Unconventional Athletes Issue 7

EXTREME WEATHER WORKOUT GUIDE 

ISSUE 7 VOLUME 1 

BREATHE LIKE 

BRUCE LEE 

Tap Into Unused Powers! 

THE CAPTAIN OF CRUSH 

Beyond Functional Grip 

STRONGMAN CORP’S 

WONDER WOMAN 

AGELESS WARRIOR WORKOUT: 

Indian Clubs and Battle Rope 

LOSING 

SIGHT OF SHORE 

Fearless Female Team 

Rows the Pacific!! 

FLUID MOVEMENT: The Art of Free Running

Buy now at www.UnconventionalAthletes.com

www.unconventionalathletes.com 

CONTENTS 

12 

16 

23 

25 

28 

33 

40 

48 

52 

55 

60 

STRENGTH AT THE CORE 

DIONE WESSELS’ POWERFUL CENTRAL ROLE IN THE STRONGMAN WORLD 

GOING THE DISTANCE 

THE FEARLESS FEMALE TEAM’S RECORD-BREAKING ROW ACROSS THE OCEAN 

LOSING SIGHT OF SHORE 

A VISUAL ADVENTURE 

CIRCUIT OF STRENGTH 

A CUSTOMIZED SYSTEM TO BUILD A BETTER BODY WHILE SAVING TIME! 

RELEASE YOUR INNER BRUCE LEE 

THE SECRET POWERS FROM BREATH AND SOUND 

AGELESS WARRIOR JULIO ANTA 

BUILDING INDIAN CLUB AND BATTLING ROPE SKILLS 

CAR CRASH 

REBUILDING AN ATHLETIC LIFE AFTER SUFFERING FROM A SEVERE ACCIDENT 

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES 

THE PRACTICE OF PARKOUR FOR BUILDING MIND, BODY AND SOUL 

ZEUS - GOOD GOD HE’S STRONG! 

BUILDING UP TO "THE MOMENT" OF PERFORMANCE – MOTIVATION AND THE 

BOOST FROM BEING MAD 

GRIP LIKE A GORILLA! 

JEROME BLOOM SHARES HIS TIPS FOR BUILDING TOUGHER HANDS 

MAXIMIZE YOUR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE SAFELY IN EXTREMITIES 

BILL HERON ON THE ELITE BEATING THE HEAT! 

Issue 07 - Volume 1 | 2016 3


introduction 

COVER ATHLETE: Sarah Moshman and the Coxless Crew 

ISSUE 7 VOLUME 1 

CEO: Nigel John 

Contributors: 

Bill Heron 

Dione wessels 

Jeff Bankens 

Julio anta 

Meghan callaway 

Elizeu Novaes De Oliveria 

(zeus strongman) 

Agent: Sandra Bedell 

Staff writer and publicist: Sharon G. Jonas 

Advertising and circulation specialist: 

Chris Wonder Schoeck 

Promoter: Henk Bakker 

Garin Bader 

stanislavs lazdan 

Emma Mitchell 

sarah Moshman 

Jerome Bloom 

Published by Unconventionalathletes.com 

INQUIRES: 

Sandra Bedell: Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/Monkey777 

Cell: +1 516 428-9315 

Disclaimer: 

UnconventionalAthletes.com ltd is a publication/magazine. 

UnconventionalAthletes.com ltd is an online publication/ 

magazine and 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 about, debated, or are conversed either by 

writing or pictures/videos that represent the articles or any 

advertisements present in this magazine. UnconventionalAthletes.com 

ltd makes no warranty, guarantee representation 

regarding the use of the techniques, equipment/products, 

purchase of services that are in the United Kingdom or elsewhere 

in the world. It is mandatory that you discuss with a 

health care professional your physical health before or if you 

decide to try the techniques/exercises and equipment featured 

and discussed both literally and visually in this magazine. 

UnconventionalAthletes.com ltd 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 ltd or its partners, contributors or anybody or products 

featured in this online publication from any harm or injury 

that may result from participation.. 

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It 

comes from an indomitable will.” - Mahatma Gandhi 

For elite athletes, strength is 

essential. Behind their astounding 

physical power and endurance, their 

mindset serves as the engine driving 

them towards a goal. 

