Abs, Power Cleans and Rowing

2009-02-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

Just a quick preview of one of the videos we've been shooting with the guys at CrossFit Sydney.

This one is a series of 3 progressively harder workouts utilising the same basic movement patterns of hip flexion (knee raise, knee to elbow, straight leg raise), hip and leg extension (hang power clean, power clean, power clean + push press) and some monostructural cardio (rowing)

These workouts show how the same movements can be mixed into simple but effective CrossFit style workouts that will challenge anyone from absolute beginnner to advanced athlete.

Advanced Kettlebell Training

2009-02-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

Once you've mastered the basics of kettlebell training there are a lot of different ways to increase the difficulty of your workouts.

Here is a link to an article I wrote on a couple of simple ways to change your kettlebell training to make it more effective for martial arts, military and sports conditioning.

Advanced Kettlebell Training #1

I'm a big fan of these types of training and I'm also a big fan of the gymboss timer which allows precise timing of these sorts of workouts.

We've just started stocking Gymboss timers so if you need one for your workouts jump across to our Training gear page and pick one up.

Strongman Training Week 1

2009-01-28T05:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a short video of my first attempt at some event training in the gym. Farmers walks at 100kg weren't too bad but it's been a long time since I did any stone loading practice or axle work and consequently my technique was pretty rough and the weights were down.

Anyway, I'll post more videos of future sessions which will hopefully show some improvements!

Muscle Building and Strongman

2009-01-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

One of the most common goals I'm asked about is gaining muscle mass and recently this topic has become very close to my heart.

As regular readers will know I've just entered a Strongman show in June and despite competing in the "Lightweight" category at 101kg and 179cm tall I'm a good 4kg under the weight limit for the class.

Now from weightlifting I can tell you that the last thing you want to do in a weigh category sport is train and compete so far under a weight limit for two reasons.

1. It's muscle mass that you are just giving away

2. Some other dude will train all year at 110kg and then squeeze himself down to 105 for the weigh in, rehydrate and effectively you'll be competing against a 110kg monster.

Therefore I'm aiming to add about 6-8 kg over the next few months so that I can be that guy that lives and trains at 108 - 110kg and then squeezes in under 105 for the comp.

What most people don't realise is that putting on QUALITY muscle mass for strength sports is not easy. You can't just eat crap all the time because you'll put on fat and once you've reached a certain level of muscle mass it becomes harder and harder to convince your body of the need for more. Furthermore while you could use bodybuilding techniques the type of muscle you put on is different to the type required for true strength sports.

So stay tuned and in furture posts I'll be sharing some of my strategies.

Pumping Iron

2009-01-26T18:38:00.000-08:00

Yep, thats right, the Classic movie about Arnolds 1975 quest to win a 6th Mr Olympia.

I was watching it last night while I was doing some work and even though I'm not big on bodybuilding as a "sport" or even on training just for looks I have to say it's a pretty good movie for a few reasons.

1. It shows what bodybuilders looked like before the ridiculaous steroid freaks of the current era looked like. Was there steroid use in mid 70's bodybuilding, undoubtably but nothing like what you see now! The guys in Pumping Iron are big, muscular and lean but none of them look like they've dropped out of an Alien spaceship. These days bodybuilders present a completely unrealistic picture of what you can achieve in the gym, mostly because the magazines refuse to admit that these guys are all juiced up to the eyeballs! Kind of like airbrushed female models modern probodybuilders set unachieveable goals for guys and make everyone wonder why they can't be 110kg of ripped to shreds muscle!

2. The strength training in pumping iron is pretty basic. Over and over you see guys benching, rowing, squatting (deep squats too), pressing overhead and deadlifting. There are few fancy machines around. Big basic training like this should never have gone out of fashion!

3. In places Pumping Iron is just damn funny. Listening to a young Arnold talking about sex, commitment and playing mind games with other lifters is very interesting. It's no wonder the guy has had three very successful careers in bodybuilding, acting and politics. Love him or hate him the guys got ambition and balls.

I believe that there is a new edition of Pumping Iron out on DVD soon so I suggest getting together with some fellow muscleheads and watching it for a little motivation!

