Unconventional Athletes Issue 5

KEEPING ILLNESS AT BAY WITH UNCONVENTIONAL STRENGTH PROTOCOLS! 

ISSUE 5 VOLUME 1 

GET TO GRIPS WITH CLUB WORK! 

FLY AND FOCUS, THE WINGSUIT COUPLE! 

QUASH WEAKNESS WITH DESIRE AND DISCIPLINE! 

INTERVIEW WITH THE FIRST AMERICAN WKF CHAMP 

KARATE CHAMPION 

TOKEY HILL 

INTERVIEW WITH BARSTARZZ 

FOUNDER EDWARD CHECO! 

TRAIN YOUR MIND 

BODY AND SOUL! 

LIVING LIFE ON THE EDGE WITH A POSITIVE MESSAGE - AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BASE JUMPING COMMUNITY BY CAM TRACEY

official sponsor 

UnconventionalAthletes.com 

+31638192815 ◼ ron@rbdesign.nl

www.unconventionalathletes.com 

CONTENTS 

12 

WORKING 

16 

FROM 

23 

A 

27 

BEATING 

31 

THE 

36 

40 

REACH 

43 

MINDSET, 

47 

TEAMWORK 

50 

HANDSTAND 

54 

CLUBWORK 

58 

THE CONNECTIONS OF THE BODY AND MIND 

INTUITION AND AWARENESS BECOME ONE: A SPIRITUAL RIDER’S 

PERSPECTIVE! 

ELECTRONICS TO THE DROP ZONE 

A SPORT WITH A COMMUNITY OF LOYALTY, ZEAL AND MUTUAL RESPECT. 

CAM TRACEY KINDLY WELCOMES US TO BASE JUMPING WITH A RAW, 

BUT COMPELLING POSITIVE MESSAGE. 

DYNAMIC CONTRAST AND COMPARISON 

FROM ICE HOCKEY TO MUSIC. Q&A WITH ICE HOCKEY PLAYER AND 

MUSICIAN RICK PLESTER 

ILLNESS WITH UNCONVENTIONAL TRAINING 

BENDING METAL, ODD OBJECT LIFTING AND CLIMBING TREES. 

THE LIST GOES ON! 

ULTIMATE BONDING EXPERIENCE 

EXPOSED TO RISKS BUT STAYING FOCUSED TOGETHER 

STAYING ON TOP - KARATE LEGEND TOKEY HILL KEEPS RISING! 

AN ATHLETIC CAREER OF UNPARALLELED IMPACT. INSPIRING NEW 

GENERATIONS – EMPOWERING THE DEFENSELESS! 

FOR THE STARZZ!! THE BARSTARZZ STREET CALISTHENICS 

APPROACH TO FITNESS 

“LEAD, INSPIRE, CHANGE!” – THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE 

BARSTARZZ PHENOMENON 

STRENGTH AND EXPERIENCE 

FROM NON-PHYSICAL TO PHYSICAL 

COMRADERY MENTAL PROWESS 

USING MOTHER NATURE AND MAN-MADE OBSTACLES. 

PRESS WITH 100KG BODYWEIGHT! 

CLEARING THE MISCONCEPTION OF WEIGHT LIFTING AND 

CALISTHENICS 

FOR POWER 

Clubs have been around for thousands of years simply 

because they work. 

HENKULES UNCONVENTIONAL CONSTRUCTION 

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN FARMER'S 

LOGS 

ISSUE 5 VOLUME 1 Page 4


INTRODUCTION 

COVER ATHLETE: Tokey Hill 


CEO: Nigel John 

Staff writer and publicist: Sharon G. Jonas 

Program director and circulation specialist: 

Chris Wonder Schoeck 

Promoter and sales advertising vp: Henk Bakker 

Contributors: 

Catherine Birmingham 

Brady Archer 

Cam Tracey 

Gary Hodges 

Mike Gillette 

Rick Plester 

Ewa Kalisiewicz 

Agent: Sandra Bedell 

Tim Howell 

Edward Checo 

Tokey Hill 

Don Giafardino 

Henk Bakker 

Ivan Bucher 

Published by Unconventionalathletes.com 

ENQUIRES: 

Sandra Bedell (facebook) 

https://www.facebook.com/Monkey777 

Cell: +1 516 428-9315 

Disclaimer: 

Unconventionalathletes.com is a publication/magazine 

that makes no representation, endorsement, portrayal, 

warranty or guarantee with regards to safety or the 

efficacy of the products or the techniques of training 

methods that are spoken/written about, or shown in 

pictures/videos. Unconventionalathletes.com makes no 

warranty, guarantee or representation regarding the 

use or purchase of services that are in the United 

Kingdom or elsewhere. It is mandatory that you 

discuss with a healthcare professional; your physical 

health before attempting the techniques/exercises and 

equipment featured and discussed both literally and 

visually in this magazine. Unconventionalathletes.com 

takes no liability in your participation from the 

information received in the magazine and thus any 

participation is considered voluntary, thus cannot hold 

responsible either Unconventionalathletes.com or its 

partners, contributors or anybody featured in this 

publication for any harm or injury that may result from 

your participation. 

Welcome to issue 5 of unconventional 

athletes. In this issue we have been 

privileged enough to interview some 

extraordinary athletes including Tokey 

Hill - a karate legend and former 

bodyguard, Edward Checo - founder of 

Barstarzz Calisthenics and Cam Tracey - 

a well known and very well respected 

BASE jumper who has kindly introduced 

us to his very loyal community! 

This magazine is designed for people 

who think outside the box when it comes 

to fitness training. I mean, times change 

and we evolve! Long ago, everybody 

believed that the earth was flat and not 

round, and anybody that objected to this 

train of thinking was belittled. It turned 

out that the minority were right! So I 

invite you to keep an open mind, as 

‘conventional' is not always practical. 

This magazine will help you move 

forward, evolving your fitness and skills 

to the next level. I can almost guarantee 

you will learn some very cool skills and 

training methods; most of which you 

would've never heard of. The world is 

becoming a more volatile place and 

walking the streets with a confident and 

positive mind-set will make an aggressor 

less likely to be drawn to you. If you have 

a lack of confidence in your strength and 

ability, then it will be shown in your 

posture, body language, and even 

subconsciously from the pheromones 

produced in your sweat. They can smell 

your fear! 

If you want fast results and to be at the 

top of your game, then this is the 

magazine to help you evolve and be 

confident. This magazine, and the 

others to follow are dedicated to 

bringing you many years of practical 

experience from experts in the 

unconventional training community. 

The guys who write for this magazine 

have a fountain of knowledge. They 

have not merely just done a short 

course on unconventional training; they 

have lived it, breathed it, practiced and 

perfected the art for many years. As 

Albert Einstein would say: "All 

knowledge is experience", and let’s be 

honest - Albert knew his stuff. 

There‘s a chance you’ve come here 

because you’re bored of the gym, and are 

paying lots of money on a membership - 

only to fail to get the functional, agile 

and strong body that you desire. You’re 

seeing dudes on the internet doing 

crazy, cool stuff, and you want to be able 

to do that too! You want something 

different and to experience training 

methods that are not only going to get 

your body in good shape, but your mind 

as well. We’ll teach you to use nature as 

your playground and make/explore 

alternative equipment that will enhance 

you to levels - that you never thought 

possible! You will learn to train in all 

weather, so there is never an excuse. 

Nature is an unconventional athlete’s 

greatest tool! So, if you are an 

unconventional newbie, don’t worry we 

are here to help! 

We don’t do things the ‘conventional’ 

way (that wouldn’t be practical or fun!) 

and we don’t spend all our time at the 

gym. Training at home or being outside 

with nature is where it’s at. No grunts 

from the big guys down the gym, no 

judgement from others - just you, your 

bodyweight and unconventional training 

equipment. Giving you the edge! The 

world is changing fast, and I for one 

know that being fit and strong enough 

to protect your family is not optional, 

and preparation for this should be part 

of your routine! Learn from the best, add 

to your existing skill set, and reap all the 

knowledge from our athletes to improve 

yourself beyond what you thought 

possible! 

Unconventionalathletes.com is growing 

fast, if you feel that you have some ideas 

to share and think you fit the criteria for 

the magazine - please contact us at 

unconventionalfit@outlook.com. If you 

want to plug your own unconventional 

training gym, then let us know. 



Nigel John 

Founder and creator of Unconventional Athletes.com 

Nigel has created this magazine to educate and help 

people change the way they think about fitness, using a 

more pragmatic approach; making unconventional = 

functional. Fitness should be a natural part of life and not 

a chore, and he strongly believes in experience being the 

key to success. Everyone who features in this magazine 

has been vetted for their skill set, bringing together 

former Special Forces, calisthenics experts, strength 

experts, fighters and policemen etc. The athletes have 

effective, unconventional training knowledge formed from 

many years of experience. They have not just done a short 

course on the subject, they have truly experienced the 

training and results first-hand. Nigel has created his own 

system called high octane training, which has been 

developed over a number of years. It is designed to evolve 

your fitness to an elite level in a very short space of time 

with multiple applications. Nigel is well-known and 

respected amongst the unconventional training 

community all around the world, he has had publications 

in ‘My Mad Methods Magazine’ and ‘Onnit Academy’. 

He’s sponsored by Mass Suit and runs the Facebook 

page ‘Unconventional Athletes’; uniting athletes all 

over the world, who then share their knowledge to 

those who want to get involved in our methods. This 

allows unconventional athletes to get recognition for 

what they do. The magazine is dedicated to helping 

people gain an insight into unconventional training 

equipment; suggesting cheaper or homemade 

alternatives. This way you don’t get ripped off with 

gimmicky, useless equipment that your personal 

trainer endorses just to earn a quick buck! Don’t stay 

in the box, read on, reap the knowledge and evolve. 

The one-eyed man is King in the valley of the blind! 

Anyone wishing to contribute ideas, articles or advertisements, please contact our agent: 

SANDRA BEDELL on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Monkey777 

Cell: +1 516 428-9315 | Email: Unconventionalfit@outlook.com 

JOIN OUR GROUP OF EXPERIENCED UNCONVENTIONAL ATHLETES: 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Highoctanetraining/?fref=ts 



CONTRIBUTORS 

CATHERINE BIRMINGHAM 

NATIONALITY: AUSTRALIAN 

Catherine Louise Birmingham is an internationally acclaimed dressage trainer and coach. Her career spans 

over Germany, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Jakarta. She is the author of two books – “Ride 

for Life - The Three Golden Principles for Riders” which is available in English, Danish and Italian, and 

“Just Be You - Transformation and the Gift of Fear”. Catherine speaks at prisons, businesses and riding 

establishments on healing, growth, fear and awareness. 

WEBSITE: http://catherinelouisebirmingham.wordpress.com 

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/catherinelouise.birmingham 

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-louise-birmingham-424a3a28 

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsHORhUZpDNoDFmd-hCQcog?view_as=public 

TOKEY HILL 

NATIONALITY: AMERICAN 

Recently sworn in as the Director of Coaches for the first U.S. karate team to compete in the Olympics 

(2020), Tokey Hill began his illustrious athletic career by becoming the first American to win the World 

Karate Championship in 1980. A six-time National Karate Champion, winner of a bronze medal in the 1981 

World Games, the Olympic Coach of the Year for his role in 1999 Pan American Games, owner of three 

‘Team Tokey Hill’ karate schools and the current Chairperson of the Arnold Classic Worldwide Combative 

Sports Festival. Hill is the undeniable leader in American Karate, who is dedicated to helping those 

most vulnerable in society. Tokey Hill has designed self-defense classes for the blind, supports karate 

programs for the autistic and teaches upper-level karate students how to assist Team Tokey Hill 

classmates with disabilities. Following in his footsteps, four of his children have achieved National 

Karate Championships titles. 

WEBSITE: www.arnoldsportsworld.com 

WEBSITE: WWW.teamtokeyhill.com 

CAM TRACEY 

NATIONALITY: AUSTRALIAN 

Cam tells us he has been lucky enough to spend the last 12 years of his life travelling, living in multiple 

countries across the globe (currently Azerbaijan) and has combined travelling with some of his other 

great passions; BASE jumping, paragliding and speed-flying, in approximately 28 countries on 5 of the 6 

inhabited continents. In the words of Cam ‘Being fit is a choice of lifestyle, not spending an hour at a 

gym every day.’ 

WEBSITE: Camtracey.com 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/basejumperswithoutborders 

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9MEsTH-2mz2HwsB84LOMwA/videos 



CONTRIBUTORS 

RICK PLESTER 

NATIONALITY: CANADIAN 

Rick Plester is a lead vocalist guitar player and record producer residing in Austin, Texas. To date Rick has 

been involved in 152 records as a producer, engineer or guitarist working with names such as the Scorpions' 

James Kottak, Kottak Attack, Michael Schenker, George Lynch, Producer Julie Larson, Stevie Wonder, Etta 

James, Chaka Khan, Elton John, Steely Dan, Janet Jackson, KD Lang, Anne Lennox, Sarah McLachlan, 

Lindsey Buckinham, Bjork, Producer Gary Sinclaire, Chris Layton (Stevie Ray Vaughan) Wasp, etc. Rick 

has also written music for ABC, NBC, ESPN, FOX, for sports and The NHL and won the LA Guitar Wars 

and several Canadian guitar wars contests. 

Before Rick’s music career he was a pro Hockey player (goalie) for several years both in Ice Hockey and 

Roller Hockey. Both careers started overlapping so he picked music. Recently Rick formed the rock 

band ‘’The Foundary” with members Blaze Baily (Former Iron Maiden Vocalist), John Moyer (Disturbed 

bassist) and the late AJ Pero RIP (Twisted Sister, Adrenalin Mob Drummer) Although a side project, the 

band was very respected by fans and peers. 

Rick has now completed writing a new record called ‘The Trees”. This will also be Rick’s first recording as 

the lead vocalist. Preparations are under way for a 2016 release followed by extensive touring which 

will feature some of the best-known musicians in history. 

WEBSITE: http://www.rickplester.com/services-1.htm 

GARY HODGES 

NATIONALITY: UNITED KINGDOM 

Gary Hodges is an avid unconventional athlete from the UK. His skill sets include being an object lifter, 

metal manipulator and tree climber. These are just a few examples of his skillsets. Gary will use 

anything he sees in nature to train with. Gary has many years of experience in unconventional training 

and is always willing to learn from others. Gary has successfully used his training to manage and 

overcome a myriad of serious health issues. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/max.power.758737?fref=ts 

TIM HOWELL 

NATIONALITY: UNITED KINGDOM 

Tim is a twenty-six year old restless adventurer. After completing his education at eighteen, he left the UK 

for South Africa to explore the land and life on a different continent. He returned to the UK after several 

years to join the Royal Marines. Professionally a full-time Royal Marines Commando, he has pushed to 

create a mental and physical robustness that helps progress his sports outside of work, mainly climbing, 

skiing, wingsuit flying and BASE jumping. 

Twitter: @t1twenty 

Instagram: @t1twenty 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimHowellADVNTR/ 

Web: www.t1twenty.com 



CONTRIBUTORS 

EWA KALISIEWICZ 

NATIONALITY: POLISH 

Ewa Kalisiewicz is a twenty-nine year old athlete who initiated her skydiving adventure eight years ago. 

