Competition Mace training

Goal is to get very strong at the 1-arm variations.  Since you have not done a lot of 1-arm work I would expect a huge crossover into your 2 hand work.  You can decide what to do as far as rest periods go.  

1-arm 360 practice

Generally switch hands every 10 reps but every 5 is fine if you want to practice switches.

2-3 sets 20 reps 7 lb mace

3 sets 20 reps 10 lb mace

5 sets 20 reps 15 lb mace

1-arm 10-2 practice

2-3 sets 20 reps 7 lb mace

3 sets 20 reps 10 lb mace

5 sets 20 reps 15 lb mace

This session may be very hard for you or very easy it is really hard to say.  It has been my experience that the 1-arm variations are much more difficult than 2-hand.  Please do this one session as written and let me know how it felt.  I would like to see a video of each variation too since I can not find any on your social media.  Send me any questions on FB.

How to get variety in minimalist training.

Typical lifters get variety in their training by changing exercises.  An example would replacing the barbell bench press with the dumbell bench press.

Minimalist lifters do not have the option to  change exercises.  The minimalist approach to training dictates that we only practice a small amount of lifts when compared to non-minimalist lifters.    We consider it almost a crime to say that we are bored of any of the few lifts we practice.

The problem with this is that if you keep doing the exact same lifts the exact same way you will make very little progress.  Lets use the bench press for this theory because many people live and die by their bench press. It also happens to be one of the most difficult lifts to improve outside of the beginner-gains stage.

 Lets take an imaginary beginner lifter who you know can bench press the empty 45 lb bar for exactly 5 sets of 5 reps.  You know because you tested him on his first session and that is exactly what he did. This guy tells you he wants to bench press 300 lbs one day.  He is ambitious like any new lifter!  You tell him to put thoughts of 300 lbs aside and  focus on doing 5 sets of 5 reps with 55 lbs, a 10 lb strength increase.  In a interesting way it is human spirit that drives the first form of variety in training.  I benched 45 lbs today and I want to bench press 300 lbs tomorrow! I want change! I want variety!  So remember this INCREASING WEIGHT FROM SESSION TO SESSION IS THE PRIMARY FORM OF VARIETY AND LIFTERS LEARN IT NATURALLY

    You put him in the bench during his second session and he manages to bench 4 sets of 5 with 55 lbs but on the 5th set he can only do 3 reps. So you rest him a little bit and he does a 6th set of 2 reps to complete his 25 rep goal.  The moment you added that 6 set you learned the next lesson of variety.  ADDING VOLUME IS THE 2ND FORM OF VARIETY LIFTERS LEARN NATURALLY.

The first method of achieving minimalist variety is maximizing our strength in different rep ranges.  This means that we are first going to practice simple progressive overload on our minimalist lifts and max out our strength with almost no change to the way we are doing the lift.    I like to look at each rep range, from 1 rep to 10 reps as 10 different varieties of the same lift.    This could take a long time.  If you remember your earliest days of lifting you almost never changed the exercise.  The bench press is the best example of this as many lifters get infatuated with this lift in their early days.    You started each workout with sets of  10 and then usually work down in reps to  sets of 5,4,3,2,1.  Its a shame people generally do not do sets of 9,8,7 and 6 as these are very good rep ranges to be strong at.  This is how you learned the truth about progressive overload and it happens naturally to almost every young lifter with no guidance!

After you feel that you have maximized your strength in the 1-10 rep range using simple progressive overload the next step is to find variety by changing the way you perform your routine.

Here is my list of methods used to change the way you perform your workout routine.

Shortening or lengthening recovery the time between workouts
When you are a beginner you can train the same lift 3 days a week because you are not able to push yourself hard enough to make it that you need a long recovery time.  As you become more experienced you generally need more time to recover in between workouts.  You can add variety to your program by taking more or less rest days in between sessions.


Change the order of exercises within workout
After a few months of bench pressing first and doing dumbell flyes 2nd the lifter will do dumbell flyes first and the bench press 2nd.

