Home → Aggressive Strength Magazine → Issue 154 - 7-14-08 

Aggressive Strength Magazine

Issue 154 7/14/08

1. Aggressive Strength Living Article Of The Week

The elaborate tapestry of our experience is not stored in memory—at least not in its entirety.  Rather, it is compressed for storage by first being reduced to a few critical threads, such as a summary phrase (“Dinner was disappointing”).  Later, when we want to remember our experience, our brains quickly reweave the tapestry by fabricating--not by actually retrieving--the bulk of the information that we experience as memory.  This fabrication happens so quickly and effortlessly that we have the illusion that the entire thing was in our heads the entire time. — Daniel Gilbert

One of the main reasons people don't learn from their experiences is because their memories of what happened are inaccurate.  The memory of what actually occurred can be so distant from truth that the memory is worthless as a learning tool thus the same mistakes are repeated over and over.  So much for experience and wisdom going hand and hand!

I experienced this firsthand when reviewing the film footage for The Boys Are Back In Town kettlebell workshop last year.  As most of you know, my brother filmed the workshop and we turned it into a DVD set.  Some of the footage surprised me, for example, the final panel discussion was much different than I remembered:  My memory was that when asked a question I'd get to the point quickly, but in reality I went on big tangents, taking forever to get to the point!  Needless to say, that footage didn't make the cut.  This experience was extremely helpful and every workshop since I've applied the "less is more" concept.  At least that's what I think I'm doing...according to my fabricated memories!

The concept of subjectively fabricating our memories brings to mind an episode from a popular 80's sitcom.  The television family are victims of a robbery and a visiting police officer interviews each family member to report what happened.  The problem is each family member has a vastly different memory of what took place.  Each family member recalls their own brave actions throughout the robbery while remembering everyone else as petrified with fear.  This is another example of the mind's trickery: putting all our actions into a positive context to support, and even justify, those actions.  By the end of the episode, the police officer realizes each family member's testimony is worthless.  What really happened is up for grabs, even the people who were present don't know.

Another reason for our faulty memories is a tendency to recall, and interpret, events in order to meet the expectations of others, e.g., we see something and may classify as "terrible" but if popular opinion names it acceptable, we'll file it away in our minds as "acceptable".  One of my favorite shows, M.A.S.H., aired an episode regarding just such mental fabrication.  On the show, the main character, Hawkeye, fondly recalls his memories of growing up with his cousin.  Hawkeye remembers his cousin as mentor and close friend; however, after probing further into his memory with the help of a psychologist, Hawkeye recalls his cousin's attempt to drown him by forcing his head underwater and holding it there. Pulling him out of the water at the last minute, the cousin has the audacity to inform Hawkeye he's just saved his life!  Hawkeye’s family thinks the cousin is a great guy and loves him, so rather then telling his father what really happened, Hawkeye accepts a mental fabrication that his cousin saved his life instead of attempting to drown him.  Yet the truth was stored deep in his subconscious mind and destined to surface in the future.  Sometimes we find truth too difficult to accept because it could shatter our world view.  Rather than facing it as is, we process it into something we find more agreeable.  Then we'll push the truth into the back of our minds, filed away within stacks of do-not-open boxes.

While the truthful memories are stored away in the subconscious mind and therefore not easily accessible, our refined, easy-to-digest fabrications are kept readily at-hand, ready to feed our self-delusions.

Over many years of providing people with online training services, I've realized the best way to get people on track and keep them there is by insisting they keep training journals.  When the client's goals are losing fat or putting on size, nutrition journals are also critical.  A recent study of 685 people showed that subjects who kept accurate diet journals lost twice as much weight than those who didn't.

