Full Throttle Fitness WOW# 21: Return of The Human Huskie

Something is not quite right in the CJS Fitness household. One week Cj Swaby is AWOL, the next Coach Skala is jetting off to Poland (leaving Cj to his own devices). They say time apart is time well spent...we'll see!

Cj got down to business with a body weight circuit, Tabata sprints and bear crawls, plus Kettlebell training with 100 reps thrown into the mix. This session also saw the return of the Human Huskie - a perennial favourite.We cooled down and got to grips with Trigger Point Therapy to aid our recovery.

Full Throttle Fitness WOW # 21


Warm up: Joint mobility and dynamic movement.

Section 1: Body weight circuit & Kettlebells 100 reps.
Body weight circuit


45 seconds work: 15 seconds rest x 3 circuits

1) Bear Crawl up/ down stairs
2) Rock up squats
3) Scissor sit ups
4) Burpees
5) Precision plyometric Jumps


We rested 2 minutes then went into


Double Kettlebell Jerks x 100 Reps

10 reps x 10 sets with 25 seconds rest between


The Finisher

Tabata protocol (20 seconds work: 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds)

Block 1) Sprints
Block 2) Bear Crawls forward & Backwards for the first 4 rounds, then lateral bear crawls for the last 4.

Utterly spent, we cooled down and stretched out, and got our head around some trigger point therapy kit to aid our recovery. You can find out more about it here. Ravenous, we headed across the road to Cafe Seconda for some serious tukka!


Full Throttle Fitness

Sat 12:15pm - 1:15pm, Balance Physiotherapy, 1134 Gauden Road, Clapham, SW4 6LE

£10 VIP txt, £15 without.

Full Throttle Fitness WOW # 20:

A solid group in attendence this week. We were joined by some new faces and seasoned veterans. In keeping in touch with Rannoch Donald's Simple Strength Challenge, we kicked off the Full Throttle Fitness Class with a 100 Reps (of Kettlebells exercises that is), then we got down to the real crux of the session. Our focus? covering the main movement patterns Push, Pull, Squat, Press, Lunge, plus throwing static strength endurance in the mix to neatly garnish the class. Coach Skala stepped up to the plate with a brutal Modified Tabata finisher. Bless her.





Full Throttle Fitness WOW #20

Warm up: Joint Mobility

100 Reps Kettlebell Exercises

30 Kettlebell Snatches (15 reps each arm)
30 Kettlebell Long Cycle (15 reps each arm)
60 Kettlebell Squats (variation of choice)


Main Session: Mixed Circuit Training (MCT)

30 seconds work: 15 seconds change to next exercise.

We split the group into A & B. Group A Completed the following circuit

1)Rower level 7 (Flat out)
2)Marine Kit Bag Flip
3)Suspended Triangle hold using the Jungle Gym
4)Double Kettlebell Press

x 2 Circuits.

While Group B completed the following bodyweight circuit

1) Press ups (any variation)
2) Explosive Jumps
3) Static squat hold
4) Plank with alternate knee crunch.

x 2 circuits.

Once each group has completed 2 circuits we changed over and repeated.

After a brief moments respite of 3 minutes we then went into some static bodyweight holds. Here's what it looked like

30 Second hold: 15 seconds recovery

1) Hand stand
2) Partner back to back squat
3) Hand stand hold (facing wall) with knees tucked in.
4) Traingle type old off the Jungle Gym / or parallel bars.

repeat the circuit x 2.



The Finisher: Modified Tabata (20 seconds work: 10 seconds recovery)

Coach Skala came up with a tasy piece to test the local muscular endurance of your lower quadrant, your mental stamina and your sanity! The three exercise below were cycled for 12 rounds in total (3 circuits).

1)Speed squats
2)Burpees
3)Mountain Climbers

x 4 circuits of 20:10

Thoroughly spent we cooled down and mergered into the ether, to return refreshed anew for nexts week's session.

Full Throttle Fitness
Saturday 12:15pm - 1:15pm
Balance Physiotherapy, 113 Gauden Road, SW4 6LE

£10 VIP text / £15 without.

