Clubbell Training Black Book

The Clubbell Training Black Book by Ryan Murdock and Adam Steer Copyright 2009-2010 by Ryan Murdock and Adam Steer All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. No part of this manual may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information: www.clubbellcoach.com Email comments and questions to: [email protected]

FIRST EDITION Disclaimer: The information in this book is presented in good faith, but no warranty is given, nor results guaranteed. Since we have no control over physical conditions surrounding the application of information in this book the author and publisher disclaim any liability for untoward results including (but not limited) any injuries or damages arising out of any person’s attempt to rely upon any information herein contained. The exercises described in this book are for information purposes, and may be too strenuous or even dangerous for some people. The reader should consult a physician before starting this or any other exercise programs.

LEGAL STATEMENT: When purchasing equipment or other products from Ryan Murdock and Adam Steer the purchaser understands the risk associated with using this type of equipment, and the purchaser understands the risk associated with following instructions from other products, and agrees not to hold Ryan Murdock, Adam Steer, their agents and/or representatives responsible for injuries or proper maintenance and/or supervision. ATTENTION: Nothing within this information intends to constitute an explanation of the use of any product or the carrying out of any procedure or process introduced by or within any material. This site and its officers and employees accept no responsibility for any liability, injuries or damages arising out of any person’s attempt to rely upon any information contained herein. Consult your doctor before using this or any other exercise device or program. Do not use if you have an injury, or are experiencing pain or inflammation in your hands, wrists, forearms, elbows, or shoulders without first consulting your doctor. Use this product at your own risk. Failure to follow instructions and/ or using this product in any way other than its intended use could result in injury.

IMPORTANT: Please be sure to thoroughly read the instructions for all exercises in this book, paying particular attention to all cautions and warnings to ensure proper and safe use. Clubbell, Circular Strength Training, FlowFighting and Intu-Flow are registered trademarks of RMAX.tv Productions.

The Clubbell® Training Black Book Table of Contents Preface Part 1: Introductory Material

Chapter One—The Theory Behind 4x7

Chapter Two—Balancing Work and Recovery

Chapter Three—What the Heck is a Clubbell, and Why Should I Care? Chapter Four—Choosing the Appropriate Clubbell Weight

Chapter Five—The Seven Key Components of Structure

7 13 19 22 26

Part 2: Metabolic Conditioning

Chapter Six— Metabolic Conditioning Circuits Chapter Seven— The HIIT Protocol

49 63

Part 3: Density Sets for Strength

Chapter Eight—Milo Hybrid Density X-treme

Part 4: Burst-Recover-Burst

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110

121

125 132 140

Chapter Nine—The Tabata Protocol

Part 5: Speed-Strength

Chapter Ten—The Going Ballistic Protocol

Part 6: Serious Volume

Chapter Eleven—Density Training

Chapter Twelve—The Basic Clubbell Density Cycle Chapter Thirteen—The Double Density Protocol

© ClubbellCoach.com 2009 - 2010

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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Table of Contents Chapter Fourteen—The Ultimate in Functional Hypertrophy: Double Bruiser Double Density Training Further Resources


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Preface This series is based on the 4x7 model of training periodization developed by our teacher and mentor, Hall of Fame Coach Scott Sonnon. It was first presented in his groundbreaking DVD program “4x7: The Magic in the Mundane”. Clients often ask us how to go beyond the specific program presented in the original DVD to create their own training cycles with the 4x7 format. They also want to know how to incorporate other training programs, tools, and goals into this incredible new method of periodization. This three volume e-book series is our response. Volume One, Bodyweight Exercise Revolution, dealt specifically with bodyweight 4x7 programs. We included five separate and unique program designs, each incorporating several incremental levels of movement sophistication, which enabled our readers to explore the 4x7 format immediately, without purchasing additional equipment or props. The training cycles in Bodyweight Exercise Revolution were organized around several unique themes that reflect common training goals: Strength, Fat Loss, General Athleticism, Functional Hypertrophy, and Longevity. In addition to exploring the 4x7 format, we hoped you would read between the lines and study each specific layout in order to get a better sense of how training demand can be shifted to meet each of these goals. Those on the CST Coaching track should have recorded their observations of each programʼs effect on their bodies, comparing that to the theory presented in the manual in order to fully “own” the material, for themselves and their clients. Volume Two of the series—The Clubbell Training Black Book—deals specifically with Clubbell 4x7 programs. Weʼve crammed it full of 10 months worth of follow-along, plug and play Clubbell training that includes some of the best programs weʼve worked with in our collective two decades of Clubbell swinging.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book In keeping with the dual goal of Volume One, these Clubbell program designs are grouped according to specific themes. In Volume Two we explore training protocols. As you work through the material youʼll learn how to merge the 4x7 method of periodization with such proven training methods as: the HIIT protocol, density sets, the Tabata Protocol, and classic Clubbell density and double density cycles. By the time you work through each of these designs, you will have added several new conceptual tools to your training or coaching toolkit. Finally, Volume Three will present sport specific 4x7 program designs. Weʼll show you how to go beyond GPP to apply the 4x7 method of periodization to conditioning for your chosen sport. Each individual program presented in these e-books includes several levels of sophistication, so whether youʼre a complete beginner or an experienced athlete, you will be able to benefit from any of the programs. Every exercise is illustrated with step by step photos, and each program includes a video clip so you can see all the exercises in motion. Weʼve also included a Prasara yoga chain of compensatory movement specifically designed to balance the demands of these programs. All of these 4x7 programs are of course based on Scott Sonnonʼs original 28-day design, and each can be done as a separate and unique program.

How to Use This Book This three volume series contains enough 28-day 4x7 program designs to keep you busy for several years. But you shouldnʼt feel dwarfed by the material. Itʼs your book—make it work for you. You might choose to explore the material in this series in several ways. You may already be motivated by a specific goal, in which case you could simply scan the table of contents for a program designed to meet that goal. You may be looking to explore a specific training protocol, or you might be interested in 4x7ʼs which employ certain types of exercises. If so, thereʼs sure to be something here for you among the three available volumes. Finally, if youʼre a lifer who is simply training for the sheer love of it, you might flip through and choose programs to attempt at random, or you might even take the hardcore approach of working through each manual


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book systematically, physically mastering every one of these grueling programs over a number of years. Remember: your journey begins with a single step. Each program chapter is its own selfcontained 4x7 training cycle. You only have to choose one to get started. Once you decide on the program chapter that youʼd like to try, follow these easy steps:

- Read the program chapter to get oriented

- Download the videos for that specific chapter, and study the movements

- Download the Intu-Flow and Prasara Recovery videos (youʼll use the same recovery videos for every program in the book)

- Print out that Master Program Chart—itʼs the summary of your work for the next 28 days

- Go to Day one on the chart and get to work!

Itʼs that easy. Regardless of the approach you choose to take, weʼre certain youʼll come out the other end with a much firmer grasp of the magic behind the 4x7 method of periodization, and with a totally transformed level of health and fitness. After all, we designed it that way…


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Chapter One - The Theory Behind 4x7 Scott Sonnonʼs groundbreaking 4x7 method of training periodization is the result of a unique distillation process. The mystique surrounding the program is such that you could be forgiven for imagining some strange new variety of esoteric alchemy involving late night conjuring sessions and Faustian bargains. The subtitle of the original DVD series, “the magic in the mundane” is much closer to the truth. The program represents the distillation of an awful lot of hours and years of training cycles by an awful lot of high caliber athletes, and a great deal of time spent combing through their training journals to discover the unique thread that connected them all.

As they continued to test this new training protocol, they discovered that it could be adapted to suit a limitless variety of needs and goals.

Scottʼs hard work paid off. The final product was his original 4x7 series, a 28-day program which would produce better, healthier, more energetic, and more vibrant individuals—in a fraction of the time of conventional training programs.

But that was just the beginning. As Scottʼs RMAX Faculty think tank continued to test this new training protocol, they discovered that it could be adapted to suit a limitless variety of needs and goals. Ryan Murdock in particular sought to push the protocol to its outer limits. He was constantly surprised by just how rapid his progress became when using the 4x7 method of cycling and compression, and he was even more impressed by the rate of adaptation his body was capable of when he tapped into its natural rhythms. Ryanʼs experiments sought to discover the furthest limit of that adaptability, and the multimonth exploratory program he crafted to test it is included in Volume Two of this e-book series —The Clubbell Training Black Book youʼre looking at right now. Despite months of increasingly demanding programs, Ryan never did reach that outer limit, and the Faculty continues to push those frontiers to this day.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Youʼre probably chomping at the bit to know just whatʼs so special about the 4x7 method. What exactly is the ʻmagic in the mundaneʼ? There are several factors at play, and weʼll examine each one in turn.

Selection 4x7 incorporates Circular Strength Training (CST) exercises that have been carefully crafted to optimize your health and fitness. Each of the exercises, and more importantly the combination of exercises, is firmly grounded in CSTʼs ʻhealth-firstʼ value hierarchy. You can rest assured that, though youʼll be pushing yourself to the limit, your health and longevity will never be sacrificed for short term gain. Further, the specific exercise selection and their combinations have been determined to produce maximal results for the goals of those programs.

Sequence The 4x7 circuits in Scott Sonnonʼs original DVD were organized in a specific proprietary manner to guarantee optimal results: • • • •

A pull towards the sky with the arms A push away from the earth with the legs A pull away from the earth with the body A push away from the earth with the body

Scott chose this exercise sequence so that the entire body would be trained in all dimensions, and also to ensure balanced development free of gross over-compensations. This stand-alone program was meant to form a complete fitness package. We havenʼt always adhered to this specific formula in the programs that follow. Sometimes we did, while at other times the demands of the particular goal or protocol required development along more specific lines. The Prasara compensatory movement chain that accompanies the


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material course was crafted to address any overcompensations which might accumulate as a natural result of a specific program.

Cycling Four distinct yet integrated programs are cycled seven times to reach the total of 28 days. In addition to the actual “work” days, active recovery is specifically incorporated into your schedule to promote rapid adaptation and injury-free progress, and compensatory movements are included to balance your growth and to remove the parking brake from your output and mobility. This “programmed recovery” is one of the greatest secrets behind the incredible rate of progress harnessed by the 4x7 method. Weʼll talk more about each of the four types of program in Chapter Two when we delve into how to put 4x7 to work for you.

Sophistication 4x7 incorporates a key principle of the CST system: the synergistic training effect. A complex movement chain practiced as a single movement produces a sum total training effect which is greater than that produced if the individual components were practiced for the same number of repetitions. What is a complex movement chain? Letʼs take a simple example, the Clubbell Swipe. The Swipe is a seamless integration of the Forward Pendulum with the Arm Cast. The 4x7 program incorporates movements which increase in complexity so that your gains compound as your movement abilities increase.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Compression 4x7 takes advantage of the powerful tendency of our biochemistry to adapt to stress according to the Fibonacci sequence (more on that in a moment). Tapping into this effect in combination with the unique 4x7 4-day cycle will allow you to progress more rapidly, with smaller rest periods between training sessions. This incredible and somewhat mysterious natural tendency is the other big secret behind 4x7ʼs profound success. CSTʼs 4x7 training methodology will put all of these unique factors to work for you in a seamless design which, once youʼve completed a full 28-day program, youʼll find yourself structuring all of your training around.

What is the Fibonacci sequence? For those of you with a burning desire to understand the theory behind this stuff, hereʼs a brief explanation of the Fibonacci sequence and how and why it affects the way we train. The Fibonacci sequence was named after the mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci. It involves a continuous adding of the previous two numbers to get the next, in the following manner: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc. This pattern relates to a natural phenomenon of sequence proportions of 1:1.618 or 0.618, often referred to as the Golden Mean. It has been observed that such things as the structure of flowers, leaves, shells, and even stock market fluctuations and human development can be related to the Golden Mean. As a proportion, the Golden Mean was also tremendously influential in the literature on aesthetics that flourished at the time of the Renaissance. When examining the relationship between this magic number and the natural world, it must be remembered that this is a pseudo scientific approach—so far, science has neither proved nor disproved it. It should be regarded as a tendency rather than a law. The application of the Fibonacci sequence and the Golden Ratio to athletics first came to our attention through a small out of print book called Consistent Winning by Robert Sandler and


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Dennis Lobstein. Based on their studies of the competitive and training history of a wealth of athletes, the book outlines how to organize training to reflect the human organismʼs natural tendency to wave rest and work. The bookʼs purpose is to present a model which would allow an athlete to “peak” on any given event day. The authorʼs underlying assumption is that our own natural rhythm resonates with the Fibonacci sequence. If we can render that sequence in a program design and synch it up with our bodyʼs natural rhythm, it will allow us to influence tapering to a specific time for peak performance. Scott Sonnon and his RMAX Faculty were immediately struck by how consistently these Fibonacci patterns resonated with their own personal training histories. This same tendency was reflected throughout their training logs, in both macro and micro cycles. When they were tapping in to the tendency, peak performance was the result. When they ignored it, off days and even injuries happened, usually on days which according to the template should have been scheduled for rest. When Scott and the Faculty began to experiment proactively with this method of cycling, new frontiers of adaptability began to open up. The Fibonacci waving of rest and work operates on the premise of variable intensity: active recovery, light, moderate and heavy work. Each of these elements must be organized within each micro and macro cycle for optimal results. Most people make the mistake of only organizing an active recovery day or cycle when they suffer and injury or if they overtrain. The Fibonacci wave allows you to plan active recovery so that you can completely avoid these unhelpful setbacks. Think of it as a ratchet. You must torque back in order to catapult ahead. To create a peak performance day, you must begin by planning a rest period. You only begin to benefit from rest 3 days afterwards. Once youʼve had that active rest day, you gradually ramp yourself up through sessions of increasing intensity levels until you experience your peak performance day —in the case of 4x7, this always falls on the high intensity day. Thatʼs the 4-day micro cycle: no intensity, low intensity, moderate intensity, and high intensity.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material The macro cycle is your 28 day program, which is composed of a series of seven 4-day micro cycles. These smaller cycles culminate in a larger peak performance day at the end of your 28day program. So, to recap: you experience peak performance on your high intensity days, and these culminate in a final, larger peak performance at the highest intensity day of all, the final day of your 28-day program. If youʼve been around the world of CST for a while, youʼll know that weʼre never content to take an approach “as is”. The 4x7 program improves upon the basic template presented in Consistent Winning in several ways. First, it introduces the CST Intuitive Training Protocol, which allows you to precisely gauge—and more importantly to regulate—your energy output and technical precision on the no, low, moderate and high intensity days. Second, 4x7 combines that waving intensity with the unique exercises, movement sophistication, and sequencing which have made CST the most dynamic health and training system on the planet. This combination of ingenuity and experience simply canʼt be beat. Now that youʼve got a primer on the theory, what do you need to know to get started? Move on to the next chapter, where weʼll teach you how to approach each of the four days in the 4x7 cycle so that you can choose a program and take it to the mats.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Chapter Two - Balancing Work and Recovery The 4x7 format is all about balancing work and recovery in a precise fashion that taps into and harnesses your bodyʼs natural rhythms. Perhaps ʻorchestratingʼ work and recovery might be the better image, because your output and gains really do swell and ebb, building to a resounding crescendo at the end of the 28-days. Whatever you want to call it, the ʻ4ʼ in 4x7 refers to this balancing act. Itʼs the template that dominates your day to day work. So how does it all come together? What exactly should you be doing on each of these four days? Before we go there we must first establish a few definitions. The Rosetta stone to unlocking your performance involves becoming intimately familiar with the CST Intuitive Training Protocol.

Intuitive Training: Your Governor How much is ʻa lotʼ? How tough is ʻtoughʼ? What might be considered a difficult session for a sedentary person would be a walk in the park for an elite athlete, and what an elite athlete considers low intensity might be beyond extreme for the average person. So just how do you determine “low” or “high” when itʼs all so subjective? You do this by journaling your training and by applying your tools. The CST Intuitive Training Protocol allows you to develop the ability to differentiate form, exertion and discomfort subjectively, and you can then use this as a determinant factor in progressive resistance. By


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material learning to quantify the subjective you give yourself an immediate sense of where you stand, and you create a very accurate gauge of your progress. In order to make this tool work for you, you must first learn how to use it. That takes a bit of diligence in the beginning. By journaling your training and by rating these three variables, you will come to a better understanding of your body and you will calibrate your instrument. The skill of rating your performance becomes more finely honed with each use, until eventually you barely have to think about it. But you will have to think about it in the beginning. These are the three variables you will rate after each training session:

Variables

Definition

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

the subjective evaluation of your effort on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the hardest youʼve ever worked.

Rate of Perceived Discomfort (RPD) the subjective evaluation of your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst pain youʼve ever experienced. Rate of Perceived Technique (RPT)

the subjective evaluation of your mechanical performance on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best possible form in that exercise.

