Dinosaur Training And Beyond Workshop: London 2012

Dinosaur Training and Beyond

By Coach Cj Swaby

What can I say?  It was a lot of work and  well worth the effort to pull off one of the most exciting workshops of 2012 to date.  Take four Coaches with a similar training philosophy who utilise different training tools  and methods,  put them in a room with thirty other people for two days and see what happens. Pretty simple concept that had a fantastic outcome.

First I'd like talk about the calibre of the attendees. Now I just don't mean this from a professional stand point. We had well respected  Strength Coaches, Girevoy Sport Athletes, Crossfit Athletes, World Champion Martial artists, and even the odd Architect, and Mens Fitness Editor in attendance. That wasn't the impressive thing about the group. 

For me what made the attendees remarkable was the character of the group. Open minded, willing to learn and still actively contributed, competitive yet grounded. It was a pleasure to watch the group bond over the weekend and bring their A game to the table.

As you probably know I have Coached with Mike Mahler on previous workshops, and as ever his delivery was on point. He teased the group with his new explosive Kettlebell work and bodyweight exercises.  When it came to his lecture on hormone optimisation, Mikes knowledge base is impressive and second to none.  He manages to successfully integrate theory with his own practical application and is living proof that he walks the walk. 

Coach Sabina Skala  artfully dismantled  the Olympic lifts, focusing on the Snatch. She delved into the theory behind the application of the lifts and examined the remedial drills and auxiliary exercises that would successfully improve Olympic lifting. 

Then it was the Dino dude himself, Brooks Kubiks. The man who wrote Dinosaur Training back in 1996.   His  strength and wealth of knowledge is impressive and is second only to his phenomenal ability to recall stats of old time lifters and world champions from the 1920's through the 1950's to present day. Brooks covered his unique take on heavy dumbbell training. For Brooks he treats dumbbells as technical lifts. In careful detail he covered lifts such as the Snatch, Clean, Jerks (Power and Split) and Swings. 

I threw in some Kettlebell Odd Lifts and some vintage Hand to Hand Kettlebell drills, and explored the difference between a Coach and an Instructor and how that impacts clients, athletes and the outcomes that they achieve. 

I learned a huge amount from those in attendance, and even more so from soaking up from being in the presence of Brooks Kubik and Mike Mahler - both are exceptional people.  Once I've collected my thoughts I will write  more about the Dinosaur Training and Beyond Workshop.  Keep an eye open for "Conversations with Mike" and "Conversations with Brooks" coming later this week.

It was a great experience and I met some amazing people. I woke up this morning with a smile on my face and thought, "Its good to be me."

For information on Hormone Optimisation and Aggressive Strength Kettlebell Training go to www.mikemahler.com

For information on Drug Free Strength Training for real results and longevity, for young and older lifters go to www.brookskubik.com