Issue 7 features athletes who are 

strong in every sense of the word. 

Unwavering in their dedication, we 

take pride in recognizing them and 

welcome the opportunity to learn 

from their experience. 

Our cover story about the Coxless 

Crew, a team of women who dared to 

row across the world’s largest ocean, 

exemplifies elite athletic strength. 

Unsupported by another crew to 

ensure their safety, they spent 257 days 

battling fatigue and fears, as currents 

set on dragging them backwards. Our 

interview with team member, Emma 

Mitchell, delves into the challenges and 

details of this astonishing experience. 

For those seeking strength in the 

primal form of lifting, moving or 

gripping heavy objects, Jerome 

Bloom, Jeff Bankens and Zeus, a trio 

of powerhouse athletes, share 

their personal approaches to 

success. Dione Wessels, former 

powerlifting champion and current 

President of Strongman Corp., 

speaks out about her role as a 

woman standing strong in the 

center of a male-dominated world. 

Meghan Callaway, champion soccer 

player and trainer, tells of her 

painful, yet inspirational journey 

to regain strength following a 

major car accident by applying 

her own, highly effective 

methodologies. Julio Anta, the 

ageless warrior with an impressive list 

of skills and experiences, defies the 

limitations of age by maintaining 

strength and gaining knowledge. 

We have Stanislavs Lazdan, a skilled 

parkour enthusiast, demonstrating 

how the limitations of living in a 

small-town without resources or 

equipment, should not hinder 

the pursuit of a personal passion. 

Garin Bader, a multi-talented 

achiever, shares his CoreForce 

Energy system, designed to 

provide boundless strength and 

speed to anyone willing to try his 

unique approach. Personal Trainer, 

Bill Heron, who enjoys 

developing his strength in extreme 

weather conditions, shares a fitness 

routine well-worth repeating. 

We hope you enjoy stepping into the 

world of these elite athletes, and 

welcome your comments and feedback 

(unconventionalfit@outlook.com) 

Kind regards, 

Nigel John Leppington 

CEO 

Contact 

Unconventional Athletes is growing fast. If you feel you want to offer your knowledge and you 

fit the criteria for contributing to this magazine, or want to advertise please contact our agent 

SANDRA BEDELL at: 

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

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

We are here to help and want to support unconventional training and a community of athletes 

open to learning proven, tried-and-true methods to improve themselves. 

JOIN OUR GROUP OF EXPERIENCED UNCONVENTIONAL ATHLETES: 

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

FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/UnconventionalAthletes/?fref=ts 

4


Nigel John 

Founder and creator of Unconventional Athletes.com 

Nigel John, the founder and director of Unconventional 

Athletes.com ltd, has created this magazine to help educate 

people and change the way they think about fitness. 

By recognizing the value of a more pragmatic approach - 

making unconventional = functional - he hopes to 

promote fitness as a part of life, rather than a chore. 

Nigel strongly believes in the value of experience, and everyone 

featured in the magazine is vetted for their skill sets. By bringing 

together former Special Forces, calisthenics and strength 

experts, fighters, policemen, military veterans and athletes 

from a multitude of backgrounds to share their knowledge (not 

so-called gurus who have merely completed a week-long 

course on the subject of fitness), Unconventional Athletes 

gives you the real deal. 

In addition to this magazine, Nigel also runs the 

Facebook page “Unconventional Athletes.com” bringing 

unconventional athletes from around the world 

together to share knowledge and get recognition. 

Well-known and highly regarded within the 

unconventional training community worldwide, Nigel 

has spent years developing a unique system called 

High Octane Training, designed to evolve fitness levels 

quickly to an elite level with multiple applications. Nigel has 

contributed to a number of publications including My Mad 

Methods magazine and Onnit Academy and is sponsored by 

Mass Suit. He is also committed to Unconventional Athletes, 

providing valuable information about effective training 

equipment to prevent our readers from getting ripped off, 

or overcharged for gimmicky, useless equipment. 

Prepare to BREAK OUT OF THE BOX! Read on and reap 

the knowledge and EVOLVE! The one-eyed man is king in 

the valley of the blind! 