If your technique is high enough (greater than or equal to 8) and your discomfort is low enough (less than or equal to 3) you can hold even an exertion level of 10 for as long as your stamina, strength and endurance allow. But your stamina, strength and endurance diminish as you begin to hit the wall. As fatigue takes over, your technique begins to deteriorate. Without that technique you no longer have the channel to safely harness the fluid forces of your effort, and discomfort increases. As discomfort increases, the potential for injury also increases, and so on down the spiral. Your


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material goal is to ride that edge of high output, high quality technique, and to stop when youʼve tipped the balance into deteriorating form. You are playing a game of balancing between your output and whatʼs being lost as ʻleakageʼ to poor technique. In addition to carrying the potential—or even the likelihood—of injury, poor technique is repeatable. Itʼs a fundamental aspect of the Law of Conditioning: whatever you repeat you are making repeatable, whether you want to or not. The greatest efficiency lies in knowing how to precisely gauge your form so that you stop exercising before you begin to groove poor technique. As a general guideline, when you can sustain an RPT of equal to or greater than 8, an RPD of less than or equal to 3, and an RPE of equal to or greater than 6 over the course of 3 sessions, itʼs time to increase a variable: frequency, intensity, speed, density, volume, complexity, etc. Each of the four days in the 4x7 protocol includes specific target guidelines that you should be aiming for with each of these three variables. We have also precisely calculated exactly which variable to change, and by how much, when it comes time to move on. All you have to do is rate your performance in terms of the Intuitive Training Protocol, and plug and play the program. Weʼve taken care of the rest. Now, letʼs look at how each day unfolds.

The ʻ4ʼ in 4x7 The following microcycle is repeated 7 times, for a total of 28 days*: Day 1—No Intensity RPE: 1-2; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Your task on the No Intensity day is to incorporate active recovery to promote rapid adaptation and injury-free progress. Youʼll use the CST Intu-Flow system of joint mobility and longevity to accomplish this. When you reach the No Intensity day, follow along with the Intu-Flow Recovery video included in your Clubbell Training Black Book course. Your goal is to work slowly and smoothly through the movements. Decompressing and mobilizing each joint in the specific sequence presented in Intu-Flow will ensure that they receive the nutrition and lubrication which is critical for healthy performance. It will also ship out the toxins that result as waste products from exercise. Your No Intensity recovery day is one of the keys to the rapid adaptation youʼll experience with the 4x7 program. Donʼt skip it!

Day Two—Low Intensity RPE: 3-4; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower Your task on the Low Intensity day is to use the compensatory movements of the Prasara yoga wing of CST to balance your growth and to remove the parking brake from your output and mobility. When you reach the Low Intensity day, follow along with the Prasara Recovery video included in your Clubbell Training Black Book course. Anything that you repeat produces compensations in the body, whether that be an exercise program or sitting in a chair all day staring at a computer. Your body adapts to become more efficient at doing those tasks. In fact, youʼre trying to elicit that very adaptation by placing your body under exercise load in the first place. The catch is that if you donʼt address those compensations, chains of tension will eventually result—imbalances in your myofascial matrix where some muscles pull too tightly while others are too loose. Over time, if left unaddressed, the myofascia hardens into thick, leathery straps in order to maintain this imbalanced structure.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material In CST, we use Prasara to locate these tight bands and to reprogram motor function to delete this tension from the motor programs, so that optimal function is restored. In the context of 4x7, our goal is to compensate for the workload of the Moderate and High intensity days and to release any accumulated tension, restoring the body to balance within the training program.

Day Three—Moderate Intensity RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower Now the work starts. On the Moderate Intensity day youʼll begin to ramp your body up according to the Fibonacci wave, working it hard and preparing it for the maximal effort youʼll exert for a peak performance on the High Intensity day. When you reach the Moderate day, simply watch the video and follow the program guidelines for the specific 28-program youʼve chosen to complete. The Master Program chart for each course provides detailed guidance as to exercise selection, duration, and rest periods. All you have to do is regulate your efforts so that youʼre consistently hitting an RPE of 5 to 7 in your circuits.

Day Four—High Intensity RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower If youʼve been following the 4x7 format, and if youʼve correctly regulated your energy output according to the specified Rating of Perceived Exertion for each day, this will be your peak performance day.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Just as you did on the Moderate day, when you reach the High day simply watch the video and follow the program guidelines for the specific 28-program youʼve chosen to complete. The Master Program chart for each course provides detailed guidance as to exercise selection, duration, and rest periods. All you have to do is regulate your efforts so that youʼre consistently hitting an RPE of 8 to 10. Then take a long hot shower and bask in your success. Youʼve got a couple days of active No intensity and Low intensity recovery before you have to hit it all over again. Thatʼs how the 4 days of the 4x7 microcycle shape up. No matter which program you choose to do, the overall pattern of work will conform to these general characteristics. This 4-step pattern is repeated 7 times for a total of 28 days. (* this section explores the theory behind 4x7—please see the specific program chapters later in the book for the actual program designs)

What Next? We just have a couple more things to discuss before we get to the actual program designs. We have to introduce you to the Clubbell, tell you how to choose the appropriate weight, and explain the 7 Key Components of structure—the keys to safe Clubbell swinging.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Chapter Three—What the Heck is a Clubbell, and Why Should I Care? Why is the Clubbell® such a smart choice for your training? The following quote from Dr. Mel Siff, author of Supertraining, provides a good clue: “…The well-meaning, but misguided advice to do certain 'safe' movements can actually lead to the dangerous situation in which the client may be MORE vulnerable to injury if he/she by chance is called upon to execute the banned form of that exercise.”

Over the span of just a few short decades, the fitness industry has sanitized physical culture of much of its real-world usefulness. As large scale gyms and health clubs came to dominate the fitness scene, the concept of increasingly efficient fitness machines made the efficiency of the human body increasingly redundant. By chasing after the wonders of technology and worshiping the promise of quick results, weʼve produced a culture in which fitness enthusiasts are happy to insert themselves into giant machines where they mindlessly move through a limited, strictly regulated range of motion. Thereʼs a fundamental problem with this notion of “muscle training.” Muscles do not act independently but in concert. If we hope to be prepared for the demands of life and sport, we must train movements, not muscles. It is Movement Arts like Circular Strength Training that will lead us “back to the future.” The signature tool of CST—the Clubbell—epitomizes the art of movement. The Clubbell is not constrained in its displacement. Itʼs free to move in every direction. And precisely because the Clubbell is free and inefficient compared to a machine (or even a barbell), it is the practitioner who must train his or her body in movement efficiency in order to use it.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material This is not a new idea. Athletes throughout the ages have applied similar approaches to reach incredible levels of real-world, useful strength. The famous strongmen of the early 20th century were photographed wielding “functional” tools such as George Jowettʼs Fulcrum Bar, and authentic old-time yogis swung clubs and performed challenging acrobatic and gymnastic-type movements as a core part of their training. Even today, gymnasts—who arguably display the most aesthetically impressive physiques of our time—train almost exclusively with functional, three-dimensional methods.

The Training Advantage of the Clubbell The major training advantage the Clubbell holds over other types of training tools involves its inefficiency. It is becoming increasingly clear to sport scientists that the relatively onedimensional nature of conventional strength and conditioning models does not clearly translate to life and sport. Because the mass of the Clubbell is free to move in all three planes of human movement, the Clubbell athlete must constantly work to reduce restrictive forces and increase driving forces in extreme ranges. This mimics the three-dimensional demands of life and sport. Because the mass of the Clubbell does not travel in a straight line, the effort required to perform a movement is exponentially increased and variable depending on the speed of the Clubbell head and the radius of its arc (small circle / big circle / choke depth). This makes for a highly adjustable and demanding tool. The inertial force created by this torque also pulls through the grip of the athlete, allowing him or her to become more efficient by strengthening the myofascial web to compensate for the inefficiency of the tool (as compared to the linear and fixed grip of a dumbbell, for example). Finally, the inefficiency of the Clubbell requires the athlete to create stability internally through torsion. That torsion activates stabilizing chains of tension in the body, simultaneously


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material providing both core stability and the mobility of the appendages. By assisting the prime movers through their angular motion, we can stimulate the range and depth required in life and sport— which are often unpredictable and contra-lateral in nature. The more efficient a tool is— think of the fixed grip and fixed, linear trajectory of machines for example—the less efficient our bodies must be in order to manipulate it. Because the Clubbell is inefficient—moving in three dimensions, creating torque, requiring torsion—the Clubbell athlete must become more efficient. That translates to real-world strength. And thatʼs what The Clubbell Training Black Book is all about.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Chapter Four—Choosing the Appropriate Clubbell Weight Our Clubbells are without a doubt the most important tool weʼve ever purchased. Your Clubbell gym will continue to give you significant returns over the course of your entire lifetime. They will enhance your health, strength, physical performance and pain-free enjoyment of life. Theyʼre an investment and should be looked at as such. You should also measure the purchase of your Clubbells as a portion of your lifetime health and fitness budget. Clubbells will actually save you money! Neither Adam nor Ryan has purchased a gym membership since they began practicing Circular Strength Training and using its signature tool, the Clubbell. That alone represents significant savings—money you can spend somewhere else. The greatest thing is that no matter what weight of Clubbell you decide to start with, youʼll always have a use for it. They will each have their place in your training. If you canʼt try before you buy, your best option is to rely on your previous strength training experience when deciding on your starting weight.

For Men If you have absolutely no strength training background, you may want to begin with a pair of 10lbs Clubbells. This would also be your best option if youʼre in post-rehab and you need to slowly build range strength in a specific area.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material If youʼre healthy and have a strength training background, start with the 15lbs Clubbells. These seem to cover the widest range of individuals, and we consider them the staple menʼs weight. The main difference between the advanced and novice Clubbell athlete when using the 15s will be in the exercise and protocol selections he decides to apply. Only in very rare instances would we recommend anyone begin with a pair of 20lbs or 25lbs Clubbells.

For Women If you have absolutely no strength training background or if youʼre engaged in postrehabilitation, you may want to begin with a pair of 5lbs Clubbells. If youʼre healthy and have some strength training background, start with the 10lbs Clubbells. Experience in any kind of strengthening activity—including yoga or Pilates—should form enough of a base for you to feel comfortable with this weight. The 10s seem to cover the widest range of individuals, and we consider them the staple womenʼs weight. The main difference between the advanced and novice Clubbell athlete when using the 10s will be in the exercise and protocol selections she chooses to apply. Women with competitive athletic backgrounds in may find the 15lbs Clubbells to be their best option, especially in sports known for strength or power.

Heavy Two-Handed Clubbell Training If you want to immediately experience the feeling of heavy Clubbell work, two-handed training may be an option for you. Weʼve included several two-handed Clubbell movements in the programs that make up this Black Book.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material However, beginning Clubbell athletes are strongly advised to begin with a pair of lighter Clubbells for single and double (one in each hand) work, and only proceed to heavier twohanded work once a solid foundation has been built. You have several weight choices to consider when youʼre ready to move up to two-handed training. The 25lbs Clubbell brackets the lower end of the scale, and is a versatile tool both for light two-handed work requiring intense coordination, and heavy single-handed work. The 35lbs “Brusier Jr” is a great choice for building your base of strength, and is an incredibly challenging tool. It forms the staple choice for two-handed work of many Clubbell athletes. Finally, the scale tops out with the 45lbs “Bruiser” Clubbell. Make no mistake, the Bruiser is a beast. It will search out and find your every weakness, and in doing so will forge a will of iron and a body of steel. But never, never underestimate it. Where you begin on the scale of two-handed training is entirely up to the individual. Ryan started with only a pair of 15ʼs and a Bruiser, and through incremental progression was able to transition quite rapidly to difficult movements like the Flag Press. Other athletes choose to work their way up through the Clubbell ranks more systematically. Some recommendations for both single and two-handed Clubbell weight selection are included in the following chart: Classification

Clubbell® Weight

Males No training background / Post-rehab training

10 lbs Clubbells

Sport/Strength training background / Healthy

15 lbs Clubbells

Competitive weightlifting or powerlifting background

20 or 25 lbs Clubbells


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Classification

Clubbell® Weight

Females No training background / Post-rehab training

5 lbs Clubbells

Sport/Strength training background / Healthy

10 lbs Clubbells

Former competitive athlete (especially strength sports)

15 lbs Clubbells

One-handed Training Clubbell® Weight Males with no training background

25 lbs Clubbell®

Males with some training background

35 lbs Clubbell®

Males with extensive strength training background

45 lbs Clubbell®

Women with no training background

15 lbs Clubbell®

Women with some training background

25 lbs Clubbell®

Women with extensive athletic background

35 lbs Clubbell®

Click on a Clubbell weight to proceed to the RMAX Online Store.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Chapter Five—The Seven Key Components of Structure The greatest mistake made by novice club swingers—and by those so-called “gurus” who advocate “Indian club swinging” on youtube—is that they turn club swinging into nothing more than an arm and shoulder exercise. Proper club swinging should transfer the load to the ground by incorporating your entire body. Thatʼs the point of the exercise. Grappling with this most inefficient of tools in three dimensions teaches your body to absorb and redirect force, to recruit more joints for greater efficiency, to transfer force across your body in non-linear and circular patterns, to apply your strength in an unpredictable, open-chain setting—a setting that mimics the chaos of real life. The muscle growth caused by wielding the weight is only part of the point of the exercise. Even greater benefits come from the neurological efficiency youʼll gain as a direct result of learning to integrate your body and direct the sum of its forces. You may be able to get away with “arm swinging” a 5lb Clubbell, but as you move past the 15s and on to heavier weights youʼll have to recruit the rest of your body. And youʼll have to recruit it safely if you want to avoid a sidelining injury. We do this through integrating the 7 Key Components of Structure: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Crown to Coccyx Alignment Shoulder Pack Arm Lock Grip Confirmation Core Activation Hip Recruitment Leg Drive


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material Think of the 7 Key Components as the links in your “power chain.” When each link is aligned, force is transferred smoothly through the entire system. If a link is missing, youʼll only have access to the force production of the links between that break and your application of force—in this case, your Clubbell. Letʼs look at shoulder pack as an example. You may have solid grip confirmation and perfect arm lock, but if youʼre lacking shoulder pack you will only be moving the Clubbell with the force of your arm. You will not be able to access the stabilizing force of core contraction or the driving forces of your legs. To put that into a sport-specific context, a fighter who lacks shoulder pack cannot transfer the force of a strike up his legs, snapping through his hips and out the length of his arm. Unless he learns how to integrate proper mechanics into his strikes, he Key Components as will forever be an ineffective “arm puncher.”

Think of the 7 the links in your “power chain.” When each link is aligned, force is transferred smoothly through the entire system.

Proper technique in Clubbell swinging is designed to engrain these mechanics into your body, so that you learn to transfer and absorb force with the utmost human efficiency, using the full potential of your body.

For a skilled CST Coach, the 7 Key Components can also act as a predictor of injury. Those broken links in your “power chain”—where one of the 7 Key Components is missing—tend to be the places where injury happens. Letʼs look again at shoulder pack for the sake of example. Our hypothetical Clubbell athlete is working on sets of Head Casts (a movement in which you extend the Clubbell overhead from back position, using a strong core contraction). Heʼs managing to get the Clubbell up there, but his right shoulder keeps coming out of pack, and so heʼs robbing himself of the power he could be deriving from that strong core contraction. Heʼs also embedding an awful lot of force in the soft tissue around that shoulder. Because the load is leaking there, it isnʼt being transferred down through his structure, and


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Introductory Material other soft tissues are recruited to brace and assume more of the work needed to stabilize the weight overhead. Heʼs only a few reps away from an overuse injury, a torn rotator cuff, or worse. Internalizing these 7 Key Components—and paying diligent attention to them in your training sessions—will be your key to safe club swinging. Weʼve prepared a video example which will introduce you to each of the 7 Key Components. Please follow this link to our Insiderʼs Video Page and scroll down to the video called “TwoHanded Club Swinging Principles.” Youʼll also find bonus video tutorials for several other Clubbell exercises on that page, but study the intro clip first and work to internalize its principles. Weʼll be referring to the 7 Key Components in all of the video tutorials included in this Clubbell Training Black Book course.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning Chapter 6—Metabolic Resistance Circuits The term “metabolism” represents the sum of the bodyʼs chemical processes which allow you to expend energy and build up or tear down structure. These processes influence whether you put on or lose muscle. They also influence whether you pack on or melt fat. The specific chemicals coursing through your body at any given time will determine the changes that occur in your body composition. The important thing for us to remember is that the stimuli you place on your body largely determine how your metabolism is expressed. Although the body is always in a state of flux, it prefers to stay within a pretty narrow range called homeostasis. If you want to break out of that rut, you must blast your system with a strong enough stimulus to shock it into action. In very simple terms, we want to build—or at least maintain—lean muscle mass while turning up the fat burning furnace. The problem with most common training methods is that they do one or the other, but rarely both. This Metabolic Resistance Circuit is designed to encourage muscle growth and create enough of a metabolic disturbance to keep you burning fat for hours or even days after your training session has ended. Youʼll do this by cycling through a series of exercises, one right after the other. This will allow you to keep working at a high level of cardiovascular intensity while switching the muscular emphasis from one area of the body to another.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning The Importance of Building Lean Mass Letʼs lead this off with the absolute most important reason to build lean mass. When done right, packing on muscle is a crucial component in improving your functional efficiency in both life and sport. Muscle built through efficient movement will inevitably serve to support the demands of physical activity, both on and off the field of play. It also provides you with a safety valve for when things go awry and your body must react to the unexpected. The other side of the lean mass equation has to do with its effect on metabolism. Muscle tissue is metabolically expensive. The more muscle you have, the more energy you will burn, even at rest. Some estimates peg the energetic requirements of one pound of muscle at 50 calories per day. This number has recently been called into question, but itʼs incontrovertible that muscle contributes to your caloric requirements. One study of men between 50 - 65 years of age showed an 8% increase in resting metabolic rate after 16 weeks of full-body strength training. (Pratley et al. 1994)

The Power of The Metabolic Resistance Circuit Going hard—really hard—for a short period of time is a gift that keeps on giving. Your body stops burning calories the minute you step off a treadmill, but you continue burning calories for several hours or even days after youʼve finished whipping your butt with a Metabolic Resistance Circuit (MRC). One study showed elevated metabolism for up to 38 hours after metabolic training sessions—and then they stopped measuring... (Schuenke MD, Mikat RP, McBride JM. 2002) By shocking your body out of its accustomed rut, youʼre actually forcing it to expend energy in order to return itself to a “normal” state. With one caveat: the new normal state is going to be just a little bit better than the old one.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning You see, you just pissed your body off. It didnʼt particularly like what you did to it—it likes homeostasis just fine, remember—and itʼs going to act to make sure you donʼt take it by surprise again. It does this by giving itself a little extra capacity when rebuilding from that MRC. And thatʼs the magic of the MRC. Youʼre building new capacity, including lean mass, while tearing down fat for energy to help fuel this repair process.