 Tempo change during grinds

slow eccentric, fast concentric
fast eccentric, slow concentric
fast eccentric, fast concentric
slow eccentric, slow eccentric

paused reps
pause at apex of rep
pause in the middle of rep
pause at bottom of rep
pause anywhere


changing rep schemes
Some typical rep schemes are
5x5 - 5 sets of 5
10x2 10 doubles
8x3 8 triples

ascending ladders 
pick a heavy weight and do 1,2,3,4,5 rep sets

descending ladders
pick a heavy weight and do 5,4,3,2,1 rep sets

Wave loading
reps stay the same, weight goes up at least 3 weight jumps and after the heaviest weight go back down to lighest weight.  Example would be 100 x 5, 120 x 5, 140 x 5, 100 x 5, 120 x 5, 140 x 5

On the clock training
Practice different rest periods between sets from session to session
A set every minute is a fast pace and great for conditioning.   A slow pace would be a  set every 5 minutes and great for strength/hypertrophy.

Supersets, drop-sets, and pre-exhaust sets

Supersets - do 2 different exercises back to back w/o resting.  Example is bench press and pullup.

Drop sets - sets within sets without rest and dropping weight. Example is bench press 150 lbs x 10 reps, no rest take 20 lbs off bar, 130 lbs x 10 reps and repeat.  One drop makes it a drop set but some people do 3-4 drops.

Pre-exhaust sets   - do an isolation movement before a full body movement.  Example would be tricep extensions before bench press.


Ultimately variety is in the eye of the lifter.  Everybody is different and you should simply chose the approach that resonates with you the most.

Do you even Business Model bro?

Business name Outlier Strength

Owner Yogi Steve

Location Hollywood California

History Yoga teacher since 1999, kettlebell coach since 2011

Services offered  1-on-1 instruction in yoga, kettlebells, barbell, mace and calisthenics.  Nutritional counseling included free of charge with all lessons.  Donation yoga and strength  classes available on the weekend at Runyon Canyon Park.

Competitive advantage  Experience and low overhead.  I have almost 20 years teaching experience with all ages and types.  I specialize in beginners and provide a safe and welcoming environment. My prices are below the typical private training rates because I have very low overhead. 

Typical student goals Lose bodyfat, gain muscle, get tight, get fit, get healthy.  Improve movement and flexibility.  Reduce overall stress.

Client acquistion techniques

Daily social media posting on IG and FB.

Free yoga classes every weekend at Runyon.

Free strength classes every weekend at Runyon.

10-15 hours a week in person promotion. Shake hands, hand out flyers.

Free private class day every 3 months.

Bring a friend to class day 2x/year.

Referrals.

Business goals

Get busy enough to create a waiting list.  Produce Outlier Strength instructors who can train people waiting on this list using my exact methodology.   

  

Donation based online training - read this first!

1) Choose a skill or general goal to pursue.

My specialties are

Kettlebell swings, getups, cleans, squats, presses and snatches.  Make sure to actually own a kettlebell before contacting me.

All  hatha yoga poses at all levels.

Mace practice.

If you have a general weight loss goal I will start pointing you towards the right diet.

2) Message me or post on the group page what you want to work on.

I will almost always get back to you within 12 hours, the longest 24 hours.  

3) I will then give you very specific first instructions, usually in the form of a progression video, to get you started.

4) Start posting videos!  The more you practice and the more videos you post the faster you will learn.

   

Outlier Athletes - Matt H.

Training history

2 years at Outlier Strength

No prior training experience.  Matt came to Outlier Strength with no weightlifting experience and very little actual training experience of any form.

Strengths
Expert level at all 6 Hardstyle kettlebell lifts.
A deep understanding of these lifts.
Good at listening and mimicing when I show him new technique.
Consistency in training and diet.
Positive attitude and good training energy every time.

Diet

Paleo + starch.  Very little junk food,  very moderate alcohol consumption.

Weaknesses
Very few!  Sometimes he steps out of fighter-mode during a hard set and starts talking.
Could be argued that he could rest more on the weekends for better recovery but you can not stop students from having a fun life.

Current training routine

3 days a week
Monday  - chinups, bottoms up work, mace practice, squat work
Weds - Snatches, cleans, swings
Friday bench press, chinups, mace practice, squat work

Goals when starting at Outlier

Matt started training at Outlier to gain a little bit of muscle and improve overall health.  We were both surprised that once he started eating enough he grew like a teenager.  Matt has gained over 25 lbs of muscle the past 2 years w/o exaggeration.