Whats New in 2009

2009-01-20T06:03:00.000-08:00

Ok I hope everyone had a good break over Christmas. I had a bit of time off (thus no posts for over 4 weeks!) but got stuck into training and a few new projects as soon as the new year started.

So here is whats coming up in 2009.

#1 - I got a brand new video camera for Christmas and I'm getting the hang of the editing software so look out for heaps of new videos and DVDs. I've teamed up with Andrew Cattermole from CrossFit Sydney and we are now taking a half day each week to shoot videos of Olympic weightlifting, strongman training, CrossFit workouts, Kettlebells and heaps more. I've included my first new video here. This shows a few of the ways I warm up before my strength sessions. (excuse the music, it seemed like a good idea at 2am while I was editing it)

#2 - I've just launched the "Octogen Insider" system that gives people access to 6 full monthly programs for various goals updated monthly with new programs and exercises. This system combines most of the elements of our fully personalised programs at a fraction of the cost and we are offering a 30 day trial for just $1.

#3 - Last year was a complete write off for me in terms of serious training. A hernia operation, two bad chest infections and tons of travel made training hard and competing in anything impossible. This year however I've recovered and reprioritised and have just entered the NSW State Strongman show to be held on the 27th and 28th of June. Stongman is really taking off in Australia and I'll be helping wherever I can to promote the sport.

#4 - Also coming this year is the 2009 World Masters games. With 28 sports and more competitors than the Olympics it's going to be a huge event for Sydney and somehow I got "Volunteered" to run the Weightlifting Competition. 500 athletes and over 100 officials and volunteers for 8 days!

#5 - Other stuff. Over the next few weeks you'll hopefully see a switch to a new blog format plus a new kettlebell specific website coming soon.

#6 - As usual I'll be running workshops and instructor courses around Australia and there is also talk of a New Zealand workshop but i'll keep you posted.

An Excellent Article on Simplifying Training

2008-12-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

Just a quick link today to an excellent article on simplifying your training and improving the efficiency of your workouts.

The article is by Pavel Tsatsouline and was posted on Tim Ferriss' 4 hour Work Week blog. (I highly recommend getting a copy of Tim's book)

The main thrust of the article is that many people do too much fluff in the gym and that you can eliminate much of the crap, work hard on the basics and achieve better results.

The article outlines a plan to cut powerlifting training down to bench, deadlift and squat. Of course you may not be into powerlifting but I think that the principles outlined in the article are sound and could easily be applied to other fitness areas. For example an Olympic lifter could choose clean and jerk, snatch, pulls and squats and apply the program, or a kettlebell lifter might cut back to snatches, turkish get ups and presses.

I've kind of being doing this for the last few weeks anyway. I've been squatting heavy, doing either pullups or military presses and then a short conditioning workout at the end of each session. It allows me to squeeze in a workout before my clients and athletes turn up to the gym and i'm hitting rep PBs on back squat.

Anyway check out the full article here

Tim Ferriss - Pavel Tsatsouline Blog post

Insider Video #2 - Online Coaching

2008-12-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

Here is the second video that shows how our online coaching system works.

In this video I'll show you all of the features that you get with one of our personalised programs including access to your program online, exercise videos and diary functions and more!

Insider Video #2 - Online Coaching System

Insider Video #1 - Personalised Programs

2008-12-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

Here is the first of two videos that i've put together to show you how we put together personalised strength and conditioning programs for our clients.

Just click the link below

Insider Video #1 - Visual Coaching Pro

Olympic Weightlifting Coaches Course

2008-11-19T06:12:00.000-08:00

On the 1st and 2nd of November NSW weightlifting ran a 2 day, Level 1 coaches course and as usual I was there presenting and coaching the coaches.

I don't want to bore everyone with a blow by blow analysis of the weekend but I did make some observations that I think are important for ANYONE who wants to add Olympic lifting into their program to take note of.

So to start off here is a little video of highlights of the course and then a few points.

#1 - Everyone at the course was already an experienced fitness trainer or sports coach and EVERY SINGLE ONE had trouble with some aspect of Olympic lifting. This is not because they were bad coaches or athletes, in fact most of them were pretty good. The fact is that Olympic lifting is several orders of magnitude more complex than basic weight training. Speed exponentially magnifies errors in positioning and this leads to less than perfect technique.