Full Throttle Fitness WOW # 19 : The Demolition Session

After a months absence, Coach Cj returned to spice things up a little with the aptly named, Demolition Session. Inspired by the recent JC Santana "Conditioning for the modern gladiator" Workshop CJS Fitness had co-hosted with the Strength Company, Coach Cj Swaby let loose.



Full Throttle Fitness WOW # 19 The Demolition Session


Warm up: Joint Mobility & dynamic warm up


Section 1: Pre-fatigue

Tabata Hybrid 20 seconds work: 10 seconds rest x 8 rounds

Split group into A and B.Group A completes sprints, group B completes Bear Crawls. After four rounds, the groups swap over exercises.


Section 2: Main Session

MCT (Mixed Circuit Training)
Push, Pull, Squat, Lunge, Rotation.

45 seconds work/ 15 second change over. 5 stations x 3 rounds.

1) Rower (level 7)
2) Marine Kit bag (30kg) pick up to shoulder and slam
3) Double Kettlebell Jerk
4) Front squats with sandbag
5) Medicine ball half moon.


Section 3: The Finisher

Here's how it went down, conditioning for the modern gladiator style - bodyweight partner drills.

1)

Get ups (with partner on back) x 30 seconds. Then sprint length of room with parnter carry x 4. Swap over. Repeat this drill two times.

Rest 2 minutes.

2) T-bar partner climb. One person stands with arms out-stretched. The other parnter climbs around twice without feet touching the floor. Then swap over. This is great for static and dynamic strength , core stabilisation, and agility.


We cooled down and stretched out. The prodical son had returned, we await to see what Coach Skala has in store for us next week.


Full Throttle Fitness
Saturday 12:15pm - 1:15pm
Balance Physiotherapy. 113 Gauden Road, London, SW4 6LE£10 with VIP text / £15 without.

Mark Twight interview - part 5

Sabina: You have a huge following in Europe. Your 4 step certification programme gives a chance for opening a satellite unit. As you say, only a few Affiliate candidates will be selected upon completing the Gym Jones educational system. What is a profile of Gym Jones Affiliate? What are you looking at during the selection?

Mark Twight: I am surprised about the European following but I shouldn’t be. Culturally, hard work and discipline seem more at home in Europe, particularly in the north, than in the US. Bradford’s own Justin Sullivan wrote, “with history just as close as a hand on the shoulder,” which suggests a stronger relationship to history and the past than I sense in the US. I believe this connection makes it easier to remember – or perhaps it has helped preserve – a correct definition of “difficult” and “remarkable.” If Gym Jones is poorly understood in the US it may be because the quest here has been for ever-increasing efficiency to the point where actual capacity has been trumped by the cosmetic, and dilettantism has surpassed focused, specialized and persistent effort.

An affiliate would have a deep appreciation for what human beings have accomplished in the past and what they can and may achieve in the future. Fads and shortcuts might be momentarily distracting but not more. The affiliate would be educated but more importantly inquisitive: wondering, asking, testing and striving. We look for someone who understands differences of temperament and how to address them (at Gym Jones a client is matched to a coach who can wring the best effort from him or her based on temperamental similarities or understanding). The affiliate will have “done something” in life or have interests outside the gym that place the gym and training into a contextual hierarchy. The affiliate’s knowledge and experience will have been applied outside of the gym. This is not to say the affiliate must be an accomplished athlete, only that he or she understand the role of artificial training in relation to real life and living it.

We are looking for leaders not joiners, strong, resilient people who are comfortable being “apart” from the norm – and are capable of standing against the crush of the crowd’s momentum. We are looking for someone to light a fire, to tend it, and to teach others to build their own fires. A Gym Jones affiliate must be willing to follow a mentoring model from which the client ultimately graduates: the curriculum and trajectory must make the client independent, able to self-direct training and exploration. If the client chooses to continue study and training with the affiliate it is positive commentary on the coach’s ability but the client should never be dependent or treated as a source of revenue.

We have a good handle of the personal characteristics that define a potential affiliate. We are actively writing the guidelines that define the relationship from a business perspective. However, it’s an open-ended discussion because these are human relationships, which constantly evolve and change so the terms will not be written in stone.

