When Hot Yoga and Pilates Get Boring

Tom Furman

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Do You Need More Hip and Shoulder Flexibility?

Tom Furman

This short video clip really drives home the point of the productive range of motion of the shoulders, spine, and hips. Vasily Ginko’s Olympic lifting background and his historic kettlebell lifting records are no doubt a product of hard work and being aware of specific body mechanics. 

Kettlebell Records. Set Your Goals Now!

Tom Furman

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Here are some Kettlebell records provided by Eric Liford. They were originally posted at the "dark place" IGX.


Kettlebell Sport Records:

Denisov, Ivan
Jerk 32kg 175
Snatch 32kg 220
LongCycle 32kg 110

No Time Limit "Competition":

Machenikov, Sergei
Jerk 32kg 255

Sachno(sp?), A.
Snatch 32kg 280

Interesting Records:

Nimsof, Ivan (Master of Sport @ around 50yrs old)
Press 370 reps 32kg 1 Arm, no switch

Horoneko (competed KB Sport in the 90’s with Valery)
52 Seconds under water, splits, Press 21 reps 32kg
10 minutes, splits, Press 100 reps 32kg
24 Hours Push Press 18,000+reps 16kg

Greek Kid "200lb Kettlebell guy" Filikidi Student
5 minutes 1 Arm Jerk 90 reps 48kg

Filikidi
20 curls 50kg ;)
11 reps Chair Press 2x 48kg
20 reps Chair Press 2x 40kg
Snatch 255/255=510 total (Valery counted these reps in 1992 41 yr/s old "about" 28 minutes)

Simonov, Arcady
Push Press 20 reps 48kg @52kg Body-weight,

Cheglov, Konstanin
Bottom Up Press 24kg (staked with 16kg) 1 rep Press
(He was 61 yrs. and had a prosthetic leg)

"Another guy" 73 yrs. old 15 reps 2 x 32kg Jerk

Usanko, Fedor
Jerk 36 reps 1 minute with 2 x 32kg

Ragushenko, Roman
Push Press 16kg 1007 reps 1 hour. 12yr. old boy @39kg body-weight

And here are some of Valery "Personal Records":

Two Arm Jerk
48kg/106lb — 32 reps in 5 minutes
40kg/88lb — 80 reps in 10 minutes
40kg/88lb — 61 reps 6 minutes
40kg/88lb — 52 reps in 5 minutes
36kg/79lb — 100 reps 10 minutes
36kg/79lb — 60 reps 5 minutes
32kg/70lb — 200 reps in 17 minutes
32kg/70lb — 132 reps in 10 minutes
32kg/70lb — 105 reps in 7 minutes
32kg/70lb — 81 reps in 5 minutes
32kg/70lb — 54 reps in 3 minutes
32kg/70lb — 44 reps in 2 minutes
32kg/70lb — 29 reps in 1 minute
28kg/62lb — 150 reps in 10 minutes
28kg/62lb — 90 reps in 5 minutes
24kg/53lb — 215 reps in 15 minutes
24kg/53lb — 182 reps in 10 minutes
24kg/53lb — 111 reps in 5 minutes

One Arm Jerk
48kg/106lb — 50+50=100 reps in 8 minutes
32kg/70lb — 600 reps in 60 minutes

Two Arm LongCycle
32kg/70 lb — 84 reps in 10 minutes
32kg/70 lb — 52 reps in 5 minutes
32kg/70lb — 37 reps in 3 minutes
24kg/53 lb — 115 reps in 10 minutes
24kg/53lb — 70 reps in 5 minutes

One Arm LongCycle
40kg/88lb — 110 reps in 10 minutes
32kg/70lb — 140 reps in 10 minutes

Snatch
52kg/114lb — 25+25 =50 reps 4 minutes
48kg/106lb — 30+30 =60 reps in 5 minutes
40kg/88lb — 56+56 =112 reps 8 minutes
36kg/79lb — 72+72 =144 reps in 8 minutes
32kg/70lb — 110+110 =220 reps in 10 minutes
32kg/70lb — 92+92 =184 reps in 8 minutes
32kg/70lb — 72+72 =144 reps in 6 minutes
32kg/70lb — 52+52 =104 reps 4 minutes
24kg/53lb — 200+200 = 400 reps in 20 minutes
24kg/53lb — 130+130 =260 reps in 10 minutes

Two Arm Clean
32kg — 81 reps 5 minutes
24kg — 110 reps 5 minutes

Two Arm Press
32kg — 50 reps in 5 minutes
24kg — 100 reps in 10 minutes

Two Arm Bottom Up Press
32kg — 3 reps
24kg — 10 reps

One Arm Press
32kg — 100+100 =200 reps
24kg — 170 reps

One Arm Bottom Up Press
40kg — 2 reps
32kg — 10 reps

Push Press
24kg/53lb — 850 reps in 67 minutes
16kg/35lb — 2006 reps in 145 minutes

Mill Press
16kg/35lb — 700 reps in 30 minutes

Meat, Fat, and WILL

Tom Furman

I stopped eating fruit and veggies 3 years ago. I’m 27 months into my Meat and Fat only diet and still going strong. Every 2-3 months I rotate a different cut of beef. Right now it’s sirloin and next month I switch to rib-eye , tenderloin, etc. Still following IF and eating only once a day usually around 8 at night. No supplements except multi vitamin and minerals. Zero Carbs.