#2 - After 2 days of intensive coaching from one very very experienced weightlifting coach (Steve Tikannen has been doing this 5 days a week for over 10 years) and one fairly good coach (thats me, i've only been coaching 4 days a week for 3 years) the participants still had a lot to refine in their technique. I suggest that anyone who wants to get good at olympic lifting is going to need some ongoing revision sessions and lots of practice.

#3 - Flexibility - Very few people off the street, even fitness trainers, have the required degree of shoulder, lower back and glute/hamstring flexibility to get in the positions required for the full olympic lifts. In particular poor shoulder flexibility is a massive problem for a lot of people from a bodybuilding background. Bench press is an ok exercise but not if you do so much of it that you can't get your arms overhead without looking like you are about to cry.

#4 - Critical positions in weightlifting - I've now assessed a bunch of people from this course and the last few we've run and despite hammering the following points into them during the course inevitably some people forget the following

4-1 Staying over the bar - If you want to lift big weights with the power clean, snatch etc then you've got to have your shoulders over that bar until right at the end of the triple extension and shrug. Way to many coaches let their athletes sit back during the second pull and drag the bar up their thighs. This severely reduces the loads lifted, the power produced and thus the training effect of olympic lifting.

4-2 Pulling position vs receiving position - Any time you are pulling the bar whether it's from the floor or from the hang the feet should be under your hips (narrowish stance) Any time you catch the bar (power snatch, power clean, full squat versions) your feet should be a bit wider in a squat stance. Enough said.

4-3 Bar overhead = push the head through. It's not that hard but again a lot of people try to hold the bar out in front with pure muscle power. Easy with 20kg, not so easy with 200kg!

Anyway thats just a few observations, if you want more info on Olympic lifting feel free to email me or come along to a seminar!

Strongman Competition

2008-11-19T06:03:00.000-08:00

On the 9th of November the first ever Oz Strongman nationals were held in Brisbane.

Originally I had planned on training up and competing but after injuring myself earlier this year I didn't get back to full training until about august by which time it was a bit late to make a run at the competition.

Instead, contest organiser Chris Andrews asked if I would help referee the comp and I gladly accepted.

The comp was huge success with 28 athletes in 3 weight divisions battling it out across 6 events plus Pro Strongman Warrick Brant putting on some awesome demos.

A full report with pictures will follow shortly but in the meantime if anyone is interested in competing in strongman in 2009 I suggest jumping on to www.ozstrongman.com.au and signing up!

Crazy times!

2008-11-19T05:57:00.000-08:00

Ok so you may have noticed that over the last three weeks I haven't posted anything to the blog or sent out a newsletter. This isn't because I've gotten fat and lazy or taken a holiday (I wish!)

Rather it's because since the start of November I've been running around like a madman running some private kettlebell instructors courses, an olympic weightlifting coaches course and refereeing at the innaugural Ozstrongman nationals in Brisbane and as I type I'm getting ready for my final interstate trip of the year to Perth.

So therefore I'm doing a bit of a bulk update tonight.

Contact Magazine Part 5

2008-11-19T05:49:00.000-08:00

Another two articles from the archives this time dealing with workouts using minimal equipment and another on preventing common overuse injuries.

Article 7 - March 2007 - Deployed workouts

Article 8 - June 2007 - Avoiding Common injuries

Kettlebell instructors certifications 2009

2008-10-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

I've just uploaded the dates of my kettlebell instructors certifications for the first half of 2009.

Dates and links to the certification info pack here

Kettlebell instructors certifications

New Kettlebell Site - Under Construction

2008-10-28T02:33:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that I've started work on a new website devoted entirely to kettlebell training.

The new website will be a complete resource with videos and articles on kettlebell training as well as interviews with trainers and info on courses, certifications and instructors all over the world!

As soon as the first set of pages are done i'll post a notice here and in the newsletter so that you can check it out.

For any kettlebell instructors out there who would like to contribute material to the new site please contact me at fitness@octogen.com.au

Training without Training

2008-10-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

In strength training routines it's fairly common to do a program specifically tailored to improving one lift or one area of training. Often theses routines call for high intenstiy or a high volume of specific work on a certain area and often they are pretty effective at boosting personal bests.