The Sophistication Secret Most of the fitness world is stuck in simplistic stupidity. One of the greatest gifts of Circular Strength Training® has been to re-infuse modern physical culture with the joy of sophisticated movement patterns. We donʼt just move more—more weight, more time, more frequency—we move better. How do we do that? By increasing movement sophistication. By the time you hit week 4 of this program, youʼll be sailing along. Your technical mastery of the exercises will have evolved and youʼll be pushing your envelope of potential effort and subsequent gains. Youʼll be ready for more. When you reach this point and youʼre in your stride, we wonʼt simply throw another set at you. Instead, youʼll move on to a more sophisticated iteration of the movement patterns you learned in the first part of the program. Adding motor sophistication to the mix doesnʼt just increase the challenge—youʼre actually teaching your body a new skill. Youʼll be giving it a new tool that it can use to meet the demands you face in life and sport. Thereʼs one other benefit to this increased motor sophistication. Although some people refer to it as “muscle confusion,” the increased demands on your system go way beyond just muscle. Your entire organism must adapt to this new stimulus. Placing this new demand on your body creates a need for further adaptation—causing greater metabolic disturbance.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning Clubbell Metabolic Resistance Cycle This Master Program Chart outlines each phase of your 28-day 4x7 cycle: Intensity->

No

Cycle 1

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow Moderate MRC (Phase 1)

Intu-Flow

60 sec / exercise : 90 sec 45 sec / exercise : 90 sec rest x 8 sets rest x 8 sets Custom Prasara Flow Moderate MRC (Phase 1) High MRC (Phase 1)

Cycle 2

Low

Moderate

High High MRC (Phase 1)

60 sec / exercise : 60 sec 45 sec / exercise : 60 sec rest x 8 sets rest x 8 sets Cycle 3

Cycle 4

Intu-Flow


High MRC (Phase 1)

Intu-Flow

60 sec / exercise : 30 sec 45 sec / exercise : 30 sec rest x 8 sets rest x 8 sets Custom Prasara Flow Moderate MRC (Phase 1) High MRC (Phase 1) 60 sec / exercise : 15 sec 45 sec / exercise : 15 sec rest x 8 sets rest x 8 sets

Cycle 5

Intu-Flow


High MRC (Phase 2)


Intu-Flow


High MRC (Phase 2)


Intu-Flow


High MRC (Phase 2)

60 sec / exercise : 15 sec 45 sec / exercise : 15 sec rest x 8 sets rest x 8 sets


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning The Daily How-To The Master Program Chart contains all the set/rep numbers youʼll need to complete your cycle. Hereʼs what to do when you reach each of the four different 4x7 “days”:

No Intensity Day: Perform a complete Intu-Flow joint mobility session (reference the Intu-Flow Recovery video). RPE: 1-2; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Low Intensity Day: Warm up with a brief Intu-Flow session, and perform the full Prasara compensatory movement flow 3x slow and deep (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 3-4; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Moderate Intensity Day: The Moderate Intensity sessions are split into two phases. Youʼll complete 4 sessions at the first level of exercise sophistication (weeks 1 to 4), and the final three sessions at the higher level of sophistication (weeks 5 to 7). Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow Warm-Up video). Perform the work sets outlined in the table below. Refer to the “mrc_moderate.mp4” video for Phase 1 (weeks 1 to 4), and for Phase 2 (weeks 5 to 7).


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning The table below shows both levels of sophistication for each of the three exercises in the circuit. Phase 1 (first 4 cycles) Two Hand Side-Semi

Phase 2 (last 3 cycles) Clockwork Squat

CB Press Away

Chinese Squat

CB Sit

CB Sit & Press

Perform each exercise for 60 seconds without rest between each of the three. Then rest for the time prescribed in the table below before proceeding to the next set. Complete a total of 8 sets. Number of Sets

Work Time (no rest between the 3 exercises)

Rest Time Between Circuits

Cycle 1

8

60 seconds per exercise

90 seconds

Cycle 2

8


60 seconds

Cycle 3

8


30 seconds

Cycle 4

8


15 seconds

Cycle 5

8


60 seconds

Cycle 6

8


30 seconds

Cycle 7

8


15 seconds

End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning Day 4: High Intensity Day The High Intensity sessions follow the same split in sophistication levels as the Moderate days. Youʼll complete 4 sessions at the first level of exercise sophistication (weeks 1 to 4), and the final three sessions at the higher level of sophistication (weeks 5 to 7). Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow Warm-Up video). Perform the work sets outlined in the table below. Refer to the “mrc_high.mp4” video for Phase 1 (weeks 1 to 4), and for Phase 2 (weeks 5 to 7). The table below shows the exercises for both phases. Phase 1 (first 4 cycles)

Phase 2 (last 3 cycles)

CB Push Press from Squat

Torch Press from Squat

Double Side Pendulum Lunge

Alternating Side Pendulum Lunge

Swing

Rock-It

Perform each exercise for 45 seconds, with no rest between exercises. Then rest for the time indicated in the table below. Do a total of 8 sets.

Cycle 1

Number of Work Time (no rest between the 3 Rest Time Between Circuits Sets exercises) 8 45 seconds per exercise 90 seconds

Cycle 2

8


60 seconds

Cycle 3 Cycle 4 Cycle 5 Cycle 6

8 8 8 8

45 seconds per exercise 45 seconds per exercise 45 seconds per exercise 45 seconds per exercise

30 seconds 15 seconds 60 seconds 30 seconds

Cycle 7

8


15 seconds


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (refer to the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Thatʼs it. Simply plug this pattern into the Master Program Chart for this chapter and youʼre all set to crank your metabolism with this Metabolic Resistance Circuit.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book

1

Metabolic Conditioning

2

3

Two Handed Side-Semi 1. Spine stretched long and shoulders pulled down and back, make sure your arms and Clubbell form one straight line from shoulders all the way down to the muzzle. Root your weight onto the leg opposite the Clubbell and screw into the ground by rotating the hips and shoulders towards the side that the Clubbell is on. 2. Forcefully snap the hips by rotating them through to the opposite side and simultaneously contracting the glutes to drive the Clubbell through. Transfer your root to the opposite side as the Clubbell swings through. Shoulders, hips and eyes follow the path of the muzzle. 3. Let the momentum of the Clubbell carry through until it finishes at about shoulder level. Ensure that the arms stay locked straight, the shoulders packed tight and that you have a straight line from muzzle to shoulders. Let gravity pull the Clubbell back down towards the center line and begin the movement again to the opposite site — swinging the Clubbell back and forth like a pendulum.


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1


2

3

CB Press Away 1. Begin with the Clubbell in a “rack” position — elbows tucked into the rib cage, hands kept close to the body and about shoulder width. Your weight should be mid-foot. Stretch the crown of your head to the sky to stretch the spine long. Knees are slightly bent and fit about shoulder width. Toes can be slightly splayed — up to 15°. 2. Drive the butt back and down before bending at the knees. Keep the Clubbell at a constant height as your press away from it while dropping into a low squat. Weight should move to the heels. Keep the shoulders pulled down away from the ears as you press away from the Clubbell. 3. In the low squat, you should have a straight line from the outstretched Clubbell all the way down to your butt. Weight should remain firmly on the heels — donʼt drop lower than your ability to do so. Keep the shoulders packed down. Youʼll have the tendency to let the shoulders shrug up towards the ears.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning

1

2

3

CB Sit 1. Lie on the floor with your knees bent to 90° and feet on the floor. Hold your Clubbell in a Two-handed grip. You can separate the hands for more control or keep them close together. Make sure you pull the shoulders down away from the ears. Breath in. 2. Draw the elbows towards the rib cage — keeping the elbows bent — and simultaneously contract the abs to peel the spine off the mat one vertebra at a time. Exhale through this effort. 3. As you come into a seated position. Reach the crown up towards the sky to stretch the spine long as you breath in. Then begin to roll the spine back down along the mat one vertebra at a time. Exhale and contract your abdominals to control the decent. Return your Clubbell to the starting position above your head.


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1


2

3

Clockwork Squat 1. As the Clubbell swings across your body, ensure that you form a straight unit from your shoulders all the way down to the muzzle of your club. Elbows are locked out and shoulders are pulled down away from the ears. The spine should be stretched long from the crown to ensure rotation around an even axis. 2. Use your hips to snap the Clubbell across to the opposite side as you shift your weight across in the opposite direction of the travel of the club head. Maintain your strong Clubbell/ arm/shoulder complex. Exhale with the effort of the swing. 3. Draw the elbows into the rib cage so that the Clubbell comes into an Order position — muzzle facing the ceiling and Clubbell head vis à vis the shoulder. As you begin to squat, let the Clubbell head come to rest on the meaty part of your shoulder and absorb it on the way down. As you squat, let yourself pivot towards the front. Press out of the squat and pivot back to the side as you project the Clubbell out to the side to achieve your arm lock and straight line from shoulder to Clubbell. Now repeat on the other side shoulder.


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1


2

3

4

Chinese Squat 1. Start with the feet about shoulder width, the spine stretched up long from the crown of the head and the butt pressed slightly back. Pack the shoulders by pulling them away from the ears and drawing the shoulder blades together slightly in the back. Elbows are straight and youʼre holding the Clubbell with an overhand grip (palms towards you). 2. Bring one hand up and across your body until it is about level with your head on the opposite side. Tuck the other armʼs elbow into your rib cage and bend it to about 90°. Twist your pelvis, torso and shoulders slightly to follow the movement of the Clubbell. Your club should end up completely vertical as you pass through this position. 3. Drive upwards with the arm that is tucked into our side as you drive the butt back and down towards the ground. Exhale through this effort. Keep your shoulders packed down as you drop and press. There should be space between your biceps and ears. 4. Continue through by tucking the other elbow into the opposite side as you begin to rise up from your squat. Slightly twist in this new direction to follow the movement of the Clubbell. Unfurl both arms as you move back into the starting position.


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1


2

3

CB Sit & Press 1. Lie on the floor with your knees bent to 90° and feet on the floor. Hold your Clubbell in a Two-handed grip. You can separate the hands for more control or keep them close together. Make sure you pull the shoulders down away from the ears. Breath in. 2. Draw the elbows towards the rib cage — keeping the elbows bent — and simultaneously contract the abs to peel the spine off the mat one vertebra at a time. Exhale through this effort. 3. As you come into your seated position and stretch your crown towards the sky, lengthening out your spine, simultaeously press your Clubbell muzzle straight up until your arms are locked out. Make sure you donʼt let your shoulders drift up towards your ears. Then begin to roll the spine back down along the mat one vertebra at a time. Exhale and contract your abdominals to control the decent. Return your Clubbell to the starting position above your head.


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1


2

3

CB Push Press Squat 1. Drive the butt back and start dropping it towards the ground. Your hands should be racked about shoulder height, holding the Clubbells at the balance point along its length. Keep the elbows aligned under the hands. The spine is stretched long. 2. Drop into your lowest squat while maintaining weight on the heels. Keep the arms and Clubbells racked and aligned. Make sure the spine stays stretched long, avoiding excessive flexion. 3. Drive off the ground through the heels and then mid-foot. Think of pulling the hips up and forward as you press off the ground. Simultaneously drive the Clubbells straight up to the sky, careful to keep the shoulders pulled down away from the ears. Bring the arms to complete lock-out—elbows straight.


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1


2

3

4

Double Side Pendulum Lunge 1. Take a long step off to the side and sink into the stepping foot. Keep your weight on the heel of that foot . Your other leg should remain straight as you pivot slightly to face the direction of that outstretched foot. Elbows are bent to 90° and in tight to the body and Clubbells remain in Order position. 2. Drive off your bent leg, tip your muzzles towards the side of the outstretched leg, and seek arm lock—creating a straight line all the way from shoulders to muzzles. 3. Allow the Clubbells to swing across the front of your body. Keep the arms locked and the shoulders pulled down and slightly back. Drive the butt back slightly and stretch the spine long so that the clubs can clear your shins and so you rotate around an even axis as you follow the movement of the clubs across the body. 4. As the Clubbells clear the legs, pull back on them as you step off to the new side. The Clubbells will float towards you. As you sink into your lunge on the new side, catch the Clubbells in order position.


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1

2

3

Swing 1. With the Clubbells in the back position, your shoulders, back, arms and Clubbells should form one straight line. Keep the elbows locked out. Stretch the spine long from the crown and tailbone. Hold the Clubbells like a TV remote control. Drive the butt back and down, folding at the waist. 2. Press off the ground and drive the front of the hips forward to pull the club heads out of back position. This is not an arm movement, but a powerful drive from the center. 3. Allow the momentum of the Clubbells to carry them up to chest or head height. Arms remain locked and shoulders must be pulled down and slightly back in a packed position. Take advantage of this moment of weightlessness to loosen your grip slightly so you can practice Selective Tension. Allow gravity to pull the Clubbells back down and into the starting position. Make sure you wait for the Clubbells to pass the plain of the legs before folding at the waist to follow the momentum of the club heads.


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1


2

3

Leverage Press Squat 1. Holding the Clubbells in Order position—elbows tucked and bent to 90°—drop the butt back and down into a low squat. Go as low as you can while maintaining your weight on your heels and your spine stretched long. 2. Drive off the ground and press the hips forward, ensuring to contract the glutes (butt muscles). Begin pressing your hands to the sky and letting the club muzzles tilt backwards. Use the cup between your thumb and index finger as a cradle for your Clubbell shaft and use your pinky to hold back the shaft on the other end. 3. Finish the movement with the arms fully extended—locked at the elbow—and shoulders pulled down. The clubs will be angled back at about 45°. Exhale forcefully as you enter this position, pulling the core tight and keeping the glutes contracted. Then draw the elbows back down towards your sides as you bring the clubs back to vertical and drop back into your starting squat.


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1


2

3

4

Alternating Side Pendulum Lunge 1. Take a long step off to the side and sink into the stepping foot. Keep your weight on the heel of that foot . Your other leg should remain straight as you pivot slightly to face the direction of that outstretched foot. Elbows are bent to 90° and in tight to the body and Clubbells remain in Order position. 2. Drive off your bent leg, tip the muzzle of your outside Clubbell towards the side of the outstretched leg, and seek arm lock—creating a straight line all the way from shoulder to muzzle. The inside arm and Clubbell remain in Order. 3. Allow the Clubbell to swing across the front of your body. Keep the arm locked and the shoulder packed. Drive the butt back slightly and stretch the spine long so that the club can clear your shins and so you rotate around an even axis as you follow the movement of the club across the body. 4. As the Clubbell clears the legs, pull back on it as you step off to the new side. The Clubbell will float towards you. As you sink into your lunge on the new side, catch the Clubbell in order position.


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1

2

3

Rock-It 1. With the Clubbell in the front position, think of dropping or depositing the mass of the club down into the ground. This is accompanied by a sinking motion as you settle your hips back and down to counter balance against the pull of the Clubbells. You weight should be on your heels. Exhale as you settle into the movement. 2. Press off the ground so pull the Clubbells back and allow them to clear the ground as they move past your legs. The hips come back up over the feet. Inhale as you rise. 3. Allow the momentum of the Clubbells to carry them through and then deposit the mass into the ground as you did in front position. Let the weight be pulled down through mid-foot. Youʼll have to shift your weight slightly forward as you sink into the movement in order to compensate for the momentum of the club mass. Exhale as you deposit the club muzzle into the ground.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning Chapter 7—The HIIT Protocol H.I.I.T. — High Intensity Interval Training H.I.I.T. is the way to go if your goal is to melt torrents of fat in the shortest possible time. This training protocol comes in many variations—in fact, itʼs become a bit of a catch phrase for almost any kind of anaerobic conditioning work. The protocol most famously associated with H.I.I.T. is probably the one tested by Dr Angelo Tremblay at Quebec Cityʼs Laval University. Their study attracted attention because Tremblay and his associates destroyed the common myth that long, slow, boring cardio is the most effective road to fat loss. When counting calorie for calorie, Tremblayʼs team discovered that using H.I.I.T. resulted in a 9-fold increase in fat loss over traditional cardio methods! In other words, the H.I.I.T. group spent less time exercising, burned fewer calories during exercise, and shed MORE FAT than the poor fools who did cardio alone.