What is so magical about writing things down?  Assuming you're honest and keeping a detailed journal, your journal keeps those truths in front of you.  This means you record your food intake immediately to ensure accuracy, i.e., after eating breakfast you write down every single thing you ate.  Cream and sugar in your coffee?  If yes, you'll record it promptly and later do the calorie total and a macro nutrient breakdown for each meal.

f you "cheat"--maybe you have a Snickers while driving to work--you write it down.  After a week of keeping a detailed diet journal the truth is in front of you.  You'll understand why you're not losing weight and can make the necessary modifications to get on track.  Relying on memory is a delusional no-brainer, people tend to recall only their healthy food choices any given day.  My online clients are shocked when they review their daily food logs and tally calorie numbers.  I've had people estimate their daily caloric intake at 2000 calories only to discover they are, in fact, consuming 3500 calories...or more.  I've had clients describe their sugar consumption as "insignificant" when in truth it was "colossal".

Remember, for your journal to be accurate (and therefore, useful) you must record your food intake as soon as it goes down.  Don't make the common mistake of waiting for the end of the day, then relying upon a faulty memory to summarize the day's meals--your journal is sure to be inaccurate.  Yes, this means you must carry a pen and notebook (or other recording device) at all times.  A nuisance, you say?  Sure it is.  You can always opt, as most people do, to remain overweight.  You have your choice of burdens:  either carrying a pen and notebook along everywhere and recording your meals or continuing humping around fifty extra pounds of fat.  You have free will to decide which is the bigger nuisance.  Hopefully, your decision won't be colored by fabricated, faulty memories, justifications, or outright lies.

Dietary indiscretions aside, another subject regarding our flawed memories to which most of us can relate is credit card statements.  We receive our monthly credit card statement and are shocked by the balance.  We think there must be a mistake, scrutinizing each expenditure, knowing that certainly we couldn't possibly have spent so much money.  After adding everything up, we discover the statement is correct, and worse, just because we don't remember spending the money, doesn't mean we didn’t.  Overspending with a credit card is tantamount to overeating.  Most people don't bother keeping track of either, thus finding themselves fat and broke.  Unpleasant, perhaps, but an honest assessment.

Another arena requiring detailed record keeping is running your own (successful) business.  Imagine relying on memory to recall the money made and spent each month!  This is an effective way to go out of business with the quickness.  Ask me how I know.  This is how I ran my previous business many years ago.  I was so busy trying to drum up business each day that I didn't bother keeping track of how much actual income I was generating.  Since I was always so busy, always working hard, I deluded myself into believing I was making money.  Well, why wouldn't I be making money?  I was working my ass off and we all know hard work goes hand-in-hand with money-making, right?  When, finally, I calculated my income against my expenditures, the truth right there:  I was not only earning nothing, I was going further into debt each month keeping a defective business afloat.

Fortunately, I learned a tough lesson from an otherwise meaningless business venture.  Meaningless because it didn't represent me, nor what I wanted to do with my life.  My current work, on the other hand, is meaningful and one factor that allowed me to build my this successful business is accurate accounting.  I can tell you exactly, right now, my income--down to the cents--and no, this isn't in my head, but a detailed business journal.

When you know your exact number, there is a natural human drive to improve it.  The context doesn't matter:  whether you're trying to lose fat, gain muscular size and strength, or make more money, you need to know your number.  When you know it, you'll work hard and amass creative energy to improve it.  When you remain ignorant of your number, you're inclined to rely on fabricated memories, or worse, lies. 

Our memories are insufficient, and potentially only as real as the movies which entertain us.  Making an honest, accurate assessment of yourself may seem depressing, but truth, in all its forms, is nothing less than beautiful.  What's depressing is lying to yourself and choosing to remain in the matrix of your mind.

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Live Life Aggressively!

