Here and there I catch myself getting away from training that is more Physical Culture based and end up chasing numbers. Now, there is NOTHING wrong with being Strong.

But something was missing for me.

I wanted to feel the toughness and challenge of working with circuits / complexes of Kettlebells, Fat Bell, Center Mass Bells. With my shoulder injury some years ago, I limit the overhead work but testing Donnie Thompson's Bow Tie made everything feel fine!

I have been following Donnie for a long time now. We were friends since our early days on EliteFTS and then in 2011 I believe, we spoke together at The NC State Strength Clinic at Wake Forest.

Since then, Donnie has been inventing a LOT of equipment to hep athletes and lifters alike stay healthy as well as GET healthy / overcoming injuries.

Seeing SuperD in what he calls "The Circle of Strength" fired me up. I see him training along with former NFL star, Roberto Garza attacking the bells, it inspired me to get after it myself!

See the videos below for some inspiration.....

 

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This is no joke a challenge for sure always glad to try out what #SuperD puts out CIRCLE OF STRENGTH Fatbell One on One’s ☠️ Rim swing 3-6(53-70-88) 106-3reps 1 arm swing (by handle) 3-6(88-106-126) 1 arm snatch swing ladder 2rds left 7reps (70) right 6reps (88) left 5reps (106) then right 7reps - left 6reps - right 5reps 1 arm dead snatch 3-5 (88-106-126) Windmills 3-6 (18-26-35) Dbl hammer curls 5-10(18-26-35-53-70)

A post shared by Roberto Garza (@rgarza63) on Aug 21, 2019 at 4:17am PDT

 

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The "CIRCLE of STRENGTH" presents- 'ONE ON ONE'S ☠ ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ Enter into the ring for our second day of training in the COS! This day is called One on One's because we do all singular Kettlebell & FatBell training. This day requires you to go heavy. We stay between 90 to 110 reps on this day....FIRM! Remember that "V" Day is doubles and all volume work. Now you roll those sleeves up and challenge yourself. Here it is: [Bowlers Swing- 1st set by the rim. 6 reps each side (count as 6 reps period not 12 combining both sides) 3 sets progressively moving up Example 24k, 28k, 32k X 6 reps] ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ One Arm Swing- 1st set by rim 32k X 6 reps 3 sets of 6 reps by handle Ex. 40k, 48k, 56k ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ Ladders- Swing Snatches!!!😃 3 sets of bells I use 24k, 32k & 40k 1st round is left-right-left (7reps, 6reps then 5 reps.) 2nd round is right-Left-right and repeat. Pause overhead! ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ Dead Snatch- Crescendo up at 5 reps each 24k, 32k & 40k. More if you are a pro strongman. ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ Now that concludes 'One on One' day, Extra work starts so lets finish with: Disabled Windmills- 3 sets of 6 reps with Bell on the floor. ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ Swing Curls- Using heavy Fatbells alternate Swing type Hammer Curls. 5 sets of 10 reps each side. You can do one armm all at once or alternate. ⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫ Coop @garagegymreviews this will NOT work for you because these FatBells & Kettlebells are not made of Ductile Steel 😞 For everyone else, you have the complete second day. Enjoy as much as Mr Haney & I do. *This post wont be popular with many likes, But.... Football Linemen (powerlifters too but this is way beyond your acceptance curve🤨) & Competitive CrossFitters, our Circle of Strength routine will get you way stronger (as Pavel would say, Resilient) that in 10 weeks time you will thank me, begging me to let you ship me a box of Maduro Cigars in appreciation🤗 If it doesnt work, put me on the blast and expose me for the fraud you feel I am!🤔 But we all know the truth....even if you hate me you know the truth. #thinkoutsidetherack Bro!😎

A post shared by Donnie 'SuperD' Thompson (@thompsonbowtie) on Aug 19, 2019 at 6:47am PDT

 

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Powerlifters, do you want your bench, squat and deadlift to increase? You dont have to take more supplements (wink😉wink😉) you add this day exactly like I have it here, your strength will increase like never before. I know, you dont believe me. But, believe me, I know you don't. Plus you won't do this cause its not what you always do. You're not to hard to figure out brother Think outside your rack, bro!🤨 CIRCLE OF STRENGTH "V"OLUME DAY! __________________________________ Performed day after heavy squats! 224 reps clicks of 10. __________________________________ Start- All reps are 10 Thompson #fatbells Rims- 53lbers 1 set DBL suitcase swings 1 set DBL Sumo swings 1 set alt swings 20 reps (10 each arm) 53lbs for me. You can try 26 or 35s. *Use moderate Bells Then- 3 sets Dbl suitcase swings 62lbs 3 sets Dbl sumo 'Rim' swings 53lbs (If your arms are long use handle. Short arms swing by Rim. 3 sets front squats 53lbers 3 sets swing snatches 1st two sets 53lbers. Last set 62s! Two sets medley- 12X12X12 RDLs X 12 reps. Bent over rows (rotate 180 degrees) X12 then hang cleans by handles X 12. Go two rounds. Grim Reapers 50lb Dttempering roller 3 sets of 10 reps each side. Alternate FatBell Curls.....35s x 10 each arm. 44s X 10 each arm. 53s X 3sets of 10reps. Wheelbarrow work 10min #Sanddunestepper Body Tempering prior plus lowerback protocol. All this is done with my #VDay partner Mr. Haney! #circleofstrength #fatbells #kettlebells #Dttemperingrollers #challenge #VDay