The Evolution of H.I.I.T. Typical vanilla-flavored High Intensity Interval Training is of course performed on a treadmill or stationary bike. Some adventurous souls might even take it up a notch by running or biking outdoors. Imagine that. But of course we know that the Clubbell is capable of much more sophisticated movement patterns. Pairing the Clubbellʼs versatility with the intensity of H.I.I.T will allow us to better stimulate the nervous system, and to develop in ways that leave other H.I.I.T. athletes far behind.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning Our program will also tap into the full-body nature of Clubbell exercises, because weʼre specifically targeting the highest impact Clubbell movements.

How Will We Do This? Weʼll play off the protocols used in the famous Tremblay study by alternating between two distinct workouts. The first session applies 16 rounds of 15-second high-intensity work followed by 30 seconds of moderate-intensity active recovery. The second session consists of 6 rounds of 60-second high-intensity work followed by 90 seconds of moderate-intensity active recovery.

What Exactly Is High-Intensity Work? The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) will be your guide to how much intensity youʼre cranking out. As outlined in the theory section of the manual, youʼll judge your RPE on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the most intense effort you can imagine). If you have access to a heart rate monitor, weʼll also include guidelines for using that tool to gauge your level of intensity per session. Weʼve included a chart which maps out effort level per session using both the RPE and heart rate numbers. Weʼve also included a brief description on how to estimate your maximum heart rate at the end of the chapter. Your intensity level will start on the low side of the scale at the beginning of the program, but donʼt let that lull you into a false sense of ease—it will increase with every session over the course of the program.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning The 28 Day Fat Burning Clubbell H.I.I.T. Program Breakdown This 4x7 program is designed to deliver tight, intense workouts for those whose lives are severely time-compressed. Itʼll help you get in, get the job done and get out—providing the best fat-burning bang for your buck.

Workout A — Short Intervals 16 Rounds of 15 seconds work followed by 30 seconds of moderate intensity recovery Youʼll use the Clubbell Shoulder Park Squat (SPS) for your 15 second bursts of high intensity effort and the Trinity Squat for your 30 second intervals of moderate intensity recovery. You have a few options when it comes to manipulating the level of difficulty. Depending on what Clubbell weights you have available and your current level of strength, you can choose from among the Double SPS, the Two-handed heavy SPS (alternating grip each round), or the Single heavy SPS (alternating sides each round). Refer to the “hiit_exercises” video for a visual reference. Workout B — Long Intervals 6 Rounds of 60 seconds work followed by 90 seconds of moderate intensity recovery You have two options with this circuit, depending on which tools you have available. Perform either heavy Two-handed Side Swing to Shoulder Press (SSSP) or Single Sheild Cast Side Lunge (PPSL) for your 60 second bursts of high intensity effort. Perform the Lateral Shuffle for your 90 second intervals of moderate intensity recovery. Refer to the “hiit_exercises” video for visual reference.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning A Final Word on Intensity The High Intensity workouts will begin at a somewhat lower pace in the early cycles, but will quickly ramp up to an intensity range that youʼll need to push hard to achieve. This period of systematic increase is crucial. Without it, you wonʼt be able to reach the extremely high level required near the end of the 28 day program. Hitting a true high output effort of 10 on a scale of 1-10 is not something you can just jump into. You must train your body to be READY for that all out effort. What you may think of as a 10 right now will pale in comparison to what you achieve at the end of the program, when you actually manage to hit it. Ensure success by following the roadmap laid out in this chapter. Moderate Intensity workouts provide you with a completely different challenge. You may find that you have difficulty yoking back your effort on these days, but itʼs important to discipline yourself to stay within the target RPE range. Itʼs very EASY to let these sessions turn into High Intensity days. Donʼt do it! Surfing the waving intensity levels of the 4x7 protocol is essential to the success of this program. If you donʼt ride that wave, you wonʼt tap into those truly high output workouts near the end of the cycle.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning Day

Intensity Wave

Workout

RPE

1

No

Intu-Flow

1 -2

/

2

Low

Prasara

3-5

/

3

Mod

Short

5

50

RPE 3 / 30% HRM

4

High

Long

6

60

RPE 4 / 40% HRM

5

No

Intu-Flow

1 -2

/

6

Low

Prasara

3-5

/

7

Mod

Long

5.5

55

RPE 3 / 30% HRM

8

High

Short

6.5

65

RPE 4 / 40% HRM

9

No

Intu-Flow

1 -2

/

10

Low

Prasara

3-5

/

11

Mod

Short

5.5

55

RPE 4 / 40% HRM

12

High

Long

7

70

RPE 5 / 50% HRM

13

No

Intu-Flow

1 -2

/

14

Low

Prasara

3-5

/

15

Mod

Long

6

60

RPE 4 / 40% HRM

16

High

Short

7.5

75

RPE 5 / 50% HRM


% HR Max Moderate Recovery

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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning Day

Intensity Wave

Workout

RPE

17

No

Intu-Flow

1 -2

/

18

Low

Prasara

3-5

/

19

Mod

Short

6

60

RPE 4 / 40% HRM

20

High

Long

8

80

RPE 6 / 60% HRM

21

No

Intu-Flow

1 -2

/

22

Low

Prasara

3-5

/

23

Mod

Long

6

60

RPE 4 / 40% HRM

24

High

Short

9

90

RPE 6 / 60% HRM

25

No

Intu-Flow

1 -2

/

26

Low

Prasara

3-5

/

27

Mod

Short

6

60

RPE 4 / 40% HRM

28

High

Long

10

100

RPE 6 / 60% HRM


% HR Max Moderate Recovery

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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning The How-To

The Master Program Chart for this chapter contains all the targets for effort level or percentage of maximum heart rate that youʼll need to complete your cycle. It also indicates which workout — Short or Long — you must use. Hereʼs what to do when you reach each of the four different 4x7 “days”:



Moderate Intensity Day: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform a session of either the Short or Long workout using the effort level indicated for that day, as outlined on the chart (reference the “hitt_exercises” video).


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

High Intensity Day: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform a session of either the Short or Long workout using the effort level indicated for that day, as outlined on the chart (reference the “hiit_exercises” video). End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Thatʼs it. Simply plug this pattern into the Master Program Chart for this chapter and youʼre all set to reap the rewards that the Clubbell HIIT Protocol can bring.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Metabolic Conditioning Some Additional Information

Clubbell HIIT as a Supplement to Other Forms of Training These two workouts can also be used to replace traditional cardio days in other training programs. Simply alternate between Workout A and B, and slot them into your training schedule in lieu of boring treadmill or bike sessions!

Calculating Your Heart Rate Maximum and Workout Percentages The easiest way to calculate HRM is to subtract your age from 220. This only gives you a very rough idea, but itʼs a decent estimate. So, for example, a 30 year old athlete would have an estimated HRM of 190 (220 – 30 = 190). If your target heart rate is 60% of HRM, simply multiply your HRM number by 0.6. To continue with our example of the 30 year old athlete, take 190 * 0.6 to arrive at a target heart rate of 114.


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1


2

Double

3

4

Single

Shoulder Park Squat Absorb the backward momentum of the Clubbell by folding at the waist and bending the knees. Keep the weight on the heels and a straight line from shoulders all the way to the club muzzle. Explode off the ground and snap the hips forward to draw the Clubbell through to the front. As it reaches 45° to the front, pull back on it and drive the hands in underneath the club head. Catch it on the meaty part of your shoulder and absorb itʼs momentum on into a deep squat. Keep your weight on your heels and your spine stretched long throughout the squat. Drive off heel to mid-foot, projecting the hips forward, to come out of the squat. Use that motion to extend the Clubbell out to the front to begin a new repetition.


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1

2

3

Trinity Squat 1. Send the butt back and down. Stretch the spine long. 2. Sink down into a low squat, weight on the heels, and reach your hands forward to counter balance the movement. 3. Exhale as you press off the ground and drive the hips forward. Squeeze the glutes at the end of the movement and drive the hands backwards.


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1


2

3

4

Side Swing To Shoulder Press As the Clubbell swings across the body to the side, absorb its momentum by screwing down into the ground on the same side leg. The hips and shoulders face the Clubbell head. Make sure the shoulders are packed down and the arms locked straight. Snap the hips through to the other side to draw the Clubbell through and up. Keep the arms locked out until the Clubbell breaks the plane of the legs and then pull back on the club to get the club head sailing towards your shoulder. Absorb the the Clubbell on the meaty part of the shoulder with the springiness of the legs and use that bounce to drive the Clubbell up towards the sky into arm lock. With the arms locked out, leverage the club by pressing up with the top hand and pulling back with the bottom hand. Then lower the club head back onto the meaty part of your shoulder by absorbing with the legs. Spring back up and project the Clubbell out to the side to begin again.


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1


2

3

4

5

Shield Cast Side Lunge From Single order position, elbow close to the ribs and bent to 90°, extend the Clubbell towards the outside and seek arm lock—forming a straight line from your shoulder to the muzzle of the club. Let the Clubbell swing across the front of your body. When it reaches about 45° to the new side, pull back on it so it starts sailing back towards the center line. Use that momentum to take a step off to the side into a deep lunge. Keep weight on the heels and back vertical. Absorb the club into order position and then immediately drive the muzzle up and over, sending it above the opposite shoulder. Then allow its momentum to carry it through the back. When it reaches the same side as the wielding arm, draw the elbow back down towards order position to pull the Clubbell back through to the front. This portion of the movement is the Shield Cast. To finish, project the club head back towards the inside—through the centerline— and use that momentum to pull yourself back up to standing. When you reach full extension, allow the Clubbell to swing across the body, past your shins, and catch it in order to begin a new repetition.


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1 Easier Stand Through Transition


2

3

Lateral Shuffle 1. Begin in a wide stance and shift your weight to one side, dropping into a low side lunge. Keep your back as vertical as possible and your weight on the heels. 2. In the harder version, slide your weight across to the other side without standing up. Keep your back vertical and your weight on your heels throughout. To reduce intensity, you can come back up through standing, both legs extended, as you shift across. 3. Finish in a deep side lunge on the other side and reverse direction. You can add difficulty by lifting the foot of the extended leg at either end of the movement.

More Difficult Lift Free Foot


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength Chapter 8—Milo Hybrid Density X-treme Nearly everyone has heard of the legend of Milo, the 6th century Greek wrestler and icon of the Olympic games. Heʼs said to have developed his famous strength by carrying an ox on his shoulders. At first glance this probably sounds unbelievable—but Milo started with a newborn calf. He lifted the small animal onto his shoulders each day. As the ox grew, so did Miloʼs strength, until he had worked up to the incredible feat of carrying the full grown ox to the festival for slaughter. This ancient tale is a perfect illustration of one of the most fundamental elements of modern strength and conditioning: progressive overload. The more nuanced Circular Strength Training concept refers to the same basic principle as Incremental Progression. Rather than focusing on the overload, we are instead careful to incrementally (and daily) push back the threshold of our current capabilities. The fundamental truth at the root of both “progressive overload” and “Incremental Progression” is that you will not grow stronger, bigger, faster or better if you do not consistently move forward in your training. In a conventional weight room this usually means adding more weight to standard two-dimensional exercises. CST opens us up to a whole new world of possibilities. The Milo Hybrid X-treme program manipulates the density of repetitions during your workout. In the simplest terms, you must perform more reps each time you train. Thatʼs pretty easy to say and do, but it leaves you with a lot of wiggle room to cut corners and fail to live up to your potential. To get around that, weʼve carefully tested and determined the percentage increases you should be able to attain for each and every exercise of each session. By following these milestones for every workout, youʼll push your comfort zone and maximize your strength and muscle gains throughout the entire 28-Days of the program.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength Fair warning: this program isnʼt for everyone. Youʼll be required to keep careful track of your training and use a calculator—or a keen sense of numbers—to establish your target reps for each session. Also, the strength required for this program may not be immediately accessible to all. But thatʼs not a problem! Youʼve got plenty of choices in this book which will allow you to build up to the appropriate level of readiness to tackle Milo. The added satisfaction you get from building the base of strength needed to start this program will be rewarding in itself. Finally, if youʼre not committed to following the 4x7 structure presented in this book, your chance of success with this program is slim to nil. Only by taking advantage of the waving intensity of the 4x7 protocol and its built in recovery sessions will you be able to hit the numbers we propose in this program. If youʼre ready to accept the challenge, then letʼs start carrying that ox!

X-Treme Strength Density Sets This 28-Day program is designed to build serious strength by applying a precisely calculated progression. As the only non-Clubbell concession in the book, this program also combines bodyweight exercises with Clubbell work to form a hybrid training protocol. Warning: youʼll need a calculator or a sharp eye for numbers to follow this plan. After every session, youʼll be required to tally up your total repetitions for each exercise and calculate how many extra reps you need to do in the following session to progress. Thatʼs why itʼs called a Density Set protocol. In every training session, you must increase the density of repetitions performed over the course of 8 sets of each exercise. So if you complete 10 repetitions of a given exercise over the total 8 sets, you end up with a total density of 80 for that exercise on that session.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength If your goal is a 10% increase for the next session—this will be indicated in the tables below— then youʼll have to complete a total of 8 more reps spread over your 8 sets. This can be done however you like. For example, you may add 3 reps to the first set, 2 to the second and third set, 1 to the fourth, and make no increase for the remainder. How you get there is up to you, but you must make that increase. Letʼs take a detailed look at how each phase of the program lines up.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength Milo Hybrid Density X-treme Cycle—Master Program Chart Intensity-> Cycle 1

No Intu-Flow

Low Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 2

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 3

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 4

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 5

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 6

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 7

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow


Moderate SuperSet 1 x 8 Max Reps / 45 s rest Rest 1 minute SuperSet 2 x 8 Max reps / 45 s rest SuperSet 1 x 8 Max Reps / 45 s rest Rest 1 minute SuperSet 2 x 8 Max reps / 45 s rest SuperSet 1 x 8 Max Reps / 45 s rest Rest 1 minute SuperSet 2 x 8 Max reps / 45 s rest SuperSet 1 x 8 Max Reps / 45 s rest Rest 1 minute SuperSet 2 x 8 Max reps / 45 s rest Exercise 1 x 8 Max Reps / 90 s rest Rest 60 seconds Exercise 2 x 8 Max Reps / 90 s rest Exercise 1 x 8 Max Reps / 90 s rest Rest 60 seconds Exercise 2 x 8 Max Reps / 90 s rest Exercise 1 x 8 Max Reps / 90 s rest Rest 60 seconds Exercise 2 x 8 Max Reps / 90 s rest

High Superset x 8 Max Reps / 45 s rest Rest 1 minute Body Matrix 3 m rest Superset x 8 Max Reps / 45 s rest Rest 1 minute Body Matrix 1 m rest Superset x 8 Max Reps / 45 s rest Rest 1 minute Body Matrix 30 s rest Superset x 8 Max Reps / 45 s rest Rest 1 minute Body Matrix 20 s rest Hop, Skip & Jump 8 Rounds - Max Reps 60 sec between rounds Hop, Skip & Jump 8 Rounds - Max Reps 60 sec between rounds Hop, Skip & Jump 8 Rounds - Max Reps 60 sec between rounds

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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength Phase 1 — First Four Weeks of the Seven Week Cycle The first four week phase will concentrate on multi-joint exercises which will form the basis for more complex combination exercises in the second phase. Supersets & Rest Periods Youʼll match two exercises together for every set. Leave 45 seconds between each effort. For example, in Superset 1 youʼll perform the Gama Cast, rest 45 seconds, do Wall HSPU, rest 45 seconds and start over again with the Gama Cast. Youʼll do this for 8 Supersets. Number of Reps Per Set The number of reps you complete is based on your current ability level. With every set, you should continue until you feel youʼre just one rep short of your technique deteriorating. In other words, stop when you feel like your next rep will fall below your Rate of Perceived Technique threshold of 8 (where 10 represents perfect form). Write down your reps so you can calculate your density for the next session. Density Calculations From the second cycle on, youʼll see percentages listed beside each exercise. This is the amount by which you should attempt to increase the overall density of your set. Remember, this can be spread over the 8 sets in any combination of reps. Clubbell Weight Use a Clubbell weight that provides a good two-handed challenge.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength Phase 1 Moderate Intensity Session (First four cycles of four days) Perform these exercises on the Moderate Intensity days of weeks 1 to 4. Superset 1 Rest 45 sec between each effort