Pic: Gym Jones Disciple Paul Roberts - Wado-Ryu Black belt

CJS Fitness V Bartendaz : 100 Rep Challenge

There is a tendenacy in the health and fitness world to make things more complicated then they need to be. When dealing with ELITE athletes (professional or amateur) where fractions of a second can mean the difference between Silver or Gold, or going down in history versus fading into a world of obscurity, this is understandable.

For the majority of us, the usefullness of this complexity is questionable. Effective training can often mean simplicity. Simple strength - but don't confuse that with easy.
Here at CJS Fitness over the past year or so we've been following the phenomenal body weight specialists, The Bartendaz. Their strap line?

"Health is wealth, movement is medicine."

Read it again. Let that swirl around your head a little, then let it sink in. Cj had the opportunity to meet Dr G from the Bartendaz at the SENI expo. A humble and inspiring man. We had recently run the 100 Rep challenge at The Body Power Expo, which was headed up by Rannoch Donald of Simple Strength, and after talking to Dr G a fire was lit and has steadily grown force over the past week. Watch the clip below and it will be all become clear.

CJS Fitness V Bartendaz



More to come about the 100 rep challenge, the art of simple strength.

Want to know how to prepare for the Gym Jones FDI in London? Read this! Interview with Mark Twight part 4

Sabina Skala: One of the most frequent questions I get is – “How should I prepare for the seminar?” Any suggestions?

Mark Twight:Being physically fit is required but no amount of fitness can inoculate someone against doing what he or she hasn’t practiced for: the fittest person in the world can be crippled by a long downhill run if it’s a novelty. So what. The point is not to prove how tough this workout or that workout is, we’re coming to teach, and we’ll adapt work to individual capacity as needed, unless one’s shortcomings are due to laziness, in which case expect the opposite response.

Next, start thinking about your training: why you do it, where you began, where you are now, what the objective is, how you might do it in the future, how long you are willing to continue, what limitations you have unconsciously imposed on yourself, how much work you have actually done and if your assessment of your own effort and attention is accurate, etc. To us the most serious task and the most useful tool are one and the same: the ruthless self-assessment. Take inventory. Be realistic. Be critical. Be honest. Who are you? What do you want? How much will you do?

Finally, whether you are already a trainer or want to become one practice analyzing the behaviour around you in the gym. Do it without judgment – I know that brings a chuckle coming from me. Look for trends and commonalities. Begin formulating corrections for the mistakes, reinforcements for the good practices, and think hard about the way to communicate them, which is where 90% of all coaches and trainers fall down.

* Picture: Gym Jones disciple JOHNNY CARLQUIST - Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Pedro Sauer

Interview with Mark Twight - part 3

Sabina: This will be the first ever certification course ran outside your facility in SLC. What can we expect from the seminar in London?

Mark: We teach our military clients off-site quite a lot so we know the location and resources influence the tone of a course. And in that same context the culture of an organization, or in this case, a nation will affect the trajectory of the curriculum and how we present it. Our seminars feature a heavy educational or classroom component. If one understands which actions produce what results, and is familiar with the guiding principles and philosophy of training, the physical part falls into place naturally. If one learns how to analyze and dissect particular sports and activities, and is able to assess individuals and their abilities then planning the training is easy. When one becomes familiar with the Gym Jones definitions of hard, or easy, or adequate and modifies expectations to match then the training changes accordingly.

On the other hand our seminars are physical because certain classroom lessons must be reinforced, and of course, we must be sure to grab the students’ attention. We teach movements, most of which are familiar. More importantly we emphasize range of motion and proper form: not out of righteousness but instead to protect students from their own habits, to injury-proof them. Look around you; no one picks up a light weight with respect because in fresh condition it’s not heavy enough to hurt them. But what happens when a person is tired, distracted, in a hurry, threatened or it’s heavier or less stable than expected? He or she resorts to what has been practiced, to habit. Thousands of poorly executed repetitions take years to overwrite. So let’s get started now.

The seminar will be tiring, physically and mentally. We call it “basic” or “level one” because we have to call it something but even in four days the deep water cannot be plumbed. We’ve had people go through three or four of our 5-day seminars over a two-year period and learn more every single time.