 I switched from Lurpak to Plugra Butter a while back. Much Better! Even better then Presidents butter.

 I would be still eating this way if it wasn’t for the bad knees. Now keep in mind that prior to this I followed a Warrior type diet for about 5 years eating only meat, fish, fruits and veggies. This also worked however, I feel much better eating just meat and saturated fat. There are NO cravings for sugars, sweets or any other carbs. I kid you not. IFing(intermittent fasting) with this way of eating makes it that much better, as well.

 I’ve not had any "cheat foods" at all in 27 months. If I want more of something it’s meat or fat. Liquids consumed are black coffee ( the only way to drink it ) spring water, Fruit 2.0 water, and a diet soda every once in a while. Never, Ever, felt better. Might not be for all but "it" works for me. No need to fix what’s not broken.
–Eddie
" Once You’ve Walked Through The Fire Unscathed, Nothing Else Can Ever Burn "
USMC
Further notes on this training journey.

Science of Sports Training

Tom Furman

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How to plan and control training for Peak Performance by Thomas Kurz

I’ve owned this book for many years and thought I’d dust it off and go through it again. The second reading was even more enjoyable. The fitness world has advanced and information is everywhere. The question of course is how to organize and decypher this data. Knowledge and application are two different things. Thomas Kurz does a very good job and presenting an extremely organized format for improving athletes. It’s rare that a text will have this much content and not be layered in advertisements, senseless photo’s or other fillers. Pure content is the selling point and you would be hard pressed to find a reason not to have this item on your shelf if you are a serious athlete or competitor. Mr. Kurz has somewhat of a dry delivery which probably has not made him a media darling. He is effective at producing results however. To me, that’s what counts. He walks his talk. The book can be purchased HERE.

Upcoming DVD teaser in this YouTube.


 

The Boys Are Back In Town DVD,… reviewed!

Tom Furman

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The Boys Are Back In Town DVD set.

Physical culture is a strange beast. There is really nothing new. Some things are occasionally repackaged. The secret then is to view something from another angle and communicate your discoveries to a receptive audience. After all, we are just dealing with muscles, motion, heart rate, and gravity. It’s like Italian food,… the pasta is the same, the secret is in the sauce.

I just had the great fortune of viewing "The Boys Are Back In Town" DVD set from Mike Mahler. This is a tightly edited package of hard won knowledge. I can’t emphasize enough that this material is of the highest value. Before even describing it, I would say it is a "must buy".

Mike Mahler decided to invite Nate Morrison, Steve Maxwell, and Steve Cotter to join him in Las Vegas for a weekend seminar and a chance to share their knowledge. For those of you who have been under a rock, I will spare you the time and space of lengthy resume’s. Steve Cotter, of course is the head of FullKontact.com, a career martial artist in Chinese methods, and competitive Kettlebell lifter, and an evangelist of QiGong. Steve Maxwell is a Masters Brazilian Jiujitsu Champion, trainer to athletes, and an encyclopedia of physical culture. Nate Morrison is a member of the USAF ParaRescue. He has been there, done that, and is a hero. His background in addition to Kettlebell training is Japanese Martial Arts and Russian Systema. Last but not least is Mike Mahler. He is one of the most popular strength authors and instructors around. His powerful and energetic presentation are a force to be reckoned with. I’ve been fortunate to have met and trained alongside or with all of these gentlemen. They are some of the best of the best.

The DVD package is 3 disks long. Each one is unique and covers kettlebell basics, joint mobility, body mechanics, breathing, kettlebell sport, martial arts, stretching, power development, hormonal health, QiGong, and much, much, more. This package is probably the most thorough treatment on fitness and health that I have seen. What is really valuable is the growth of the instructors. As educators mature, they sometime get stale. Not these guys. You will have to get a running start to even keep up with them. To put it bluntly, your fitness library is not complete without a DVD package like this.

To purchase this incredible source of knowledge, go to the column on the right and follow the link.

Ken Blackburn/Steve Cotter Bootcamp 2

Tom Furman

GET READY FOR SOME TESTOSTERONE!