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Total

5

6

7

8

Total

Cycle 1 Gama Cast Wall HSPU* Cycle 2 Gama Cast +8-10% Wall HSPU* +15-20% Cycle 3 Gama Cast +8-10% Wall HSPU* +15-20% Cycle 4 Gama Cast +8-10% Wall HSPU* +15-20%

*Handstand Push Up Superset 2 (rest 60 seconds after Superset 1)

Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3 Cycle 4

Rest 45 sec between each effort CB Pistol Squats CB SLDL* CB Pistol Squats +20-25% CB SLDL* +25-30% CB Pistol Squats +20-25% CB SLDL* +15-20% CB Pistol Squats +15-20% CB SLDL* +10-15%

1

2

3

4

*Straight Legged Dead Lift (One Leg)


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength Tally Up Your Density At the end of your first session, add up all your reps for each of the 8 sets and record them in the “Total” column of the chart. Next, take that number and apply the suggested percentage increase to calculate your total density target for the second session. Hereʼs an example for the Gamma Cast: Reps per set: 10, 10, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 6

Total reps: 64

64 * 8% = 5.12 + 64 = 69 64 * 10% = 6.4 + 64 = 70 Round your calculations up or down from the .5 mark. This gives you an upper and lower target for rep density in your next session. Spread that density over your 8 reps however you can. Repeat the same process for each exercise after each session in order to determine your targets for the subsequent session.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength Phase 1 High Intensity Session (First four cycles of four days) Perform these exercises on the High Intensity days of weeks 1 to 4. Theres only one Density Superset on the High Intensity day. Use exactly the same tally method to calculate your targets for subsequent sessions. Superset Rest 45 sec between each effort

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Total

Cycle 1 Pull Ups Box Jumps Cycle 2 Pull Ups +8-10% Box Jumps +10-15% Cycle 3 Pull Ups +8-10% Box Jumps +10-15% Cycle 4 Pull Ups +8-10% Box Jumps +10-15%

After your Superset, rest for 1 minute and then proceed to the following Body Matrix energy system circuit. Perform 3 sets of the matrix. One set requires you to perform all the reps of each of the 4 exercises without rest between them. Rest for the time indicated beside each cycle. Rest time decreases from week to week. Body Matrix 24 Trinity Squats

12 Quad Squats

12 Two Handed Clubbell Arm Cast

24 Clockwork Squats

Cycle 1 ==> 3 sets / 3 minutes rest between sets Cycle 2 ==> 3 sets / 1 minute rest between sets Cycle 3 ==> 3 sets / 30 second rest between sets Cycle 4 ==> 3 sets / 20 second rest between sets


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength Phase 2 — Last Three Cycles of the Seven Cycle Program The work you do on your Moderate and High intensity days changes in Phase Two. Use this pattern for your Moderate and High days in weeks 5 to 7 of the program. Sets You will perform straight sets (rather than supersets) in this phase. That means youʼll take more rest between efforts in order to recover for the following set. Rest for 90 seconds between efforts on the Moderate Intensity day, and rest 60 for seconds between efforts on the High Intensity day. Repetitions and Density Use the same tally method as in Phase 1 to determine the number of repetitions per set and the percentage of density increase per session. The target density increases are indicated beside each exercise. Phase 2 Moderate Intensity Session (Last three cycles of four days) Perform these exercises on the Moderate Intensity days of weeks 5 to 7. You will use combination exercises for this second phase of the 28-Day program. These exercises combine the attributes we developed in the first phase. Exercise 1 Rest 90 sec between each effort Cycle 5 Gamma to Torch Press Cycle 6 Gamma to Torch Press +2% Cycle 7 Gamma to Torch Press +2%


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Total

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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength Exercise 2 Rest 90 sec between each effort Cycle 5 Cycle 6 Cycle 7

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Total

Pistol to SLDL Pistol to SLDL +5% Pistol to SLDL +1-3%

Phase 2 High Intensity Session (Last three cycles of four days) Perform these exercises on the High Intensity days of weeks 5 to 7. Short and sweet: if you do this right, you wonʼt want to do anything else! The High Intensity session is 8 sets of a combination exercise involving three high powered movements. Hop, Skip & Jump

Cycle 5 Cycle 6 Cycle 7

Rest 60 sec between each effort Hop, Skip & Jump Hop, Skip & Jump +6-8% Hop, Skip & Jump +6-8%


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength The How-To The Master Program Chart and the Phase 1 and 2 charts for this chapter contain all the set/rep numbers youʼll need to complete your cycle. Hereʼs what to do when you reach each of the four different 4x7 “days”:


Low Intensity Day: Warm up with a brief Intu-Flow session, and perform the full Prasara compensatory movement flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 3-4; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Moderate Intensity Day: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform your Moderate Day exercises using the set/rep scheme and rest times for that day, as outlined in the charts (reference the milo_exercises video). End your session with the Prasara compensation cool down (refer to the Prasara Cool Down video). RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength High Intensity Day: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform your High Day exercises using the set/rep scheme and rest times for that day, as outlined in the charts (reference the “milo_exercises” video). End your session with the Prasara compensation cool down (reference the Prasara Cool Down video). RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Thatʼs it. Simply plug this pattern into the Master Program Chart for this chapter and youʼre all set to lift that ox with Milo.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Density Sets for Strength

1

2

3

Pistol 1. Get set on one leg, balance on mid-foot. Extend the other leg out to the front, knee locked. Send the butt back and down. Stretch the spine long from the crown of the head and the tailbone. Hold your Clubbell in front of you in order position, elbows bent to 90° and tight to your sides. You can separate your hands on the club shaft for more stability. 2. Drop into a low squat with weight on the heel of the planted foot. Keep the free leg extended to the front with the knee locked. Shift the Clubbell over the planted foot and extend it slightly forward to maintain balance. Keep the pelvis neutral—donʼt let the free leg side hike up. 3. Press off the heel towards mid-foot as you drive the hips up and forward to come back to standing.


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1

Density Sets for Strength

2

3

1-Legged Straight Legged Deadlift 1. Get set on one foot. Extend your free leg slightly to the back. Stretch yourself long between your head and your free heel, forming one long, straight line. Hold your Clubbell in front of you in Order position with a split grip on the club. The top hand should be to the side of your planted foot. 2. Maintain a straight line from head to heel as you drop the forehead forward and down and the free foot comes up and back. Allow the Clubbell head to sink onto your shoulder to the side of your planted leg. 3. Contract the glutes of the planted leg to come back up to standing. As you rise, bring the Clubbell off your shoulder and back into order position. Keep yourself stretched long from head to heel. Maintain your weight on mid-foot throughout the movement.


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1


2

3

4

Gama Cast 1. Start from a Two-handed order position, elbows bent to 90° and tight to the sides. Pack the shoulders into the sockets by drawing them down and slightly back. Tuck the butt under by contracting the glutes and core. Stretch the crown of the head towards the sky. 2. Drive the muzzle of the Clubbell back and to the side. As it passes over your shoulder the club will go through a horizontal position. Shift your weight slightly in the opposite direction of the movement of the Clubbell to counter balance the movement. 3. Allow the momentum of the Clubbell head to carry it through to the back and out the other side. Make sure the shoulders stay packed throughout. 4. As the Clubbell reaches the opposite side in the back position, draw the elbows down towards order position to coax the Clubbell through to the front. When you reach order position, reverse direction and repeat the Gama cast to the other side.


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1


2

3

Handstand Push Up 1. Kick up into a handstand against a wall. Your fingers should be only a few inches from the wall and your heels resting against the wall. Keep your glutes and core tight. Stretch yourself long between your heels and crown of your head. Lock your elbows straight and make sure your shoulder are pulled away from your ears. 2. Slowly lower yourself until your head touches the floor. Your elbows should be tucked slightly towards the inside. Shoulders are still pulled down. 3. Forcefully exhale and press away from the floor. Keep the core and glutes tight as your press. Avoid the temptation to arch your low back as you press. Return to the start position with elbows locked and shoulders packed.


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1

2

3

Pull Up 1. Grasp your pull up bar with your palms facing away, arms locked and shoulders pulled down away from your ears. Contract your core and glutes to tighten your body. Exhale and begin to pull. Imagine pulling the bar down towards your chest. 2. Stay tight as you approach the bar. Continue your exhale in order to efficiently activate your core. 3. Bring the bar all the way to your chest and your chin over the bar before reversing direction and lowering under control to the start position. Make sure you keep the shoulders pulled into the packed position throughout the entire movement.


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1

2

3

Box Jumps 1. Begin in front of your box in a low squat with your hands on the box. Keep the spine stretched long and the butt back and down. Keep the head up and eyes forward. 2. Explosively press through both the hands and the feel to propel yourself up onto the box. 3. Land on the box and immediately absorb your downward momentum into a low squat. Use the springiness of the movement to immediately hop backwards off the box and absorb your decent with both your feet on the mat and your hands on the box. Move through the start position as described and immediately spring back into a new repetition.


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1


2

3

Trinity Squat 1. Send the butt back and down. Stretch the spine long. 2. Sink down into a low squat, weight on the heels, and reach your hands forward to counter balance the movement. 3. Exhale as you press off the ground and drive the hips forward. Squeeze the glutes at the end of the movement and drive the hands backwards.


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1


2

3

Quad Squat 1. Begin on all fours with the back parallel to the ground and arms fully extended. Your nose should line up with your hands and your butt with your heels. Knees and elbows should be splayed out at 45°. 2. Lower butt to heels and nose in between hands. Maintain a long spine and keep your back parallel to the ground. 3. Exhale and press off the ground back into start position. Your weight should be equal on all four limbs throughout the movement.


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1


2

3

4

Two-handed Arm Cast 1. Begin with the Clubbell in a Two-handed Order position, elbows at your sides and bent to 90°. Contract the glutes and core to tuck the butt under. Pack the shoulders down away from the ears. 2. Drive the Clubbell muzzle over the shoulder on the side of the hand that is closest to the club cone. The club head should pass over your shoulder at about ear height. 3. Thread your head through your arms and let the Clubbell come into the back position, lined up just beside the spine on the same side as the shoulder it went over. Keep the shoulders packed and the elbows tucked in towards the front. 4. Pull the elbows back down towards Order position in order to draw the Clubbell out of back position. Exhale as you return bring the Clubbell out and over the shoulder.


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1


2

3

Clockwork Squat 1. As the Clubbell swings across your body, ensure that you form a straight unit from your shoulders all the way down to the muzzle of your club. Elbows are locked out and shoulders are pulled down away from the ears. The spine should be stretched long from the crown to ensure rotation around an even axis. 2. Use your hips to snap the Clubbell across to the opposite side as you shift your weight across in the opposite direction of the travel of the club head. Maintain your strong Clubbell/ arm/shoulder complex. Exhale with the effort of the swing. 3. Draw the elbows into the rib cage so that the Clubbell comes into an Order position — muzzle facing the ceiling and Clubbell head vis à vis the shoulder. As you begin to squat, let the Clubbell head come to rest on the meaty part of your shoulder and absorb it on the way down. As you squat, let yourself pivot towards the front. Press out of the squat and pivot back to the side as you project the Clubbell out to the side to achieve your arm lock and straight line from shoulder to Clubbell. Now repeat on the other side shoulder.


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1

2

3

4

Pistol / SLDL Combination Perform a Two-handed Clubbell Pistol squat as described earlier. As you come back to standing, shift your weight slightly forward as you cock your free leg to the back and stretch yourself long from head to heel. Then perform a 1-legged SLDL as described earlier. As you come back to standing shift your weight backward and extend your free leg out to the front for your next Pistol.


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1

2

3

4

Gama Cast / Torch Press Combination Perform a Gama cast as described earlier. As you finish the cast to one side and come back into order, ensure that your shoulders are packed down and your butt tucked under (contract glutes and core). Then press the Clubbell muzzle straight up towards the sky until your arms are locked, elbows straight. Make sure your shoulders donʼt hike up towards you ears.


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3

2

5

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7

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Hop, Skip and Jump Begin in front of your box in a low squat with your hands on the box. Keep your butt back and low, your spine stretched long and your eyes and head up. Press off with hands and feet to leap up onto the box, landing in a low squat and immediately rebounding back off the box. As you land, immediately absorb your momentum down into a low squat and tip forward into a four point stance. Hope the legs feet back and slightly splayed with legs in full extension. Let the hips drop all the way to the ground without bending the arms. Snap the butt forcefully up towards the sky to draw the feet back in underneath you. Tip back up into a low squat. Look up and get your spine vertical before pressing off from mid-foot and driving the hips forward back to standing. Jump up to your pull up bar with your palms facing away. Drive your hips forward and bow your body. Keep your shoulders pulled away from your ears. Drive your butt backwards as you begin to pull on the bar. As you build momentum, drive the knees up and pull your chest in towards the bar, clearing it with your chin. Then press away from the bar as you start to drop back down to the ground. As you reach the ground, immediately place your hands on the box and begin again.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Burst-Recovery-Burst Chapter 9 - The Tabata Protocol The Tabata Protocol was named after Japanese researcher Dr. Izumi Tabata. In 1996, Dr. Tabata and his colleagues at Tokyoʼs National Institute of Fitness and Sports conducted a groundbreaking study using high intensity intervals that challenged the prevailing fitness wisdom of the time, and changed the way many of us train today.* After just 6 weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted a 28% increase in the anaerobic capacity of his subjects, along with a 14% increase in their ability to consume oxygen (V02Max). Keep in mind that these werenʼt sedentary people he dragged off the sofa—he got these results with athletes who were already physically fit. In the years since this study was published, a number of other scientists have verified Dr. Tabataʼs claims and have built upon his work. What does this mean for you? These researchers have proven that exercising at a high level of intensity for a short period of time is more effective than exercising at a low level of intensity for longer duration. In other words, youʼre better off performing 20 minutes of short, high-intensity interval type training than spending an hour or two jogging or cycling on a stationary bike. You simply get more bang for your buck—a key consideration when living a modern time-compressed lifestyle. The Tabata form of interval training is also more effective for fat loss than traditional “cardio” exercise methods. If you read Chapter 6 on Metabolic Resistance Circuits, you already know that intense interval work raises the body's metabolic rate long after the end of an exercise session, resulting in an extended period of post-workout fat loss.

* “Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max” in the Journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (October 1996, Vol 28 Issue 10).


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Burst-Recovery-Burst Activity Specific Applications of Tabata Tabata circuits have obvious benefits for those with health and fitness goals, but they also have important applications when preparing for any activity that requires a burst-recover-burst pattern of effort. What is burst-recover-burst? Think of a boxer in a 2 minute round. He or she isnʼt throwing a nonstop flurry of punches for 2 minutes. Instead, that 2 minute round is characterized by intense bursts where the fighter darts in to throw a few hard and fast blows. He then backs off and works to stay out of range while looking for another opening. If you were to graph the output of effort for the round, youʼd see rapid, intense bursts punctuated by brief periods of recovery in motion. Sounds a lot like 20/10, doesnʼt it? You might expect the greatest gains from 20/10 to come from the bursts, but youʼd only be reaping half the benefit with such a focus. Tabata-type intervals are great for fighters because they teach the body to maximize recovery in the shortest possible time. Read that again: compressed rest periods cause the body to adapt so it is able to recover in less and less time. Coach Sonnon and the CST Faculty have taken this even farther with TACFIT—a program we use with fighters, government agencies, and military special ops groups around the globe. Tabata is just one of the 6 energy systems we focus on in a cascading wave of work. The end result is that the “athlete” adapts in such a way that theyʼre not only recovering between bursts of activity, theyʼre recovering while moving and in anticipation of rest. But thatʼs outside the scope of our current discussion. Itʼs enough for you to remember that the rest periods are just as important as the bursts, and that you can apply this Tabata protocol in a wide range of sport-specific ways.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Burst-Recovery-Burst What the Heckʼs a 20/10—Tell Me What to Do! Tabata intervals consist of 20 seconds of high intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest. This cycle is repeated 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. In our program charts we refer to this as 20/10 x 8. In your 28-day Clubbell Tabata Program, each “work day” will follow that pattern with 4 different exercises. This is how it would line up in practice. Letʼs say your first exercise is the Head Cast. Youʼll perform 20 seconds of Head Casts followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times. When youʼve finished all 8, rest for 1 minute, then move on to the second exercise—the Side Semi—for another 8 sets of 20/10. Follow that same pattern until youʼve gone through all 4 exercises. Your goal during that 20 second burst of work is to crank out as many reps as possible while maintaining good form (RPT ≥ 8). Your goal during those 10 seconds of rest is to shake it off, recover your breathing and lower your heart rate in preparation for the next round. (We highly recommend that you check out Coach Sonnonʼs RESET DVD for more on how to accelerate your recovery between bursts of activity.) If youʼve selected the proper Clubbell weight, youʼll probably find that this is one of the most intense circuit training regimes youʼve ever encountered. One final piece of advice: practice the exercises for a week or two first, before you attempt to put them into the cycle. You wonʼt reap the maximum gains from this 28-day progression if youʼre feeling out the movements or focusing on learning the form. Show up on Day One prepared to work with this program.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Burst-Recovery-Burst If youʼre not able to burst for the full 20 seconds with a particular exercise, focus on doing as many as you can, and then pause to shake it off. Keep track of your reps and strive to at least equal what you did in the prior round. Next time the Tabata session rolls around again, make it your goal to add one or two reps to your previous best. In this way, youʼre always making progress and youʼre keeping it within safe limits.

