Its Not Unusual

By Coach Cj Swaby



Tom Jones is a welsh singer who has been belting out the tunes since the 1960's. To this day he is still considered by some a sex symbol, its common to see adoring female fans screaming at his concerts.

While Mr Jones obviously had his fair share of Testosterone circulating through his blood stream, I wonder what would have happened if you threw in a hormone optimisation protocol and some serious resistance training? Perhaps even the occasional Odd Lift?

Great increases in strength, reduced body fat, increased lean muscle mass, better moods greater health and vitality, a greater sex drive?! - are these all possible achievements? Well, its not unusual.

But What Are Odd Lifts?

Odd Lifts are basically uncoventional lifts you are unlikely to see at your local Fitness First, LA Fitness or Virgin Active or other such chain of commercial health club.

Because of the rich sensory control required to execute these lifts, and the weird and unusual joint angles your body can be taken through, Odd lifts are considered advanced level of training. Embedded in the notion of "advanced" training is the label of "dangerous" and by default "Really, its not for you" hence you will not see the exceptional menu of Odd Lifts that are available, practiced at your local gym.

The possibilities are vast,from Sott Press, to Two Hands Any How, to one arm snatches. Most were practised by strongmen and strongwomen of old, to the present day. There is even an Odd Lifts Strength Association with regular competitions (don't believe me? check it out. Then come right back)


Do you have to do Odd Lifts in your training? No you don't. Conventional Lifts work fine. What I would say is this, If you do what the average person does, you will get average results. That's fine, but I believe in the exceptional. Odd Lifts can develop freakish strength specific to the lift, plus when effectively integrated into your training, they can have great carry over to conventional lifts, or your chosen sport.


Executing The Sotts Press





In the coming weeks we will be covering some of the more popular, and lesser known Odd Lifts in detail (and a few legendary figures in the iron game). If you want to learn how to execute the Odd Lifts first hand, or want to learn how to become hormonally optimised with expert Mike Mahler, then you will definitely want to check out the Dinosaur Training and Beyond Workshop in June 2012 in London, UK.

In the meantime enjoy the two video clips below. One is an expert in their field, unique and a little bit unusual, the other one not so (I'll let you decide which one is which!)

CJS Kettlebells Presents; Dinosaur Training & Beyond Workshop

By Coach Cj Swaby

CJS Kettlebells, the highly established British Kettlebell training provider, has teamed up with top U.S strength coaches, Brooks Kubik of Dinosaur Training, and Mike Mahler of Aggressive Strength, to deliver the two day ground breaking Dinosaur Training and Beyond workshop in London. This is the first time ever in the UK.

The fitness industry has recently seen a renaissance in strength training for men and women, breaking away from mainstream body building to embrace functional strength and athletic development. Discovering the benefits of hormone optimisation has been critical to this movement, with strength Coach Mike Mahler standing prominently at the head of the field in the U.S. Tom Wyskida who tackled hormone optimisation with Mike explains.

"When I started with six months ago, I could just barely squeak out 3 good pull ups. This morning I did 12. Six months ago, my waistline measured 37 inches. This morning it is 30 inches. I can no longer wear any of the clothes that I did six months ago. I am also able to deadlift 300lbs for 3 reps. When I started, my total Testosterone was 192 and free was 40.7. In July, total was 481 and free was 78.9."

—Tom Wyskida

Barbells, Dumbells and Kettlebells are the tools of choice for this emerging collective. Brook Kubiks definitive book, Dinosaur Training, radically shaped the future of strength training globally for close to a decade. Simplistic and effective, it served as a wake up call to many who had become disillusioned and had realised routines in fitness magazines didn't work, and their local gym was more interested in taking their money, rather than their success.

Performance Coach Cj Swaby, and Strength Coach Sabina Skala of CJS Kettlebells have been restlessly pushing the boundaries of Kettlebell strength training in the UK since 2003. Setting the standards for Kettlebell workshops and classes that show how to drastically improve strength fitness and alter body fat with guaranteed results. Now, in June 2012 they will show how the "Odd Lifts" of Strongmen and Strongwomen of a golden era can be effectively integrated alongside Olympic Weightlifting for phenomenal results in strength fitness.

The two day workshop will take place at the Optimal Life Fitness Centre in Hither Green, London, from June 9th - June 10th 2012. For additional information and to book a place on the workshop visit Dinosaur Training and Beyond Workshop. Alternatively contact CJS Kettlebells here.