To date, she has completed over 11000+ jumps (including 600+ wingsuit flights). After graduating from 

university, she moved to Spain to boost her wingsuit flying. Professionally she is a project manager for the 

airline industry and after hours she enjoys being a wing suit pilot, skydiver and BASE jumper. Her strongest 

skills in wingsuiting are in acrobatic / dynamic flying. Ewa and her team of 3 were awarded with the first 

prize at the 6th International Artistic Wingsuit Competition and she individually won the best wingsuit 

camera flyer of the event. She runs skill camps and coaching for beginner wingsuiters. 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ewakalisiewicz 

Instagram: @ewakalisiewicz 

EDWARD CHECO 


Ed Checo is the founder of Barstarzz, the street workout program with a worldwide following. The 

29-year-old New York City native’s love of calisthenics, which started in childhood, primarily uses outdoor 

playground equipment such as parallel bars to train. Barstarzz members also develop dynamic freestyle 

routines used in competitions. Through social media, a website and an App, as well as chapters in over 50 

locations, Checo is able to spread his group’s philosophy: “Lead, Inspire, Change!” and fitness routine to a 

growing global audience. 

MAIN WEBSITE: http://barstarzz.com 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Barstarzz 

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialBarstarzz 

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/barstarzz/?hl=en 

BRADY ARCHER 


Brady was raised in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. He fell in love with nature, the outdoors, and 

everything else that the state had to offer. Brady grew up playing ice hockey from the time he could 

walk, a few years later he started getting into snowboarding, golf, and hiking, all of which are Colorado 

staples. After graduating from CU Boulder with a Mechanical Engineering degree, he headed out west 

to try his luck in the booming oil industry. Brady worked as a field engineer for Schlumberger Oilfield 

Services from 2007 – 2012 in a variety of locations including California, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and 

finally in the remote jungles of Colombia. Following the stay in Colombia, he realized it was time for 

something new. He took six months off to travel and figure out what career path he wanted to take. 

During that time he started running several events for a new company that was just starting to take off. 

That company was Tough Mudder. Brady has designed, worked and run 75 events. Of those, the ones he 

is most proud of are the 2014 and 2015 World’s Toughest Mudder courses in Las Vegas. 

Instagram : thearcherproject 

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/bradyarcher 



CONTRIBUTORS 

MIKE GILLETTE 


Mike Gillette has a life story that reads like an action-adventure novel. A life which has proven to be his own 

best case-study for goal attainment. He was a poor, scared and scrawny kid who grew up amidst a backdrop 

of extreme violence and substance abuse. A kid who would ultimately become an Army Paratrooper, 

SWAT Commander, Counter-Terrorism Consultant, Bodyguard to Fortune 500 CEOs and a record-breaking 

strongman whose feats have been documented by Guinness World Records and Ripley’s Believe it or Not. 

As both a practitioner and purveyor, Mike is a peak performance pioneer. At over 50 years of age, he 

continues to transcend his own personal limits while teaching others how to do the same. 

For physical training and his strength training, his book “Rings of Power” is available from www.DragonDoor.com 

Video training course the “Savage Strength Training Program” is available from www.CriticalBench.com. 

For mental training, take a look at his video course “The Psychology of Strength” available at 

www.StrengthPsychology.com. 

Mind Boss Book: Using the Tenets of Tough Thinking to Take Charge or Your Thoughts and Transform Your 

Life” is available at both www.Amazon.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com 

Students of self-defense can check out the DVD “Become Dangerous” at www.DangerousDVDs.com. 

Website: www.MikeGillette.com where you’ll find blog posts and links to all of Mike’s social media 

channels. There’s a lot of information there, all waiting to be studied. 

DON GIAFARDINO 


Author Donnie Giafardino is an avid fitness enthusiast. After years of living with pain due to a shoulder 

injury, he developed the Adex Adjustable Exercise Club, the first of its kind. Donnie is ISSA S&C certified 

and has had many job experiences, which include crane operator, cell phone tower climber, restauranteur, 

fitness storeowner, and magazine columnist. 

Website: http://www.Adexclub.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/don.giafardino?fref=ts 

HENK BAKKER 

NATIONALITY: DUTCH 

Henk Bakker (Henkules) works at the Department of Justice in a Special Response Team 

to ensure safety against dangerous detainees. Henk had different forms of training such as combat, 

endurance and strength training. Henk’s job now is activity leader and fitness instructor at the detention 

center. He has over twenty-five years experience in strength training. He is also a fitness trainer and a 

bootcamp instructor. Henk’s mission is to motivate and inspire people who want to train in an 

unconventional way. Most of the unconventional training tools that he uses are made by himself. 

WEBSITE: http://unconventional-training.nl 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/553936311344546/?fref=ts 

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hLO9laiP9g 


CONTRIBUTORS 

IVAN BUCHER 

NATIONALITY: SWISS 

Ivan has been bodybuilding most of his life and is an avid competitor and former MR UNIVERSE. Ivan’s 

skillset is not limited to bodybuilding; prior to this vocation he was a keen gymnast, from this he has 

blended both weight training and bodyweight training to create a hybrid of both sports. 

» 2012 WFF Universe 2012: 1. Category Couple 

» 2012 WABBA World Champion 2012: 1. Category Couple 

» 2012 WABBA Swiss Champion 2012: 1st place 

» 2011 WFF Universe 2011: 1. Category Athletic over 35 and Overall Winner of Athletic Category [1] [2] 

» 2010 Fitness World Championships: Vice World Champion in pair competition and 6th place in 

individual [3] 

» 2009 WFF Universe 2009: 4. Final Rank 

» 2008 World Champion in force endurance motility (Strenflex) 

» 2008 Fitness World Championships: Vice World Champion in singles and pairs competition 

» 2007 Fitness World Championships: World Champion in pair competition 

» 2006 Fitness World Champion Strenflex and Fitness European Champion 

» 2003 Fitness World Champion Strenflex 

» 1999 International Mr. Fitness Winner in Stuttgart 

» Multiple champion of the canton Obwalden in gymnastics, Eidgenössischer Wreath Art Turner 

WEBSITE: http://lifefitness24.ch 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ivan.bucher.77?fref=ts


WORKING THE CONNECTIONS OF 

THE BODY AND MIND 

INTUITION AND AWARENESS BECOME ONE: 

A SPIRiTUAL RIDER’S PERSPECTIVE! 

CATHERINE CAN YOU GIVE 

US A BRIEF BACKGROUND ON 

YOURSELF? 

Always having a deep love for 

horses, I knew I was supposed to be 

working with them since I was very 

young, even though my family did not 

have our own horses. 

I travelled to Germany to begin my 

training at the age of 19. From there I 

moved to Japan as head dressage 

coach, and then back to Australia 

where I opened my own training 

stables, ‘EquinoxeEquestrian – 

Enlightened Equestrian Education’. 

After closing this I moved shortly to 

Malaysia where I meditated in 

temples and gave free training to 

the local riding club. I then moved to 

Singapore, to again work as a 

coach and trainer for dressage. 

Recently I was head coach for 

Arthayasa Stables in Jakarta, 

Indonesia, and I am about to move 

to Italy to again work as a trainer 

for dressage horses and riders. I am 

currently taking a year away from 

riding to write two more books. 

What is extreme about me? I am 

spiritual and a writer. Riding, selfmastery 

as well as the laws of our 

life, are expressed with great wisdom 

when you are shown how to recognise 

their answers. 



HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RIDING? 

Since I was 9 years old. I taught myself to ride bareback 

with a trusted friend. I had the honour of being 

able to ride on weekends and after school. I helped 

my mother volunteer at the local Riding for the 

disabled and they in turn allowed me to ride one 

of their ponies, Tonto. 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DRESSAGE OVER 

OTHER FORMS OF RIDING? 

I chose dressage while I was still a teenager in 

Australia. I was doing eventing there, which is 

three phases of riding; involving show jumping 

(colourful poles in a sand arena), cross country 

(natural obstacles over distances on grass), and 

dressage (where the horse looks like it is dancing 

and the rider is doing nothing). For me dressage 

was challenging and there was a lot to learn. It 

involved much more detailed training and this was 

fulfilling my desire to learn something very difficult. 

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 

DRESSAGE AND SPIRITUAL DRESSAGE? 

The difference between dressage training and 

spiritual dressage training is that one; you work 

from the connections of your body and your mind, 

and the other; you work from the connections of 

your soul through your body and your mind. Our 

bodies are a reflection of our spiritual state and as 

any athlete will know, having a clear state of mind 

is the key to connecting with your soul. Through 

riding we begin physically connecting with the 

awareness of our body and this leads us to focusing 

the mind. 

HOW MUCH BALANCE DOES NON-SADDLE 

RIDING INVOLVE AND WHAT METHODS DO 

YOU USE TO TRAIN THIS? 

A classical dressage rider begins with physically 

developing balance. This balance is very different 

from our natural balance from our feet, hands or 

arms. It is mainly all core. A rider rides 70% from 

their legs, 25% from their seat and only 5% from 

their hands. 



Most riders train when young while being “lunged.” 

This is when someone has control over the horse 

connected to a long lead while it moves in a 

continual circle, allowing the rider to practice 

their position with balancing exercises while they 

have nothing to hold onto with their hands, and 

nothing to put their feet into. With the horse 

moving, they develop a balanced ‘seat’. It is where 

you learn (not all riders do) to become one with 

the horse with your body. 

While pilates, yoga, jogging and skiing are wonderful 

to help and assist in a rider’s fitness and strength, 

unfortunately when it comes to riding there is really 

only one way to learn – ride! 

YOU MUST USE A LOT OF LEG STRENGTH. 

DO YOU DO ANY UNUSUAL EXERCISES TO 

STRENGTHEN THOSE COMPONENTS TO HELP 

YOU TO STAY ON YOUR HORSE? 

There are muscles and fitness that a rider can only 

build by riding. I have a really beautiful lady that 

I have coached for some time in Australia. She 

is the fittest woman I know and is a regular at her 

gym. After a training session with her horse and I, 

she is exhausted. It’s not that her fitness doesn’t 

help, it’s just that riding is very unique in not 

only its physical demands, but in its development 

of certain areas of the brain – intuition and 

awareness – that very few sports similarly require 

on the same level. 

You are working with another feeling; you are not 

able to verbally communicate with the horse, but 

need to predict and feel what they are feeling and 

are what they're about to do. Mistakes in this are 

learnt very early on from both partners – the horse 

learns to trust the rider’s intentions and the rider 

learns to focus, and stay on! 

WOULD YOU SAY THAT RIDING WITH NO 

SADDLE IS A FULL BODY WORKOUT? 

Yes, riding can make you extremely strong physically, 

but its true strength is in its capability to strengthen 

your soul. 

After a rider has had many years of developing the 

physical aspect of riding, they have the 

opportunity to dive into their soul and work on 

the mental and emotional aspects of themselves. 

This leads to the self-mastery obtained with the 

life skills of a Buddhist monk and the physical 

mastery of a martial arts master. There is great 

wisdom in riding, but also it can breed its opposite 

of great mastered egos, too. 



MOST IMPORTANTLY DO YOU 

PRACTICE ANY DRILLS WHEN/IF A 

HORSE BUCKS I.E. HOW TO BAIL OUT 

AND LAND SAFELY? 

This is all built over years of practice. 

Firstly, physically gaining core balance and 

awareness through lots of falls and then 

mentally - by learning to stay focused and 

‘ride through’ the many changes happening 

underneath you, while the horse is still 

learning what it is that you would like it to do. 

ANY DO’S AND DON’T TIPS? 

Do trust your gut and intuition. Face your 

fears and follow through. Don’t be a victim. 

Every rider is different and every horse is 

different, too. 

CATHERINE IF THERE IS ANYTHING 

ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD, FEEL 

FREE. 

Riding is a metaphor for life. The horse 

becomes a mirror of the rider in all areas 

as well as illnesses, stresses and situations. 

These are all opportunities for us to learn 

and grow, not to make us feel like we are any 

better or worse than others. The wisdom that 

riding has for anyone, and you don’t need to 

be able to ride a horse to understand it, you 

only need to be living life. 

ARTICLE BY Catherine Birmingham 

http://catherinelouisebirmingham.wordpress.com 

www.facebook.com/catherinelouise.birmingham 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-louise-birmingham-424a3a28 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsHORhUZpDNoDFmd-hCQcog?view_as=public 



FROM ELECTRONICS 

TO THE DROP ZONE 

A SPORT WITH A COMMUNITY OF LOYALTY, ZEAL AND MUTUAL 

RESPECT. CAM TRACEY KINDLY WELCOMES US TO BASE JUMPING WITH 

A RAW, BUT COMPELLING POSITIVE MESSAGE. 



Can you give us a brief background on 

yourself and how you got into BASE 

jumping? Are you self-taught? 

I’ve wanted to jump ever since I knew 

what a parachute was. Perhaps even 

before, and I loved being up high. I 

would climb trees, the mountain in 

our backyard, our water tank, and our 

house roof. I jumped from them with 

umbrellas, when one didn’t work, I used 

two, then 3. Although 3 were difficult to 

hold, it kind of worked…. 

As I grew up, I let life get in the way. 

Working Monday to Friday, a 9 to 5 

job, saving for a rainy day, planning my 

life away for some imaginary future. 

One day, I was at a night class for an 

electronics course I’d signed up for in an 

attempt to change my career, and one of 

the other students said he does some 

work for a guy who owns a dropzone. 

That weekend we went out there and 

my classmate signed up for his tandem, 

but my head was set…“Sign me up for 

the course!” I said. "No tandems for 

me, let’s get this party started!" 

How long have you been BASE 

jumping? 

I started skydiving in 1999, and although I 

met my mentor and started following him 

around and helping as his “ground crew” 

in 2001, my first BASE jump was in 2002. 

Where have you jumped in the world? 

Australia, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, 

Hungary, Czech Republic, Serbia, Bulgaria, 

Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Estonia, 

Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, 

Greece, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, 

USA, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and 

maybe a few I’ve forgotten. 

Yet to be conquered is the African 

continent... look out, here I come!! 

All jumps are unique and have their 

special memories THAT came with them. 

Do you have a height range when 

jumping? What is considered too 

low or too high? 

Well, my lowest jump to date was 31 

metres from a monument in Bulgaria. 

My highest BASE jump was maybe 700 

metres, not quite sure. I prefer low stuff 

to high stuff. It’s more challenging but 

also, often less legal. In many 

countries it's not exactly illegal and 

we do not damage anything and leave 

no traces, so I’m happy living in the 

“grey area”. 

You can go as high as you like, as long 

as you can breathe/find an object that 

high. Of course you can also go higher, 

if you have a sponsor willing to pay 

for all the necessary equipment. 

Photo taken by ‘Abraham Hernandez Martinez’ 

my parachute myself, but I also only 

jump with people I trust, so if for 

any reason someone wants/has to 

pack for me, then I have no 

problem. If they pack it wrong and I 

die, they will feel worse and for 

longer than me….I’ll be dead! 

Do you have a reserve chute, or is it 

just one chute? 

For BASE jumping we only have a 

reserve. It’s the main parachute we 

don’t have. It’s all about perspective. 

