StrongFirst Podcast

Episode - 04 Summary:

Introducing the StrongFirst Podcast, in this episode Craig and Scott interview Fabio Zonin, CEO of StrongFirst, master instructor, former powerlifter, bodybuilder and beast tamer.

Show Notes:

01:22 – Fabio discusses his current role at StrongFirst.

03:58 - How Fabio initially come under Pavel’s systems?

10:27 - Training transformed since entering Pavel’s system. Principles, breathing technique, etc. have all changed and improved.

14:05 – Fabio discusses different powerlifting principles.

22:14 – Fabio discusses research on ballet dancers improving their jump with kettlebell swings. 25:00 - Mission and future vision of StrongFirst? Mission: Helping people become a better version of themselves. Vision: Grow worldwide, build better instructors, build community, be consistent with core values.

26:37 - StrongFirst deliver quality vs. quantity.

30:05 – StrongFirst’s system is not just for pure strength, but applies to many different goals.

40:55 - You don’t have to be a trainer to attend a cert.

42:38 – New directions at StrongFirst

46:26 - Talks about how the accelerometer works.

49:15 - Discusses the next steps for certified instructors?

56:15 - Simple advice for someone outside of the StrongFirst community?

Tweetable Quotes

• Since training under Pavel’s system, I realized how many things I’d been doing wrong for years.
• It’s not about the business, it’s about the message we want to deliver.

Resources Mentioned

Strongfirst.com

Kettlebell Simple & Sinister book

Episode - 03 Summary:

In this episode Craig and Scott interview Dr. Travis Jewett about what it means to move right and to be strong at the same time.

Show Notes:

00:55 - About Dr. Travis Jewett

-Dr. Jewett is a chiropractor, beast tamer, SFL and SFG. He teaches the mobility ------WOD courses and runs the StrongFirst for Clinicians course.

-Runs a chiropractic practice in Cherokee, Iowa.

02:00 - About Dr. Travis’s background as a clinician

-He’s been practicing for almost eleven years.

-Graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic.

-Was an exercise physiology major at Iowa State.

-He started training relatively young, since he was 12.

-His goal with everything is to take what he’s learned through the years and make sense of how to apply all of it to the people he’s working with.

04:00 - How do you integrate moving a load into your clinic and with athletes?

-Most of the people you work with are there for a reason.

-A lot of issues can be traced back to strength capacity issues.

-It has a lot to do with how they move about during their regular day.

04:32 - Is movement assessment different than clinical assessment?

-You have to assess whether someone has the flexibility and mobility to do strength movements.

-Most of his assessing people is based around how they’re moving and different ways he can block their behavior.

07:33 - What tools do you use in your assessments?

-It depends on the person who’s there.

-He uses whatever tools he needs to do an appropriate assessment.

-A lot of people try to get too specific with what they’re doing.

09:44 - What would you say to a patient who is there for a supraspinatus tendonitis, do you avoid a diagnostic description?

-From his standpoint, it’s difficult to make a hard-line diagnosis anyway - you need an imaging correlation.

-All he can tell the person is what he sees in his evaluation.

-Most injuries can be resolved through manual work and strengthening.

12:13 - In your practice are you doing more rehab or pre-habilitation?

-People are in your office because the wheels have come off.

-Once the fire is out, they can talk about what it takes to keep moving the needle the right way.

13:45 - Talk about common strength training applications in the clinic.

-It all starts from the kettlebell, it’s approachable, the barbell is intimidating.

-Most people he works with are not athletes and that’s not their goal.

-Deadlifts are big, they do a lot of kettlebell deadlifts, and carries.

-For shoulders - floor presses and isometrics.

-A lot of people can’t load overhead, so they begin with isometrics and then arm bars and pieces of the get up to force them to manage the load.

16:50 - Talk about isometrics and explain what you’re doing.

-The first part of the get up is laying on the ground and pressing the kettlebell up.

-Isometrics are holding the joint in one position against some sort of external resistance.
-Isometrics can be somewhat pain relieving.

20:15 - Explain more about deadlifts for back pain.

-It’s likely that people have put themselves in a compromised position for a long time before they injured.

-It teaches people how to brace around the load and get their whole body tight, you can start to activate and retrain deep reflexive muscles around the spine.

-A lot of people are dealing with chronic or acute pain around the back.

-Putting the spine together before it’s loaded keeps it from being irritated.

-It shows people a better way.

-When someone can hinge without pain, they can perform a deadlift.

-You have to understand that you have to give them exercises and work to do that doesn’t bother them.

28:30 - What’s the purpose of bodybuilding flexing?

-If nothing else, it’s fun and training should be enjoyable.

-Flexing is a key component to maintaining muscular health.

-The importance is learning to maintain those sustained isometric contractions.

31:10 - Talk more about the Strongman work.

-He and a group are doing a Strongman competition, but the value is moving big loads.

-If you really want to be effective, the farmer walks have to be pretty heavy.

-He teaches people how to pick up sandbags and do tension around them.

-It creates squeezing strength through your trunk musculature.

32:55 - Do you have a recent case study you can think of and how you used kettlebells with them?

-A lady with Parkinson’s and the doctors want to do back surgery.

-When disc bulges become a problem, they have to figure out how to get the back to stop hurting.

-They started doing basic kettlebell deadlifts and goblet squats.