The Hybrid Circuit—Throwing a Wrench into the Works We have one last thing to discuss, and then weʼll get to the program. If you looked ahead at the Master Program Chart, you probably noticed that weʼre throwing a wrench into the works at Week 5. During Weeks 1 to 4 youʼll do one Tabata circuit on the Moderate Intensity Day and a different Tabata Circuit on the High Intensity Day. But when you reach Week 5, everything changes. By Week 5 you should be cruising along nicely. Youʼll have adapted to the circuits and your body will be getting into a comfortable groove. You may even be subconsciously counting your reps and anticipating the end of each 20 second burst. This is a sign that itʼs time to bump up a training variable. We could choose to increase the Clubbell weight, or perhaps tinker with the round duration or rest time—but that would be too easy. This is CST, remember. We thrive on movement sophistication. Evolution involves a shift to greater levels of complexity, and so weʼre going to further crank your metabolism by introducing a range of new skills. Your new Hybrid circuit takes the skills you built on the Week 1 to 4 Moderate and High Intensity Days and puts them together into a set of much more challenging movements. Youʼre still doing 4 exercises at 20/10 x 8, but the exercises require a greater degree of coordination. During Weeks 5 to 7 youʼll do this Hybrid Circuit on both the Moderate and High Intensity days. It will be up to you to adjust your intensity level so that you accurately meet the Rating of


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Burst-Recovery-Burst Perceived Exertion (RPE) targets for those days. This will be challenging, and youʼll have to remain “in the moment”—conscious of the task at hand rather than drifting and letting your effort slide. Donʼt be surprised if you notice this deeper level of engagement carrying over into other aspects of your life. Itʼs just one of many side benefits of your CST practice…

Now letʼs get to the program.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Burst-Recovery-Burst Clubbell Tabata Cycle This Master Program Chart outlines each phase of your 28-day 4x7 cycle: Intensity->

No

Low

Moderate

High

Cycle 1

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

High Intensity program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8

Cycle 2

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 3

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 4

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 5

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 6

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 7

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Moderate Intensity program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 Moderate Intensity program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 Moderate Intensity program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 Moderate Intensity program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 Hybrid program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 Hybrid program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 Hybrid program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8

High Intensity program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 High Intensity program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 High Intensity program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 Hybrid program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 Hybrid program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8 Hybrid program 4 exercises @ 20/10 x 8

Levels of Difficulty Your level of difficulty with each exercise will be moderated by your selection of Clubbell weight. Go as heavy as you can on each exercise while still maintaining good form. Be sure to maintain the proper RPE numbers for each day.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Burst-Recovery-Burst The How-To The Master Program Chart on the previous page contains all the set/rep numbers youʼll need to complete your cycle. Hereʼs what to do when you reach each of the four different 4x7 “days”:


Low Intensity Day: Warm up with a brief Intu-Flow session, and perform the full Prasara compensatory movement flow for 3 slow deep rounds (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 3-4; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower

Moderate Intensity Day: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform the following sequence of exercises (reference the “tabata1” video). Circuits are based on the 20/10 Tabata protocol. Start at the first exercise and do 8 rounds of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest (in other words, youʼre working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, etc until youʼve completed all 8 rounds for that movement). Rest 1 minute, then move on to the next exercise, and so on through the list. Observe the following guidelines throughout RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Burst-Recovery-Burst Exercise

Duration

Basic Swing

20/10 x 8

Rest

1 minute

Side Pendulum

20/10 x 8

Rest

1 minute

Shoulder Squat

20/10 x 8

Rest

1 minute

Gama Cast

20/10 x 8

End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation cool down (reference the Prasara Recovery video).

High Intensity Day: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform the following sequence of exercises (refer to the “tabata2” video). Circuits are based on the 20/10 Tabata protocol. Start at the first exercise and do 8 rounds of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest (in other words, youʼre working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, etc until youʼve completed all 8 rounds for that movement). Rest 1 minute, then move on to the next exercise, and so on through the list. Observe the following guidelines throughout RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.


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Duration

Head Cast

20/10 x 8

Rest

1 minute

Side Semi

20/10 x 8

Rest

1 minute

Lunge Twist

20/10 x 8

Rest

1 minute

Overhead Roll

20/10 x 8

End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation cool down (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Hybrid Circuits: As outlined in the Master Program Chart, youʼll switch to the Hybrid routine at Week 5. Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow Warmup video). Perform the following sequence of exercises (reference the “tabata3” video). Circuits are based on the 20/10 Tabata protocol. Start at the first exercise and do 8 rounds of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest (in other words, youʼre working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, etc until youʼve completed all 8 rounds for that movement). Rest 1 minute, then move on to the next exercise, and so on through the list. On the Moderate Intensity Day, your target is RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower. On the High Intensity Day, your target is RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.


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Duration

Barbarian Lunge

20/10 x 8

Rest

1 minute

Hammer Throw

20/10 x 8

Rest

1 minute

Head Cast Squat

20/10 x 8

Rest

1 minute

Big Wheel

20/10 x 8

End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation cool down (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Thatʼs it. Simply plug this pattern into the Master Program Chart for this chapter and youʼre all set to burst-recover-burst with your Clubbells.

The following photos and descriptions are intended to be a reminder of the detailed coaching guidance presented in the video clips. Please study the videos carefully before you begin this exercise program.


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1

Burst-Recovery-Burst

2

3

Basic Swing Maintain good crown to coccyx spinal alignment as you fold at the hips into a “ski jump” position. The Basic Swing is propelled by hip snap and leg drive—the arms are just hanging on. Exhale hard to activate the core, clench your glutes and explode forward, snapping your hips to full extension and standing tall. Keep your shoulders packed and maintain arm lock as the Clubbells are propelled upwards by the force of your hip snap. On the down swing, allow the weight of the descending Clubbells to pull you back into the beginning “ski jump” position as you load for another rep.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Burst-Recovery-Burst

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2

3

4 5

6

Side Pendulum Beginning in Order position with hips rooted to one side, cast the Clubbell upward and away at a 45 degree angle, and establish arm lock and shoulder pack before gravity takes hold. As the Clubbell swings in an arc across your frontal plane, continue itʼs momentum by applying sideways hip snap as you shift your weight to the opposite side hip root. As the Clubbell momentarily floats weightless at the end of its arc, pull your elbow to your ribs to catch the Clubbell in order position, shock absorbing with your legs. Use the stored elastic energy of the shock absorption to launch the Clubbell back out into the next repetition.


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Shoulder Squat Exhale hard and drive your legs into the floor as you snap your hips forward to launch the Clubbell directly upwards. You must use sufficient force to propel the Clubbell up to shoulder height. Maintain good crown to coccyx alignment throughout. As the Clubbell momentarily floats weightless at the top of its arc, your goal is to rotate it by driving the handle beneath the barrel. Allow the barrel of the Clubbell to touch down on your shoulder as you simultaneously squat away from the weight to absorb the shock. It takes practice and timing to ensure a smooth, soft landing. The Clubbell should land on the meaty tissue of your traps, not the collarbone or the bony profile at the edge of your shoulder. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. As you drive back up out of the squat, pop the Clubbell off your shoulder (donʼt shrug to do this—maintain shoulder pack), establish arm lock as the weight descends, and allow it to fold you at the hips while maintaining crown to coccyx alignment. Youʼre ready to snap it back up for your next rep.


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Gama Cast Hold the Clubbell in two-handed order position, with good crown to coccyx alignment and shoulder pack. Do not swing the Clubbell into back position. Drive your elbow behind the knob of the Clubbell and drive the neck behind the barrel to move it over your shoulder into back position. You must thread your head beneath the far arm. Do not cross your face, and do not break crown to coccyx alignment to “duck” your head under. The forearm lifts parallel to the ground like the face shield on a medieval knightʼs visor. The Clubbell passes through the “window” of space above your shoulder, beside your ear. Photo #4 illustrates proper back position. Elbows are pointed up at the ceiling, shoulders are packed to transfer the load to your entire structure, and crown to coccyx alignment is maintained. Cast the Clubbell back to order position by exhaling hard to activate your core. Contract your glutes and quads, and at the same time, pull your elbow up and around to pull the neck of the Clubbell in line with its centre of mass. Be sure to thread your head beneath the far arm as before.


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3

Head Cast Begin in back position, with the Clubbell hanging behind one shoulder (never along the length of your spine). Maintain crown to coccyx alignment, and shoulder pack to transfer the weight to your structure. Exhale hard and tighten your core as you pull your elbows upward and begin to rotate the Clubbell neck under the barrel. The hand closest to the knob pulls downward as the hand closest to the barrel pries upward. Drive the Clubbell up until you establish arm lock overhead. Pause at the top, then tip the barrel head slightly backwards and lower the Clubbell under control into back position. Remember to cast and return to one side of your head, never in alignment with your spine.


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Side Semi Pay careful attention to your grip on this one. Park your Clubbell safely if youʼre getting close to grip failure. Exhale and lock down your core as you drive your legs into the ground. Use an explosive sideways hip snap to drive the Clubbell in an arc across your frontal plane. As the downward phase of the swing clears your knees, use hip sway to absorb and accentuate the motion, and then explode into the opposite sideways hip snap. Maintain crown to coccyx alignment throughout. Avoid the temptation to curve your spine as the Clubbell clears your knees.


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Lunge Twist Pick up the Clubbell in a “barbell grip” as shown in Photo 1. Next, rotate from the waist to hold the Clubbell at your side with the barrel pointing straight back. Step forward with the opposite side leg (in this case the left), while at the same time rotating from the waist to bring the Clubbell in an arc in the direction of the stepping leg (in this case you are rotating towards the left). The Clubbell is held horizontal to your body, and shoulder pack transfers the weight to your structure—if you find your arms fatiguing rapidly, you may be losing shoulder pack. Your torso faces the Clubbell throughout the movement. Do not whip the Clubbell around with your arms, but rotate from the torso as a unit. Push back with your front leg to return to the starting position. Simultaneously reverse the torso turn so that you rotate back to the start position as your feet return to a shoulder width stance.


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Overhead Roll Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Hold the Clubbell in a “barbell grip,” with the barrel pointed in the direction of travel. Shoulders are packed and elbows locked to transfer the weight to your structure. Contract your glutes and quads hard, and exhale to activate your core. Sway in the direction of the barrel and return to the starting position. This is a very small motion, a lateral bending of the spine at the level of your bottom ribs and in the direction of the barrel, then back to the starting position. Maintain crown to coccyx alignment, and avoid the temptation of only moving your arms or only tilting your head back and forth rather than bending from the spine.


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Barbarian Lunge The Barbarian Lunge combines the Gama Cast with a forward lunge. Please read the description for the Gama Cast above. Begin with the Clubbell in back position. As you step forward with the left leg into a lunge, bring the Clubbell into order position with a Gama Cast over your right shoulder. Your lunge should end with your front leg bent to parallel to the ground and shin held perpendicular. Maintain mid-foot balance throughout. As you drive back out of the lunge, return the Clubbell to back position by reversing the motion of the Gama Cast. Shift the Clubbell to the left side back position, and then lunge forward with the right leg as you Gama Cast over your left shoulder for the next rep.


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Hammer Throw The Hammer Throw takes the Clubbell in a two-handed circle around your frontal plane. Reread the directions for the Side Semi above. The same sideways hip snap propels the Hammer Throw, but this time snap it hard enough to drive the Clubbell in an arc all the way overhead. Allow the Clubbell to arc with control into the downswing on the opposite side. During the downswing, load an effective hip root facing the Clubbell, and as it swings past your centerline accelerate that arc with hip sway and hip snap to drive it all the way to the top again, continuing the circle. Pay careful attention to your grip in this exercise, and park your Clubbell if you near the point of grip failure. Maintain crown to coccyx alignment throughout, and shoulder pack and arm lock to transfer the weight to your structure.


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Head Cast + Squat Please reread the directions for the Head Cast above. Begin with the Clubbell in back position. Perform the Head Cast as before, but drop simultaneously into a flat foot squat so that you reach thighs-parallel in your squat as your Head Cast locks out in top position. Return to standing by driving upwards as you simultaneously yield the Clubbell down into back position. Take care to maintain good crown to coccyx alignment as you squat with arms overhead. Donʼt curve from the spine, but bend from the waist with a straight back.


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Big Wheel Hold the Clubbell in a barbell grip, as you did in the Overhead Roll. Rotate it into side order position so that the barrel is pointed up and your thumbs are facing each other along the neck. The Big Wheel moves the Clubbell in an arc from one side to the other, beginning perpendicular at your side with the barrel up, passing just over your eyebrows parallel to the ground, and ending perpendicular on your opposite side with the barrel facing down. Return to the starting position by reversing the motion. This movement requires the same subtle closing of the ribs and lateral spinal bend that you performed in the Overhead Roll. Maintain crown to coccyx alignment throughout, and exhale hard to activate your core.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Speed-Strength Chapter 10—The Going Ballistic Protocol The Going Ballistic (GB) protocol was developed by RMAX Faculty Coach Brandon Jones as a specific conditioning protocol for boxing. But as with so many of our experiments, he quickly discovered that GB could be applied much more broadly. This is an excellent protocol for any sport which requires explosive strength or endurance. Why train specifically for speed? As this quote reveals, all strength and endurance is velocity-specific: “In most athletic activities, high speed is a very important factor. The strength training for athletics should therefore be performed at high speed if the skill is performed at high speed. The slow speed strength developed by resistance training is primarily transferable to athletic movement only at the slower speed at which it was developed.” (Stone and Kroll, 1978.) If you want to be able to express your power with velocity, you must train with velocity. We wonʼt go into the detailed reasons behind this or the specific energy systems involved— thatʼs outside the scope of this short introduction. We highly recommend you reference “Going Ballistic: Circular Strength Training® for Boxing” by Brandon Jones (RMAX.tv Productions, 2005) for that. Our purpose here is to show you how applying the Going Ballistic protocol with Clubbells will drive your ability to express speed through the roof, and more importantly, to give you the opportunity to try one of these cycles for yourself.

How Can I Get Fast? There are two fundamental methods at play in sports performance enhancement: 1) adding driving forces, and 2) removing restrictive forces.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Speed-Strength Most coaches and systems focus on the former. They seek to increase power, strength, drive, etc by adding to what the body is capable of. This usually takes the form of weight training, bodyweight exercise, speed and agility drills, etc—but it will only get you partway to your potential if you arenʼt addressing #2. You must also remove the parking brake on your performance. This usually takes the form of Prasara yoga, joint mobility exercises, stretching, and specific CST compensatory movements designed to release patterns of tension within the body. Try throwing a punch or swinging a bat while tensing the muscles of your arms, and youʼll get an idea of how these tension chains impact the ability to express your skills. Unless you address both sides of this equation, your body will forever be fighting an internal war of tension vs. relaxation. This is especially important when it comes to training for speed. In addition to the usual “parking brakes” of overconditioning and tension, we must also overcome our own anatomy. In simplified terms, the muscles and tendons are home to small sensory organs—golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles—which act as governors on our output. When something out of the ordinary happens, these “sensors” slam on the brakes to inhibit that unfamiliar action. Itʼs a useful evolutionary mechanism to protect us from injury, but itʼs also a gatekeeper that you must work around if you want to get fast. Coach Jones recommends three specific ways to do this: 1.

Donʼt train to failure.

2.

Train at the highest possible velocity to cause a specific adaptation (SAID)

3.

Work explosively / ballistically

Thatʼs exactly what youʼre going to do in this Clubbell Going Ballistic cycle. Youʼre going to work ballistically, but in a very clear, incrementally progressive manner.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Speed-Strength Wait a Minute—Thereʼs Math Involved? Yes, but donʼt worry—weʼve figured it all out for you. All you have to do is follow along. In Coach Jonesʼs original program for boxing, he superimposed the velocity and wave requirements of combat sport overtop of the burst-recover-burst patterns of Tabata protocol, basing his calculations on the length of a boxing round and the rest time between rounds. By adding 10% to the active portion of the workout and subtracting 10% from the resting portion, he knew his athletes would be more prepared than the challenges they faced if they trained with work periods of 2:12 rounds separated by rest periods of 54 seconds, multiplied by the number of rounds in the fight. Since weʼre not training specifically for boxing or for any other sport, weʼre going to make the goal of our cycle 3 rounds of 2 minutes each, and weʼre going to use 3 different exercises on each work day. 3 rounds of 2 minutes each is an arbitrary goal, but it gives us a target to aim for, and you will see significant improvements in your expression of speed-strength by the end of the 28 days. Youʼll also walk away with a pretty good sense of how to apply this protocol to your sport or activity specific goals.