There is no time for 2 parachutes (at 

least not on the low stuff I do.) 

Photo taken by ‘CAM TRACEY’ 

What equipment do you use when 

jumping, this can include 

safety gear if any, and do 

you pack all this yourself? 

PHOTO TAKEN BY ‘Karen Hardy’ 

Anyone can jump! I use a 

parachute so I can do it more 

than once! Haha. Depends on 

the object, if it's difficult access 

I will use a climbing harness 

and various equipment to gain 


access to the top. I mostly pack 

Page 17


What does the adrenalin rush feel 

like when you jump before and after? 

Do you feel fear before you jump? 

How beautiful is it up there? What does 

it feel like when you are free falling, do 

you smile, laugh, etc.! 

These questions require long answers! 

throw myself off one object several 

times, in a short space of time (such 

as at BASE jumping events) my focus 

moves more towards packing and 

weather conditions. The jump is less 

of a “dive into the unknown” and 

therefore more giggles etc. 

Fear keeps us alive. When you're scared 

before a jump, you have a respect that 

demands you to check everything so as 

to be able to do the jump safely. 

Many young people entering the sport 

today are “fearless” and that leads to 

recklessness, and we all know where 

that ends up! 

The Chinese proverb “Courage is not the 

absence of fear but the strength to 

overcome it” is one I find appropriate 

here. Anyone who has conquered a fear, 

or done something to overcome such; 

will know the feeling it gives you. I 

think this euphoric feeling is 

exacerbated by the fact that your whole 

life you are told not to go near the 

edge, it’s not safe. Flying is dangerous, 

etc etc. Yet since the dawn of time man 

has looked to the sky, and in today’s 

world that goal is attainable. 

All jumps create an indescribable feeling 

of clarity, freedom, control, yet lack of 

control, understanding, fear and 

empowerment all at once. It’s the 

ultimate sensation of time slowing down, 

where milliseconds become seconds and 

seconds become minutes. Your mind 

becomes so sharp and aware, you see and 

understand things that should not be 

possible. 

Smiling/laughing…..? 

Funnily enough, on most extremely 

technical jumps, the camera shows that 

in freefall, I do get this very stern 

and concentrated look on my face. Under 

canopy I then switch to a more relaxed, 

yet still concentrated look (it’s not over 

‘til you land). Sometimes I’ll have a bit of 

a chuckle or maybe if I’m wearing a 

camera I’ll goof it. I guess like any 

perfectionist, when concentrating on 

their “game”, will have more of a focused 

look than a smile. Having said that, if I 

Do you train your mind-set? 

I was always fascinated with 

meditation. I’ve been on some 

retreats, and courses to learn/train 

such; but my chaotic lifestyle and 

constant travelling through multiple 

time zones, means my body clock is so 

out of whack, I don’t have the luxury of a 

5am meditation, exercise and smoothie 

routine. Instead, I meditate where and 

when I can (and feel like), on a flight, 

long road trips, in bed before sleep etc. 

Are there any exercises you do 

pre-jumping that help you stay strong 

for the jump and in physical control. 

Similar to above, I don’t have time (or 

any interest) in going to a gym and 

running like a rat on a treadmill. I 

simply mould my choices to suit my 

lifestyle. I never take a lift or an 

escalator when I can take the stairs. I 

don’t drive to the shop if I can walk. I 

don’t spend ages driving around the 

shopping centre car park trying to get a 

parking spot close to the entrance, on 

the contrary; parking as far as possible 

means not only more walking, but 

carrying your shopping a further 

distance. BASE jumping also requires 

exercise. How else does one get to the 

top of Austria’s tallest building (whilst 

still under construction) before a jump - 

60 floors! There are almost no cliffs 

that you can drive up to. Although the 

cliff face might be 700 vertical metres, 

it’s a several hour hike, and if the 

weather turns bad, it's several hours 

back down again. If I see a bar/soccer 

goal/tree, I’ll smash out a quick 15 odd 

chin-ups. Out in nature with some time 

to enjoy the sunset, I’ll pump out a 

quick 30 push-ups, handstand push-ups 

and sit-ups until it hurts or it’s time 

to move on. If I’m visiting a mate who 

does yoga, I’ll join him. Or maybe I meet 

my mates at the local rock-climbing 

wall or gym. All exercises I do are 

using bodyweight, so they can be done 

PHOTOGRAPH BY - Marcelo Blanco 

http://andesxtremo.com/ 



anywhere at any time. I also follow something called 

the “Primal Blueprint”. Basically, I eat meat, vegetables, 

fruits, nuts and seeds. Everything natural, as nature 

intended. No processed grains, or unnecessary complex 

carbohydrates, it’s a weird and confusing subject, 

because it goes against every… grain (excuse the pun) of 

conventional wisdom. I’m not saying it will work for 

everyone, but since I changed my diet I am no longer 

allergic to anything (previously, I was allergic to 

everything; foods, animals, grass, dust, dairy etc) I am 

also very seldom ill, and my weight has stabilised (as in 

heavier, but for me, 60kg is better than 55kg. Different 

people different effects), and I no longer wake up in the 

morning feeling like I’m about to starve to death!!! 

How exhausting is the jump? I guess you have to walk or 

run to your jump destination and do you research your 

sites first? If so, how do you choose the jump site or are 

they predestined? I guess you will have the mental buildup 

then finally the jump? 

In today’s world, jumps are rarely “firsts”, but that is 

something I search for! 

Some extremely technical jumps, such as the Jesus Statue 

in Bolivia, although requiring minimal exercise to climb to 

the top, are extremely tiring. I spent one year preparing for 

that jump. Test jumps in different locations - talking with 

many different jumpers about various methods and 

outcomes. Also, checking weather patterns, weeks before 

the jump, I was at the statue and an antenna located at 

the same altitude above sea level (2900 metres/almost 

10000 feet, very thin air) several times. So I knew exactly 

how and when my parachute would open and how it 

would react and where I would land etc. Not to mention 

the lack of sleep the night before the jump (so excited 

and scared) and then the 4am start to get there before 

sunrise, sneak in, set up, and eventually jump before the 

weather kicks in and becomes too dangerous to jump! 

7am and the sunrise breeze has calmed down, all the 

ground crew with cameras were ready, I’m standing on 

Jesus’ head, 43 metres to impact (if I slip, nothing will 

save me - looking down over Jesus’ forehead to a solid 

concrete floor is very intimidating), arms spread out in a 

similar pose to that of my imminent conquest. Frank 

flies his drone up to show a beautiful perspective. 

Crunch time… Heart racing... lump in my throat, knees 

trembling, final check over in my head. 

Parachute packed appropriately and perfectly for this 

jump – check, 

Attachment points for the static line – check, 

Weather good – check, 

Parachute fixed to my person correctly and evenly – check, 

Cameras rolling – check. 

”Hurry up, Tracey, the battery is going flat on the drone!” 

Argh!!! Ok, here goes nothing… 3, 2, 1, now!!! As soon as 

my feet leave the Jesus concrete head, time slows down 

so slowly that I see everyone’s jaw drop, some focused on 

their camera screens, some forgetting they’re even holding 

a camera and staring at me with massive eyes, drone pilot 

desperately trying to fly the drone & it’s camera to the 

best angle, my mate, Gocho, standing on the statue’s head 

behind me filming. I see Jesus' face (and yes, I realise this 

is impossible because my mate and the statue are behind 

me, but somehow…) and then a final check in my head 

just before the opening sequence, are my shoulders 

straight, hips forward and even, and is my body arched? 

boom! My body ceases its 45degree trajectory forward and 

down, as the parachute begins to inflate and break the 

forward movement from my strong push away from the 

object. I look and reach up, canopy has inflated, perfectly, 

as planned, I grab the brakes and use them just as time 

starts to speed up (but only a bit) I need to slow myself 

down, so I don’t outfly the landing zone and smash 

myself on the rocks behind it, but too much brakes and the 

canopy will flare and stop my downward movement 

leaving me to fall the last few metres to the ground… 

little by little… touch down, skidding right to the end of 

the landing zone, parachute half in a tree… 

ABSOLUTE euphoria!! 

Now back to the local paragliding office Andesxtremo, 

who supported the whole thing, for a bit of a celebration 

and then a well-earned siesta. Yeah, jumping can be 

extraordinarily tiring. 

What main parts of the body 

are used when jumping for 

example core, arms, and legs 

and how intense is this? 

Most of the strength required 

for a jump is getting to the 

top. Sometimes just trekking 

up mountains, via-ferrate, 

climbing, scrambling, ascending 

120 metre (400 foot) to 

450metre (1500 foot) antennas 

on an internal ladder, and 

carrying up to 12 kgs of equipment. 

The jump itself is more 

PHOTOGRAPH BY ‘Janine 

Kratzenstein’ 

about being fit, and well balanced (some do slacklining, I 

try to get back to gymnastics classes when I can), having 

fast reaction times, etc. The overwhelming feeling known 

as sensory overload affects non-athletic people more. They 

become so overwhelmed they either make mistakes, or are 

so overwhelmed they don’t react at all! Some react, but 

don’t remember what happened afterwards. Athleticism is 

a must, but you don’t need a 6-pack and well-shaped biceps 

or lats… that’s just to pick up chicks! ;) Haha 

Have you ever had a close call? (sorry to ask man) 

Last xmas eve (2014), I went out to a wind turbine I had 

discovered the previous year with a couple of mates 



Do – Seek some form of GUIDANCE. A teacher 

or a MENTOR! Don’t – TEACH YOURSELF!! 

who were yet to jump it. We went up, 

jumped, I did what is called a gainer 

(jumping forwards but essentially doing 

a backflip), landed, all good. Because 

it’s an isolated location, and it being 

2 am, I suggested we grab our second 

parachutes and go for another one. The 

wind was quite strong and I had jumped 

this wind turbine several times already. 

I decided instead of another flip, I would 

jump sideways from the object (side 

floater they call it) so I could watch 

the massive blades spinning in front 

of my face. Now anyone in their right 

mind knows it’s a stupid idea, but as I 

said before, the minute you stop being 

scared, you become reckless. So as the 

parachute opens, I find myself staring at 

the tower the wind turbine is mounted 

on, and although I grab the brakes 

and stop the canopy surging forward, 

upon opening, my body swings from a 

horizontal position to vertical, but with 

such force (as always, it’s quite normal) 

that my legs swing forward and my 

heel smashes into the tower, breaking 

it, followed by my sacrum (between the 

tailbone and spine) breaking itself on 

the solid surface. Now to avoid flying 

into the blades of said turbine, I keep 

the canopy in a stall (which they are 

not designed to do; a wing wants to 

fly!) and about 5 or 10 metres above 

the ground the stall becomes so bad, 

my body is swung to the side and I 

smash into the ground with the left 

side of my pelvis causing it to bend 

and break along with my pubic bone. I 

crawled into the back of my friend’s car 

and lay on my stomach as he drove me 

to the hospital, and although I was told, 

that they were “clean breaks” and I 

would not require surgery, it would 

be 3 months before I could walk and 

probably 12 months before I could 

jump. Four weeks later they sent me 

home, and 5 weeks later I walked back 

into the hospital (with the assistance of 

a walking stick) and got my final scan 

that showed I had healed. I was sent 

to a rehabilitation clinic for 3 weeks, 

where, although we weren't allowed 

out for more than just walks in the 

nearby park and town centre, I snuck 

off and went skiing one weekend, and 

was sure to grab my parachute to 

pack it ready for my release. The day I 

checked out, I called my mates and met 

them at one of our local cliffs. No stops 

for lunch, fuel, anything… I needed to 

prove to myself I could still do it! 

Standing on that edge again, fresh from 

multiple fractures was like my first 

jump all over again and I didn’t slow 

down… Au contraire…… I packed my 

toys and my mate joined me on a 

road trip for my last 4 days in Europe, 

before I had to fly out to start a new 

work contract in Azerbaijan. We drove 

from Austria to Slovenia and Croatia, 

jumping and paragliding. Then upon 

landing in Azerbaijan on the fifth 

day, the weather was perfect and my 

boss’s apartment was looking right at a 

building with a 75 metre crane above 

a football field. Time to get cracking! 

5 days, 5 jumps, 2 paragliding flights, 

4 countries, 2 continents! Talk about 

getting straight back on the horse! 

I think base jumping is a very, very 

positive sport and should be recognised 

for the valour and balls of steel you 

have! What you do is inspirational. 

Have you any plans to push this 

forward as a sport and offer education 

on your training/preparation, etc. Do 

you hold any workshops or seminars? 

I don’t think I will find myself in the position 

of offering a course or workshop. But if I 

meet someone who is capable of learning 

and is prepared to invest the required 

effort, I may mentor that person. I prefer 

old school - if he/she has paid me zero 

money to learn, and I feel for any reason 

that their continued practising of the sport 

will endanger themselves, someone else, 

or the sport’s reputation, then I am under 

no obligation to continue their training, 

morally or otherwise. Seminars, possibly, 

but they would be more focused on a 

positive lifestyle, and changing the way we 

work, live, travel, eat, think, etc. rather than 

just about jumping. Occasionally, when I 

work as an English teacher, in Austria, I talk 

with the children about sports and getting 

past fear, thinking/living outside the box 

and expanding their horizons. I hope I 

have had some kind of impact on them, 

and therefore the next generation. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Brett Kistler - http://www.clearviewstudios.com/ 



Another angle I want to throw at you 

- do you think BASE jumping would 

help with people with lower serotonin 

levels i.e. people who suffer with 

depression, anxiety etc. (I personally 

think it would, but that’s my opinion.) 

There have been a couple of wellknown 

BASE jumpers who use that 

story to help them in their media 

presence, ”I am depressed, so I’m not 

afraid to die, but through BASE 

jumping I learned to live again….” 

I’m afraid Idon’t know enough about 

depression other than, maybe I had 

it when I was younger, but instead of 

wallowing in it, or taking medication, 

or going to a “psychotherapist”, I 

changed my life and lifestyle, so that I 

enjoyed it very much. 

Fear keeps us alive, and I worry that 

if a person is seriously depressed, 

then maybe they are missing a key 

ingredient to the practising of the 

sport. I also believe that no one person 

or thing can make us happy. If we are 

single and sad, then a girlfriend will 

not make us happy. We just need to 

change our perspective. Just as if you 

are suicidal, throwing yourself off a 

cliff and surviving will not cure you. If 

people are looking for a pill or a quick 

fix to their problems… I don’t believe 

it exists, otherwise we would all be 

young, beautiful and so happy….yet 

probably so lazy and unappreciative 

because we’d found the fountain of 

youth/happiness and you can buy 

it online for just 5 easy payments of 

9.99. Having said that, any form of 

sport/movement, Yoga etc. releases 

endorphins that do indeed make life 

easier/happier, so sure I guess it could 

help, just maybe in combination with 

other things. 

Anxiety, well I believe that what is 

seen as “the norm” today and the 

way we live, certainly does little to 

discourage such. Conversing with 

people using our voice instead of a 

mobile phone, travelling personally 

instead of learning about the world 

through the television, participating 

in sports instead of playing “Wii” etc. 

is certainly a better first step than 

throwing yourself off a building….. 

repeatedly. 