Current goals

Matt is at his ideal body composition atm.  I am training Matt like I would any leading-man actor.  This means he is in shape all year round and can manipulate his bodyweight higher or lower if necessary for an acting role.

Outlier Athletes - Dulcinea

Outlier student   Dulcinea C.

Trainng history
10+ years professional dancing and yoga practice
Some light weightlifting experience
10+ years of yoga and cardio training.  
2.5 years training experience at Outlier Strength

Strengths
Expert at 5/6 Hardstyle kettlebell lifts
Hatha yoga
Chinups and  pushups
Consistent diet
Great attitude

Weaknesses
High pull, snatch, overhead press
Training consistency could use some work

Current training routine
2-3 days a week, 1 hour each session
We are working heavily on chinups and squats with some getup practice
Dulcinea does a also does a good deal of  conditioning training on her own

Diet - mostly vegetarian, some eggs and chicken.

Goals when starting at Outlier Mostly body composition related.  At or near her ideal body composition once we reached the 6 month mark of training.

Current goals - improve consistency of training, improve chinups, maintain current strength and body composition

The most common mistake when teaching beginners

Yes, this buff dude was a beginner kettlebeller on this day!

The #1 most common mistake when teaching beginners is forgetting how difficult it is to learn the earliest progressions of a skill.

Lets take the simple example of putting the arms overhead like you do in any yoga pose.

Ask an untrained person to put their arms overhead with no further directions.  They will put their arms overhead and you will see them almost universally shrug their shoulders towards their ears.  So they need to be taught not to lift their shoulders when putting the arms overhead.

As you fix the shoulders you see that their arms starts to bend at elbow (shoulders and arms are connected).  You fix the elbow bend and straighten out their arms, teaching the student to flex at the elbow.

Then you notice that the students palms are facing forward.  You have the student turn the palms to face each other

You see that the students gaze is towards the floor so you adjust it to a forward gaze.

You notice that while you are giving all these corrections that the student is sort of holding her breath, so you remind her to never stop breathing.

So here we are teaching the simplest movement in the world, putting the arms overhead in a yoga pose, and there are at least 5 things that can go wrong for a beginner.     As a teacher you need to recognize the importance of fixing these simple things before you take the student further. You also need to understand that you may have to fix these elements multiple times during practice before the student does it properly on their own.

Teachers need to remember that students come to you with at least some level of anxiety because they are practicing something new.   An experienced teacher is able to put their own frustration-triggers aside so they do not compound the anxiety of a new student.  Your patience needs to be nearly unlimited and it is important that the student never sees you frustrated.

Should you do a trainer certification?

Should you get certified as a trainer?
 
Reasons for becoming certified.

Reason #1 - You want to  get a job at a commercial gym.  If you want to work at LA Fitness or a higher end gym like Equinox you will 100% need to be certified.    The NASM certification is the gold standard for personal trainers in private gyms.  ACE is less expensive and is enough for some gyms to hire you.

Reason #2 - To insure your own gym business.  If you want to insure/bond your personal training business you will be required to prove that you did some sort of certification in the past year or are planning to do one in the next 30 days.

Reason #3 - Meet experienced role model teachers.  This is specific to in-person niche certifications like kettlebell, olympic lifting or crossfit certifications.  You can often meet the best in the field at these certs because niche modalities have small followings and easy-to-access leaders.

Reason #4  - Personal satisfaction  Some people like collecting certifications for whatever personal reason.  You do not necessarily have to be a full-time professional trainer to get certified.  As a matter of fact I am convinced that most of the people I know with a long list of certifications are often hobbyist trainers and have not booked any significant amounts of money training clients.

Reasons to NOT get certified?

Prospective students NEVER (95%+)  ask you about your certification.

When you sign up a client at a commercial/group-class gym they are joining because they like the teachers personality and the atmosphere of the gym.

When it comes to private training people sign up with you because they like your references, personality and whether or not you inspire them.   You get people in the door by being a living example of what you teach and whether or not you are certified makes little difference to them.  

You can demonstrate your competence as a teacher through social media 
Post a few years of videos different types of students succeeding at your gym in your modality and you have basically proven yourself as a teacher.