Mike Mahler

***Article Edited by Teresa Blazey: teresa.blazey@gmail.com

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2.  Aggressive Strength Interview  

An Interview with Monkey Bar Gym Owner and Collision Course Presenter Jon Hinds

Jon Hinds is a former NBA strength and conditioning coach and is a training consultant for the NFL and MBA. He has trained over one hundred pro athletes and has also worked with renowned motivational speaker Tony Robbins (Please don’t hold this one against him ;-)In addition an incredibly successful trainer, Jon is an outstanding athlete and some of his personal accomplishments include

• Gold Medallist in the 2000 Pan American Games – Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
• Gold Medallist in the 2001 Rickson Gracie World Championships – Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
• At 6’1” and 215 lbs. could do every dunk imaginable and took his vertical from a modest 25” to 42” in a span of months, hitting his elbow easily on the rim. Still dunking at age 45!
• Did 1,000 push ups in 40 minutes at age 40
• Did 500 push ups in 12 minutes at age 43

Recently I did an interview with Jon to learn more about his incredible training system and how he has produced such incredible results with his clients.

What motivated you to become a trainer 

JH: What motivated me to become a trainer, was having a burning desire to be an athlete myself, having the desire to help others become athletes and my dad, Bobby Hinds who invented excellent products to help me achieve my athletic goals.

Can you describe briefly what the Monkey Bar Gym philosophy is all about?  

JH: or sure, we are all about getting back to the basics of movement (running, jumping, pushing, pulling, reacting, etc) and then progressing them to each persons highest ability. Today I would say 100% of the population has body mis-alignment & pain and about 75% or more of all people lack competence in basic movement skills. So we teach them how to free their body from pain with Eischens Yoga and how to do basics movement skills properly. From there we continually challenge them through the 3 progressions (stability, strength and power) we have to help them to higher and higher levels of performance. Mastering basic movement skills without pain is the goal first and foremost.

What are some of the common mistakes that trainees make with regards to working out?

JH: The main mistakes are going too fast, too furious, too soon.  The ego gets in the way of learning or relearning the basic movement skills and the impatience leads to lack of control. Another common mistake is NOT listening to the body in regards to how it feels during and after workouts and before and after eating. The body tells us all the time what we need in order to feel optimal but we don’t always listen to the signs. Are your muscles sore or tight? Do you need to rest or restore? Do you have an upset stomach, or are you fatigued? Did you over eat or are you satisfied? These are all choices we make daily that the body tells us the answers to. If a person checks in to how workouts and eating make them feel they would progress faster in training.

I know that you have helped a lot of people lose a great deal of fat. What is your approach to fat loss training and nutrition?

JH: My approach is simple for both training and nutrition. For training, it’s about progressing skills in stability, endurance, strength and power movements on a continual basis. This challenges trainees to continually adapt which is great for the body and mind. Mondays might be a bodyweight strength/endurance workout; Wednesdays a power workout using Kettlebells or heavy cables and Fridays might be a full metabolic workout with a good mix of bodyweight, kettlebells or sandbags. To counter this, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays we do Functional Interval Training (FIT) in varying intensities. FIT classes/workouts train movement skills in a fashion similar to real life sports, competitions or activities like running sprints, jumping rope, crawling, rolling, again all the basics in movement. We always train to increase the speed and efficiency of movement; there’s no ‘plodding’ at the Monkey Bar Gymnasium. I would rather have a person stop and recover than ever ‘plod’ through a workoutJ The faster pace training (with control) always leads to stronger muscle contractions which leads to fat loss. You don’t see too many sprinters with bellies, but you often see long distance ‘plodders’ with them.

For nutrition, I use a simple plan called the “Hand Plan”.  The “Hand Plan” follows simple portion control with a plant based diet. Most people love to eat meat, or believe that you need to eat meat to keep or gain muscle, but I am trying to do and teach what is most healthy for the body and the environment and eating animal products is not the way. So we suggest people eat 90% or more plant based foods. This has proven extremely effective for burning fat as we average 17 pounds of fat loss and 5 pounds of muscle gain in the first 60 days of Monkey Bar Gymnasium training and nutrition. The “Hand Plan” is simple: eat portion sizes that are as big as your open hand, keeping the majority of the plate or bowl green foods.  Keep plenty of nuts, seeds and legumes in your intake as well.

Not too long ago you decided to adopt a vegan diet. What were your reasons and how is it working for you?