-They started doing some sled work.

-Her back is still painful and the degree is way down but more manageable.

-This woman has avoided pain injections and surgery just with three exercises.

36:10 - Where do people start who are hearing your message?

-People have to have a whole paradigm shift in how they approach working with other people.

-You have to be willing to explain to your patient base that they don’t need you as much as they think they do.

-Listen to the guys who came before him.

39:27 - What is the next step for clinicians?

-Travis’ course offered by StrongFirst is essential.

-The course is to help refine someone who already has a strength background and to elevate the clinician who doesn’t have that background.

42:04 - What’s the next step for the non-clinician to prevent injury?

-Get with a clinician who has an understanding of what you’re trying to do - before you have problems.

-Learn about where your bottlenecks might be and how to apply knowledge to your volunteer training.

-Sign up for a workshop, get with a certified instructor, pick up the book Simple & Sinister by Pavel.

45:36 - Any closing advice or thoughts?

-If you’re in the world of strength and conditioning, you need to sleep enough.

Tweetable Quotes

We have to get away from labeling people because that can set up their own road blocks to improvement.

The original reason someone is seeing you is because they’re on fire, not to prevent injury.

The most important part of the rehabilitation process is pain-free movement.

Resources Mentioned

Strongfirst.com

StrongFirst for Clinicians

www.mobilitywod.com

Simple & Sinister book by Pavel Tsatsouline

 

Episode #02: Brett Jones Interview with Brett Jones the Director of Education at StrongFirst

Summary: Within this 2nd episode of "StrongFirst," the official podcast of the StrongFirst school of strength. Hosts Craig Marker and Scott Iardella interview Brett Jones, the Chief SFG instructor and Director of Education at StrongFirst. Brett has been teaching kettlebells for over 15 years. Brett discusses the principles of strength, and how it applies to the kettlebell, barbell, and bodyweight exercises.

Show Notes:

01:51 – Brett Jones' job at Strong First is chief SFG instructor and director of education.

02:52 – Bodyweight courses are about how you manipulate your bodyweight and your leverages.

06:17 – "Power to the People" book by Pavel Tsatsouline became key reading to Brett.

08:04 – Move well enough to adapt to the stresses your body will be placed under when training.

11:09 – The kettlebell is good for moves like get-ups, presses, swings, and snatches.

22:28 – Brett's training with 10 sets of one kettlebell swings.

27:50 – The tools and skills are scaled and customized to the individual.

32:59 – Nothing replaces having a personal trainer.

34:25 – Proper programming should have you recovering from your training.

40:17 – Plan Strong is a graduate-level course in programming—as intensive goes up volume goes down.

44:50 –Brett is reading the "The Spinning Magnet" book.

49:10 – There is a plethora of videos, forum community support, articles, instructors, and courses available on the Strong First website.

Tweetable Quotes:

- "Bodyweight courses are really about how you manipulate your bodyweight and your leverages in order to train more of a max strength." – Brett Jones.

- "Move well, move often." – Brett Jones.

Resources Mentioned:

• StrongFirst – Website for Strong First

Episode - 01

Introducing the StrongFirst Podcast, in this first episode Craig and Scott discuss StrongFirst Principles and what you can expect from the new StrongFirst Podcast.

Show Notes:

01:05 - Who are your hosts?

01:08 - Scott Iardella -Former physical therapist - it’s a big part of how he trains. Current SFG team leader and part of StrongFirst.

01:56 - Craig Marker, StrongFirst Senior Instructor and Scientific Advisor. Research with Pavel.

02:18 - What is the StrongFirst podcast? Another opportunity to get great StrongFirst information out there. Will bring a lot of guests who will talk about how StrongFirst has helped them and how they use it in their practices.

Plan Strong - a methodology for using strength and keeping you healthy.

Strong Endurance - a system that aids conditioning.

This is another way to educate and serve the audience - people both within or outside the StrongFirst Community.

05:08 - What brought Scott to StrongFirst? He decided to pick up a Kettlebell after reading Pavel’s book Enter the Kettlebell. After a workshop, he realized he was doing everything wrong. The methodology he learned from Pavel has been game-changing. After years training as a bodybuilder, he’s been reintroduced to the barbell. It’s been a journey and a big part is helping other people do the same.

09:00 - What brought Craig to StrongFirst? He started learning how to strength train through bodybuilding magazines. When Pavel wrote articles in magazines, they were completely different. It was a challenge to him to do the certification and then become a kettlebell instructor.

11:20 - Coming Soon

Brett Jones - Chief Kettlebell Instructor and Director of Education coming up as a guest.

Some clinicians will speak to talk about kettlebell use for rehabilitation and “pre-habilitation.”

12:55 - Get ahold of your hosts at:

Twitter: @rdellatraining @antifragileself

13:28 - Find resources, local trainers, and certifications on the StrongFirst website.

Tweetable Quotes

• Once I was introduced to the methods from Pavel, I started to realize how little I really knew about strength training and movement.
• The StrongFirst Podcast is a way to educate and serve our audience both within and outside the StrongFirst Community.
• Spend one day at a workshop - is will change your life.

Resources Mentioned

Strongfirst.com

ARTICLE: The Perfect Kettlebell Swing: Is There Such a Thing?

Enter the Kettlebell - book by Pavel Tsatsouline

Rdella Training Podcast - Scott’s Podcast