You are very highly regarded in the 

community of BASE jumpers and wing 

suitors around the world, you’re like 

one big family! Do you guys meet up 

and jump together? 

Every year more and more BASE 

jumping events crop up around the 

world, so at these gatherings we will 

sometimes meet new friends, catch up 

with old friends. Many BASE jumpers 

also travel regularly, so before going 

to a new city, country or location we 

will reach out to the “local” jumpers. 

It’s great showing a guest around your 

stomping ground and vice versa. 

Do you do any tricks when jumping? 

I like doing aerials and unusual jumps 

with a packed and unpacked parachute. 

As described above, a gainer is jumping 

forward but rotating backwards, then 

there are front flips, floaters – jumping 

backwards from the exit so you’re looking 

at what you just jumped from (best done 

from a bridge or an antenna with a lot 

of wind), but my favourite is definitely a 

barrel roll. Jumping forward and rotating 

sideways, jumping with skis etc. 

Are there any do’s and don’ts? 

Do– Seek some form of guidance. A 

teacher or a mentor! 

Don’t – Teach yourself!! 

Anyone thinking about starting BASE, 

read and learn as much as you can. 

There is a plethora of information on 

the internet, and “The Great Book of 

BASE” is a great source of knowledge. 

Also, read the “BASE fatality list” found 

on the internet and really think long 

and hard if you truly want to learn 

- this sport is very unforgiving. If you 

are a clumsy person, or think that you 

are plagued with bad luck… take up 

bowling. Whatever you do, do not think 

you can just figure it out, or teach 

yourself. There is no need to, and as 

I said... Unforgiving!!! I have heard 

people say “I don’t care, I’m not afraid 

to die, I’m afraid to not really live!” 

and when someone like that hurts 

themselves or dies, the rest of us are 

perceived as reckless, and the few 

areas where our sport is accepted and 

sometimes even supported, become 

endangered of being shut down. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY ‘Leonid Plotnikov’ 



PHOTOGRAPH BY ‘Saaral Grey’ 

Does the jump effect 

your breathing i.e. with 

the air rushing up 

quickly? Do you have any 

techniques to counteract this or 

do you go with the flow? 

A lot of people unknowingly 

hold their breath on a jump, just 

as in extremely stressful situations. 

I am no different. Before jumping, I 

like to take a few deep breaths and 

with some focus and controlled 

breathing methods - get as much 

oxygen in my system as possible. 

Lastly, where is the most epic place 

you have jumped? What are your 

plans for the future? 

All jumps are unique and have their 

special memories that came with them. 

But any one of my world records have 

definitely become something to tell the 

grandkids. First jumps from the world’s 

tallest Jesus statue in Bolivia, world’s 

tallest statue of Genghis Khan, world’s 

tallest wooden tower, or 1st jump from 

a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey’s 1st cave 

jump, etc. I would love to continue 

touring and jump from many more of 

the world’s biggest statues and unusual 

objects (there is now a taller Jesus statue 

in Poland, if you include his crown). But 

for now I want to concentrate on my 

new concept “BASE Jumpers Without 

Borders”. Using our sport for the greater 

good. Ok, so we’re not doctors, but 

entertainment for people, such as 

terminally ill children, etc. would 

just be a small part of it. This 

year we will be part of some 

BASE jumping events in various 

countries worldwide that will use 

money raised to support good causes 

in the areas where they are held. Such 

as an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka, 

or people with muscle degenerative 

diseases in Germany. The great thing 

about BASE jumpers is that we tend to 

organise our lives to give us as much 

free time as possible for our sport, and 

I believe that given more opportunities 

would also invest some time to help 

make the world a better place. A very 

common expression amongst BASE 

jumpers is “Leave no traces….except 

footprints.” I’d like to think we can apply 

that to the world, and even better, leave 

it behind in a better state than we 

found it in. 

FINAL WORD 

I don’t expect the world to ever fully 

accept what we do, but I hope for an 

understanding. Don’t condemn us, we’re 

not criminals, much less bad people. 

We have such a wonderful opportunity 

in this life, in this time, to truly live 

and enjoy the short precious time we 

have on this planet. Yesterday is history, 

tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, 

that is why it is called the present. 

Website: Camtracey.com 

https://www.facebook.com/basejumperswithoutborders 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9MEsTH-2mz2HwsB84LOMwA/videos 

PHOTOGRAPH BY ‘KAREN HARDY’ 



A DYNAMIC CONTRAST 

AND COMPARISON 

FROM ICE HOCKEY 

TO MUSIC, MUSIC 

TO ICE HOCKEY. 

Q & A WITH ICE HOCKEY 

PLAYER AND Musician 

RICK PLESTER 

Can you give us a background on 

yourself, how you got into Ice Hockey? 

When I was about 4 years old I started 

skating, some friends up the street 

(twin girls) played hockey every day. 

One day I asked to play and I was 

hooked on the game - still am now 

at fifty. I grew up in Calgary, Alberta 

in Canada where the sport of hockey 

was abundant. I played all my minor 

hockey in Calgary then travelled to 

many different cities to play Jr. hockey. 

By the time I was 20 I had reached the 

pro level. I was in and out of the game 

from injury and the tug-of-war I have 

had with music calling me. I started to 

play guitar while in Jr. hockey to take 

my mind off the game. I found if I 

played more guitar I played better 

hockey. I started playing guitar about 

10 hrs a day and my concentration in 

the nets as a goaltender was 

impeccable. I was pushed out of the 

game several times through the years 

but seem to always find a way back 

in. Now at 50 it is no different, I think 

I retired 3 times now but the phone 

keeps ringing and I am grateful to be 

able to suit up in one ofthe best 

hockey leagues in the world 

- the AHL. 

What motivates you and are you 

involved in any competitions? 

I get motivated by many things. First the 

love for what I do in both my hockey and 

music career itself. I love to study, learn 

all I can and see what fits best for me. 

People inspire me, too many to list but 

a few would be Arnold Schwarzenegger, 

Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carey 

Price, Dr. Joe Vitale, Dr Kevin Morin 

etc. As for competition I compete 

against myself every day. I am not really 

interested in being better than someone 

else, I am interested in being the best 

I can be because that does not limit 

me and it's so much fun to see the 



growth. When I do run up on someone 

really good at something I see it as 

education. At that point we have a 

decision, learn something and get 

excited about self-improvements or 

jealousy, which never amounts to 

anything positive. Ultimately motivation 

comes from oneself. 

Tell us about any struggles you have 

had pre training, if any, and how 

you have adapted to your sport, this 

couldbe health related injury etc? 

Every day can be a struggle, uplifting 

or inspiring depending on one’s point 

of view. I have had both and they 

are one of the same. I have noticed 

though when I struggle I need an 

attitude adjustment! About 7 years 

ago I lost everything I had made my 

whole life due to illness, my house 

in Los Angeles grew toxic mold and 

almost did me in. While I was healing 

from things that they said would 

always be with me and regaining 

strength relearning simple day to day 

tasks I realised this was my greatest 

gift! The gift changed my life. I started 

to see what I had, not what I didn't 

have and then it multiplied, all of 

it, tangibles, abilities, relationships, 

career etc. I understand this more 

than ever today and partly why I feel 

younger at 50 than I was at 35. 

What’s the hardest match you had? 

And do you train your mind-set for 

such a hard game? 

So hard to answer after all the years, 

it’s like a blur. I try to live in the now 

not too much in the past or future so 

I am focused on the day mostly. Mindset 

is key! Like I said being in the now. 

When I look to the future I see 

myself only doing my achieved goal 

the end result, the successes, the 

love, the fun! Sometime I do use the 

past to motivate me no matter the 

experience; failure brings education 

also a win brings education both 

are useful, but one cannot live there 

too long or the now creeps by you 

leaving you out of focus, which alters 

your reality, usually away from your 

visions. 

How often do/did you have to train to 

keep yourself on top of the game? 

I try to be active every day. There are 

times when I am on the ice a couple 

hours a day like my earlier days. I feel 

better doing something every day if on 

stage or in the net, or at home. One 

day I might jog, one day maybe run 

stairs in a hotel or I might just study 

myself, practicing smart is key. I use 

the same techniques for music and 

hockey. I visualise myself stopping all 

the pucks, if one goes in I start over till 

perfection, same goes for on stage 

performing. I believe visualisation is 

the single most important thing one 

can do, our body and our entire life 

follow our mind; we become what 

we think. We must choose our 

thoughts carefully! 

Do you ever fear you might hurt yourself 

doing the crazy sport of Ice Hockey? It 

looks to be a very aggressive game? 

How exhausting is it? Which body parts 

do you use mostly? 

No I am too excited to be out there to 

PLEASE LET ME TELL YOU I WOULD 

NOT BE HERE NOW IF I DID NOT 

CHANGE MY DIET!!! 



have fear! I give all I have every time 

at every concert so I have nothing left 

at the end of it all. In hockey most the 

time you play hurt, being a hockey 

goalie even more so! I bet most the 

time us goalies play at about 75% 

healthy, you're always bruised, sore, 

tired and have a pulled muscle of 

some sort. This is normal and it’s 

still so much fun you can’t stop! 

How do you keep yourself in shape, or 

do you follow a special diet or both? 

I think being active and healing are a 

balancing act but the more active the 

better in general for me, so everyday 

activity keeps my mind cleaner. I view 

diet like a car - bad fuels won’t get 

you very far. When I was healing from 

the mold experience I learned much 

about my body and food. Please let 

me tell you, I would not be here if I 

didn't change my diet!!! I healed my 

body from the impossible I was told. 

How you ask? Are you ready? Do YOU 

have the discipline? ZERO SUGAR, 

ZERO WHEAT, ZERO DAIRY. I replaced 

wheat with brown rice for carbs. 

Natural sugar is ok (fruits, veggies). I 

intake a very large amount of greens 

and stay away from man-made 

anything. I believe if you can do this 

without 1 interruption for 6 months, 

your life and health will improve. You 

will think clearer and perhaps cure or 

heal any disease and shed 10 years 

off your age. If you fall off even one 

time though, it sets you back to 

the beginning and you start over, 

it’s hard to do. I fall on and off, but 

generally on. 

Where’s your favourite place to train, do 

you prefer indoors or outdoor training 

or both? 

I love the ice that’s mostly where I train 

but the beauty of this earth is always 

appetising to get into and work out. 

What is your favorite training method 

of all time and what part on your body 

do you like to work most? Can you tell 

us about any unusual training methods 

you do and what they are for? 

I believe flexibility is the key to 

longevity. I have studied cats and found 

many things we should note. They 

always stretch when they get up, 

move, stand, run etc they are very 

quick and live to an old age! I started 

this many years ago and it seems to 

have really helped me, as at 50 I can 

still do over splits (see pic), as a 

goaltender speed is everything. I train 

more for speed and durability than 

strength. My power comes from 

speed and I still feel like a cat! 

What do you foresee for your future? 

What are your goals? What are you 

doing next? 

That is a very good question. I do 

visualise everyday being the oldest 

man in the NHL and winning the cup 

but more so music-related ventures. I 

am in plans for a world tour with a new 

solo record out later this year. I for sure 

will focus on what makes me happy, 

my boundaries and inspirations. I love 

to give back and inspire, like I have 

been inspired. 

I visualise myself stopping all the pucks 

if one goes in I START over till PERFECTION, 

same goes FOR on STAGE PERFORMING. 



You have transitioned into music the 

absolute opposite of Ice Hockey. Can 

you tell us more? 

Interestingly it’s all the same to me 

because I have done both for so long 

and I use the same self-improvement 

techniques for both. The activity is very 

different but the mind is one in the same. 

Regarding mind-set, can you elaborate 

on how the body follows the mind 

in theory or application? I am very 

interested. 

I have some interesting hobbies. I 

study myself and I study quantum 

physics concepts. I study great 

people. The one thing I believe is 

how the mind shapes our universe. 

This is a very complicated topic; 

we could spend a year on this topic 

alone. In simple terms for me, we 

are what we think. Thought becomes 

things and the impossible has been 

proven by those who fail to see 

those impossibilities. We make our 

own movie and it’s perfect, then we 

get programmed with stuff, then the 

movie turns sometimes into a horror 

flick, then we change the channel and 

the same horror flick filled with drama 

and all the negative beliefs play on 

that channel too. Hopefully one day 

you realise you don’t need a TV! 

Can you tell us about the selfimprovement 

techniques you do? 

If it feels good, I follow it if it 

excites me, I follow it. I focus on 

what I do well and expand it, l don’t 

waste time on what I don’t do well. 

There is way too much of that and it 

will only hold you down. 

Thank you Rick Plester for an awesome Q and A written from the heart with your valuable knowledge and experience. 

You can find Rick at the following Link: www.rickplester.com


BEATING ILLNESS WITH 

UNCONVENTIONAL TRAINING 

BENDING METAL, ODD OBJECT LIFTING AND CLIMBING TREES - THE LIST GOES ON! 

GARY HODGES’ INSPIRATIONAL STORY AND RECIPE FOR STRENGTH, SUCCESS AND PERSERVERANCE! 



THE FIRST APPLICATION OF 

UNCONVENTIONAL! 

My interest in training first started 

when my dad took me to Karate 

lessons. Being a small kid, I felt that I 

had to try harder than everyone else 

during our sparring sessions and this 

pushed me to get stronger and faster. 

It must’ve been around the age of 10 

when I began doing push ups and 

challenging my friends to climb trees 

and race up hills etc. My training at 

first was very erratic and I followed 

lots of different random advice from 

magazines and other media sources, 

never actually sticking to one method. 

Despite my lack of knowledge I 

managed to put on a lot of muscle in 

a very small space of time, with very 

little body fat. I remember my first time 

in the gym, I started at one end of the 

machines and worked my way through 

every one of them, it must’ve took me 

about 2 hours to complete it. I did this 

for a few months, and although it was 

completely erratic and lacked sense, it 

worked. I put on about 34lbs due to the 

sheer amount of food that I consumed. 

MOTIVATION! 

The thing that motivates me the most 

is the feeling of overcoming all of my 

health challenges and keeping up with 

people twice the size of me. Talking to 

like-minded people and sharing ideas 

has been a great help too. I think it 

would be counterproductive if you let 

your ego stand in the way of asking 

questions and learning from others. 

Even someone highly experienced can 

learn simple nuances that can help 

push their training to new levels. 

BREAKING THE VICIOUS CIRCLE! 

I think my health has been the biggest 

obstacle in my training so far and many 

times I have considered throwing in the 

towel entirely. I must’ve been around 

20 years old when my health started 

to decline quickly. I had been training 

in the gym for quite a few years at that 

point and I had put on quite a bit of 

mass in the process. Without going 

into too much detail in case you are 

eating your dinner, I had to be rushed 

to the hospital with serious bowel 

trouble. After spending time in the 

hospital they had discovered that I had 

Ulcerative Colitis which is basically 

ulcers in the intestines. I had no idea 

what this was and quickly dived on 

the Internet and read various articles 

like a madman to try to get clued up 

on this rather crippling affliction. 