JH: I have always felt it’s wrong to kill animals to eat or wear for profit but the evidence is so strong against an animal based diet for optimal health it’s amazing. After years of training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I developed intense hand pain.  I went to doctors in my area who all said that I had arthritis and the only way to get rid of the pain was to have surgery.  This was just not an option!!  I talked with a good friend of mine, John Allen Mollenhauer about the pain.  He asked me what my diet consisted of and when he found out that I ate animal products, he told me to take them out of my diet, suggested I read a book called the “China Study” and told me that my hand pain would be gone in one month!  It worked!!!  I was astounded to realize that my diet was the cause of my hand pain.  So I stayed on the ‘no animal product’ path, but 8 months later I felt very weak. I took my body fat and found out that I actually gained fat and lost an amazing 12 pounds of muscle!! That is when another good friend of mine, youJ, Mike Mahler reminded me that I still need to eat a specific amount of protein. Somehow I had forgotten this rule that I had followed most of my life and I’m guessing that a lot of people moving to a more vegan diet might do the same. Once I began making sure I was getting enough plant protein in the form of lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds and plant supplements for my smoothies like Pea, raw Hemp and Rice is when I began to feel amazing and my strength not only recovered but reached all time highs.  Americans are sick because of our diets and the manner in which we kill….it is so un-healthy. I am a vegan, to show people how healthy and vibrant you can be without eating an animal based diet.

Do you feel that rubber resistance training is superior to weight training for athletes or should a combination approach utilized?

JH: Rubber resistance training is an excellent tool, but it is a tool, just as weights are. It is all in how you use the resistance. I’ve used our Lifeline (rubber) Cables whole life have helped myself and my clients attain some amazing feats of human performance in running, jumping and pushing and pulling. Feats of which I doubt I could have attained using weights. Without question adapting to different types of training that apply all types of resistance (like horizontal, vertical, dead weight and progressive variable resistance like cables) have tremendous benefit which is why we began using kettlebells at my MBG.

What does your own workout look like right now?

JH: For my own workouts I usually follow our daily workouts for my strength training and that works great! For sure I like to mix in more handstand walking, pole climbs than we might have in class, but in general I follow them exactly which means some kettlebells 1-2 times a week, some pure power training which I am shooting for double snatch with the 44s, some metabolic training which I am always shooting for improving in my 15/15 workouts (which are an amazing strength/power and endurance workout) and lastly I make sure to do some jump training 1-2 x a week. Mix that in with my sprints on the off days and that is it. I always keep an online journal (on my www.monkeybargym.com website) of my workouts to make sure I am constantly improving in all phases of my training.

 Is your training system for serious athletes only or can the everyday person benefit as well? 

JH: That is the beauty of it, all people from all levels of training can take our classes / workouts and be properly challenged by them. I have pro athletes and grandmas follow very similar workouts, it goes back to what I said earlier, we train movements, which everyone needs, and then we progress those movements from whatever level you are at to higher levels of performance. So it makes no difference if you’re a grandma or pro athlete who follows our workouts, they both have a place to start and a higher place to shoot for.

Lets talk about your new DVD series. What inspired you to put it out and how is it different than what is already on the marketplace?

What inspired me was the fact that no one has done it, all people need movement skills to live and survive in our world today but no one has shown people in a step by step manner how to progress running (and jumping rope); jumping - basic squatting to high box jumps; pushing - crawling to handstands; pulling - climbing, rope climbs and more. The DVD’s show people how to simply progress all movement skills from very basic levels (think grandma) to highest levels you can think of (pro athlete). The alignment of each movement skill is shown first and then the 3 progressions of stability, strength and power follow. These DVDs are completely different from any others due to the fact that human performance skills have not been put in a DVD form ever for people to follow and progress to their highest levels of movement skill.

NEW: Jon Hinds Monkey Bar Gym DVD Series! 

Click here for more info

Do you have any tips for people that travel a lot that are having a hard time staying in shape?

