Training Modalities & Methodologies

Kettlebells

We are, primarily, a kettlebell & calisthenics facility. Kettlebell training, in particular, is extrememly unique and there are many pathways including:

  • Kettlebell Sport: this is an endurance sport where enthusiasts train to compete in 10min bouts of Snatch or Clean & Jerk or just the Jerk. It is a fluid style that emphasizes conservation of energy, sessions are long and technique is paramount.

  • Hardstyle: the idea here is to produce the MOST amount of force possible and generate tension. It is Strength & Power work primarily. Very intense but geared towards the general public so there are practical stages.

  • Juggling: flips, side swings, lofts, flows, etc. “Juggling” or “KB Flow” uses lighter weights and links multiple exercsies and movement patterns together. Creativity is the name of the game!

  • Motility: mobility drills, “warm-ups”, daily recharge, whatever you want to call it - using KBs for mobility work is like a match made in heaven. Many people do nothing else but weighted mobility drills and they swear by it.

  • “Workouts”: this is the category you’ll see 99% of the time on YouTube. No practical progressions or programming, just a hard and sweaty workout. Some are better than others.

We make use, to some degree, of all of these but mostly stick with Hardstyle programming and technique work. Mobility and flips are used as warm-ups, cool-downs and variety days. We don’t do much in the way of kettlebell sport but there are a couple students who prefer this style so they employ it instead. Only, occasionally, do we use “bangers” - workouts that leave you in a sweaty pile. Sometimes these are tests and sometimes they just break up the monotony. We want to get in great shape and have fun while doing so!


Calisthenics

Bodyweight training is unmatched, in my experience, for generating holistic bodies that don’t get injured nearly at the same degree as other training methods. I think this may be due to the natural movements (body through space) constantly stimulating your nervous system plus no extra weight is just one less thing to keep track of.

The basics are sooooo underrated: Push-ups, Pull-ups, Dips, high rep Squats, Lunges, Hanging Leg Raises, etc. and they become exponentially more challenging when performed on rings! But you can also delve into pseudo-gymnastics exercises like Handstands and Planche training.

I think it’s always a good idea to keep in some form of bodyweight trianing to keep you balanced.


Extended Range of Motion (ATG style)

I’m ATG certified, utilizing the principles of Charles Poliquin, and this has shown to reduce / eliminate pain in every joint of the body by slowly progresing your end ROM (range of motion) in a variety of exercises and planes of motion.

We like to incorporate them into warm-ups, intra-set kettlebell work, and even as correctives when we discover imbalances. This is a highly scalable system that can get a grandma sitting up out of her chair or a top-level athlete reaching new capacities they never dreamed of.


Primal Movement Patterns

I’ve studied under the likes of Ido Portal, Animal Flow and GMB and trained directly under Ryan Hurst - certified in their system for resetting the body. I’m also a student of Geoff Neupert and Tim Anderson of Original Strength.

Resets & Patterns: resets can include tongue, eye and face movement. Subtle techniques to help eliminate pain responses and “reset” the body gently and holisitcally - working with the nervous system as opposed to bashing it over the proverbial head. We also make use of positional techniques and rolls in this stage.

Crawling: this is the holy grail of ageless performance. Crawling on a regular basis restores your health and “rewinds” the bio-clock! I generally employ OS and/or GMB style movements as they are simple and clearly progressive. The Ido Portal system was less of a system and more of a lifestlye - not exactly approachable for your average person. Either way, these crawls can make you move like a sleek animal!