Before I contracted Ulcerative Colitis 

I weighed over 140lbs, which doesn’t 

sound a lot, but I am only 5ft3 and had 

very low body fat. I quickly lost all of 

my hard-earned gains and lost over 

30lbs in just a few months. Years of 

work erased in barely no time at all, it 

was very disheartening. I was unable 

to eat, and every time I did – it would 

do more damage. It took around eight 

years of careful studying, and trying 

different medication to finally get it 

under control. I came to realise that the 

medications had done more damage 

than good, and the worst part was 

coming to realise that the prednisolone 

that I had been taking had undesired 

effects on my bone density. I found a 

great book called “Breaking the Vicious 

Cycle” which was the catalyst in my 

success against Ulcerative Colitis. I 

removed all grains, and practically all 

carbohydrates and things started to 

improve in no time at all. Although 

there were improvements, things still 

weren’t right and I learnt to adapt the 

I train outside mostly; lifting logs, kegs and 

sandbags and anything else that I find awkward 

to put over my head. 



diet and improve it by removing omega 

6 from the new diet which I found to 

make things a lot worse. In no time at 

all on my new diet I noticed dramatic 

changes and went back to the doctors. 

They told me that there were no more 

signs of the disease and tried to claim 

that their methods and medication 

was the reason for this (which I hadn’t 

even been following). I think if I had 

stayed on the medication and followed 

their guidelines, I would still be 

suffering from Ulcerative Colitis to this 

day. Soon after things got back on track 

and my bowel health was practically 

100%, I got very ill again, but this 

time much worse. It was after a day of 

heavy deadlifting, the following day I 

felt strange. Not just tired, but as if my 

whole body had stopped functioning, I 

couldn’t even close my hands and just 

laid on the floor. It takes a lot to put 

me out of action, but I had come to 

discover that this nemesis was called 

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. I have been 

suffering from this for about five years 

now and it means that some days I can 

do superhuman feats of strength, and 

other days I can’t even walk upstairs 

or even have the energy to shower. I 

have managed to adapt my training 

by removing a lot of the demanding 

exercises such as max effort deadlifts 

etc. Part of me knows that I shouldn’t 

train heavy at all as it could be doing 

permanent damage to my organs 

which are starved of fuel (ATP) but 

training has now become something 

I couldn’t live without. My brain has 

been affected badly and most of my 

memories have been taken from me, 

I suffer from severe concentration 

issues. I can be put to the ground 

merely by being around bright lights 

or if someone walks past me wearing 

strong aftershave or perfume. Still, I 

persevere and here I am today. I may 

not be the strongest in some areas of 

strength training, but my feats speak 

for themselves, especially when you 

consider the damaged tools that I 

am working with. I will beat Myalgic 

Encephalomyelitis one day, but for 

now it seems that it will be coming 

along for the ride – I hope it enjoys our 

journey to greatness. 

COLLECTIVE INTEREST 

A lot of my training is broadcasted 

on Facebook amongst friends who 

are interested in the same style of 

training as me; bending nails, tearing 

cards and doing odd and interesting 

feats of strength. Due to the lack of 

consistency in my health and ability 

and general confidence issues, I have 

never fully broadcasted my feats to a 

large audience. 

2 FINGERS AND A SLEDGEHAMMER! 

Probably the toughest feat I have done 

is the feat where I hang from two 

fingers from a pull up bar while resting 

a large water bottle on my lap, and then 

levering a sledgehammer to my nose. 

I have recorded my practice attempt 

which was much less demanding, and 

will be soon posting a video of me 

doing the main feat with much heavier 

weights. Who knows, one day I may try 

to perform this while hanging just from 

my pinky finger? I have also pulled off 

a one arm, thumb-only set of push ups 

which I am fairly proud of. I would love 

to be able to perform push-ups on just 

my pinky fingers, but I feel that this is a 

long term goal as I have never seen it 

performed before. 

ODD OBJECT APPLICATIONS! 

I lift rocks, sandbags, kegs, trees and 

anything else I can find which is a 

challenge. I train my grip every day 

with various different movements, 

and I also train fairly heavy once a day 

before I start eating my first meal to 

make good use of the nutrients. 

PUSHING BOUNDARIES 

Although I never do anything that 

could endanger my life, there is a 

certain element of danger to a lot of 

my training. I feel like it makes the feat 



I found a great book called “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” 

which was the catalyst in my success 

against Ulcerative Colitis. 

more entertaining and unique, and in 

the future I hope to keep pushing the 

boundaries and adding new twists to 

some common feats of strength. 

EAT FOR FUEL! 

I have always been interested in 

nutrition and keeping myself in shape, 

but that didn’t really fully emerge 

until I was forced to take good care 

of my eating habits due to having 

Ulcerative Colitis. I tried many diets 

before I found the one that worked 

for me, and that is a diet which limits 

grains of all types and anything 

processed. Since my illness, I have 

been completely dedicated on eating 

for fuel, and not eating for enjoyment 

and this has become a lot easier over 

time and allows me to focus more on 

my training. I also fast all morning and 

afternoon and only eat two large meals 

between 6pm- 8pm each day, the first 

meal comes after heavy training and 

contains carbohydrates, mainly in the 

form of potatoes or sweet potatoes. 

The second “phase” of my eating is 

strictly fat and protein as I believe 

carbohydrates should only be used to 

refuel the expended glycogen. 

USING NATURE! 

I train outside mostly; lifting logs, kegs 

and sandbags and anything else that 

I find awkward to put over my head. 

This is where I do the heavy stuff. 

At home though I have developed a 

few homemade pieces of equipment 

to challenge my grip which I use 

religiously. 

My favourite training method would 

definitely revolve around the training 

of my hands and forearms. Currently 

I do not aim to work one particular 

muscle group as I am not interested 

in gaining size as I believe it would 

hinder some of my feats. My favourite 

exercise however would be pull ups, 

normally with some kind of variation, 

such as pull ups on just my little 

fingers etc. I have trained many hours 

in a playground, utilising the swings 

for ab roll outs and the frames for pull 

ups and dips. If you open your mind, 

you aren’t restricted to conventional 

exercises and can challenge yourself 

in many different ways. 

CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY! 

I think the key to my strength has 

been consistency of workouts and the 

way I constantly change and adapt 

my training. I am never happy with 

my methods and continuously seek to 

improve them. I like to hit my muscles, 

bones and tendons with many different, 

often unique ways. There are a few 

exercises which almost everybody 

performs, but to truly see results you 

need to make the basic exercises far 

more challenging. Why train just your 

chest with push ups, when you can 

also work your grip and finger strength 

by performing them on just the tips of 

your fingers? Why do pull ups with a 

comfortable bar when you hang from 

a pinch block or a towel? One-handed 

versions are always going to be 

superior due to involving the oblique’s 

and other stabilising muscles. 

BEATING ILLNESS WITH 

UNCOVENTIONAL! 

I think my main goal is to continue 

to get stronger while conquering all 

of my health complaints. All of the 

odds were against me in this journey 

mentally and physically, but I seem to 

keep pushing my limits and breaking 

down the walls. I will keep aiming to 

inspire and entertain people with my 

wacky feats of strength and my power 

to thrive in unfavourable conditions. 

I am hoping to put together an eBook 

which lists all of my unique exercises. 

Although some of them may seem 

outlandish, they have been very 

effective and enjoyable. 

A very inspirational article by Gary 

Hodges; a true unconventional athlete 

beating the odds with his own 

training, simply amazing!! If you want 

to ask any advice or talk to Gary about 

training advice please find him on the 

link below! 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/max.power.758737?fref=ts 



THE ULTIMATE BONDING EXPERIENCE 

EXPOSED TO RISKS BUT STAYING FOCUSED TOGETHER 

WING-SUITERS EWA KALISIEWICZ AND TIM HOWELL SHARE THEIR 

PASSION OF FLYING AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP!! 

Can you give us a brief background on yourselves how 

you met and how you both got into Wing-suiting?! 

Tim: After finishing my A-levels, I was on a mission 

to leave the U.K. and venture further abroad. 

Just after my 18th birthday I moved to South 

Africa where I gained the necessary skills and 

qualifications to work in the Kruger Park as a guide, 

driving and walking clients among the Big 5. 

This came to an end after visa troubles and I 

found himself back in the U.K. Joining the Royal 

Marines provided the next challenge. Being 

a Royal Marine Commando has pushed me to 

create a mental and physical robustness that 

has helped me progress with sports outside of 

work, where I focus on climbing, mountaineering, 

and wing-suit BASE jumping. 

Wing-suiting was a natural progression in skydiving 

for me, Ewa and I actually met in Spain when I was 

gaining experience in a new wingsuit before my 

first wingsuit BASE jump. 



Ewa: Unlike Tim, whose life is very 

adventurous as a whole, I lead 

quite a “normal” life. After university 

graduation from Aviation Management 

studies, I moved from Poland to Spain 

where could practice wingsuit flying 

as much as I wanted to – considering 

weather conditions, allowing jumping 

season to last nearly the whole year 

round! For work, I manage projects for 

the airlines industry and spend my free 

time outdoors or flying. Sports and 

fitness were always a great part of my 

life. To me, the main benefit of being 

fit is not to look better, but to perform 

better, to achieve more in sports I do for 

fun, to be more efficient and capable of 

more, to push my own limits constantly. 

Especially when having Tim by my side 

(laughs Ewa). 

For me, wingsuit flying is the purest 

human flight, when you’re not 

separated from the air with any 

machine. It’s your own body dressed in 

a suit, which is flying! 

Individually how long have you been 

Wing suiting and how long have you 

been doing it together? 

Ewa: I started wingsuit flying a couple 

of years ago, accomplishing to date 

over 600 wingsuit jumps, mainly in 

skydiving environments. Wingsuit 

BASE jumping was on the radar for a 

long time, coincidently we met at the 

time when were both ready to transfer 

skills and experience from skydive to 

BASE wingsuiting. We started this 

new chapter together! We’ve journeyed 

on the steep learning curve together 

which has been really interesting 

complimenting each other’s skills. 

Where have you both jumped in the 

world? 

Tim: I’ve BASE jumped in 12 countries 

now from Morocco, USA, South Africa 

and Bulgaria to name a few. 

Ewa: And particularly for wingsuiting 

BASE, we’ve been so far flying in Italy, 

France, Switzerland and USA. The more 

we jump and train, the more of new 

locations are opening. Getting back 

from one trip, we’re already planning 

the next one! 

How do you roughly calculate if the route 

is appropriate for a jump? 

Tim: Heights and distances are 

calculated and from these we can 

judge weather we are able to do the 

jump. Taking also into account the 

flying performance we’re getting at 

the moment e.g. how fast we can start 

flying the suit from the moment of 

leaving the cliff, what distance and 

what speed we can cover. 

Do you both know how fast you are 

going? 

Ewa: There are electronics that can 

measure those parameters, but we 

hardly ever use those. We know roughly 

the speed and covered distance, 

considering mainly the size/type of 

the wingsuit, together with the flight 

objective. In some occasions we focus 

on speed and distance, some others on 

more dynamic (artistic) flying together 

performing flying on the back, holding 

hands in flight, doing various acrobatic 

moves etc. 

Is your aim to get as close to the floor as 

possible? 

Ewa: For sure not mine! (laughs Ewa). 

Flying close to the ground, cliffs, trees 

and other objects is called “proximity 

flying”. A discipline that requires not 

only precise flying skills, but also 

mental strength and capacity to take a 

greater, calculated risk. Tim is the one 

approaching the cliff in flight closer 

than me. For now, I’m happy to follow 

him with the camera capturing his 

achievement on the video, but keeping 

safe(ish) distance from the cliff myself. 

Proximity flying can be (and probably 

will be) a natural progression that will 

come with time and practice. Since we 

both aim to enjoy the sport doing our 

best to avoid injuries and fatality. 

Tim: It definitely adds more excitement 

to a jump. The aim isn’t to get as close 

as possible, after all getting too close 

to the wall at 120mph won’t end 

well… 

What does it feel like to fly together????? 

Ewa: Flying with people is definitely 

more fun than cruising alone, I’d 

say. And flying with your partner is 

naturally even better: not only it’s 

another bonding experience, but also 

allows us to spend more time together 

and to avoid arguments on how and 

where we spend our time off! 

Do you both get nervous before you jump 

who’s the twitchy one if there is one? 

Tim: I get nervous because I’m jumping 

with someone I care about. But 

normally I’m sure of the jump, I know 

what to expect and what I’m going to 

do and how to execute it. With the risk 

minimized and understood I can then 

just focus on the flight. 



Ewa: That’s true! Though I must admit if 

any of us two is the twitchy one, that’d 

be me! I love Tim’s self-confidence and 

awareness of his skills that assures me 

and calms me down. 

Tim: I think this is one area where we 

compliment each other. I think 

rationally at the exit point, where 

together we think logically about what 

we are about to achieve, but once this is 

done, Ewa being the more experienced 

wingsuit pilot helps me understand my 

wingsuit flight and techniques. 

We saw a picture of you both holding 

hands before a jump, where was this? It 

must be great to share this experience 

together, do you jump often together? 

Tim: I absolutely love taking Ewa on 

our adventures. She’s very strong, both 

mentally and physically. Hiking for 

hours across mountainous terrain with 

a heavy pack on, I am proud of her 

when we reach the exit point ready 

to 

jump. 

Ewa: Holding hands before the jump? 

I guess we do, like all the couples 

(laughs Ewa). What you’re referring to 

is most probably a picture of us 

holding hands during the wingsuit 

flight, it's a bit more challenging to 

accomplish. 

Do you both do any physical training to 

prepare for a jump? 

Ewa: The jump itself doesn’t require 

any particular physical preparation, I’d 

say. However, overall fitness is a must 

since most of the times getting to the 

“exit point” (particular place we jump 

off) requires hours of hiking, bits of 

climbing. 

Ewa: Apart from being a wingsuit 

pilot, Tim's also an excellent climber, 

mountaineer. His level of fitness 

amazes me and motivates me to push 

myself harder, to be able to keep up 

with him. His mountain experience 

helps us both in getting to the remote 

places, not easily accessible. 

How exhausting is the jump? I guess 

you have to walk or run to your jump 

destination. Do you recce your sites 

first? If so, are they predestined? Can 

you elaborate on the mental aspect of 

the jump? 

Tim: Quite a few sites are predestined, 

others could be a GPS coordinate 

that we navigate to. The jump itself 

is more exhausting for the mind then 

the body. But the most physically tiring 

part is actually getting to the location. 

We were once on a time schedule to 

make a sunrise jump, after driving for 

13 hours, we reached the car park at 

3am and went straight into a 4 hour 

hike. When we reached the exit, 2 

other guys were already there having 

taken 6 hours to do the same. 

What main parts of the body are used 

when jumping; for example core, 

arms, and legs and how intense is this? 

Tim: People often say that flying big 

wingsuits is much like flying a magic 

carpet; in a way it flies you, and it’s 

not too physically taxing. 

Ewa: Especially with a modern 

wingsuit design and when flying it 

properly, it should not cause any major 

encumbrance for particular muscle 

groups. But once flying, you need to 

use nearly the whole of your body: 

core, arms, legs, hips, torso etc. 

I think Wing Suiting is an awesome 

positive sport and you guys are putting 

it on the map. It is inspirational! Have 

you any plans to push this forward as 

a sport and offer education on your 

training/preparation etc. Do you hold 

any workshops, seminars? 