A post shared by Donnie 'SuperD' Thompson (@thompsonbowtie) on Aug 7, 2019 at 2:44pm PDT

If I go WAY back on my YouTube channel, I recorded a circuit of Kettlebells I was ding before I even had my first warehouse location for The Underground Strength Gym.

I called this The Kettlebell Combat Complex and I would prescribe this to fighters, wrestlers, BJJ athletes & any combat athlete who need power endurance.

Things change as you get older so I don't recommend this exact complex for adults. But, for the younger combat athlete, absolutely.

If you love Bodyweight & Bells, our Kettlebells & Bodyweight Hybrid Program is just 1 of the hundreds and hundreds of programs inside The Underground Strength Academy. Every few months I like to take a break from the barbell and focus on Bells & Bodyweight. I will always keep the sled training in there, band work for shoulder health and I still Squat & Deadlift, only for the 3-6 weeks I go without the barbell.

Physically it's solid break and what I call a "reload" vs a "deload". In addition, it is a great mental break and as the weeks pass by, you get hungry to have a heavy barbell in your hands and on your back again.

I suggest the same for you unless of course, you're training for a powerlifting meet.

Otherwise, Strong is STRONG. I always say this phrase because I am hammering the message home that there are MANY ways to get Strong. Strength is NOT only measured by the basic barbell lifts.

Bodyweight Bodybuilding is another program / style of training I am revisiting, not just for myself but also for the athletes I work with. More volume of calisthenics and even the simple things such as FULL range bodyweight squats are a struggle for many.

I reviewed the bonus interviews inside BWBB and I was reminded how Lil' BEAST & Lee Wade Turner are BIG fans of heavy volume work for calisthenics. 10-12 Supersets of Pull Ups, Push Ups & Dips is the norm. Half of those sets are performed with added weight. Most people do 2 or 3 sets of calisthenics. Well, not these guys! Volume and Practice is a BIG key to their strength.

As I start to review the training of our athletes, I find myself programming more bodyweight squats. So simple yet so effective.

Here are some variations I am working on with bodyweight squats.

• Moderate Tempo
• Pause in Bottom for 2 seconds
• 1 & 1/2 technique: Perform a full range squat followed by a half squat (not going all the way up) = 1 rep
• Box Squats with athletic stance or sumo stance

You can not forget your foundational strength and overall work capacity. Without them, you are on the road to injury. Especially with new trainees. Do not put the bar on your back until you progress through the bodyweight basics of Squats, Lunges & their many variations.

• Bulgarian Split Squats
• Lateral Lunges
• Reverse Lunges
• Forward Alternate Lunges
• Walking Lunges
• Step Ups

The goal of my articles and videos are to open up your mind to other ways of training. I will share my own lessons and experiences as I evolve, learn and grow. You'll see I've been writing since 2002 or so. What I believed before today has evolved. That doesn't mean it is no longer effective, it means my training changes to best match the needs of where I am in the moment (physically & mentally) as well as the athletes we train.

 

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We talk a lot about Hardwork and intensity, but none of that matters without consistency! There is what we call a “roller coaster effect” for the athletes who come and go. When you’re training, you are consistently getting stronger and faster and more confident in yourself. Then , when you stop training or you get trained incorrectly, you begin to lose strength, you lose speed and then your confidence gets shaky, you begin to question yourself. And so, your performance is like a roller coaster, it goes up and down. Consistency is KING 👑🏆⚔️🤙🤙🤙 FREE TRIAL INFO http://undergroundStrengthGym.com 🤙🤙🏆🏆

A post shared by UndergroundStrengthGym (@undergroundstrengthgym) on Aug 26, 2019 at 6:45pm PDT

The way we train our athletes depends on WHO is in that group at that moment. Training should meet the needs of the person, NOT the needs of the Coach.

These are a few of our middle school athletes attacking their calisthenics:

 

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Guess what we’re doing here? . ATTACKING. . I’m gonna make hard work the new “fad.” ⚔️⚔️⚔️ . . #undergroundstrengthgym #manasquan #scotchplains #calisthenics #strengthandconditioning #undergroundstrengthcoach #undergroundstrengthbook

A post shared by Zach Even - Esh (@zevenesh) on Aug 25, 2019 at 6:46am PDT

I won't always tell you EXACTLY what to do because you don't learn that way. So, you must read, listen and watch. From there, make your own decisions and of course, take action. Experience the training for yourself and then make decisions through your own mind.

Until the next time, keep attacking.

Live The Code 365,

Z

Bodyweight Bodybuilding