Note: today is the last day to secure the Clubbell Flow Evolution at the discounted price. At midnight tonight, the price will increase by $52 (that’s 5/7/2012). If you’re on the fence, don’t dilly dally!
I put up a sample workout from the Clubbell Flow Evolution last Thursday, and soon after, I got a message about how the program doesn’t look any different from the prior programs that Shane Heins has released (Clubbell Mass Evolution and Clubbell Hero Evolution). Well, well, well! That couldn’t be more wrong, and I’ll admit, the blame is on me. It may be because of two reasons:
1) In the first Clubbell Flow Evolution workout video that I posted last week, I merely demonstrated ONE round of ONE portion of ONE workout from ONE cycle of ONE of the three programs contained within the Clubbell Flow Evolution. To put it simply, there are TONS of workouts contained in the Clubbell Flow Evolution, and there’s no way I could represent the entire product with one video. It just wouldn’t do it justice – not even close.
2) I have a thing for two-handed training, and thus, that’s why I chose that particular footage for my demo video.
However, what I did NOT get across in the workout video is how the workouts progress from cycle to cycle.
So, if you were reading my Clubbell Flow Evolution Review and were wondering what I meant when I said: “In each of the three programs, rudimentary exercises eventually progress into combination routines, which eventually progress into sophisticated clubbell training flows.”
THIS is what I meant…
Here’s another video of some footage I shot while beta-testing the program. This is out of the same program as the previous video (Cyclone Strength), but it’s a different/later cycle, in which clubbell flows are used as the primary means of intensity training (instead of multiple-repetition circuits). If you watch closely, you’ll see that I’m using the same exact movements that were used in the last video, except this time they’ve been linked together into a flow. And if you’ve never seen a clubbell flow before – prepare to have your eyes opened!
The Clubbell Flow Evolution is the third installment in the clubbell evolution training series by Founder of Dare to Evolve and CST Head Coach, Shane Heins. I’ve used and reviewed the prior two programs before: Clubbell Mass Evolution and Clubbell Hero Evolution and have been quite impressed – even with my high expectations. Based on my first impressions, the Clubbell Flow Evolution will live up to its reputation and maybe even exceed them.
Shane is a friend of mine and he was kind enough to send me the same materials that he sent over to his beta-testers for his upcoming program. So, I basically got an inside look at the goods – at least the program design portion of the product itself. Over the last several weeks, I’ve given it a fairly thorough look-see, and have tried out a few of the sessions to get a feel for it. So far, I’m quite impressed!
I’m short on time today, but I did manage to film a quick round out of the strength endurance cycle while I was training recently, and I wanted to get it up for you prior to the official product release.
This is one round of the work portion of a session from the strength endurance cycle out of Clubbell Flow Evolution. Enjoy!
The Little-Known Secret To Perseverance That Anyone Can Learn Overnight
I’d like to start a discussion about a serious subject if you’re game for it, and it’s gonna get a little personal if that’s ok with you. You see, all my life, I’ve been a rigorous planner. At face value, that sounds like a [...]
Learn some of the most common exercise “no no’s” to help you prevent injuries and pain, avoid impractical training adaptations, and maximize your results from only using the exercises that are best-suited for your training goals.
Few things irk me more than seeing a professional fitness trainer having one of their clients performing an exercise that is dangerous for that person – or any person, for that matter. In most cases, that exercise is not only dangerous, but also unnecessary, if not completely unsuitable for their training goals. Oftentimes, they would be much better served by another, more appropriate and safer alternative. It’s completely irresponsible, and I would guess usually a result of ignorance. But no matter what the reason, there are some exercises, that in my opinion, you should never do. Well, at least, almost never because there always seem to be exceptions to the rule. Don’t get me wrong because I’m not saying I am perfect or that I’ve always been perfect as a professional, but there’s a place where I draw a line, and I’m sticking by my guns.
