Unconventional Athletes Issue 5

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BEING READY FOR ANYTHING!
As much as I hated feeling weak back
when I was young, I really like feeling
strong. And that feeling is something I
intend to hold onto for as long as I can.
So, in one sense, feeling strong motivates
me. But it’s more than strength itself. I
consider being strong to be a physical
state as well as a mental or emotional
one. And I find that I feel better mentally
and emotionally when I’m training hard,
pushing myself. For so much of my
professional life, I became accustomed
to training for various contingencies. And
it is in the cultivation of that standard, of
being “ready for anything” that keeps me
motivated.
no small part because my previous years
of training had left me really beat up.
So much so, I wasn’t sure if I would be
able to continue training into my forties.
From 2002 through 2004, my training
was hit or miss. Between a crazy travel
schedule and constant aches and pains, I
lost a lot of ground.
I often use an angled barbell, with one
end resting on the floor for a variety of
pressing and rotational movements. I’m
also a big advocate of asymmetrically
loaded movements and unilateral
exercises which force the body to adapt
to awkward and unstable postures. And
I like to pull, push and carry objects
for both strength development and
conditioning purposes. Kegs, sandbags
and more chains are all part of that mix.
I typically train six days a week. I follow
a very simple format, with an emphasis
on pushing, pulling or legwork each day.
I favour shorter sessions that
prioritize hard work.
NON PHYSICAL TO PHYSICAL!
The first major training challenge was
my initial transformation from a nonphysical
person to a physical one. It
was a strange new world, this idea of
deliberately pursuing physical pain in
order to change oneself. I should clarify
that I’m referring to pain in the context
of cultivating extreme endurance as
opposed to pain for pain’s sake.
The next challenge was certainly the
greatest challenge I’ve ever dealt with;
coming back after a catastrophic injury.
In 1984 I was in a climbing accident
that broke my back and my ankles. My
orthopedic surgeon predicted that I
would be able to walk again, but that
was it. No running, no jumping out of any
more airplanes. Disproving his prognosis
took me nearly five years.
There certainly have been some
adaptations to my training over the years.
During my military days, I emphasized
a lot of endurance training, such as
running and swimming. That mentality
stayed with me during my 12 years in
law enforcement. I ran a lot, got serious
about the martial arts and did a lot of
bodyweight training. I never wanted to
be in the position of losing a suspect
on a foot chase or running out of steam
during a fight.
After leaving law enforcement in
2001, I really worked on furthering my
understanding of strength training. In
GYM RINGS, THE SAVIOUR OF LIFE!
Most of the physical issues I just
described were joint-related. I had joint
pain in my wrists, elbows and shoulders.
Now these pains were not new, I felt them
during certain exercises going back to my
twenties. But, like most guys, I ignored
them. But the pain had grown worse
over the years to the point where almost
everything I did seemed to exacerbate
the problem. Until one day in 2005 when
I ordered a pair of gymnastics rings. In
short, rings saved me. I found that I could
do almost anything on the rings and
nothing hurt. It was a revelatory period.
I continue to use rings extensively, both
for their versatility and the ergonomic
advantages they offer. Are rings my
favourite piece of training kit?
Absolutely! I’m not just saying that
because I “wrote the book” on ring
training. (Refer to my book, "Rings of
Power: The Secrets of Successful
Suspension Training" for more
information.)
ADDITIONAL ARSENAL!
In addition to rings and suspended bars,
I use weight belts and chains to load
my body while performing what would
otherwise be bodyweight movements.
RISK FACTORS!
I am very cognizant of the risk factors
associated with being me. My first
training related injury occurred in 2011
and was purely a result of my strange
pain threshold. I had been teaching
an armbar during a class for military
personnel and allowed a big, strong
serviceman to put me into a standing
armbar. He secured my right arm with
both of his and I was encouraging him
to push harder. Each time he’d put some
pressure on it, I told him to keep going. I
wanted him to feel when the technique
was solidly in place and I knew that once
it began to hurt, I’d tap, he’d release
my arm and all would be fine. But, for
whatever reason, I didn’t feel any pain
and assumed I could hold out a bit
longer. Turns out I couldn’t. There were
two audible “pops” and I had the sudden
realization that I had torn my right bicep
tendon. It required surgery and plenty of
recovery time to fix. This is something
that happened when I was 49 years old.
And I consider myself very fortunate that
ISSUE 5 VOLUME 1 Page 44