Ewa: Wingsuit community is not as 

small as you may think. There are 

some very skilled individuals, our 

friends, from whom we’re learning 

from ourselves still! We’re learning 

from more experienced ones and 

sharing what we’ve learnt with the 

freshmen. As a skydiving coach, I’m 

also helping my “younger” colleagues 

to get into wingsuit flying and 

coach those that are just starting 

their wingsuit adventure. 

What does the adrenaline rush feel like 

when you jump before and after? Do 

you feel fear before you jump? And man 

how beautiful is it up there, do you smile 

laugh or try to talk to each other etc.? 

Tim: I don’t often feel fear before a 

jump, I think if you fear the jump you 

probably shouldn’t be doing it, as a 

mistake could be fatal. I’m focused on 

a wingsuit jump and don’t always get 

a typical “adrenaline rush”, more just 

super focused and ecstatic after an 

incredible flight. All the senses firing at 

once, taking everything in while 

being so honed in on the jump. 

Ewa: Answering the second part of 

your question, of course we smile to 

each other when flying. Smiles come 

naturally when doing what you love! 

But talking to one another in flight 

happens only in Hollywood I’m afraid! 

With the speed of your body around 



‘Holding hands before the jump? Guess 

we do, like all the couples (laugh).’ 

-Ewa 

150-250 km/h, it’s impossible to hear 

each other without under-the-helmet 

microphones. 

can be divided in some sense. I think 

it’s incredible no matter where I go in 

the world, I can always find another 

BASE jumper to help me find a jump. 

Ewa: and despite differences between 

BASE jumpers as individuals, at the end 

we’re all bonded by being involved in 

the same sport, exposed to similar risks. 

Tim: Do land safely, don’t forget to 

open your parachute!! (laughs) 

How do you slow down to land???? 

Tim: We flare the wingsuit a little to 

slow down, to have a slower opening 

when we throw our pilot chute which 

in turn opens our canopy. 

Ewa: (laughs) I know… It’s a bit 

disappointing we don’t actually land 

the wingsuits on the ground, but use a 

parachute for that instead. 

What equipment do you use when 

jumping? This can include safety gear 

(if any). Do you pack all this yourself? 

Tim: Normally, each BASE jumper 

packs his parachute himself. 

Sometimes Ewa packs mine, a lot of 

trust there I suppose (laugh). We wear 

helmets and suitable footwear, and in 

the mountains we can fly with more 

safety equipment such as harnesses, 

whistles, water bottles, crampons and 

ice axes. 

You must be so close doing what you 

do, does wing suiting bring you even 

closer together? The community is 

also one big family, you all have a bond 

with each other and a high regard. 

Tim: It is a very small community but 

What’s it like post jump? Do you chat for 

hours, how long do you buzz from this, it 

must feel freakin' AWESOME!!! 

Tim: We are learning a lot from each 

jump, we talk about what we did, 

how it went, what we can change, 

anything to improve etc. Most of the 

times a wingsuit jump results in big 

smiles and satisfaction, as everything 

went perfectly as planned. Other 

times may be that one of us is not 

entirely satisfied with the flight 

performance and recognize it – so it's 

corrected on the following jump. 

Are there any dos and don’ts? 

Ewa: Tons, the list can be endless! All 

depends on your goals and objectives. 

Most common dos and don’ts would 

be: Do check your gear, plan the jump, 

and make sure your skills are adequate 

to the jump you’re attempting; Don’t 

leave anything to luck! 

Is there any technique you both use to 

stay in control of the suit and flying? 

Tim: Staying in control of the suit is 

crucial, we learn this in the skydiving 

environment which is a lot safer than 

jumping off mountains. 

Ewa: That would be reckless to take 

a wingsuit up in the mountains if you 

don’t have a full control over it. Mistakes 

done in skydive can be forgiven with 

no major impact, whereas you could 

end up in a serious incident or even a 

fatality in BASE environment. 



‘All the senses are firing at once taking 

everything in while being so honed in 

on the jump.’ -Tim 

Lastly where is the most epic place you 

have BOTH jumped from together and 

individually? What are your plans for the 

future? 

Tim: One of the most incredible places 

we have jumped is kind of a secret, 

but we drove off-road for 2 hours, 

hiked on a compass bearing for 4km, 

jumped into a canyon with the sheer 

walls either side of us, then had to 

cross a raging river and climb out of 

the gorge for another 6km back to the 

car. Something I’m training for at the 

moment is a link up of three mountains 

in a day, to climb and jump them. 

Ewa: As for future plans, Tim is 

in progress of finalising his “North 

BASE” project where he is climbing 

the 6 great North faces of the Alps 

and wingsuiting by means of descent. 

Having done 2 already, I plan to join 

him for the wingsuit descent of 

the Matterhorn. 

http://www.t1twenty.com/north-b-a-se-project/ 

There’s still a long list of places we 

want to visit together and fly over e.g. 

being back in USA to combine climbing 

and wingsuiting in magnificent scenery. 

Tim: For me everything I do is like a 

stepping stone for the next project, 

like building blocks that you can put 

together to create harder projects that 

require more skills and techniques. 

FINAL WORD 

Wingsuiting is definitely great fun! Looks 

attractive and accessible when watching 

YouTube videos of guys performing 

proximity flying only inches close to the 

ground, cliffs, and other objects. What 

it’s really like, when done properly, is 

months (if not years) of hard training, 

tons of jumps off an aircraft, coaching 

sessions with better fliers, maintaining 

general fitness and mental health 

to eventually transfer those skills to 

mountain environments. Step by step to 

get where we are, took a lot of time 

and quite decent amounts of money. 

Being dedicated rewards us with 

satisfaction and great experiences, 

preventing at the same time other 

activities and thrills that simply are 

out of budget or suffer by lack of time. 

A matter of choices and priorities. 

At the end, if you want something 

badly, you’ll achieve it; regardless of 

how long it takes to get there and how 

you’ll struggle along the way. 

You can see what TIM and EWA get up to by following the links below!! 

Tim: Twitter: @t1twenty | Instagram: @t1twenty 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimHowellADVNTR/ | Web: www.t1twenty.com 

Ewa: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ewakalisiewicz 

Instagram: @ewakalisiewicz 



STAYING ON TOP 

KARATE LEGEND TOKEY HILL 

KEEPS RISING!! 

An Athletic Career of Unparalleled Impact 

Inspiring New Generations – Empowering the Defenseless!! 

by Sharon G. Jonas 



When Tokey Hill took up karate at age fourteen, it wasn’t at 

a well-respected martial arts school like the two he runs in 

New York or the one in Ohio. Nor was it to acquire a skill which 

encourages the principles he teaches and demonstrates. As a 

hustling young pool player growing up in Ohio, Tokey learned 

karate to be able to collect his winnings from sore losers, 

usually guys twice his size and age. 

“I got slapped around… so I asked a guy with a black belt to 

teach me karate in exchange for me teaching him pool,” 

recalls Tokey. From this unlikely starting point, a love 

for the sport and an unprecedented athletic career followed, 

with a list of accomplishments so impressive and long it’s 

astounding that he managed them all in one lifetime. 

His highlights include: being the first American male to win 

the World WKF Championship, winning more international 

medals than any other karate practitioner in the U.S., being 

a six time AAU/USA National Karate Champ and six time 

All American, being named U.S. Olympic Coach of the Year, 

teaming up with elite athletes like Mike Tyson and Buster 

Douglas, teaching countless self-defense courses to law 

enforcement officials, corporate employees and ordinary 

citizens, owning and operating three highly-regarded karate 

schools known as “World Champion Tokey Hill Karate,” (www. 

TeamTokeyHill.com), developing a self-defense program for 

the blind and disabled and becoming an influential player in 

the sports promotion and entertainment world. 

A natural athlete, Tokey progressed quickly in karate becoming 

an official black belt by age nineteen. “I had an undiagnosed 

learning disability and karate took a negative – my abnormal 

ability to hyper focus – and turned it into a tool that allowed 

me to concentrate on what I was doing. Karate saved my life.” 

By age 23, Tokey’s incredible skills secured him the 1980 

World Championship in Shotokan Karate, making him the first 

American to clinch the title. It would take 23 years before 

another American, George Katara, won the title and when he 

did, it was Tokey who helped guide him to victory. 

While coaching is often a natural progression in an athlete’s 

career, Tokey’s move was hastened by a serious injury which 

occurred when he was at the top of his game. During an 

exhibition in 1983, his foot caught in a rip in the canvas 

ring causing him to tear his ACL. “I re-invented myself after 

that injury,” says Tokey. “Even today with advancements in 

technology, it’s still difficult to rebound to the same level 

after such an injury.” 

One of Tokey’s current positions includes being the Chairperson 

of the Combative Sports Festival with Arnold Classic Worldwide 

for Kids & Teens, the massive annual sports event started 

in 1989 by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Held annually in six 

international locations, the 2016 U.S. festival will run March 

4-6 in Columbus at the Ohio Expo Center. Previous years have 

attracted over 20,000 athletes and 77,000 spectators worldwide. 

(www.arnoldsportsworld.com) The combative sports festival 

includes numerous divisions including Kickboxing, Tae 

Kwon Do, Jiu Jitsu, Boxing and Kung Fu. 

Despite his illustrious career and ongoing participation in all 

aspects of the athletic world, Tokey, a 58 year-old father of five 

and grandfather of six, is most inclined 

to discuss his life’s passion – shaping 

the lives of others, especially at-risk 

youth and those most vulnerable in 

society. 

Your career is astonishing, Tokey. For all 

you’ve done, what do you feel are your 

three greatest achievements? 

Out of everything, what tops my list is 

being able to use martial arts to turn 

young peoples’ lives around, to be 

part of the next generation coming up. Instead of kids being 

troublemakers, they become pillars of society. We work with 

kids who come recommended by the courts for behavioral 

management. Maybe someone is borderline or had a bad 

upbringing or was affected by divorce. They receive a karate 

journal which includes writing about what they like and 

dislike. We reach them on their level and this initiates them 

turning in homework and being responsible. If their journal 

isn’t completed, they can’t join in the class, so it becomes 

very motivating. When I get positive feedback from guidance 

counselors who wonder how we got a kid to do school work 

is rewarding! There are alternate ways to education and not 

everyone learns the same way. We also teach them to stand 

up to a bully. You can’t buy confidence. 

It’s also very rewarding to work with kids with disabilities. 

I’ve taught kids in wheelchairs some moves and you should 

see the smiles on their faces. In reality, these kids don’t want 

to be seen differently. I work with two organizations. One is 

Karate Can Do, a unique charitable organization for people 

with disabilities of all kinds and Kicking the Spectrum, which 

is focused on autism. 

Third on my list is being able to coach athletes on an elite 

level. 

You were named the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Coach of 

the Year in 1999 based on your coaching work at the Pan 

American Games in Canada when 11 of your athletes won 9 

medals. You’ve been involved in the US coaching program for 

about 28 years and Director of USA Karate (the organization 

that the Olympic Committee empowers to be the national 

governing body for karate) for about 5 years. 

What do you think a great coach offers? 

The role of a coach is to implement the moves of the game 

so an amateur is protected. You need to create the safest 

possible environment during training and competition and 



make sure the rules are in play. If someone did that for me, I 

wouldn’t have torn my ACL. Developing an athlete is a whole 

different animal. It’s helping an athlete develop skill sets like 

jumping higher or running faster. 

When you coach your athletes, are there some you develop 

as well? Or are the two brought together in most instances? 

When you get on a professional level, a coach is there to make 

sure an athlete’s environment is safe and the athlete is 

ready to train and compete. The United States Olympic 

Committee empowers and regulates the NGB or National 

Governing Body, which covers a lot of sports, including 

karate. They have a coach and a High Performance Director 

and they have trainers etc. I’m the Director of Coaching for 

USA Karate, so I work with all of the coaches that work with 

all of the athletes. 

What does your current personal workout routine involve? 

I work out as much as I can, about 2 hours every day. 

Sometimes I work with other athletes, sometimes I work by 

myself. Karate helps with flexibility and muscle tone. It’s a 

full-rounded mind and body developmental tool, so you don’t 

need ancillary things, not that they are bad. 

You mentioned the term “kime,” a fascinating, yet elusive, 

aspect in karate. Can you help explain what this is and how 

you teach it? Does it apply to other athletes? 

It’s the ability to take 100% of your energies and focus on 

a specific goal. The goal could be the same each day or 

something different. It’s very demanding and a hard skill set to 

teach. A lot of young people don’t have the skill sets to focus 

and they see karate as recreation rather than a developmental 

tool. I don’t think kime is taught too much anymore, but 

we continue to include it. In class, students line up and a 

mind-body connection is encouraged through visualization 

techniques and an awareness of muscle movements. When 

you squat, you feel your quads tighten. I call their attention 

to this and that’s one way I make them feel a mind-body 

connection. When visualizing, you get specific. You don’t just 

see a punch, but a punch delivered to a very specific target 

on the head or body. Students build awareness of how their 

body reacts to the mind’s commands. A command becomes 

rehearsed until it becomes a natural reaction. 



Instead of seeing kime as a mystical thing, it’s in a sense very 

simple. Still, it’s the thing that separates 1% of athletes from the 

top 1%. But only a few do this. In a sport, a lot of athletes use the 

mind or the body, but not a lot use them successfully together. For 

example, in basketball, there’s Lebron James and Michael Jordan, 

the super athletes. You have to have a highly developed mindbody 

connection to get to this level. But kime is a skill set you can 

nurture and develop. 

What advice would you give to athletes aspiring to be the best? 

You are in a world where losing is a part of winning. In order to 

be a legitimate world champion, all the stars have to line up – it’s 

not just you. You are one component. There are coaches, officials, 

and not always does the right person win. Sometimes there are 

bad calls. 

It’s also important to seek out an education or trade. My greatest 

message is to remember there is life after sports. 

Interview with Tokey Hill by Sharon G Jonas 

If you are interested in what Tokey Hill has to offer or to be privy to some of his training 

please follow the following websites. 

WEBSITE: www.arnoldsportsworld.com 

WEBSITE: www.teamtokeyhill.com 



by Sharon G Jonas 

REACH FOR 

THE STARZZ!! 

THE BARSTARZZ STREET CALISTHENICS 

APPROACH TO FITNESS 

“LEAD, INSPIRE, CHANGE!” – 

PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE BARSTARZZ 

PHENOMENON 

A BURNING PASSION IGNITES WORLDWIDE FOLLOWING!!! 

At age 10, Ed Checo found inspiration 

by watching and emulating his older 

brother, a college-level football player, 

doing his calisthenics workout at home. 

Concentrating on push-ups, squats and 

crunches, Ed added pull-ups to this routine 

around age 14 after watching other kids 

doing them. 

Now the 29-year-old New York City native 

and founder of Barstarzz, the wildly 

popular street workout program, is the 

one everyone else watches. Through a 

website (www.Barstarzz.com), 

Facebook (over 1,000,000 Likes!), 

Instagram, YouTube, an online Forum 

and a recently added Barstarzz App, 

Checo and his group of about 60 

athletes share their dynamic calisthenics 

workouts performed primarily on outdoor 

playground equipment. 



