A few quick reviews that are overdue. Sorry these aren't more in-depth
1. 2008 Indy Seminar Series
In this information packed seminar/DVD series, Bill Hartman and Mike Robertson
give you up-to-the-minute information on how and why they train their
clients in the ways that they do. Every major area of the body is
covered (upper extremity, lower extremity, and core), along with
individual presentations on topics such as program design, flexibility
training, and assessment.
This DVD series includes:
DVD #1 – Introduction and 21st Century Core Training
DVD #2 – Creating a More Effective Assessment
DVD #3 - Optimizing Upper Extremity Biomechanics
DVD #4 - Bulletproof Knees
DVD #5 - Selecting the Optimal Method for Effective Flexibility Training
DVD #6 - Program Design and Conclusion
This took me some time to get through, since I've had it for several months now. It's a lot of material, and I wanted to watch all of it at least one time before commenting. This was worthwhile for me to sit through, since both Mike and Bill have a lot of good things to say, and are committed to being on top of the latest research and trends. You hear about a lot of this material in various places, but it's gone into a bit more in-depth here. I got a lot out of the "Bulletproof Knees" section, and the core training progressions were new to me and logical (and based on the current meme of stabilization and anti-rotation). I lost my notes in some home improvements, but I had jotted down some good points in each disk. I tend to divide informational products like this into either exercise demos or theoretical/practical advice. This falls thoroughly on the latter category.
My recommendation: If you are a trainer, especially if you aren't a 'cutting edge' kind of guy, this is the beginnings of the sort of education you need to take your skills to the next level. I say "beginnings" because this really only scratches the surface of that new interface between therapist and trainer. I plan on revisiting this sometime now that rugby season has finished.
***As an addition to this, I rewatched the flexibility segment today and I'd forgotten how good that particular segment was. Hartmann goes into the concepts of stiffness, shortening, and deficits in movement and how to address these with clients and with yourself.
While these sorts of DVDs can be a bit dry, they can also be pretty information dense. This one is.
2. Collision Course: Kettlebell Training and Beyond
Main Presenters:
John Brookfield: The Battling Ropes System for incredible
strength, cardio, and muscular endurance. Looking for a new challenge to ramp up
cardio and endurance? Look no further as it does not get better than John’s
rope training system.
Jon Hinds: How to maximize your alignment and posture and
why you must do so for mobility and well-being. At a training plateau? You will
blast through it when you master Jon’s section.
Mike Mahler: Advanced kettlebell training and nutrition
strategies for effective fat loss, vitality, and well-being. Want to work up to
pressing 88lb kettlebells for reps? What about 97s? How about a great way to do
double swings that is much more comfortable and effective than what you have
been taught before? Want to snatch a 125lb kettlebell? Apply the two-step snatch
technique.
Mark Philippi: How you can benefit from strongman training
and how to incorporate it safely and effectively into your training program. You
do not need strongman equipment to benefit tremendously from what Mark covered.
Once you learn the concepts you can apply it to whatever you want to do and push
forward big time.
Guest Presenters:
Tom Furman: How you can have pain free mobility and
durability. In addition, what mobility exercises you should be doing
before and after every workout.
Dylan Thomas: Effective kettlebell training and conditioning
for the martial artist that works just as well for everyday people like you.
Mike Mahler invited me out for this, but I wasn't able to make it, much to my regret. Mike did send me this set as a consolation. Thanks Mike.
This set has a lot of information on it. Despite me being a more 'kettlebell sport' oriented guy, there was a lot of things I hadn't seen or thought of before. Each presenter (even Dlyna!) had good points to make and techniques to share. In particular, I enjoyed Jon Hinds presentation. Jon's progressions for the mastery of your own bodyweight in assorted exercises and jumps are fantastic, as I've seen the Monkey Bar Gym DVDs on the same topic before and was very impressed. Tom Furman's segment was very good as well, his applied ideas on mobility and durability training continue to be refined and expanded.
Nice job on this one. This set definitely has an audience in general fitness and training enthusiasts. A nice blend of both exercise demonstrations and progressions and practical advice on effective training.
Both of these packages are worthwhile purchases, given that your own goals line up with the topics discussed within. Their prices reflect the density of information available on them. My friend Lyle McDonald have a similar metric when it comes to fitness products: If you learn one new thing from a purchase, than it can be considered a worthwhile investment. Both these packages have a lot of educational value, even for someone as well-informed on the current state of the S&C industry as myself.
