LEO Training: Strength & Conditioning | Endurance | Health | Performance | Injury Prevention | Joe DeLeo

Andrea U-Shi Chang, Master SFG Instructor, FMS Instructor, Ground Force Method Global Instructor, Z-Health Movement Coach, and advisory board member for R2P (Rehab 2 Performance), has specialized in movement training and kettlebell coaching since 2005.

In 2009 Andrea opened the Pacific Northwest's first kettlebell gym—Kettlebility —her Russian Kettlebell Instruction and Elite Performance Coaching studio in Seattle. A successful high school and college athlete, Andrea had stayed active after college (she thought), playing competitive soccer and tennis and 'working out.' But she weighed in at 195 pounds and 34% body fat. Technically obese, she realized something had to change. After a childhood friend introduced Andrea to kettlebells she was amazed. Not only was kettlebell training fun and challenging, it was melting off the fat and giving her back her fit athlete body. In just five months, Andrea lost more than 45 pounds. Better yet, she went from 34% to 18% body fat and gained lean muscle mass. Hard style kettlebells had literally changed her life.

Andrea has been featured in Oprah Magazine and local broadcast and print media. She has worked as a technical advisor on several training and fitness books and edited and co-authored the Ground Force Movement Instructor manual. In 2016 the Seattle Seahawks hired Andrea to set up their Functional Movement Systems (FMS) screening program for players. An early member of the instructor staff of kettlebell pioneer Pavel Tsatsouline, Andrea became editor of Pavel's online newsletter and authored several articles in StrongFirst and Dragon Door.On a never-ending quest to follow her passion and learn more about strength and movement, Andrea continues to study to refine her knowledge and become a more effective coach. Andrea travels globally as a certification instructor for StrongFirst, Ground Force Method, and FMS. She holds specialty workshops, instructor certifications and group classes and provides personal training for elite athletes and people from all walks of life at her studio, Kettlebility.

• Intro/Bio
• Andrea's Journey to kettlebells
• Training for the TSC
• Building a community and how the TSC can help
• The devotion to skill and practice
• Testing standards and progressions to participate in classes at kettlebility
• Ground Force Method
• Why GFE is an assessment and how instructors can use this to scale their class to any ability level and age group.
• Training recommendations for the half bodyweight press (SFG II Strength Standard)
• and much more!

• Kettlebility (Website)
• Kettlebility (Facebook)
• Kettlebility (Instagram)
• Ground Force Method
• Andrea U-Shi Chang (Bio/Profile on StrongFirst)
• Kettlebells to the Rescue: A Total Transformation (Page 26)
• The Halo Exercise for Shoulder and Thoracic Mobility

Jim is a lifelong innovator who has always been one of those people who thinks differently. He believes balance training has sharpened his ability to make new neural connections and see the possibilities and pathways that others miss.

Originally Jim was looking for a way to maintain his own athletic performance well into his 90s. But the Slackbow Balance Training System he developed turned out to be a key to whole body and mind fitness that was even more revolutionary than he could have imagined.

He is eager to spread his knowledge, techniques and tools far and wide to help seekers like him tune their brains to perform better in work and sports, sleep better, look younger and live longer.

• Intro/Jim's background
• Studies on the SlackBow
• How's training done on the SlackBow
• Why improvements in balance are transferable to greater opportunities for high performance
• The four causes of balance loss
• Statistics on death and injury from falling (loss of balance)

• SlackBow (Website)
• SlackBow (Instagram)
• SlackBow (Facebook)
• Balance is Power Book
• Falls are leading cause of injury and death in older Americans
• Falls Prevention Awareness Day
• Resources on Falls from the National Council of Aging
• Falls and Injuries Among Adults > 65 (NIH Study)

Hector is the owner and head instructor of Hardstyle KBJJ in Corpus Christi, TX.

Hector discovered his passion for strength training and overall conditioning in 2000 at Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Now Presa BJJ) under mentor Aurelio Gallegos Jr. Advancing through his training, Hector became an assistant instructor in 2003.

While instructing students in a variety of techniques, Hector realized the importance of human movement, proper biomechanics, balance, strength, mobility, stability, and endurance.

Inspired, he pursued education in Hatha Yoga, becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT). In 2009, through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (N.A.S.M), he became a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES).

Hector then began a search for a training technique/tool that would enable him to evolve athletically. He found his answer after a Jiu-Jitsu seminar with black belt Tyrone Glover at Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Hector asked Tyrone, "What are you doing for your strength and conditioning? You have the strength of a 200-pounder but only weigh 165 pounds!"