Checo uses two parks near his 

Washington Heights home to workout 

5 to 6 days a week, although he says 

travelling sometimes complicates his 

schedule. “I’ve run workshops in 20 

different countries and spent about 1 

to 2 months a year teaching in Europe, 

but this would take away from my 

training. It was taking a toll on me, so 

after a while it wasn’t my priority. I’d 

rather make less money and be more 

stable and be able to train.” 

Believing in supporting the community, 

Checo says he and a group of trainers 

rotate giving free Saturday classes. On 

the business end, he says Barstarzz has 

ads on YouTube and on their website, a 

web store that sells training DVD’s and 

resistance bands and a highly popular 

line of Barstarzz clothing. He also gives 

one-on-one training sessions for a very 

limited amount of clients. Although no 

longer seeking to run international 

workshops, he responds to some 

select invitations, saying they provide 

supplemental financial support. 

When you started Barstarzz, did 

you ever imagine it becoming 

internationally popular? 

I started with a small camera hoping 

to get some kind of publicity. I always 

had the intent of releasing a training 

manual, but I didn’t think it would blow 

up this big. We now have chapters in 

Holland, the UK, Miami, California, 

Mexico, Sweden, and Kuwait. There are 

a lot more, over 50 chapters overall. 

Do you ever run into people who don’t 

want you working out in playgrounds? 

That’s never been a problem. 

Everyone gets along and it’s a nice 

environment. The one playground 

I go to has a basketball court and 

pull-up bars and it’s separated from 

where the kids play. 

Are you able to remain active during 

the winter months? 

We still go to the parks in the winter. 

We just dress warmer. If it’s really, 

really cold, I use the bar set-up in my 

house, with a pull-up tower, a dip bar, 

a pull-up bar, a weight belt and vest. I 

had push-up grips, but mine broke. 

Now I’m trying to be a business 

entrepreneur too, so I go to the park 

whenever I can. Anything less than 5 

days a week is a bad week for me. This 

year I slowed down. I used to spend 

half of my time in Miami and half in 

New York. 

What motivates you? 

It’s hard to say. I motivate myself! I 

don’t think it’s so much of an outside 

source - at first it was - but now it’s just 

become such a habit over the years. 

There are just a lot of things I want to 

do and try. 

Are you still learning new things? 

Yes. The thing is we have such a wide 

variety of skills you can never be good 

at them all at the same time. I could 

spend a lot of time focusing on my 

planche, then neglect my legs. There 

are only so many hours in the day. It’s 

hard to master every skill. Now I’m 

going back to some of the skills I lost 

from getting older. 

I think I’m 

VERY skilled 

AT plyometric 

MOVEMENTS on 

the parallel bars, 

the ones that are 

explosive and 

DYNAMIC. 



How many are in your group and are 

many women involved? 

Our group class has about 30 people 

and we have 2 regular women. Overall, 

it’s about 93% men and 7% women. 

You are ripped, there’s no denying it, 

but does it come down to bodyweight 

training or do you follow a special 

diet? 

More recently I’m more careful with my 

diet, but I have trouble with that when 

I travel. I’ve had a couple of crashes on 

my diet. I’m better eating pretty clean 

now. I’m a pescatarian, so I’ll eat fish 

and eggs, but I won’t eat chicken or 

beef, and I try to get a lot of veggies. 

What are some of the moves that you 

do best? 

The planche push-ups. I was getting 

really good at them back at a time 

when it wasn’t really that popular. 

I think I’m very skilled at plyometric 

movements on the parallel bars, the 

ones that are explosive and dynamic. 

I’ve seen people at a really high level 

struggle to do some of the stuff I do. I’m 

bigger than the average guy you see 

doing this sort of stuff, I’m weighing 

in now at 200 pounds, and usually the 

guys you see jumping around doing 

this are around 160 or less. 

Tell us a bit about competitions. Who 

arranges them? What’s involved? 

I’ve arranged some of the New York 

ones. The international competitions 

are hosted by the WSWCF or the 

World Street Workout & Calisthenics 

Federation. The team has done great 

and me personally I’ve done pretty 

good. I used to be really passionate 

about freestyle but I don’t practice as 

much freestyle as I used to. Freestyle 

is when you make up your own moves, 

patterns and combinations from the 

skill set you’ve learned. You’re judged 

on how well you present it. The cold 

weather makes it too hard to practice it. 

What are your plans for the future? 

We plan on teaching online classes on 

our website, Barstarzz.com. We are 

planning to have an online membership 

(for a fee) so people can sign up and 

see (similar to the App) an exclusive 

section where you can learn different 

workouts for the day and see your 

progress. This should be launching 

within the month. 

What’s your advice to beginners? 

I suggest exploring a lot of the free 

information on the internet. In addition 

to Barstarzz sites, Google things and read 

a lot of articles. Look at them all. Don’t 

just rely on one article. After that you 

might consider buying DVD’s or taking 

lessons. Also, take it slow and be patient. 

Everyone progresses at their own pace. 

The planche 

push-ups. I was 

GETTING really 

good AT them BACK 

AT a time when 

it wasn’t really 

THAT popular. 

You can catch up with Edward Checo on the following links: 

MAIN WEBSITE: http://barstarzz.com | FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Barstarzz 

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialBarstarzz | INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/barstarzz/?hl=en 



MINDSET, STRENGTH 

AND EXPERIENCE 

FROM NON- 

PHYSICAL TO 

PHYSICAL 

INTRODUCING FORMER MILITARY 

AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER 

MIKE GILETTE! 

FROM SMALL AND WEAK TO BRAGG! 

As a youth, I was the quintessential nonathlete. 

Small and weak. I also grew up in 

a household where sports weren’t really 

acknowledged. So all through elementary 

school and beyond, I lived in a world in 

which it seemed like everyone else knew 

about sports and could “do” sports and 

I didn’t and I couldn’t. But, there was an 

eventual upside to all of this. Feeling weak 

was a horrible feeling. But, eventually, I 

realized weakness did not have to be a life 

sentence. And with sufficient desire and 

discipline I found that I could cure myself 

of it. So I did. 

My entry point into serious training was 

when I decided to join the military. I 

wanted to be well prepared for Basic 

Training and beyond. So I just started 

exercising, a lot. And once I was in the 

Army I kept on. I served in the 82d 

Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. Bragg is 

home to the Airborne, the Special Forces 

Training Center and Delta Force. It’s a 

tough place where expectations are high. 

I found that those kinds of expectations 

were something that I thrived on. 



BEING READY FOR ANYTHING! 

As much as I hated feeling weak back 

when I was young, I really like feeling 

strong. And that feeling is something I 

intend to hold onto for as long as I can. 

So, in one sense, feeling strong motivates 

me. But it’s more than strength itself. I 

consider being strong to be a physical 

state as well as a mental or emotional 

one. And I find that I feel better mentally 

and emotionally when I’m training hard, 

pushing myself. For so much of my 

professional life, I became accustomed 

to training for various contingencies. And 

it is in the cultivation of that standard, of 

being “ready for anything” that keeps me 

motivated. 

no small part because my previous years 

of training had left me really beat up. 

So much so, I wasn’t sure if I would be 

able to continue training into my forties. 

From 2002 through 2004, my training 

was hit or miss. Between a crazy travel 

schedule and constant aches and pains, I 

lost a lot of ground. 

I often use an angled barbell, with one 

end resting on the floor for a variety of 

pressing and rotational movements. I’m 

also a big advocate of asymmetrically 

loaded movements and unilateral 

exercises which force the body to adapt 

to awkward and unstable postures. And 

I like to pull, push and carry objects 

for both strength development and 

conditioning purposes. Kegs, sandbags 

and more chains are all part of that mix. 

I typically train six days a week. I follow 

a very simple format, with an emphasis 

on pushing, pulling or legwork each day. 

I favour shorter sessions that 

prioritize hard work. 

NON PHYSICAL TO PHYSICAL! 

The first major training challenge was 

my initial transformation from a nonphysical 

person to a physical one. It 

was a strange new world, this idea of 

deliberately pursuing physical pain in 

order to change oneself. I should clarify 

that I’m referring to pain in the context 

of cultivating extreme endurance as 

opposed to pain for pain’s sake. 

The next challenge was certainly the 

greatest challenge I’ve ever dealt with; 

coming back after a catastrophic injury. 

In 1984 I was in a climbing accident 

that broke my back and my ankles. My 

orthopedic surgeon predicted that I 

would be able to walk again, but that 

was it. No running, no jumping out of any 

more airplanes. Disproving his prognosis 

took me nearly five years. 

There certainly have been some 

adaptations to my training over the years. 

During my military days, I emphasized 

a lot of endurance training, such as 

running and swimming. That mentality 

stayed with me during my 12 years in 

law enforcement. I ran a lot, got serious 

about the martial arts and did a lot of 

bodyweight training. I never wanted to 

be in the position of losing a suspect 

on a foot chase or running out of steam 

during a fight. 

After leaving law enforcement in 

2001, I really worked on furthering my 

understanding of strength training. In 

GYM RINGS, THE SAVIOUR OF LIFE! 

Most of the physical issues I just 

described were joint-related. I had joint 

pain in my wrists, elbows and shoulders. 

Now these pains were not new, I felt them 

during certain exercises going back to my 

twenties. But, like most guys, I ignored 

them. But the pain had grown worse 

over the years to the point where almost 

everything I did seemed to exacerbate 

the problem. Until one day in 2005 when 

I ordered a pair of gymnastics rings. In 

short, rings saved me. I found that I could 

do almost anything on the rings and 

nothing hurt. It was a revelatory period. 

I continue to use rings extensively, both 

for their versatility and the ergonomic 

advantages they offer. Are rings my 

favourite piece of training kit? 

Absolutely! I’m not just saying that 

because I “wrote the book” on ring 

training. (Refer to my book, "Rings of 

Power: The Secrets of Successful 

Suspension Training" for more 

information.) 

ADDITIONAL ARSENAL! 

In addition to rings and suspended bars, 

I use weight belts and chains to load 

my body while performing what would 

otherwise be bodyweight movements. 

RISK FACTORS! 

I am very cognizant of the risk factors 

associated with being me. My first 

training related injury occurred in 2011 

and was purely a result of my strange 

pain threshold. I had been teaching 

an armbar during a class for military 

personnel and allowed a big, strong 

serviceman to put me into a standing 

armbar. He secured my right arm with 

both of his and I was encouraging him 

to push harder. Each time he’d put some 

pressure on it, I told him to keep going. I 

wanted him to feel when the technique 

was solidly in place and I knew that once 

it began to hurt, I’d tap, he’d release 

my arm and all would be fine. But, for 

whatever reason, I didn’t feel any pain 

and assumed I could hold out a bit 

longer. Turns out I couldn’t. There were 

two audible “pops” and I had the sudden 

realization that I had torn my right bicep 

tendon. It required surgery and plenty of 

recovery time to fix. This is something 

that happened when I was 49 years old. 

And I consider myself very fortunate that 



I was able to recovery completely. Now, 

with that recent experience fresh in my 

mind, do I fear hurting myself? No. Fear 

or negative thinking is a dead end. In 

order for me to do what I do, I have to be 

able to mentally approach things with 

a detached perspective. Pain and injury 

don’t exist. This means that they don’t 

exist as possibilities in my mind unless 

they actually happen. 

As an example, I am presently awaiting 

surgery for the very same injury. Only this 

time it’s on my left arm. I was breaking 

baseball bats when the bicep tendon on 

my left arm ruptured. I’m now 53 years 

old. Once I’m given the green light to 

resume training I will do so. I will, as I 

always do, attempt to mitigate the risk of 

the things I do by training as safely as I 

can. But once my strength has returned, 

I will resume performing various feats 

of mental and physical strength. I don’t 

encourage other people to do what I do. 

I realize that it’s not a particularly safe 

or even necessarily sane approach to 

self-expression. But because I am in the 

business of ‘mind-coaching’ others, I feel 

it’s necessary to test myself to validate 

my methods. Or, as Guy Savelli, one of my 

teachers used to say, “You either know 

what you can do or you just think you 

know.” I prefer knowing. 

MODIFIED ATKINS 

Beyond my training regimen which I 

alluded to previously, my typical diet 

would most accurately be described 

as ‘modified Atkins’. This is a variation 

of ketogenic eating built around meat, 

eggs and vegetables. It’s a lower carb, 

high protein and high fat approach. 

When I eat this way my energy levels 

are more stable and, subjectively, I feel 

stronger than I do when I’m taking in 

more carbs. 

SOLITUDE FOR SUCCESS 

My favorite way to train is by myself. My 

favorite place to train is in my garage 

gym. It took me years to amass the 

unique collection of training implements 

I’ve acquired and they all safely reside in 

my garage. If I’m on the road, I’ll train 

wherever I need to. But, as the old line 

goes, “There’s no place like home.” 



MENTAL TRAINING 

I train mindset extensively and I coach 

and lecture on the topic of mindset. 

It’s an enormous, fascinating subject 

and represents a frontier of athletic 

achievement that is still largely 

untapped. There are many directions 

it can go, but is most successful 

when we start at “the beginning”. For 

example, one of the things I am most 

frequently called upon to do is conduct 

team workshops. These are done in 

a group setting and are primarily 

designed to help a team and their 

coaching staff develop a functional 

framework for mental training and a 

common language to work within that 

framework. So many of the terms that 

people associate with mental training 

such as “visualization” or “imagery” 

don’t really have a common frame 

of reference. Establishing tangible 

performance parameters around the 

methodologies of mental training goes 

a long way towards making people 

more successful with it. 

THE FUTURE 

Professionally speaking, I am looking 

to expand my presence so that I can 

help more people get more out of their 

training and their lives. This means 

more speaking, more teaching and 

more writing. Personally, I have a few 

more world records and extreme stunts 

I’d like to accomplish. But all of those 

things really blend together in my 

mind. Whether it’s through teaching or 

encouraging, I want to continue to find 

more and better ways to help people. 

Article by MIKE GILETTE 

You can find Mike and some of his work by following the links below! 

For physical training and strength training, the book “Rings of Power” is available from www.DragonDoor.com 

Video training course the “Savage Strength Training Program” is available from www.CriticalBench.com. 

For mental training, take a look at his video course “The Psychology of Strength” available at www.StrengthPsychology.com. 

Mind Boss Book: Using the Tenets of Tough Thinking to Take Charge of Your Thoughts and Transform Your Life” is available at both 

www.Amazon.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com 

Students of self-defense can check out the DVD “Become Dangerous” as www.DangerousDVDs.com. 

Website: www.MikeGillette.com where you’ll find blog posts and links to all of Mike’s social media channels. There’s a lot of information 

there, all waiting to be studied. 


Page 46


TEAMWORK COMRADERY, 

MENTAL PROWESS 

USING MOTHER NATURE AND MAN MADE OBSTACLES 

BRADY ARCHER GIVES US AN INSIGHT INTO COMPETING 

AND DESIGNING TOUGH MUDDER! 

FROM OILFIELDS TO TOUGH MUDDER! 

I stumbled into a career with Tough Mudder in a somewhat unorthodox fashion. Out of university I 

was an oilfield engineer working for a large oilfield service company for about 5 years. After spending 

time in California, Arkansas, Texas and Colombia, I decided that I was ready for something different. 

