The Industrial Strength blog

Zach Even Esh and Underground Strength Gym

2009-12-20T20:27:14Z

This isnt Industrial Strength London style but it takes all sorts and I love the speech to camera at the end of Zach's heavy set. If you are into your heavy lifting and want to find out more about Zach and the Underground Strength Gym follow the links:
http://zacheven-esh.com http://UndergroundStrengthGym.com

A Nordic Visit to Balance for bodyweight and kettlebell session

2009-12-13T23:32:46Z

Our Nordic firends Allan Fallro and Lill-Marit Overvik were in London this last week and when Cj found out he organised a little strength and conditioning session in their honour. Inspired idea!

The fine looking crowd who enjoyed the Full Throttle Training session

We got together on Friday afternoon and Allan and Lill, kettlebell coaches at their Max Puls Fitness gym in Trondheim, Norway came to Balance and we settled into the strength and conditioning studio for a great bodyweight only circuit followed by a kettlebell piece.

It was done in the style of the Industrial Strength collective with everyone contributing drills, so we can benefit from the whole groups experience.

Bodyweight drills varied from deck squats to split squat tuck jumps, jumping gecko pressups to rotations from prone support into gymnastic bridges, hindu squat with cossack front kicks to simple but effective V sit-ups. Who said bodyweight training had to be uninspiring and 2 dimensional?

We did a couple of revolutions of circuits each drill for 40 seconds.

After a quick breather we did a kettlebell combo to suit the variety of experience in the group - from novice to experienced.

Hand to hand swings, clean, overhead press, overhead squat x 3 before hand change and repeat x 3 minutes x 3 sets.

Great way to spend 45 minutes with friends on a Friday afternoon.

Good to see Tim Joseph pop up the 60kg overhead at the end of the session as well!

Looking forward to seeing them back in London next summer - in meantime if you are in Norway and need expert guidance on your fitness and kettlebell training look up Max Puls.

Video shot by Lill-Marit Overvik on Cj Swabys video, another fine production from Cj's Fitness.

More Metabolloxing Fun at the Festive jingle bell Industrial Strength London session December 19th. 4-6 pm. Balance Performance Physiotherapy SW4 6LE.

RSVP at Facebook page or text me.

ISLondon October 10th session - kettlebell conditioning, a bodyweight metabolloxing, and all the toys out for a strength circuit

2009-10-12T10:43:54Z

Saturday October 10th 2009 at Balance Performance Physiotherapy.

A great session this one, really enjoyed it, good people, we worked as a collective - true Industrial Strength - and got to the end together.
thanks to Jai, Stuart, Imran, Saqib, Sabina, Paul.

The October 2009 IS London CrewHere's the session:

30 minutes mobility - all joints mobilised through all angles and fullest active ranges.

Metabolloxed Zone Work: 15 minute continuous upper body pressing and lower body circuit - had a metabolic edge to this and was influenced by the session done with JC Santana several weeks ago organised by Joel at the Strength Company
Last exercise of each group was more power based than the preceding 3 exercise. The reps were chosen so we could all achieve, the time allowed the most conditioned to grind out as many rounds as required!

Pressing
1. press up 8
2. stepping press up 8 (hands together step/drop out into press)
3. diamond press up 8 (triceps destroyer)
4. Harrier press up 8 (vertical take off - hands and feet)
Legs
5.squat 20
6.step back lunge (rolling through hips for more flow) 20
7.split squat shallow jump/ shuffle 20
8.squat jump 10

once complete we began again and maintained the pace as our own conditioning allowed. Rest was either absent or taken as necessary to prevent failure depending on our own conditioning.


Strength/strength endurance circuit:

We used sandbag, rolling thunder, truck tyre, barbell,bodyweight, pull up bar, lifeline band resistance (attached to wall with train station). The idea was that we did more pulling in this one but still covered pressing and legs (trunk gets it either way).
The timings were based on the execution of the slowest drill - in this case the sandbag getup. We kept going with each drill in circuit until the person doing the getups completed their reps. Reps were kept on the low/strength side with exception of the tyre flip and catch and the band work. number of sets achieved before rotating was determined by everyones individual conditioning. e.g. whilst person on sandbag was doing their reps someone would be doing pistols with barbell, once 5 reps each leg was done, they might rest before doing another set of pistols or might go straight into 1 leg deadlift with barbell hanging, in zercher, or behind neck. Weights/resistance adjusted on drill change.