Yes, get the Portable Monkey Bar Gym and follow our free online daily workouts.  It’s that simple!

 

 Learn more from Jon Hinds and the rest of the collision course workshop team

Why people are signing up  

"When I joined the fitness industry I made a promise to myself that I would become the very best trainer I could possibly be and that I would do whatever it took to achieve that.  To me, that means learning from the best in the world, and when I saw the line up for the Collision Course and the breadth and depth of knowledge available to me if I attended, I had no hesitation in claiming my spot on the course and booking my flight from the U.K.  There’s no way I could afford to miss it!"  

--Charlotte Ord www.charlotteord.com

"I've always lived by the phrase, "In order to be the best, you must learn from the best." The line up of experts for the Collision Course workshop are nothing short of "the' very best in the world of strength& conditioning. I owe it to my clients and my readers to learn the secrets from these great coaches presenting at the CCW, plus, I could not pass up the chance to learn from Strongman competitor, Mark Philippi. I truly know this is rare opportunity in itself."
--Sincere Hogan
http://sincerehogan.com
New Warrior Fitness Coaching

"Your course has everything we do and need, body weight, strong man training, the ropes and of course KBs. We were going to go to a fitness conference but then decided we didn't want to deal with 1,000 other fitness professionals and courses that don't apply to what we do in our business. Your conference is small and just deals with the stuff that pertains to us. The FREE DVD is what sealed the deal for us!  

--Laurel Blackburn 

"What an opportunity! This many incredible people talking about fitness, strength, body mobility, body weight exercises, teaching me things I can take home and use --working with me on my form and giving me tools that can make my winter training that much more productive and then there's the whole knowing I have this seminar to attend in October which will help with my accountability for keeping with my summer program and getting a FREE DVD of the experience to boot! How can I NOT sign up?"

--Beth Currie

Click here for more information

 

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3. 2008 Aggressive Strength Kettlebell Workshops 

September 13, 2008 

Steve Maxwell Level One Kettlebell Training Workshop in San Jose, CA

>>click here for more information

NEW: September 20, 2008 

Mike Mahler Level One Kettlebell Training Workshop in Las Vegas, NV (Bonus: get $209.95 worth of free DVD's) 

>>click here for more information

October 25-26, 2008  

Collision Course Two-day Workshop featuring John Brookfield, Jon Hinds, Mike Mahler, and Mark Philippi 

>>Click here for more information

November 15, 2008  

Mike Mahler-Dylan Thomas Level One Kettlebell Training Workshop in NYC (Bonus: get $209.95 worth of free DVD's) 

>>click here for more information

November 16, 2008  

Mike Mahler-Dylan Thomas Level Two Kettlebell Training Workshop in NYC (Bonus: get $169.95 worth of free DVD's)

>> click here for more information 

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4. The Future of Fitness And Four Great Workouts 

By Josh Henkin 

Those that read this are already ahead of so many people trying to improve their fitness, health, and sporting performance. Why? You have already filtered through the garbage information that so many of us are fed through mainstream media. The marketing of unrealistic physiques, unsafe reality programs,  and drugged up celebrities has led most people down a path of confusion to how to be fit and healthy.

Before the internet, Youtube, cell phones, and mass media, the greatest exposure of fitness and health was through magazines. Yes, before they were “Flex”, “Men’s Health”, and others, there were classics such as “Strength & Health” and “Ironman”. These magazines were written by true strength athletes that were covering strength, wellness, and physique development that were never thought of separately.

Our modern version of the old time was truly resurrected by the reintroduction of kettlebell training. Since then people have begun to see what was missing since the classic days of true strength training. Often I explain my form of training to be “athletic based fitness training”, that is to develop all the physical attributes of sport. Of course, some may say they don’t play a sport and just want to be fit. These principles are the same, as the most fit people are generally those that regularly participate in athletics. This is true even if you just want to be a more fit parent!