Now, before you get your panties in a bunch, let me just say that there is no such thing as a bad exercise – only the misapplication of an exercise. So, repeat after me. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BAD EXERCISE. The truth is that the effectiveness of an exercise for an intended purpose runs on a spectrum. Some exercises are very effective (and efficient) at helping you achieve certain goals, and some exercises are very ineffective (and inefficient) for helping you achieve certain goals. The lesson is that it always depends on your individual training goals – always.
On top of that, each exercise has a risk to benefit ratio that also runs on a spectrum. For example, some exercises, while they may be very efficient/effective for achieving a certain goal may have a very high risk of injury associated with them. Kipping pullups and snatches come to mind. They’re both great exercises for the right purpose, but there is a very high risk of injury compared to many other exercises. It just comes with the territory.
So, for each intended training goal or purpose, every single exercise is either optimal (ie efficiently effective), sub-optimal, or somewhere in-between. Also, for each intended purpose, exercises are either high risk, low risk, or somewhere in-between. So, the terms “good” and “bad” aren’t nearly descriptive enough to really define an exercise’s usefulness/practicality/safety/etc. It’s just too vague.
Fortunately, there are a lot of good fitness coaches out there who understand and teach this. And also good for you and I is that we both have marvelous physiology coupled with an incredible intuition that will tell us everything we need to know when we exercise. So, next time you’re exercising, pay attention to that thing you have between your ears! Continue reading The Top 10 Exercises You Should NEVER Do
Maybe you’ve already heard of square breathing. It’s a fairly common practice in yoga, martial art, and fitness circles among other places. It has many uses, one of which is to relieve stress. And it works – every single time – because it’s based on a fundamental physiological mechanism that is hard-wired into the human body. In fact, most people can measurably, and more importantly, noticeably decrease their level of stress by merely doing one quick square breathing exercise for 48 seconds. Professional athletes, military operators, and yoga practitioners are known to use this exact technique to help them relax, control their stress levels, boost their recovery and enhance their performance – and it can work for you, too.
I’m not real big on quick fixes, except when they actually work, and are NOT used as a crutch to avoid dealing with a bigger issue. So, if you have chronic stress, then you’ll need to address that with other more appropriate solutions. But for those of us who just want to relax and de-stress and also boost recovery and performance, here is a quick square breathing exercise that takes less than a minute to complete. You can follow along with this video. Please excuse the goofy voice and New England accent.
How to Relieve Stress, Boost Recovery + Performance, and Relax Yourself With Square Breathing
The TACFIT Firefighter Workout Challenge was established as a benchmark training test for those using the TACFIT Firefighter First Alarm Program, which is an upcoming fitness program that was created to serve the specific strength and conditioning needs of firefighters.
There’s no doubt in my mind that active duty firefighters require a high standard of fitness in order to perform their job duties effectively, and it’s fairly accepted that most firefighters are pretty fit men and women already. But here’s the thing, there’s a difference between being fit, in general, and being specifically fit for your vocation. I would contend that most firefighters are generally well-conditioned for the vigorous demands of their careers, but not necessarily specifically conditioned to excel in the physical skills and attributes required to do their jobs well and return home safely.
That right there is the very reason why TACFIT Firefighter was developed, and this short workout can be used as a measuring stick to see how your fitness stacks up to the standard. And that goes whether you are a firefighter or not. So, consider this an official challenge (especially if you ARE a firefighter), and please give it a shot.
The TACFIT Firefighter Workout Challenge – Smoke Eater Level
Here is a demonstration of one round at the highest level of movement sophistication, affectionately called the “Smoke Eater” level. I guess that’s fireman lingo for a really tough dude who eats fire every day for breakfast. Below the video, you’ll see additional instructions for each of the four levels of workouts. For those of you whom are already familiar with TACFIT programs or the Circular Strength Training system, you’ll see some similarities.
Now, before you get your panties in a bunch, let me just say that there is no such thing as a bad exercise – only the misapplication of an exercise. So, repeat after me. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BAD EXERCISE. The truth is that the effectiveness of an exercise for an intended purpose runs on a spectrum. Some exercises are very effective (and efficient) at helping you achieve certain goals, and some exercises are very ineffective (and inefficient) for helping you achieve certain goals. The lesson is that it always depends on your individual training goals – always.