I quit my job and started traveling for the next six months. During that time I started running TM 

events, and while on the courses I noticed the ‘We’re Hiring’ banners on the course. This was early 

2012 and the company was just starting to take off, so I submitted an application on a complete 

whim. Somehow, I was able to talk myself into an interview, and a few months later I found myself 

moving to Brooklyn to take on a new career and adventure with Tough Mudder. Since then, I have 

spent the last 3 ½ years designing and producing over 50 events for TM. 



TEAM WORK AND CAMARADERIE! 

My motivation for Tough Mudder has 

been the teamwork and camaraderie 

that you find at the events. I not only 

work the events, but whenever I have 

the chance I also get out there and 

run the courses. So far I have run 37 

courses, which is the top number for 

any employee in the company. The 

average course is around 11 miles and 

20-25 obstacles. 

CREATIVE INNOVATION! 

However, the most enjoyable part of 

my job for Tough Mudder has been 

the design and production of World’s 

Toughest Mudder, which just might be 

the hardest event on the planet. WTM 

allows me the opportunity to be as 

creative, crazy, sadistic and innovative 

as possible. Once a year I get to throw 

all of the rules out the window and 

come up with a course that will test 

every ounce of a competitor’s physical 

and mental prowess and endurance. 

TOUGH MUDDER = TRAINING GROUND! 

while living and working on the road 

for more than 50% of the time. You 

just need to be creative while in hotel 

rooms and while onsite at events to 

find exercises that will keep you sharp. 

Luckily, my gym is usually a TM event 

site, which has plenty of obstacles to 

play around on! Nothing beats a TM 

event site for training. You have the 

great outdoors with a healthy mix of 

Mother Nature’s and Tough Mudder’s 

greatest obstacles. My typical exercises 

just relate to doing obstacles around 

the TM event sites. I get to practice 

on all of the obstacles that we set 

out, which gives me a wide variety of 

things to practice on. 

I spend most of the time on the road. 

I usually don’t train with anyone other 

than my co-workers. 

I ran WTM in 2013, which was by far 

the hardest thing I have ever done. 

However, by running it in 2013, it gave 

me the mind-set that the competitors 

are in, and allowed me to design the 

2014 and 2015 courses, not only from 

a course designer perspective, but also 

from a participant perspective. I think 

this allowed me to create one of the 

greatest events in all of OCR (obstacle 

course racing). 

NO FEAR 

Fear is always in the back of your mind, 

but it comes with the sport. There 

are always new obstacles to attempt 

and learn, and hopefully you have the 

training that allows you to conquer 

them unscathed. 

KEEPING IT SIMPLE! 

I spend the majority of my time running, 

as it is the easiest thing for me to 

sneak in at almost any time. The only 

unusual aspect of my running routine 

is that it is always in a new place. I 

spend my time running the courses 

and routes that I design. This helps me 

explore new areas of the properties I 

am setting up, and get a little exercise 

at the same time. 

CHILL TIME! 

I have just taken a 9 month leave from 

TM to go explore the world. TM has 

given me the passion to travel, and 

I am sure I will come across some 

amazing events and activities in every 

corner of the world. 

Training for Tough Mudder involves a 

little bit of everything. A heavy dose 

of running is great, but cross training, 

crossfit and other similar activities 

are all hugely beneficial. My biggest 

struggle is just finding the time to 

train. Even though I work for TM, it is 

still tough to find any sort of routine 

I get to practice 

on all of the 

obstacles that 

we set out 



COMPANY RECORD! 

I have run 37 TM events, which is 

the most in the company by a pretty 

significant margin. If I am not working 

an event, you will usually see me out 

running one somewhere in the world. 

I have a passion for our product, and 

having a job that allows work and play 

to overlap is pretty amazing. 

‘You have the great outdoors with a 

healthy mix of Mother Nature’s and Tough 

Mudder’s greatest obstacles.’ 

If you have any questions for Brady Archer please contact him at: 

Instagram: thearcherproject 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bradyarcher 



HANDSTAND 

PRESS WITH 100KG 

BODYWEIGHT! 

CLEARING THE MISCONCEPTION OF WEIGHT 

LIFTING TRAINING AND CALISTHENICS 

A COMBINATION OF BARBELLS AND BRAWN - A 

BRIEF CONVO AND INTRODUCTION FROM FORMER 

MR. UNIVERSE AND UNCONVENTIONAL 

BODYBUILDER IVAN BUCHER. 


{ 


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GYMNASTICS, CALISTHENICS AND 

DIVERSITY = A HYBRID OF POWER! 

I started at 7-years-old with gymnastics. I had 

trained a lot in my youth and was a successful 

athlete on the following gymnastic equipment: 

Candy bar, High Bar, Floor, Horse, Ring and Jump. I 

was able to celebrate many victories and wanted to 

be a professional gymnast. 

I have participated in many sports competitively 

including rings, inline skates, ski racing and 

gymnastics. I’m still into doing multiple sports! 

BARBELLS AND HANDSTANDS! 

To do the handstand with my immense size, I do a 

lot of shoulder presses with dumbbells and lateral 

raises with dumbbells. Barbell bench presses and 

incline bench presses are good for building muscles 

for the handstand press, too. 

I practice the handstand wherever I can - this 

could be in my garden, lounge, in the street. 

Wherever the opportunity arises, I will practice! 

My favorite method of maintaining balance during 

the handstand is to walk backwards and forwards 

with twists! 

Earlier in my gymnastics years it was much easier 

to stand on my hands with my 68 kg. However, it is 

much more strenuous with lots of muscles; the extra 

weight makes it more of a challenge and effort... 

however practice makes perfect! My wrists take in 

excess of 100 kg. which is the same as a heavy neck 

press. I do wrist curls and wrist exercises to maintain 

the strength there and flexibility exercises to ensure 

my wrists stay malleable! 



ATHLETICISM AND STRENGTH! 

I want to show that even a bodybuilder weighing 

100kg can move with athletic prowess! 

My goal is to achieve extraordinary strength with my 

own body weight and my unconventional training 

methods! 

I want to combine athleticism and strength with 

each other, crossing the gap between weight 

training and unconventional training, creating a 

hybrid of power. I always follow this motto: 

The will and the beads of sweat make you unique! 

If you want this, then you can... 

HANDSTAND INTO THE SPLITS! 

I train the Splits at least 4 times a week during the 

weight training. At the same time I warm myself 

up with handstand presses. From the handstand 

press I can slowly fall into the splits. To get this 

controlled strength (remember I am carrying 100kg 

bodyweight) I do bent-over dumbbell rows, rowing 

on the cable pull, one-arm rowing on pulling cable, 

T- dumbbell rows, lat pulls to the chest with wide 

and close grip. This gives me the strength to go from 

the handstand and slowly drop into the splits. 

THE FUTURE 

I want to start in June 2016, the WFF Universe in 

Florida. 

Professionally, I would like to coach and successfully 

motivate young athletes as a personal trainer. 

Article by Ivan Bucher. 

WEBSITE: http://lifefitness24.ch 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ivan.bucher.77?fref=ts 



CLUBWORK 

FOR POWER 

by Don Giafardino 

WARNING! - There is no doubt about the fact that if you follow 

this power program you will be buying more clubs! 



CLUBWORK 

Let’s begin with the basic of basics. Clubs have been around for thousands of years 

simply because they work. Most of us are familiar with the lighter weight Indian Clubs 

that are swung in complex patterns which develop coordination, mobility, and speed 

not unlike an Olympic Fencer. Then there are the bigger clubs, the large wooden 

or the more popular metal clubs of 15, 20, and those over 45 pounds, originally 

designed to train warriors to deliver punishing power with heavy hand armaments. 

These will be the subject of this article. 

POWER IS? 

Power is the strength you have to perform a specified exercise in an allowed amount 

of time. So if you are doing an AMRAP of thrusters for a 30 second time period you’d 

be able to determine if your power output has increased; by either an increase in 

the number of reps performed or by using a heavier weight for the same number of 

reps. For example; if you did max effort thrusters with 95 pounds and got 12 in 30 

seconds, that’s 1,140 pounds moved. Now if for a few weeks you practiced 

thrusters and then retested your AMRAP and you get 14 in 30 seconds - 

congratulations! You’ve increased your power because you just moved 1,330 

pounds. Alternatively, if you kept the same 12 reps, BUT instead of 95 pounds you 

used 115 pounds, you have also increased your power. Now that you have the idea 

of power, we’ll apply it to a club workout. 

Leverage Clubs, Indian Clubs, 

Clubbells, and adjustable Clubs are 

all great tools for any trainer’s 

arsenal. The multi-planar axis that 

the clubs travel through allow the 

body to utilize and restore it’s own 

range of motion ROM. The specific 

advantages that clubs offer - more 

so than any other ballistic training 

tool is that the opposing muscles 

are working through the eccentric 

and concentric contraction, allowing 

the weight to be propelled by force 

and then that force is reduced by 

applying the “brakes”. 

Did you know that Indian Clubs 

were part of the Modern Olympics? 

In 1904 and again in 1932. 

Military Training during the Victorian 

Era through WWII consisted of 

routines including Indian Clubs. 



Clubwork can burn calories quickly 

due to the recruitment of multiple 

large muscle groups 

• Clubs are the perfect 

compliment for Kettlebells 

• Clubs are excellent for 

shoulder, elbow, and wrist 

health 

• Men can begin training with a 

15lb club, women usually start 

with a 10lb 

Ancient warriors used clubs to build 

their fighting skills.Many clubwork 

exercises are emulations of sword 

swings and shield strikes. 

Modern-day Wrestlers, MMA 

Fighters, and Boxers combine club 

training in their workouts. 

POWER AND CLUBWORK 

WARNING! - There is no doubt about the fact that if you follow 

this power program you will be buying more clubs... 

...if you don’t have access to a complete set of clubs, or an adjustable one 

already. The exercises listed below can be found on YouTube demonstrated by 

many different instructors. Searching for them will entice you to watch more 

clubwork exercises. Watch. Learn. Grow. 

NOTE: I usually increase only 5 pounds between the Pre-Fatigue Sets and the 

Work Sets. 5 pounds is a big jump in clubwork. Better to chip away smoothly 

rather than getting injured by rushing progress. 

The workout will be a 4 day split into 2 upper body days and 2 lower body days. 

We’ll focus on the upper body in this article. The exercises will be one hand 

inside mills, 1 hand front swipes, and two-handed Gama Casts. A set equals reps 

done on each arm, i.e; 10 reps means 10 reps right arm 10 reps left; that's one 

set. The sample below is from my current program; 



Pre-Fatigue Sets TO be done for the reps 

specified 1 minute rest between sets 

(after exercising both arms) 

Exercise WT Reps Sets 

Mills 20 10 4 

Front Swipes 20 10 4 

Gama Cast 20 

10 4 

WORK SETS: 1 MINUTE REST BETWEEN SETS 

Mills 25 AMRAP 30 sec 4 

Front Swipes 25 AMRAP 30 sec 4 

Gama Cast 25 

AMRAP 30 sec 4 

This is now your Base Power Program. Good form is important to reduce the chance of injury. 

I practice quite often on my ‘off’ days doing up to 150 reps with a much lighter weight to get 

the feel of an exercise. This ensures proper form when the heavier weights are used. Once you 

are able to perform the above workout getting 7-8 reps for ALL 4 Work Sets, take away one 

Pre-Fatigue Set and add one more Work Set for the next workout. Do this until you can get 

full 8 AMRAP reps for all 5 Work Sets in 30 seconds. Now reduce to 2 Pre-Fatigue Sets and go 

to 6 Work Sets until 8 reps is reached again, then pat yourself on the back and begin over with 

the Base Program. This round of Pre-Fatigue Sets will be the weight you used in the previous 

Work Sets but for 4 sets of 10 and the Work Sets will add 5 pounds. Look how far you’ve come! 

Give these club training exercises a try in your next workout. Develop the bit of skill needed to 

build a solid foundation, then adapt the exercise as you progress to challenge yourself. 

Keep it interesting and reap the benefits of solid full ROM body power, you won’t be 

disappointed! 



HENKULES 

UNCONVENTIONAL 

CONSTRUCTION 

The farmer's logs 

The farmer's logs are pretty easy to make, I made these farmer's logs 

for the exercise “the farmer's walk”. 

MATERIALS 

1. Obtain two similar logs with the same weight. It’s best if you get 

your cuts out of one long trunk then you will have two logs of the 

same length and proportions. 

2. Remove the bark so that the logs are smooth this will stop the 

friction burns and rubbing against your legs during the farmers 

walk. 

EQUIPMENT: 

»» 

A large wood saw or chainsaw 

»» 

Hammer and chisel to remove the bark 

»» 

Sandpaper 

»» 

A tape measure and pencil 

»» 

A long wood drill (45cm long with a diameter of 30mm) 

»» 

A drilling machine 

»» 

A hacksaw 

»» 

One metal hollow pipe from 40cm with a diameter of 30mm (the 

handles) 

»» 

A thick rope 30mm (2 metres long) 

»» 

A sharp knife 



The farmer’s walk 

The farmer’s walk is a challenge on your grip, back and all 

the primary muscles of your lower body. The farmer's 

walk requires enough space to make a certain distance, 

therefore this exercise is often done outside. 

Hold a heavy farmer-log in each hand and stand with perfect 

posture, then walk a distance until your forearms are burning 

with lactic acid and are no longer able to hold the logs. This is 

especially hard on the grip strength, trapezius and endurance. 

This exercise has been traditionally done by farmers with 

milk kegs, if you’ve done this exercise a few times, you get 

a lot of respect for these farmers. 

METHOD 

1. Cut a trunk of 3 meters in half, so you have two equal 

lengths of 1.5 meters. 

2. Remove the bark so that the logs are smooth and scour 

the end of the logs so there are no wood splinters. 

3. Measure out the places to drill holes for the handles 

of the farmer's logs. To do this find the centre of 

the log by measuring, mark a line for the centre. From 

the centre of the centre line, mark out an equal 

distance each side, I typically do 10cm each side, 

mark this, as this will be where you drill. 

4. The Drill bit size will be dependent on the size of rope 

you decide to use. Drill the holes with a long wooddrill 

all the way through, sand off any splinters from 

the entry and exit point around the holes. 

5. Cut two pieces of (hollow) metal pipe at 20 cm or 

whatever suits your previous measurements, these 

will be your handles, you can also use PVC pipe for a 

cheaper alternative 

6. Obtain your length, the length will be dependent on 

your height, ideally you need the log in line with your 

knees, so calibrate your length of rope with that as a 

reference point. Now cut the rope in half. 

7. Put the rope through the hollow metal pipe and 

then all the way through the tree trunk, make a solid 

knot on the end of the rope. Now feed the remaining 

length (this is located on the topside of the log next 

to the handle) through the second hole and tie a knot. 

8. Repeat with your other log. You now have a set of 

“farmer's logs” and are ready for Farmer's Walks! 

Article by Henk Bakker 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/hbakker3?fref=ts 

WEBSITE: http://unconventional-training.nl 

BLOG: henkules.wordpress.com

Unconventional Athletes Issue 5

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