The answer was Kettlebells. Taking up this new discipline, Hector immersed himself in Russian Kettlebell training. Looking to maximize his potential, he turned to the expertise found at the elite level of the Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) now StrongFirst.

After 10 intense (and challenging) years, incorporating the Russian Kettlebell into his Jiu-Jitsu training, Hector earned his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt August 22, 2011 from Ricardo (Franjinha) Miller and Aurelio Gallegos Jr..

In 2011, he established the first and only movement based kettlebell / Jiu-Jitsu school in the world. Hardstyle (Kettlebells / Jiu Jitsu) KBJJ!

• Intro/Background
• BJJ Training & Kettlebells
• Barbell Deadlift
• Nuances of the wedge
• Offset Double KB Cleans & Their Benfits
• and much more!

• Hardstyle Kettlebell (Website)
• Hardstyle Kettlebell (YouTube)

Joel Proskewitz is an internationally acclaimed strength coach and health and fitness expert. His unique approach focuses on effective, tailored training and rehabilitation programs that achieve results that really last.

With an excess of 30,000 hours of training, Joel has worked with a wide range of clients including Olympic medalists, business executives, rehabilitation patients and families keen to improve their long-term fitness.

After becoming a national champion in two of the most demanding sports, Karate and Bodybuilding, Joel has spent the last 23 years working as a personal trainer, continuously developing his skills in training and rehabilitation.

Joel works with Professor Stuart McGill (head of spinal biomechanics – University of Waterloo, Canada) in the rehabilitation of lower back pathologies. He also an assistant instructor for Prof. McGill on the McGill clinical courses and a lead instructor for the McGill Trainer courses.

Joel has been a presenter at high profile health and fitness conferences such as the Discovery Fitness Convention and the South African High Performance Institute, giving advice on topics including strength training for women, Olympic lifting for sports performance and practical nutrition for fat loss. He has also featured in leading publications, such as Men's Fitness and Men's Health.

• Joel's background and education
• How he came to work on low back rehab
• Joel's work with Dr. McGill
• Why Joel observes one spinal surgery each month and what he learns
• The setup and environment at PerformanceRx
• His work with the 2000 Sydney Men's Pair from South Africa

• PerformanceRx (Website)
• PerformanceRx (Facebook)
• PerformanceRx (Instagram)
• Courses
• BackFitPro

We're back with Episode 084 of the LEO Training Podcast. I am pleased to have Dr. Stuart McGill back on the show as a return guest. His first interview, LT 012 | Dr. Stuart McGill - Spine Hygiene for Rowers. has been one of my most popular episodes to date. Today's interview will focus on one topic into which Dr. McGill and I will diver very deep into: enhancing athleticism in rowers - simply put what can we do to improve performance.

Dr. Stuart McGill is a retired Professor of Spine Biomechanics at the University of Waterloo. Dr. McGill is the author of over 400 scientific publications and 3 textbooks that address issues such as, lumbar spine function and injury mechanisms, patient assessment, corrective exercise prescription, and performance training. Dr. McGill consults for many medical management groups, governments, corporations, legal firms, and elite sports teams and athletes from around the world and has won numerous awards, including the Volvo Bioengineering Award for Low Back Pain Research. Dr. McGill is one of the few scientists who are regularly referred challenging patients for consult from around the world.

Here's what you will learn in this episode:

• How Dr. McGill's work started in the research lab, progressed to the clinic, and made its way into the realm of high performers.
• Principles for training a rower: What is elastic energy storage? Why is it important to train and how do we do it? How do we tune the rowing stroke to the athletes flexibility and stiffness?
• Why "hollowing" or activating the TVA does not promote spinal stability and is a poor skill for athletes to learn?
• How to build stiffness with the Big 3? How the Big 3 helps with short and long term cumulative stiffness in the torso? Once we have established this foundation, what higher level exercises should rowers progress to enhance pulsing, timing, and kime (Turbo ball training, KB swing) ? How do we build injury resilience from this?
• Injury clusters on teams: How posture impacts injury - "C" spine vs. a more neutral spine. How this impacts a higher incidence of disc bulges. Is it possible to get into a neutral posture in a rowing shell due to the seated position and impact of the foot stretcher and rowing stroke mechanics?
• Adaptions to training, intensity,and volume. - How to balance the strength and conditioning with the training for the sport to enhance elastic energy storage? Do we really want to emphasize and focus on heavy strength work ala a powerlifter or do we want to promote more elastic, ballistic qualities to enhance injury resilience and sports performance? What lifts should we avoid (Olympic style lifts)?
• Any special considerations for a elite athlete vs. a masters athlete for the aforementioned topics?
• Back Mechanic Companion Videos
• McGill 3 Seminar at Kabuki Strength

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University of Waterloo Spine Biomechanics Laboratory

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My guest this week for Episode 083 of the LEO Training Podcast is Kettlebell Sport World Champion, Valerie Pawlowski. This is a fantastic interview chronicling her journey between both hardstyle and girevoy sport and her path to eventually becoming a gold medalist on the world's stage.