My L.I.F.T. (loaded integrated functional training) system is based around four implements that are truly unique and fit the criteria that I just explained above. These four implements are kettlebells, sandbags, suspension training (typically using the Jungle Gym) and bands (most often we use the versatile TNT cables). Using these four implements in a systemized manner can deliver very powerful results in fitness and sports performance training.

These implements are unique in their feel and versatility. They are perfect for individual or team training, beginner or advanced, integrated with existing programs or used as a stand alone system. These four implements can not be replicated by other tools either. I selected them just because of these reasons.

Below I am going to list a few of my favorite routines that work the body from head to toe, strength to cardiovascular training, fat burning to increasing functional muscle mass.

Workout 1:

A1. Kettlebell Clean and Jerk x 5

A2. Sandbag Zercher Squats x 10

Repeat series 4-5 times with a 60 second rest interval between sets.

B1. Band Rows for 30 seconds

B2. Suspended Leg Curls x 15

Repeat series 3-4 times with 30 second rest interval.

C1. Sandbag Shoulder Get-ups x 3 each side

C2. Suspended Fall Outs x 10

Repeat series 2-3 times with 30 second rest intervals.

Workout 2:

A1. Sandbag Snatch to Overhead Lunge x 3 each leg

A2. Jungle Gym Chin-ups x 5

Repeat 4-5 times with 90 second rest interval

B1. Kettlebell Floor Press x 8

B2. Sandbag Half Moon Snatch x 10 each side

Repeat 3-4 times with 60 second rest interval

C1. Band Resisted Runs x 30 seconds

C2. KB Janda Sit-ups x 6

Repeat 3-4 times with 30 second rest intervals

Workout 3:

A1. Kettlebell Snatch Left x 10

A2. Kettlebell Snatch Right x 10

A3. Suspended Body Rows x 12

Repeat 3-4 times with 30 second rest intervals

B1. Band Push Press x 30 seconds

B2. Sandbag Shoulder Lunge Left x 10

B3. Sandbag Shoulder Lunge Right x 10

Repeat 2-3 times with 45 second rest intervals

C1. Suspended Side Plank Right x 15

C2. Suspended Side Plank Left x 15

Repeat 2-3 times with 30 second rest intervals

Workout 4:

A1. Sandbag Squat Clean x 6

A2. Kettlebell Clean and Press x 5

Repeat 3-4 times with 60 second rest interval

B1. Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift Right x 8

B2. Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift Left x 8

B3. Suspended Push-ups x 15

Repeat 3-4 times with 45 second rest interval

C1. Band Twists Right x 10

C2. Band Twists Left x 10

C3. Sandbag Around the World x 30 seconds each side

Repeat 3-4 times with 30 second rest intervals

As you can quickly see these workouts have great variety, training methods, and are very powerful with their effectiveness. I recommend doing the above four days a week. To see more of these workouts sign-up for our free newsletter at www.sandbagexercises.com

About The Author

Josh Henkin is owner of Innovative Fitness Solutions in Scottsdale, Arizona. Coach Henkin has presented nationally in the field of fitness and sports enhancement. He is also the author of High Octane Sandbag Training manual and DVD. For more info, click here.

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5. Louie Simmons On Teen Lifting  

By Louie Simmons

There has been much said about lifting and age. Everyone has their viewpoint. The United States, for the most part, will start young, 8-10 years old, in a particular sport such as football, baseball, basketball, boxing, and wrestling. It’s almost always sports specific. That is, they participate in the sport with no prior general physical preparedness (GPP).

In the old Soviet countries, there were sport institutes that prepared the youth age 12 and above for sports but not by playing a certain sport, but by a well-prepared process of GPP. This is general mobility, flexibility, dexterity, endurance, hand/eye coordination, balance, and strength. For example, pushups, pull-ups, rope climbing, medicine ball work, kettle bell work, and some running and short sprints are done. They produced the model athlete for their sports system. Children were chosen for the sport that suited their physical, mental, and emotional qualities. Neither the child nor the parents were able to pick the sport.