Sandbag get up (bag on shoulder) 5 each side
Pull up - bodyweight or kettlebell slung around waist to kep reps low or power clap pull up or any low rep alternate 5
Band press - chest height - 20 one leg forward, 20 other leg forward, 20 flye - fast rate, any variations accepted.
Pistol or airbourne lunge or single leg deadlift - barbell to front, bodyweight only
1 arm rolling thunder deadlift - 3-5 reps, alternate every rep, negatives and other assists accepted
Tyre flip and catch - partner drill - deep (swing like) flip from hips partner catches and does their own flip. Pace determined by partner, variety in stance (catch in step stance). 2 sets back to back - 2 different partners.

Two laps - short rest between laps.

Soccer player Jai stepping into a band press

Long Kettlebell set:

Right side - swing 1 minute, jerk 1 minute, snatch 1 minute
Left side - swing 1 minute, jerk 1 minute, snatch 1 minute
Right side - swing 1 minute, jerk 1 minute, snatch 1 minute
Left side - swing 1 minute, jerk 1 minute, snatch 1 minute

1 continuous set lasting 12 minutes was the aim, variations in rep rate determined by condition. Other aim was to keep the bell off the floor - however a few bells touched down!!

All in all it was a very satisfying session - a bit (maybe alot) sore after that one - few muscles left unaffected but predominantly my rear wheel drive system! "Posterior chain" is the lingo of choice for many! Hamstrings, butt, back and lats is what we're talking about!
Really good way to spend a couple of hours - great crew today as always. Looking forward to the next opportunity now - November 22nd - Sunday 9.30-12 midday.

Sabina and Paul flip to catch the tyre whilst Imran does sandbag getups

Soft and supple vs stiff and inflexible

2009-08-26T10:36:50Z

I'm not big on quotes now, I had thought a while bak I would have a regular quote thing going on but having been on Twitter and Facebook over the last 6 months virtually every other entry is a quote. My brain just switches off to them for the main part. However Keith Openshaw, physiotherapist, lecturer, judo and kettlebell coach (CKT) sent me this one within an ongoing dialogue we were having about something or other.

Men are born soft and supple:
Dead, they are stiff and hard,
Plants are born tender and pliant:
Dead, they are brittle and dry,
Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death.
Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life.
The hard and stiff will be broken
The soft and supple will prevail.

Lao Tsu, The Tao Te Ching.

Relative to some I'm brittle and dried up! but actually with joint mobility, ground and standup drills working towards fluidity and precision rather than intensity I'm moving further towards the soft and supple end of the spectrum.

Awesome power endurance, smooth precision and efficiency in movement...

2009-08-20T22:35:28Z

Could be talking about Usain Bolt who pushed himself to the edge of movement control (he wasnt happy with his technique!) but I'm talking about another Industrial Strength athlete - Lance Armstrong. I used him and the attacks he made on Jan Ullrich to highlight the difference in performance when you put sheer power (Jan Ullrich) up against optimal bodyweight smooth fluid movement and awesome power endurance plus a ruthless will to win (Lance Armstrong). Smooth efficiency is victorious! Controversial yes but he is still an awesome figure - this video is a montage including the footage of the famous "Look" that turned out not to be a challenge to Ullrich in 2001 on Alpe D'Huez.Great soundtrack from Fat Boy Slim. Back soon with an Industrial Strength session and smooth efficient kettlebell conditioning techniques - date to be confirmed ASAP.

London Kettlebell Challenge - a change to this Saturdays Industrial Strength session

2009-07-17T06:57:38Z

As the UK Open Kettlebell Championship had to be postponed (date coming soon) instead of an Industrial Strength London session at Balance we have merged with the ideas of Cj Swaby and Bj Rule (always wanted these guys to work together!) to host a Kettlebell Strength and Conditioning /mini competition. ALL WELCOME!

A London Kettlebell Challenge starting 2pm - Balance Performance Physiotherapy, 113 Gauden Road, London, SW4 6LE.

There will be the strength endurance events of snatch and jerk as well as strength challenges - anyone who has attened a CKT with the IKFF will have an idea, just as some of those who have been on RKCs or kettlebell conventions will have an inkling as to what that might involve.