Hereʼs How Weʼll Bring It Together Weʼll begin with 1 minute rounds and 90 seconds rest between each round. Weʼll gradually increase that round time on each High Intensity day until we hit Week 4. Weʼll then change gears slightly in the second half of the program—the duration of each round stays the same, but we begin to compress the rest time between rounds. Finally, on the last day of the cycle we hit our goal of 3 rounds of 2 minutes each, with 30 seconds rest between rounds. Thatʼs it. More reps and more total work completed in less time. From molasses to The Flash in 28-days.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Speed-Strength You need to add just one more conceptual tool to your kit in order to complete this Going Ballistic cycle. In addition to keeping track of your Rating of Perceived Technique, Rating of Perceived Exertion, and Rating of Perceived Discomfort, we want you to add Rating of Perceived Velocity (RPV):

RPV Scale:

1= No movement

10 = Your personal top speed

We obviously donʼt expect round. That would involve above. He developed RPV burst-recover-burst pattern possible.

you to sustain one single burst of activity for an entire 2 minute going to failure—a direct contradiction of Coach Jonesʼs advice to avoid that unhelpful outcome, and in order to ensure that your keeps on bursting for as large a percentage of each round as

When your RPV goes below 7, stop and rest for 10 seconds. Then resume the round. Your performance goal is obviously to increase the duration and frequency of these bursts and minimize those 10 second micro-rests with each subsequent training session. This will ensure that youʼre always getting faster as you move through the program, and that youʼre able to subjectively quantify your progress.

Now letʼs get to the program.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Speed-Strength Clubbell Going Ballistic Cycle This Master Program Chart outlines each phase of your 28-day 4x7 cycle: Intensity->

No

Low

Moderate

High

Cycle 1

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Ballistic program

Ballistic Program

1 min rounds x 3

1:15 min rounds x 3

90 sec rest times Ballistic Program


1:15 min rounds x 3

1:30 min rounds x 3



1:30 min rounds x 3

1:45 min rounds x 3



1:45 min rounds x 3

1:45 min rounds x 3



1:45 min rounds x 3

1:45 min rounds x 3



1:45 min rounds x 3

1:45 min rounds x 3

45 sec rest times

30 sec rest times

Cycle 2

Cycle 3

Cycle 4

Cycle 5

Cycle 6


Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Speed-Strength Intensity->

No

Low

Moderate

High

Cycle 7

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Ballistic Program

Ballistic Program

1:45 min rounds x 3

2 min rounds x 3

30 sec rest times

30 sec rest times

Levels of Difficulty These three exercises will make up each Ballistic session on your Moderate and High intensity days. Pick the level of difficulty appropriate to your current condition. Start at the top and complete all three rounds of the first exercise before moving on to the second exercise. Round duration and rest times between rounds are listed in the Master Program Chart above. Exercise

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Drumming Arm Cast

5 lbs mini-Clubbell

10 lbs

15 lbs

Seesaw Head Cast

5 lbs mini Clubbell

10 lbs

15 lbs

Shoulder Cast + Muscle Out

5 lbs mini Clubbell

10 lbs

15 lbs


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Speed-Strength The Daily How-To The Master Program Chart contains all the set/rep numbers youʼll need to complete your cycle. Hereʼs what to do when you reach each of the four different 4x7 “days”:



Moderate Intensity Day: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform a session of Clubbell Drumming Arm Casts, Seesaw Head Casts and Shoulder Cast + Muscle Outs using the set/rep scheme and rest times for that day, as outlined on the chart (reference the “ballistic” video). End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Speed-Strength High Intensity Day: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform a session of Clubbell Drumming Arm Casts, Seesaw Head Casts and Shoulder Cast + Muscle Outs using the set/rep scheme and rest times for that day, as outlined on the chart (reference the “ballistic” video). End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Thatʼs it. Simply plug this pattern into the Master Program Chart for this chapter and youʼre all set to Go Ballistic with your Clubbells.



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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Speed-Strength

1

2

3

Drumming Arm Cast The basic arm cast begins in order position. Drive your elbow behind the knob of the Clubbell, and drive the neck in line behind the centre of mass. Place—do not swing—the barrel into back position. To return to order, contract your core with a strong exhalation and pull your elbow up and around to pull the neck of the Clubbell in line with the centre of mass. The Clubbell passes by your ear just above your shoulder—never overhead. The Drumming Arm Cast begins with one Clubbell in order position and the other in back position. Simultaneously switch their positions so that they pass the ears in opposite directions at the same time.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Speed-Strength

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2

3

Seesaw Head Cast The basic head cast begins in back position, with the Clubbell hanging behind one shoulder (never along the length of your spine). Maintain crown to coccyx alignment and shoulder pack to transfer the weight to your structure. Exhale hard and tighten your core as you pull your elbow upward and begin to rotate the Clubbell neck under the barrel. Drive the Clubbell up until you establish arm lock overhead. Pause at the top, then tip the barrel head slightly backwards and lower the Clubbell under control into back position. Remember to cast and return to one side of your head, never in alignment with your spine. The Seesaw Head Cast begins with one Clubbell overhead in torch position and the other in back position. Simultaneously switch their positions so that they pass the ears in opposite directions at the same time.


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1

Speed-Strength

2

3

4

5

Shoulder Cast + Muscle Out Begin with the Clubbell in back position. Maintain crown to coccyx alignment, and keep your shoulder packed. Pull your elbow down while flexing your lat to bring the Clubbell to side order position—the movement resembles unsheathing a sword. Next, push the Clubbell out from your side until it is at armʼs length and shoulder height in side muscle out position. Drive your elbow pit toward the sky and flex your tricep to ensure arm lock and shoulder pack. Reverse the movement by pulling your elbow in to your side to reestablish side order position, then reverse the shoulder cast to place the Clubbell in back position.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Chapter 11—Density Training Ryan has done more Clubbell density cycles than anyone on the planet. In this section he shares the very same programs he used to put the 4x7 protocol to its ultimate test. Any sane person would consider regular Density Training to be challenge enough. We recommend you spend several cycles there before moving on to the next challenge: for those who live to train, we present Double Density Cycles. And finally, for those with the same slate of character flaws as Coach Murdock, weʼll walk you through the steps he took to conquer Double Bruiser Double Density training.

What is Density Training? Originally developed by Ethan Reeve, Strength and Conditioning Coach at Wake Forest University, Density Training as presented by RMAX Founder Scott Sonnon is a new approach to periodization within a cycle. Traditional training cycles break the athletic year into phases, during which separate training cycles are worked to develop the specific attributes needed by a well-rounded athlete: strength, endurance, power, etc. These cycles are never combined because of the danger of cocktailing training—working competing energy systems or attributes within the same cycle results in haphazard and often undesirable outcomes. Density training changes all that. This protocol allows you to take a specific movement or skill set and cascade through a full range of attributes within a single cycle—and without risk of cocktailing your training. We do this by making incremental steps through each major energy system.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume We begin with the strength and power range, 5-7 reps per set. We then shift to functional hypertrophy, the 8-10 rep range, to add just enough useful muscle mass to see us through the program. Once thatʼs nailed down, itʼs onwards to the 11-15 rep range, the slow intense burn of muscular endurance. Beyond 15 reps we push into circulo-respiratory endurance (“cardio”). The cycle is capped off with the ultimate challenge in mental toughness training—the 100 rep Century. Hereʼs a simple chart to illustrate how it all lines up:

Strength and Power

5 – 7 Reps

Hypertrophy (Muscle Growth)

8 – 10 Reps

Muscular Endurance

11 – 15 Reps

Circulo-Respiratory Endurance

13 – 15 Reps

Mental Toughness

40 + Reps

Why the 100 rep Century? Because the mental toughness you develop by facing your physical limits in training builds a reserve you can draw on when real world conditions put your back against the wall. You learn to separate feelings of discomfort and the bodyʼs fear response from signals of actual harm. You learn to maintain a relaxed face so tension doesnʼt irradiate. You come to develop an accurate gauge for what you can push through and what you shouldnʼt. Your training should prepare you for the challenges youʼll face in life—because weʼre all training for life.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Show Me The Numbers! As with anything in Circular Strength Training, Incremental Progression is the key to getting there faster and remaining injury-free. Density Training works by decreasing the number of sets while increasing the number of reps, always keeping the total volume of the training session at 100—your end goal with the Century challenge. Hereʼs how the steps line up:

25 sets of 4 in 25 minutes 20 sets of 5 in 20 minutes 17 sets of 6 in 17 minutes 15 sets of 7 in 15 minutes 13 sets of 8 in 13 minutes 11 sets of 9 in 11 minutes 10 sets of 10 in 10 minutes 1 set of 100

Youʼll perform one set every minute until youʼve done them all. As you can see, weʼre compressing the rest time throughout the program while keeping the total volume the same—a great Incremental way to build up to 100 nonstop reps.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Letʼs look at an example in case it isnʼt clear. Start your reps at the top of the minute, when that second hand hits twelve. Imagine that 4 reps of your chosen exercise takes 7 to 10 seconds to complete. The remainder of that minute—50 seconds—is yours to rest. Shake it off, and when that second hand reaches the start of the next minute, pick up your Clubbell and do your next set. By the time you reach the final stage, where youʼre completing 10 reps in a row, those 10 reps may take 30 or 40 seconds. Your rest time is cut drastically, requiring you to complete more work in less time, to shake it off faster, recover your reserves, and get right back in the game. But youʼll be ready because you got there incrementally. Density Training on its own is an incredibly effective protocol, one that allows you to totally own a movement or a skill throughout its full range of expressible attributes. But when you combine Density Training with the 4x7 method of periodization, the results are nothing short of astonishing. Hereʼs how Density Training fits into a 4x7 program: No Intensity Day - Intu-Flow® joint mobility Low Intensity Day – Prasara Yoga compensatory movement flow Moderate Intensity Day – Clubbell session High Intensity Day - another Clubbell session, but bumped up one ratchet from the previous Moderate day

Now letʼs get to the programs.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Chapter 12—The Basic Clubbell Density Cycle I've never experienced a more amazing rate of progress with Density Training as I have when combining them with 4x7. In the past, I used to train a Clubbell® density cycle about 3 times per week, and it took 1 to 2 weeks to move up to the next level in the progression. With 4x7, I was able to bump up a level on every high intensity day. In other words, I was going up a level twice per week. I found that nothing short of incredible. It always played out in exactly the same way. On every High Intensity day, I finished my training convinced that I'd never be able to bump up another level on the next High Intensity day. It had just been too tough and I would never adapt in time. Four days later, when the High day rolled around again, I always discovered—much to my amazement— that my body had been primed by the Moderate Intensity day and that Iʼd assimilated the gains of the prior sessions. The new level was always a challenge, but I never failed to nail it. This is only possible because of the brilliant way 4x7 structures recovery and unloading alongside priming with an activity level that is gradually ramping up. Youʼll follow exactly the same pattern I did in your own Clubbell Density Cycle. On each Moderate Intensity day youʼll perform the same workout you did on the prior High Intensity day. And on each High Intensity day youʼll increase to the next level of the density progression. (Donʼt worry if this sounds confusing—youʼll see from the chart on the following page how elegantly simple it actually is.) Youʼll perform your 100 rep Century challenge on the final High Intensity day of the cycle. Let your first Density Cycle be with the Clubbell Swipe.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Clubbell Swipe Density Cycle This Master Program Chart outlines each phase of your 28-day 4x7 cycle: Intensity->

No

Low

Cycle 1

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 2

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 3

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 4

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 5

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 6

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 7

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Moderate

High

Clubbell Swipe Clubbell Swipe 25 sets of 4 in 25 20 sets of 5 in 20 minutes minutes Clubbell Swipe Clubbell Swipe 20 sets of 5 in 20 17 sets of 6 in 17 minutes minutes Clubbell Swipe Clubbell Swipe 17 sets of 6 in 17 15 sets of 7 in 15 minutes minutes Clubbell Swipe Clubbell Swipe 15 sets of 7 in 15 13 sets of 8 in 13 minutes minutes Clubbell Swipe Clubbell Swipe 13 sets of 8 in 13 11 sets of 9 in 11 minutes minutes Clubbell Swipe Clubbell Swipe 11 sets of 9 in 11 minutes 10 sets of 10 in 10 minutes Clubbell Swipe Clubbell Swipe 10 sets of 10 in 10 1 set of 100 minutes

Levels of Difficulty Exercise

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Clubbell Swipe (Men) Clubbell Swipe (Women)

15 lbs 10 lbs

20 lbs 15 lbs

25 lbs 20 lbs

Do not change weights mid-cycle. You must complete all stages of the program with the same weight. If you begin with the 15ʼs, finish with the 15ʼs.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume The How-To The Master Program Chart on the previous page contains all the set/rep numbers youʼll need to complete your cycle. Hereʼs what to do when you reach each of the four different 4x7 “days”:



Moderate Intensity Day: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform a session of Clubbell Swipes using the set/rep scheme for that day, as outlined on the chart (reference the “swipe” video). End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume High Intensity Day: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (reference the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform a session of Clubbell Swipes using the set/rep scheme for that day, as outlined on the chart—itʼll be one level above the session you performed yesterday (reference the “swipe” video). End your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Thatʼs it. Simply plug this pattern into the Master Program Chart for this chapter and youʼre all set to reap the rewards Clubbell Density Training will bring.



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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume

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4 5

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Swipe Maintain good crown to coccyx spinal alignment as you fold at the hips into a “ski jump” position. Exhale hard to activate your core, clench your glutes and explode forward, snapping your hips to full extension and standing tall. Keep your shoulders packed and maintain arm lock as the Clubbells are propelled upward by the force of your hip snap. As the Clubbells momentarily float weightless at the top of their arc, break arm lock and tilt the barrels toward your shoulders. Drive your elbows behind the knobs of the Clubbells and drive the neck behind the barrel to move them over your shoulder into back position. Shock absorb with a slight knee dip. Elbows are pointed up at the ceiling, shoulders are packed to transfer the load to your entire structure, and crown to coccyx alignment is maintained. Cast the Clubbells back to the front by exhaling hard to activate your core. Contract your glutes and quads, and at the same time pull your elbows up and around to pull the neck of the Clubbell in line with its centre of mass. Reestablish arm lock before gravity takes over. On the down swing, allow the weight of the descending Clubbells to pull you back into the beginning “ski jump” position as you load for another rep.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume If Youʼve Never Done a Clubbell Swipe… If youʼre totally new to Clubbells and youʼve never done a Clubbell Swipe, youʼve got some homework to do before youʼre ready to tackle this challenging combination route. Your prep will carry through three phases or steps. Once youʼve nailed down the exercises in one step so that you can do them comfortably at a level of 5 sets of 5 reps, drop those and move on to the next step. First nail down each exercise with a single Clubbell, on both sides, and then do them double Clubbell.

Step One: Basic Swing and Clean to Order With both of these exercises, focus on allowing the hip snap to drive the weight up. In the Swing, keep an eye on your arm lock. In the clean to order, be sure to shock absorb with the entire body as you catch the weight in the Order position, stopping it on a dime. Clean to Order drives straight up with the hip snap, and is not a swing.

Step Two: Pendulum and Arm Cast Putting the Basic Swing and Clean to Order together creates the Pendulum. With the Pendulum, focus on allowing the hip snap to propel the weight, then reel in the Clubbell when it hits that weightless moment at the top of the swing. Shock absorb with your legs in the Order position, and stop it on a dime. When launching the Clubbell back out from Order position, establish full arm lock before gravity takes over. With the Arm Cast, focus on keeping your elbow up and establishing a good back position. Donʼt drag the Clubbell across your shoulder when casting it back to Order; instead, focus on drawing it over with a strong core contraction.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Step Three: The Swipe Finally, incorporate these movements into the complete Swipe. Do it “choppy” at first; in other words, do the Pendulum, pause for a beat in Order, and do the Arm Cast. Once that feels comfortable, hem out the Order position and make it a smooth Swipe. Remember to reference the “swipe” video for a visual example of these preparatory movements. Build each step to a volume of 5 sets of 5 reps—first with single Clubbell, then with double Clubbell—before moving on to the next step. Complete all 3 of these preparatory steps before attempting the Swipe Density Cycle. This prep phase could take anywhere from 2 weeks to 1 month.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Chapter 13—The Double Density Protocol Clubbell Double Density Training is for those who live to train. Athletes dedicated enough to brave this challenge will reap significant functional muscle growth, improved stamina, strength, and muscular endurance. But be warned: it isnʼt for the fainthearted. A Double Density cycle involves performing two separate density cycles in an AM/PM split, with an Intu-Flow joint mobility session sandwiched between them for active recovery. The program culminates in one of the most grueling mental toughness challenges youʼll ever face: two 100 rep Century challenges in one day. Double Density training takes advantage of a neurological/biochemical phenomenon that weʼll refer to as “recovered but not reset.” Placing two short-duration work sessions in the same day —separated by about 12 hours—strikes a balance between neurological rest and neurological recovery. The general rule is that if you go past approximately 24 hours youʼll be fully rested, but at around 12 hours you can be actively recovered but not fully rested. This approach was created by our Coach Scott Sonnon, and inspired by his time in Russia. He told us that when he was training in Russia his strength and conditioning coach took them through training once every 6 hours around the clock for 5-day blocks. This from Coach Sonnonʼs Big Book of Clubbell Training: “When recovered but not reset, your central nervous system still hums with excitement but you have recovered sufficiently from the prior session to work again. This allows you to supercharge a download into your muscle software. Itʼs like temporarily having extra RMAX to operate your computer.”