Valerie Pawlowski earned her B.A. degree in Communications from William Paterson University, Paterson. Valerie is a NESTA Certified Adventure Boot Camp Instructor. She is certified as a Medical Exercise Specialist by AAHFP, and as a Personal Trainer through ACE and AFAA. Valerie is also a Nutrition Specialist with Lifestyle Management Associates and Certified in Pilates and Flexibility Training.

With more than 18 years of experience and expertise, presently the Owner of The Body Barn, Co Owner of Punch Kettlebell Gym, Far Hills and Art Of Strength Training Center, Warren Valerie is dedicated to inspiring others to pursue and achieve their goals for a more healthy and improved lifestyle.

Additionally, Valerie is personally involved in many diverse activities ranging from Triathlons, Adventure Racing and Mountain Biking to placing first in 1998 in the New Jersey Natural Bodybuilding Championship. These achievements not only satisfy her drive for success but also serve as an example for others to "believe it and achieve it". Helping others to build confidence in their own abilities, and exceeding their own expectations is her ultimate goal!

• Intro/Background
• Hardstyle and GS - Pavel Tsatsouline and Valery Fedorenko
• Anthony DiLugio
• The youth movement in kettlebells
• Paving a path to kettlebells being in the Olympics
• and much more!

• Valerie Pawlowski
• NJ Bootcamp

In Episode 082 of the LEO Training Podcast, I sit down with my guest, Tony Cowden to discuss two of my favorite subjects: strength and endurance.

Tony has 21 years in the Special Operations community, serving over 8 years and 26 deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq and other Central Asian and Africa countries. He began training for and competing in triathlons in 1998 and in 2005 in functional fitness competitions. He got his Level 1 CrossFit® Certification in 2006. He affiliated CrossFit Wilmington in 2007. He qualified for the 2012 Games., is a USAW Masters Weightlifting Champion in both the 94kg and the 105kg divisions. He is a successful triathlete, completing more than 50 races, including Iron Distance races.

Tony coached his first athlete to The CrossFit Games in 2009, and has since sent 16 more, including teams and masters athletes. He has sent 28 athletes to The Games Regional competitions, and developed Powerlifters, Strongman Competitors, triathletes, Ultra Endurance athletes and Military personnel.

In recent years, Tony has helped lead the way in developing hybrid endurance and strength athletes, especially within the military. His END|Strength™ Programming develops high levels of endurance and strength simultaneously and has become the go to of the US military special operations personnel as well as athletes looking for new challenges.

Proving his END|Strength methods, he completed the Beach 2 Battleship Half IronMan Triathlon in 6 hours and the following day Squatted 505lbs and Deadlifted 565lbs.

On April 9th, 2016 Tony squatted 600lbs, Deadlifted 600lbs and ran a sub-six minute mile (5:41), making him one of the very few who have completed The 666 Challenge… the only man over 40 years old to.

Tony's most recent accomplishment is completing the first annual 106º West Triathlon in Dillon, CO. At 10,000 plus ft, the 106 West is the highest elevation half iron distance triathlon in the World. With early morning temps at just over freezing, gusting winds, water temp of 50 degrees, and the steep climbs you would expect of the Colorado Rockies, the 106 is one of the most challenging. Further proving the END|Strength methods, two days after the race, Tony squatted 505lbs and Deadlifted 505lbs for 6 reps.

• Intro/Background
• Work in Special Forces
• Brian Carroll and PowerRackStrength
• The 666 Challenge
• 10/20/Life
• and much more!

• Tony Cowden
• Tony Cowden (Instagram)
• Tony Cowden performing The 666 Challenge
• PowerRackStrength
• 10/20/Life

In Episode 081 of the LEO Training Podcast I sit down and interview Danny Clark. Danny has an incredible background as an athlete and coach.