The problem is that sometimes after you finish a high intensity deadlift routine or a high volume squat routine you enter a period where even looking at those exercises is enough to make you want ot leave the gym and because of that you may start to slide backwards!

One solution to this problem of temporary mental burnout is to avoid the exercise in question and focus on a variety of related exercises so that you can maintain your newfound strength or fitness gains but also maintain your enthusiasm for training.

As a quick example if you've just done a heavy deadlift routine and set a new personal best take 2- 4 weeks and focus on the following exercises

Partial deadlift pulls from above the knee
Power cleans or power snatches
Clean pulls with 50 - 70% of your best deadlift.
Good mornings
Kettlebell Swings

If you include a couple of those exercises in place of Deadlifts you may even find that you work on weak points in the deadlift and when you return to full deadlifts that your numbers jump up again!

Here is a short video from my training of some partial deadlifts.

Remember if you are interested in Olympic lifting or serious strength training, we are running a workshop on the 30th of November at Olympic park in Sydney!

Contact Magazine Part 4

2008-10-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

Two more articles from the archives of Contact Magazine.

Article 5 - September 2006 - CrossFit

Article 6 - December 2006 - Summer Workouts

Kettlebell Heart Starters

2008-10-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

I've got a confession to make. Despite being a fitness trainer I'm really not a morning person. I often find it hard to get going in the morning and generally before I can get anything productive done I need to get my blood flowing.

The problem I have had in the past is that I like to do my major workouts in the afternoon and doing a second 40-60 minute session in the morning is too time consuming.

Therefore recently I've been experimenting with some 5 minute mini workouts that I can do with little or no warm up and with just a couple of bits of equipment that I can keep in my living room. The aim here is a quick convenient workout to kick my body and brain into gear not to flog myself (that comes in the afternoon workouts)

One quick note - if you are going to do these workouts pick a kettlebell that is one size (4kg for women and 8kg for men) lighter than what you would use for a full workout. So if you regularly swing a 32kg drop back to a 24kg.

Workouts

#1 - A quick Crossfit "Fran" Variation
Kettlebell snatch 10 reps each arms, 7 reps, 5 reps
Pullups - 20, 14, 10

#2 - 5 rounds of
10 Kettlebell swings
10 pushups
10 situps

#3 - 3 rounds
3-5 Turkish Get up each side
3-5 windmills each side
1 minute of round the body kettlebell passing and figure 8's between the legs

#4 - High Octane Cardio
5 rounds of
30 seconds of Kettlebell swings
30 seconds of skipping

Try some of these workouts when you need a break from office work or whenever you need a bit of a wake up!

The Completely Random Workout

2008-10-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years of training people with kettlebell and CrossFit methods I've noticed something.

Even though from session to session these workouts are highly varied and challenging, quite often when athletes are given a workout they'll mentally start to break it down and pace themsleves. Conserving energy in one area in anticipation of a harder exercise thats coming up. For example a good runner might ease off on the run because they know that a set of 30 burpees is up next.

The other day while training a group of three clients (all of them experienced in my regular training methods) I thought i'd try something slightly different.

After a warm up and a brief kettlebell strength workout I laid out their conditioning for the day.

1. Set out on a lap of the oval
2. As each individual arrives back at the start point they will be given a mini workout to complete before heading out again on the next lap
3. The mini workout will be different for each client, each lap.

Examples of the mini workouts that they ended up doing.

A. 20 burpees + 100 situps
B. 10 burpees + 10 double clean and jerk (kettlebells) x 3 rounds
C. Boxing for 4 minutes
D. 20 m sprints with a burpee at each end
E. 10 pushups + 10 alternating split jumps
F. 20 kettlebell snatches + 20 pushups x 3 rounds

This workout turned out to be one of the hardest both physically and mentally that the group have done. At the end all three of them looked like they were about to collapse!

So if you want to spice up your workouts and introduce an element of unpredicatability I suggest getting a friend (or enemy) to write out say 3 - 6 little mini workouts and stuff them in an envelope then head out to the park or gym and start pulling stuff out at random and hammer through them as fast as possible.

Junior Weightlifting Nationals

2008-10-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

We're back!

Last friday the NSW Junior Weightlifting team flew to Melbourne to compete in the junior nationals.