These time windows vary based upon the individual. Some recover faster than others. Youʼll have to experiment a bit to see where you fall on the spectrum, but the general rule is that neurological stimulation peaks between 8-12 hours after exercise, decreasing to reset at 20 -24. If youʼre under approximately half a day when you train again, you cut into your recovery.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Coach Murdock, who has done more Clubbell Density and Double Density cycles than anyone on the planet, writes: “I usually hit the morning session around 8:15am—as a writer Iʼm not an early morning person, and morning training is a torture for me. My afternoon session starts between 4 and 5:30pm. I find I can usually hit the second session about 6 hours after the first. Anything less than that is pushing it, especially if the exercises are tough ones.”

Coach Murdock wrote in the prior chapter that he was amazed by the way 4x7 allowed him to make such rapid progress through the Density Training steps, ratcheting up on every High Intensity day (twice per week!). When he extended his experiments to Double Density training, he found the same to be true. The 4x7 method of periodization easily carried this increased rate of adaptation. When you combine that with the “recovered but not reset” neurological training window, youʼre talking serious gains!

Do not attempt Double Density Training until you have 5 or 6 Basic Density cycles under your belt. This program is not suggested for those with highly physical jobs, or those doing other types of strength and conditioning. Make this a fully dedicated cycle, or leave it for later.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Clubbell Double Density Cycle—Mill and Bullwhip This Master Program Chart outlines each phase of your 28-day 4x7 cycle: Intensity->

No

Low

Moderate

High

Cycle 1

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 2

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 3

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 4

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Morning: Mill 25 sets of 4 in 25 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 25 sets of 4 in 25 minutes Morning: Mill 20 sets of 5 in 20 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 20 sets of 5 in 20 minutes Morning: Mill 17 sets of 6 in 17 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 17 sets of 6 in 17 minutes Morning: Mill 15 sets of 7 in 15 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 15 sets of 7 in 15 minutes

Morning: Mill 20 sets of 5 in 20 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 20 sets of 5 in 20 minutes Morning: Mill 17 sets of 6 in 17 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 17 sets of 6 in 17 minutes Morning: Mill 15 sets of 7 in 15 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 15 sets of 7 in 15 minutes Morning: Mill 13 sets of 8 in 13 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 13 sets of 8 in 13 minutes


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Intensity->

No

Low

Moderate

High

Cycle 5

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Morning: Mill 13 sets of 8 in 13 minutes Intu-Flow

Morning: Mill 11 sets of 9 in 11 minutes Intu-Flow

Afternoon: Bullwhip 13 sets of 8 in 13 minutes

Afternoon: Bullwhip 11 sets of 9 in 11 minutes

Morning: Mill 11 sets of 9 in 11 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 11 sets of 9 in 11 minutes Morning: Mill 10 sets of 10 in 10 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 10 sets of 10 in 10 minutes

Morning: Mill 10 sets of 10 in 10 minutes Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 10 sets of 10 in 10 minutes Morning: Mill 1 set of 100 Intu-Flow Afternoon: Bullwhip 1 set of 100

Cycle 6

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Cycle 7

Intu-Flow

Custom Prasara Flow

Levels of Difficulty Exercise

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Clubbell Mill & Bullwhip (Men)

15 lbs

20 lbs

25 lbs

Clubbell Mill & Bullwhip (Women)

10 lbs

15 lbs

20 lbs

Do not change weights mid-cycle. You must complete all stages of the program with the same weight. If you begin with the 15ʼs, finish with the 15ʼs.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume The How-To The Master Program Chart on the previous page contains all the set/rep numbers youʼll need to complete your cycle. Hereʼs what to do when you reach each of the four different 4x7 “days”:



Moderate Intensity Day: Morning Session: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (refer to the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform a session of Clubbell Mills using the set/rep scheme for that day, as outlined on the chart (reference the “doubledensity” video). End that session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower. Afternoon Session: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (refer to the Intu-Flow WarmUp Recovery video). Perform a session of the Clubbell Bullwhip using the set/rep scheme for that day, as outlined on the chart (reference the “doubledensity” video). End that


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 5-7; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

High Intensity Day: Morning Session: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (refer to the Intu-Flow Warm Up video). Perform a session of Clubbell Mills using the set/rep scheme for that day, as outlined on the chart—itʼll be one level above the session you performed yesterday (reference the “doubledensity” video). Finally, end your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Afternoon Session: Warm up with the short Intu-Flow warmup session (refer to the Intu-Flow WarmUp video). Perform a session of Clubbell Mills using the set/rep scheme for that day, as outlined on the chart—itʼll be one level above the session you performed yesterday (reference the “doubledensity” video). Finally, end your session with 1 round of the Prasara compensation flow (reference the Prasara Recovery video). RPE: 8-10; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower.

Thatʼs it. Simply plug this pattern into the Master Program Chart for this chapter and youʼre all set to reap the rewards Clubbell Double Density Training will bring.



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1

3

2

6

Serious Volume

4

7

5

8

9

Mill Use side hip snap to propel the Clubbell in an arc to the outside. When the Clubbell reaches the weightless portion at the top of its arc, break arm lock and reel it in to back position. The movement resembles sheathing a sword behind your back. Shock absorb by dipping slightly with the knees, and rotate your torso to the inside. Simultaneously, cast the Clubbell to the front across your centerline by pulling your elbow down and over your shoulder. Reestablish arm lock before gravity takes over. Allow the downward swing of the Clubbell to pass by your knees, and use side hip snap to propel it back up the other side, into the next rep.


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7

Bullwhip Begin with the Clubbell on the floor at your side, with good crown to coccyx alignment and shoulder pack. As you drive with your legs to standing position, lift the Clubbell with your elbow pointed upward, pulling the neck in line with the barrel. The Clubbell hangs perpendicular to the ground as you thread your head, extending your forearm to your far shoulder. Reach beyond your shoulder and revolve the Clubbell around your shoulder to far side back position. Continue until you arrive at near side back position. Cast the Clubbell to the front by exhaling hard to activate your core, and at the same time pulling your elbow up and around to pull the neck of the Clubbell in line with its centre of mass. Reestablish arm lock before gravity takes over. Allow the down swing to pull you back into the beginning position as you load for another rep.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume Chapter 14—The Ultimate in Functional Hypertrophy: Double Bruiser Double Density Training The 45 lbs Clubbell is affectionately referred to as “The Bruiser” for a reason. Double Bruiser Double Density Training represents the ultimate in functional hypertrophy. But be warned! This is only for those with the same list of character flaws as Coach Murdock. Enter this program at your own risk. Weʼve included this chapter to give you a sneak peek into the kind of experiments the RMAX Faculty and Head Coaches put themselves through when beta testing a new theory. Coach Murdock writes: “When Coach Sonnon first began testing his 4x7 protocol on the Faculty coaches, I undertook an experiment to see how far I could push the rate of adaptation of this exciting new method of periodization. In all cases I was able to ratchet up on the density cycle twice a week (compared to once every week or week and a half doing it the old way, without the wave). But the biggest challenge in this last Double Bruiser phase was to release the accumulated tension from my hips and piriformis between Clubbell sessions. Deep and thorough Prasara is essential if you hope to make it to the end.

Iʼm going to lay the entire program out for you here. But fair warning—follow all the steps in exactly the order Iʼve set them out. Safe incremental progression is essential with this one, as is paying diligent attention to your training on the recovery days.”

Every CST knows the saying, “You canʼt lie to the Bruiser.” The Bruiser will hunt out and find your every weakness. The Bruiser knows what youʼre thinking, and when youʼre in doubt. The Bruiser will reveal the tiniest flaw in your exercise form, forcing you to drop back down to a lighter weight until youʼve shored up the holes in your game. Because of that, this program is for very experienced Clubbell swingers only.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume The Sequence

We havenʼt included detailed program charts for this chapter, because you already know the format. Simply plug the following exercises into the Double Density Master Program chart from Chapter 13. Youʼll find photos of each exercise at the end of this chapter, as well as video links so you can see them each in motion. Working up to Double Bruiser Double Density will require you to complete four progressive 4x7 cycles. It takes tenacity, determination, and an iron will get there. Hereʼs how Coach Murdock did it.

Stage One The first step is to complete a Double Density cycle with relatively easier movements, using the 15 lbs Clubbells. You should already have completed the Mill and Bullwhip Double Density cycle from Chapter 13. If not, go back and do it now.

Stage Two Choose a less challenging movement with the 15ʼs for your morning session, and a challenging movement with the Bruiser for your afternoon session. Our goal is to ramp up the overall challenge incrementally.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Serious Volume For the purposes of our example, your morning exercise is the Reverse Mill with 15ʼs. Your afternoon exercise is the Bruiser Clockwork Squat. Reference the “ultimatedensity1” video.

Stage Three The third step involves choosing a very challenging movement with the 15ʼs for your morning session. It should be a movement you donʼt think you can complete 100 reps with. Trust in the 4x7 to see you through. But choose something which feels unrealistic to you. For your afternoon session, choose a Bruiser exercise which is less challenging—itʼll be tough, but it should be one you think you can handle for 100 reps. For this example, your morning exercise is the Crossbow with the 15ʼs. Your afternoon exercise is the Bruiser Swipe. Reference the “ultimatedensity2” video.

Step Four This is it—the final stage. No matter what movement you choose, this is going to be tough. Youʼre doing a Bruiser density workout in the morning and a Bruiser density workout in the afternoon. This will put some serious tension into your system. We advise you to significantly increase the time you spend on slow, deep Prasara work, and to use specific Prasara releases throughout the day to address areas where tension tends to accumulate for you. Your morning exercise is the Whack-a-Mole. Your afternoon exercise is the Bruiser Side Swipe. Reference the “ultimatedensity3” video. At the time of this writing, Coach Murdock is the only person at RMAX to have completed this program. Do you have what it takes to join this most elite rank of Clubbell swinging?


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Reverse Mill Use side hip snap to propel the Clubbell in an arc across your centerline and up the far side. Rotate your torso to follow the Clubbell. When the Clubbell reaches the weightless portion at the top of its arc, break arm lock and reel it in to back position, passing over the shoulder of the arm that is holding the Clubbell. Shock absorb by dipping slightly with the knees, and rotate your torso to the outside. Simultaneously, cast the Clubbell to the side by pulling your elbow down while flexing your lat —the movement resembles unsheathing a sword. Reestablish arm lock before gravity takes over. Allow the downward swing of the Clubbell to pass by your knees, and use side hip snap to propel it back up the other side, into the next rep.


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7 6

8 Clockwork Squat Begin with the Clubbell on your left shoulder. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. As you drive back up out of the squat, pop the Clubbell off your shoulder (donʼt shrug to do this—maintain shoulder pack), and establish arm lock as the weight descends. Allow the downward swing of the Clubbell to pass by your knees, and use side hip snap to propel it back up the other side. You must use sufficient force to propel the Clubbell up to shoulder height on the opposite side. Maintain good crown to coccyx alignment throughout. As the Clubbell momentarily floats weightless at the top of its arc, rotate it by driving the handle beneath the barrel. Allow the barrel of the Clubbell to touch down on your shoulder as you simultaneously squat away from the weight to absorb the shock. It takes practice and timing to ensure a smooth, soft landing. The Clubbell should land on the meaty tissue of your traps, not the collarbone or the bony profile at the edge of your shoulder. Drive back up out of the squat, launch the Clubbell, and repeat to the other side.


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2 1

4

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Crossbow Exhale hard to activate your core, clench your glutes and explode forward, snapping your hips to full extension and standing tall. Keep your shoulders packed and maintain arm lock as the Clubbells are propelled upward by the force of your hip snap. As the Clubbells momentarily float weightless at the top of their arc, break arm lock and tilt the barrels toward your shoulders. Drive your elbows behind the knobs of the Clubbells and drive the neck behind the barrel to move them over your shoulder into back position. Shock absorb with a slight knee dip. Elbows are pointed up at the ceiling, shoulders are packed, and crown to coccyx alignment is maintained. Exhale hard to contract your core, and cast the Clubbells to both sides simultaneously by pulling your elbows up and out, and pulling the neck of the Clubbells in an arc to muscle out position on both sides. Drive your elbow pits toward the sky and flex your triceps to ensure arm lock and shoulder pack. Break arm lock to arc in and place the Clubbells into back position once again, taking care not to bang them together. Cast the Clubbells to the front by pulling the elbows up and around to pull the neck of the Clubbell in line with its centre of mass. Reestablish arm lock before gravity takes over. On the down swing, allow the weight of the descending Clubbells to pull you back into the beginning “ski jump” position as you load for another rep.


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8 Bruiser Swipe Maintain crown to coccyx alignment as you fold at the hips into a “ski jump” position. Exhale hard to activate your core, clench your glutes and explode forward, snapping your hips to full extension and standing tall. Keep your shoulders packed and maintain arm lock as the Clubbell is propelled upward by the force of your hip snap. As the Clubbell momentarily floats weightless at the top of its arc, break arm lock and tilt the barrel toward one shoulder. Drive your elbow behind the knob of the Clubbell and drive the neck behind the barrel to move it over your shoulder into back position. You must thread your head beneath the far arm. Do not cross your face, and do not break crown to coccyx alignment to “duck” your head under. The forearm lifts parallel to the ground like the face shield on a medieval knightʼs visor, and the Clubbell passes through the “window” of space above your shoulder. Shock absorb with the knees as the Clubbell reaches back position, then cast it to the front by pulling your elbows up and around to pull the neck of the Clubbell in line with its centre of mass. Be sure to thread your head beneath the far arm as before. Reestablish arm lock before gravity takes over. On the down swing, allow the weight of the descending Clubbell to pull you into the beginning “ski jump” position as you load for another rep.


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Whack-a-Mole Begin in back position, with the Clubbell hanging behind one shoulder (never along the length of your spine). Maintain crown to coccyx alignment and shoulder pack. Cast the Clubbell to order position by exhaling hard to activate your core. Contract your glutes and quads, and at the same time pull your elbow up and around to pull the neck of the Clubbell in line with its centre of mass. Be sure to thread your head beneath the far arm. Drop simultaneously into a flat foot squat so that you reach thighs-parallel in your squat as Clubbell stops in order position. Return to standing by driving upwards as you simultaneously return the Clubbell to back position by driving your elbow behind the knob of the Clubbell and driving the neck behind the barrel to move it over your shoulder. You must thread your head beneath the far arm. Do not cross your face, and do not break crown to coccyx alignment to “duck” your head under. The forearm lifts parallel to the ground like the face shield on a medieval knightʼs visor.


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Side Swipe Use an explosive sideways hip snap to drive the Clubbell in an arc across your frontal plane. You must use sufficient force to propel the Clubbell up to shoulder height on the opposite side. As the Clubbell momentarily floats weightless at the top of its arc, rotate it by driving the handle beneath the barrel. Turn your torso to face the incoming Clubbell by rooting on the opposite hip. Drive your elbow behind the knob of the Clubbell and drive the neck behind the barrel to move it over your shoulder into back position. You must thread your head beneath the far arm. Do not cross your face, and do not break crown to coccyx alignment to “duck” your head under. The forearm lifts parallel to the ground like the face shield on a medieval knightʼs visor, and the Clubbell passes through the “window” of space above your shoulder. Shock absorb with the knees as the Clubbell reaches back position, then cast it out again by pulling your elbows up and around to pull the neck of the Clubbell in line with its centre of mass. Be sure to thread your head beneath the far arm as before. Reestablish arm lock before gravity takes over. As the downward phase of the swing clears your knees, use hip sway to absorb and accentuate the motion, and then explode into the opposite sideways hip snap. Repeat the Swipe on the opposite side.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Further Resources Further Resources We hope youʼve enjoyed this journey into the exciting world of Clubbell swinging. If youʼre anything like us, this introduction to the Circular Strength Training system will spark a new desire to explore the entire range of health, wellness and peak performance available through this unique method of training. Weʼve provided this list of resources for those who would like to know more about the areas we touched on in The Clubbell Training Black Book course.

Joint Mobility The Intu-Flow DVD is the place to begin rebuilding the health of your joints, regaining control of your natural movement and rediscovering your full range of motion.

Prasara Yoga Compensatory Movement The Prasara Instructional Series “A” DVD is the place to deepen your exploration of the compensatory movement ring of Circular Strength Training. It contains 5 complete Prasara flows accompanied by detailed instructions on each pose and transition.

Clubbell Training The Encyclopedia of Clubbell Training is a comprehensive collection of the fundamental club swinging exercises of the CST system.


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The Clubbell® Training Black Book Further Resources The Big Book of Clubbell Training explores the history of traditional club swinging and the theory behind Clubbell swinging as practiced in CST. It also includes photos of the fundamental Clubbell exercises and chapters on program design.

The 4x7 Protocol 4x7: The Magic in the Mundane was the first 4x7 training resource, and the inspiration behind The Clubbell Training Black Book. The 4x7 Wave Volume One: Bodyweight Exercise Revolution explores bodyweight-only training programs using the 4x7 model of periodization.


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Clubbell Training Black Book

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