He is a Beast Tamer with StrongFirst and is currently acting as the Performance Director for MovNat. In addition, he also owns a gym, Rebar Fitness, a scientifically based, strength and conditioning personal training practice. He is a world-class athlete, a scholar in evolutionary biology and archaeology, and has extensive knowledge of exercise science and S&C programming. His unique skill set and expertise enables him to develop thorough and highly informed MovNat movement progressions and performance programming standards, as well as class profiles for MovNat Gym and Class Licensees.

Throughout his youth Danny was recognized for his exceptional athletic talents. His training in wrestling and judo earned him a Division 1 scholarship to the University of Virginia. An injury abruptly ended his wrestling career, but fortunately instigated a transition into Brazilian jiu jitsu and MMA training. He would go on to win a bronze medal for Team USA at the UWW World Grappling Championships in Krakow, Poland in 2012. All along Danny has immersed himself in many alternative arts, such as yoga and kettlebell training, in an effort to correct some of the imbalances and wear his body had accumulated from years of heavy physical stress. But nothing had a more profound or long-lasting effect than training first-hand with Erwan Le Corre. He learned that MovNat could heal years of abuse, neglect, and over-specialization.

After he and his wife, Abby, received their Level II Certifications they immediately started implementing the MovNat method into their coaching and classes and saw great results. Natural Movement® provided a solid movement, skill, and physical foundation for everyone while fixing many glaring issues of the fitness industry in the process. Danny went on to complete his level III certification and is now a MovNat Master Instructor.

Danny is grateful to help bring Natural Movement to the masses and affirms with confidence that MovNat "is certain to become the most complete and effective fitness system the world will ever know."

• Intro/Background
• Education in Evolutionary Biology and Archaeology
• Most effective ways to address movement deficiencies
• Skill is the most important and why it drives fitness.
• How your environment shapes your movement.
• Put our attention into our intention
• and much more!

• Beast Tamer
• MovNat
• Rebar Fitness
• Danny Clark (Instagram)
• MovNat (Facebook)

My guest this week is Jeff O' Connor. Jeff is a former Master RKC, veteran of the United States Navy, and a career firefighter. In addition, he is a two time winner of Oklahoma's Strongest Man and 2001 Winner of the North America's Strongest Man, 275 lb Division (NASS).

Jeff has devoted much of his time to the development of children and adolescents. He places a strong emphasis on movement. Jeff believes that teaching the skills of strength, coordination, mobility, agility, and flexibility at the proper stages of development is the foundation for athletic performance at the highest levels.

This past week Jeff and Senior SFG, Brandon Hetzler released a brand new work "The New Language of Movement Vol 1: The Push/Pull Strategy". It's available for free through iTunes and can be read in iBooks. Be sure to check it out!

• Intro/Background
• Identifying key abilities that need to be developed in an individual
• What's the biggest priority?
• Injury Prevention & High Performance
• Health and Fitness are not separate
• Don't chase reps!
• Teaching the athlete to process information from multiple stimulus and inputs - verbal, visual, kinesthetic
• Motor skill development
• Jeff's thoughts on the application and value
• and much more!

• Outlaw Strength
• "The New Language of Movement Vol 1: The Push/Pull Strategy"
• Jeff O'Connor Instructor Profile on DragonDoor
• Kettlebells for Power Athletes
• Kalosthenos: Kettlebells from the Ground Up Part 2

It's easy to review the show and it helps the show grow and reach a new audience. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment and drop a review in iTunes or Stitcher. Thank you!

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LT 079 | Dani Almeyda - Original Strength

My guest for Episode 079 of the LEO Training Podcast is Dani Almeyda, co-owner of Original Strength.

Dani has worked in the health and fitness industry for the last 10 years. Throughout her whole life, health and wellness have had a major influence on Dani. Whether it was from her experience as collegiate athlete, as a Director of Campus Recreation, or as a Fitness Professional, her experiences and formal education have provided her with the tools necessary to be successful.

Dani is a co-owner of a private training studio in North Carolina, OPT Fitness, and has a Master's Degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. She brings an abundance of energy, passion, and an incredible drive to help the world regain it's Original Strength. Almeyda, a mother of two, is also working on a developing a program specifically for mom's.

• Intro/Background
• Original Strength
• Neurodevelopmental patterns
• Breathing, Head Control, Rolling, Rocking, Crawling
• Women's Movement Collaborative

• Original Strength
• Original Strength (Facebook)
• Original Strength Institute
• Women's Movement Collaborative

It's easy to review the show and it helps the show grow and reach a new audience. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment and drop a review in iTunes or Stitcher. Thank you!

SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW THE SHOW IN iTUNES

SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW THE SHOW IN STITCHER