For many of the guys it was their first major competition and I was pretty impressed by the way they handled the pressure and came out firing on the platform.

Other states had bigger teams but it seemed like a fair number of lifters on those teams had been rushed into the competition and to be honest some of the technique displayed was pretty bad and in some cases downright dangerous! I'm not blaming the athletes for that but questions should probably be asked of coaches who allow their lifters to pull maximal weights off the ground with badly rounded backs.

I've got more photos and some video to come but in the meantime I've attached a photo of the team. From the left. Back Row, Martin Harlowe (manager), Dr Robert Mitchell (head coach), Charlie Gray, "Big John" Carty, Ricky Gulyamov (1st place U20, 77kg), Patrick Chow(3rd place U18 62kg), Nathan Bannantyne, Emilo "Milo" McFarland (3rd place U18 77kg), Don Stevenson (coach). Front row, Damian Ussia(3rd place U18 105kg), Patrick Canavan (7th place overall U16 competition), Ryan Pasfield, Luke Lilli.

The barbell is loaded to 157kg, the heaviest lift of the competition!

CONTACT Magazine part 3

2008-10-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the next two articles written for Contact magazine.

Article 3 March 2006 - Kettlebell Training Part 1

Article 4 June 2006 - Kettlebell Training Part 2

Kettlebell Instructors Courses

2008-10-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

As regular readers of my newsletter will know I run Kettlebell Instructors Courses all around Australia. In 2008 I've been fortunate enough to travel to every capital city in Australia except Canberra (see you guys early 2009!) to run the courses.

A highlight of every course is the final few minutes when participants are put through a timed snatch test to demonstrate just how tough kettlebell training can be!

Here is a short video of the most recent instructors course in Sydney being put through their paces.

Weightlifting - Junior Nationals

2008-10-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post todaay before I fly out to Melbourne for the Junior weightlifting nationals.

I've been fortunate this year to be heavily involved in the recruitment and training of our state team and after a lot of hard work it's good to be taking such a large team (13 lifters and staff!) to the comp.

In case you need some motivation to train this weekend consider this.

After less than one year of training two of our juniors are snatching bodyweight.

One of our lifters, 14 yr old John Carty has lost 60kg (not a typo!) training with us this year.

I'm going to be pretty busy coaching and organising the team but I'll try to remember to take photos and post some when I get back on Monday.

CONTACT Magazine part 2

2008-09-30T17:51:00.001-07:00

So here are the links to the first two articles written for CONTACT magazine

These articles were written as an introduction to my ideas on military fitness and while a few things have changed they stand as a good jumping off point for anyone who needs to use their fitness for dangerous jobs.

Article 1 September 2005 - Are you Combat Fit?

Article 2 December 2005 - How to Ace any Fitness Te st

"CONTACT" Magazine part 1

2008-09-30T17:41:00.001-07:00

Before I launch into posting links to the articles i'd like to mention how my column in "CONTACT" came about.

In April 2005 (boy that seems like a long time ago!) I ran one of my first kettlebell workshops at the Royal Military College Duntroon in Canberra for some of the Australian Defence forces PTIs and unarmed combat instructors. Before driving down to Canberra I emailed the editor of CONTACT, Brian Hartigan and asked if he would be interested in covering the workshop.

I think at first he was a bit skeptical but he agreed to come out to the workshop and have a look for a possible story. After the workshop we had a bit of a talk and by the end of our meeting he'd offered me a column in the magazine!

The first article ran in September 2005 and since then I've written 13 articles (CONTACT is a quarterly) and Brian has kindly allowed me to republish all of the articles including the current ones.

If you are interested in anything to do with the Australian Army, Navy or Airforce then I highly recommend getting a subscription to the mag.

New Blog!

2008-09-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to start a blog for a while but the last few months have been so crazy with travelling for workshops that I haven't had the time to sit down and get one up and running!

Anyway, the plan is to supplement my regular newsletters with more nuggets of training info as well as posting links to interesting articles and sites that I find.

To get things rolling i'm going to be posting links over the next few weeks to the complete back catalog of articles I've written for "CONTACT" military magazine as well as EVERY SINGLE newsletter I've written over the last 3 years.