Here in the United States, football is huge. Go to any park and a million kids are playing football. Of course, only a small percentage will go on to play college ball, and even fewer will go on to the NFL. But all that sprinting, jumping, and agility drills formed the GPP for power lifting.

Kenny Patterson started lifting at Westside at 14 years old and became the youngest to bench press over 700 pounds and hold an open world record at 22 years old with a 728 bench at 275 body weight. Mike Brown benched 735 at 19 years old, still the biggest bench by a teen. Mike has gone on to total over 2500. Dave “Neutron” Hoff, at 16, squatted 805, benched 515, and deadllifted 650 at 220. Now at 19 years old Neutron has made a 1005 squat, a 680 bench, and a 745 deadlift, to total 2430. This is the largest and only 1000-pound squat by a teen and the biggest total by any teen at any weight.  

How did Kenny Patterson, Mike Brown, and now Neutron make the lifts they did? When they came to Westside, each was placed in a group of  advanced lifters. Instead of one coaching many, many coached one. Bob Coe and Gritter Adams oversaw everything Neutron did. He was surrounded by top 10 lifters to help in his development. He could easily handle the physical work, but more important to me was the fact he could cope with the mental process of learning the methods and with the never-ending expectations placed on him. Like those that preceded him, Neutron has the most advanced methods at his disposal.

Like Mike Brown, Neutron uses a lot of foam box squatting, lowering his regular box and placing a 7-inch foam pad on top. This makes box squatting very taxing on the muscles. It feels like there is no bottom in the squat. This causes better balance and feels somewhere between a regular squat and a box squat. On max effort day he does rack pulls with and without bands, good mornings with a variety of bars, Zercher squats, fronts squats, or Manta Ray squats. When he feels fatigued, he will do only hypers, glute/ham raises, lat work, sled work, and abs. There are many exercises to choose from on max effort day. He will do 3 or 4 exercises and rotate them according to his needs. By switching exercises frequently, the central nervous system is never fatigued. The max effort exercises are rotated weekly. The special exercises are rotated whenever progress slows or boredom sets in.

Neutron does very little special exercises after the main workout. He is biomechanically suited to squat, bench, and deadlift; thus his training is geared toward that fact. Pavel would say that Neutron is a model athlete.    On speed squat day bands and chains are used 95% of the time. Occasionally he will use free weights while squatting on foam. He will stand on foam and sit on foam about 25% of the time. About 60% of the workouts are done sitting on foam only, but always sitting on some kind of a box. He will warm up in gym shorts, then groove briefs, and will use what gear it takes on very heavy work days.

His bench workout looks the same, but he never uses a bench shirt on speed day. Nine sets of 3 reps with three different grips are used. Mini-bands, monster mini-bands, or 2 or 3 sets of 5/8 inch chains are used to accommodate resistance in many combinations. Triceps extensions with dumbbells or barbells are done every workout and with as high volume and high intensity as possible. The lats are second on his list. He then does pulldowns, rows with barbells or dumbbells, chest-supported rows, upper back, rear and side delts, and some hamstrings and curls to end the workout.

On max effort bench day the workout changes each week. The following can be done: floor press with just bar weight, with chains, or bands, regular bench with chains or bands, incline or decline press, weight releasers, ultrawide-grip or close- grip bench, and dumbbell press at different angles. This is the conjugate system. Changing the rate of bar speed on dynamic day, changing the amount of bands or chains on the bar, or adding a hanging kettle bell to the bar causes a chaotic state. The lightened method with overhead bands of different strength can also be done.  

Science tells us that doing the same exercise for 3 weeks with a weight of 90% or greater will cause progress to stop. By switching the main core exercise each week, you can continue to make progress indefinitely. How? By not negatively affecting the CNS. This holds true for speed day as well. By switching the accommodating resistance, one can avoid the speed barrier. This is when one feels he cannot move the bar any faster regardless of how hard they try.