Sounds like its gonna be a blast - shame I can't make it but I have some family affairs to attend to.

Further info call Cj a.k.a "Coach Brandy" on +447903210510

Industrial Strength London - power wheel, kettlebell, jungle gym, bodyweight, dips bars and sunshine

2009-06-07T21:53:00Z

A small but perfectly formed group ignored the distinct possibility of drowning (after several hours of thunder storms) and were rewarded with 2 hours of physical training in the sunshine.

Peter, James and Jonathan - 3 Industrial Strength apostles

20 minute joint mobility
10 minute strength endurance circuit,
6 minute strength endurance circuit,
12 minute metabolic conditioning piece
6 minute hip and core power circuit
To finish, a flowing set of groundwork for mobility and agility (and a little bit of neural mobility for some of our "issues")

First circuit was a continuous cycle of Jungle Gym suspension press up, pull up, and bodyweight squat until the runner returned from an approx 500m lap. Press, pull, squat, run - 10 min.

Second circuit continuous cycle 30 second kettlebell jerk left, 30 second jerk right, 30 second power wheel North, South, East, West on spot rotation, 30 second burpee, 60 second run to dips bar, dip and run back - continue for 2 cycles.

2 min kettlebell on one arm snatch, jerk, or long cycle 2 min body weight BJJ "get ups" x 3 (12 min total) = metabolloxed!

is is what Metabolloxed looks like.

Kettlebell swing release and chase, 30 second on each arm. 30 second hamstring curl on power wheel, hips high - eccentric drop optional, turn into power wheel bear crawl 30 second (15 second forward 15 second backward).

20 minutes groundwork mobility foucssed on the hips, transitions, fluidity. This is where its really at, bodyweight movement for fluidity, but today we just chilled and relaxed after our work was complete.

A satisfying session all said and done...

Michael Bisping fight training circuit ahead of UFC 100 in July

2009-06-02T22:37:20Z

Michael Bisping will be fighting Dan Henderson at UFC 100 in Vegas, and the winner will get a world title shot. Michael made himself available for questions online at www.mmabay.com forum. A good guy with a sense of humour and fast responses to a bunch of good questions from his fans.

I asked him about the training he does that isnt related directly to the practice of his fighting skills. What did he do for mobility, agility, strength and power? and if he had a strength and conditioning coach (I wasnt touting for business by the way!!).

He told me:

I try to make everything fight specific, but thats not always possile. In terms of mobility and agility we have a great boxing coach who has us doing all kinds of footwork drills. As far as weights go i have a friend call Jeff Rainbowe who helps me on that side thigs. I gear everything towards explosive speed.

I think the idea is to hit your opponent without getting hit yourself so you need to drill footwork, defences, drill drill and dirll.Its boring sometimes, but practice makes perfect. Also remember speed beats everything.

Below is a drill he featured on his own site showing fast hands and some metabolic conditioning - a 2 minute round.

Many thanks to Michael Bisping and MMABay.com for taking the trouble to be available online.

"I spit on fatigue!!"

2009-05-27T11:06:58Z

Keith Openshaw emailed me this quote from Fred Hatfield, thought i would share it here...

"Ol' Vince Lombardi has been credited with saying, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." I hear different. I mean, it wasn't Vince who said it first. It was General Patton. Vince, you see, was an avid fan of Patton. No matter, though. They were both wrong, wrong, wrong!"

"Phooey! I spit on fatigue!
Fatigue is the spark which ignites.
It is the means to greatness.
It is the vehicle to success.
Fatigue only makes cowards of the uncommitted."

Dr Fred Hatfield

If you havent heard of Fred Hatfield AKA Dr Squat you should probably go and check him out. He has been around the block a good few times and is the guy who put together the ISSA programme.

His blog is full of sage like statements but look around his site for more actionable information:

http://drsquat.com/blogs/drsquat

Industrial trunk (core) and shoulder strength

2009-05-17T20:08:32Z

Trunk and shoulder strength...stability, control, power and agility through a full range. Remember this is part of the mans daily conditioning session, its not a performance in itself. His intention is trunk/core/shoulder girdle strength and control.

For those who dont believe the pectorals and lats are involved in shoulder stability watch this a few times and observe closely.

Thanks to Chris Willoughby who put me onto this.