As you can see, we train a teen like an advanced lifter, just by training by percents and picking the correct special exercises to complement his weaknesses. Only time will tell how far he can go, but so far there’s no stopping Neutron.

For more information on Louie Simmons, go to www.westside-barbell.com

 

 

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"I have to say this program really kicks ass. Everyone I know has noticed a difference in how much leaner I look already, and it has just been two and a half weeks (out of a 6-month program!) I am noticeably stronger (the girlfriend loves it;) Needless to say, I can tell you that I look forward to every work out, and I will be purchasing another six month program when this one is done. Thank you." 

And five months later.......

"I want to say THANK YOU in a huge way.  This past weekend was the RKC, and thanks to your program I am officially Mike Provost, RKC!!!  Not only did I ace it, I took third place (majority of the audience thought it should have been first, but it was fun so it’s cool;) in the technique competition, but I blasted through the snatch test and every workout they threw at me.  The heavy Kettlebell work translated to the light bell work perfectly, and the workouts, while certainly challenging, never made me tired for more than 30 seconds to a minute afterward.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
- Mike Provost, Reno, NV

"Lost 10 lbs and went down from a size 12 to a size 8 in jeans – that was something I expected not to happen for another 10-15 more lbs! So thanks for your guidelines – they really have helped a lot."
— Michele Milevoi

Click here for more info: http://www.mikemahler.com/services.html

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7. Aggressive Strength Equipment Recommendations

Lifeline USA Kettlebells

The marketplace is finally ready for a high quality kettlebell at a great price. I have no doubt that you will love these kettlebells and you cannot beat the price! Here is what people are saying about these high quality bells:

"Mike, I received the Lifeline KBs(2 79s and a 97) today, and did some snatches, Turkish get ups, and presses. It felt good to be able to press the 97. The handles have a nice gritty feel--I believe I like them a little better than the original Dragon Doors, definitely better than the newer, slicker Dragon Doors. Thanks again for your ideas. I'm looking forward to your new DVD."
- Brian DeLong, Harrisburg, PA

Lifeline Kettlebell FAQ

Q: I have one Dragondoor bell, can I use a Lifeline USA bell with the DD one for double work?

A: Yes it should not be a problem at all. While the LL bells have slightly thicker handles, the bell is pretty much the same size and will not be an issue.

Q: Can the smaller ladies bells be used for Renegade Row?

A: While the smaller bells look like real kettlebells (no plastic thin handles) I do not recommend anything below 35lbs for Renegade Row. It becomes too much of a stability issue with very light bells.

Q: Do the handles have the slick smooth epoxy coating that DD bells have?

A: Nope, I made a point of having LL avoid the slick handles. They are smooth enough that they will not tear up your hands and rough enough that they will not fly out of your hands on high repetition work.

Q: How big is the 97lb bell?

A: Around the same size as DD's 88lb bell. I love the 97s for double work!

Q: How is the quality?

A: I am very happy with the quality. The bells went though strict quality control measures and passed with flying colors. I could put my reputation behind any bell on the market and chose to do so with the LL bells. I have been training with them for a month and love them. I know you will as well.

 

 

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8. Aggressive Strength Product Recommendations

Meditation is one of the best things you can do to relax your mind and handle stress more effectively. High stress equals low DHEA, testosterone, and GH levels. You must get a handle on stress to be at your best. My online client Les Larson told me about this program and after only a few weeks I am hooked.

Just listen to the program for 30-60 minutes per day and you will notice a difference after a few days. After a week you will look forward to each session. I like to use it after working out or before going to bed. Check it out at:

» Meditation CD's That Actually Work

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9. Kettlebell Training Information  

http://www.mikemahler.com/kettlebell_info.html

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10. Aggressive Strength Magazine Archives 

http://www.mikemahler.com/newsletter

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Until next time.

Live Life Aggressively!

Feel free to email me with your comments and feedback at mahler25@yahoo.com

Mike Mahler

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