Anyone wishing to contribute ideas, articles or provide 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: 

http://www.UnconventionalAthletes.Com | FACEBOOK: UnconventionalAthletes 

INSTAGRAM: #UnconventionalAthletes 


6


CONTRIBUTORS 

DIONE WESSELS 

NATIONALITY: AMERICAN 

Dione Wessels, 46, has held the position of President and CEO of Strongman Corporation, the largest 

strongman organization in the world, for the past 15 years. It is the only global organization to have a 

feeder system, bringing teens to the amateur and then the professional level. Currently, Strongman Corp. 

with 20,000 members, oversees over 11,000 amateur and over 50 professional athletes. A former 

competitive powerlifter in the 132 lb. weight class, Wessels won the National Championship in 2004 

and broke two records by deadlifting and squatting 402 pounds. Holding a graduate degree in adolescent 

counseling, she previously worked as an elementary school teacher. Dione was born in Atlanta, GA., and 

now resides in St Louis, MO. 

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

WEBSITE: https://strongmancorporation.com 

SARAH MOSHMAN 


Sarah Moshman, 29, is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and TV producer who resides 

in Los Angeles. Growing up in Chicago, Moshman has been making films since she was a teenager. After 

graduating the University of Miami where she studied film, she worked as a field producer for shows on 

major U.S. TV networks including ABC, NBC, MTV, Bravo, Lifetime and the Food Network. She has turned her 

award-winning documentary, “The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things”, 

into a movement by visiting schools and organizations across the U.S. to screen and discuss the film’s 

message. “Losing Sight of Shore” is Moshman’s second feature length documentary. 

Sarah Moshman 

Director/Producer 

The Empowerment Project & Losing Sight of Shore 

Email: sarah.moshman@gmail.com | WEBSITE: empowermentproject.com | WEBSITE: losingsightofshore.com 

EMMA MITCHELL 

COXLESS CREW TEAM MEMBER 

NATIONALITY: BRITISH 

The Coxless Crew is a team of women who rowed 8,446 miles across the Pacific Ocean in 9 

months from California to Australia in 2015. They are the first female team to accomplish this 

phenomenal, record-breaking feat. Motivated to honor and support women fighting breast cancer and 

wounded war veterans, their journey was intended to inspire others to overcome adversity and reach 

their true potential. 

TRAILER: http://youtu.be/imqTdT556eE 

WEBSITE: coxlesscrew.com 



CONTRIBUTORS 

JEFF ‘T REX’ BANKENS 


Jeff “T-Rex” Bankens, a Louisiana state resident, is a minister and performing strongman. His love 

of weight-lifting began when he was a toddler, watching ‘The Incredible Hulk’ smash his way through 

American television. “T-Rex” began lifting weights as a high school freshman, and over 2 decades later 

he is still putting heavy things overhead. Over 10 years ago, his life was forever changed when he 

discovered “Dinosaur Training” and the ways of the old time strongmen. Today, “T-Rex” uses his talents 

as an entertainer and speaker to motivate and transform people's lives by speaking and performing at 

schools, churches, corporate events and homes for troubled youth. 

https://sites.google.com/site/trexpowerevents/ 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TRex.Jeff.Bankens 

WEBSITE: https://sites.google.com/site/trexpowerevents/ 

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/MrJbanken01 

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/TRex4JC 

INSTAGRAM: http://www.enjoygram.com/jefftrexbankens 

GARIN BADER 


Garin Bader is the creator of CoreForce Energy, the astonishing system that instantly provides superhuman 

strength and speed. He is also an internationally acclaimed award-winning concert pianist and master magician, 

as well as a martial artist, sculptor, painter, and author. His diverse background has given him insight into how 

to interrelate skills which led to the development of his unique system. CoreForce Energy supercharges your 

mind and muscles to work together so powerfully that it can double your strength and speed in less than 

one day – regardless of your athletic abilities, gender, or age. He teaches his system through a DVD program, 

seminars, and private coaching sessions. Garin and his wife, Vanessa, travel throughout the world with his 

internationally acclaimed show, “Musical Magic,” combining music, magic illusions, and martial arts. Garin has 

won thirteen international competitions for both his music and magic and has thrilled audiences worldwide 

from Carnegie Hall, the London Palladium and the famed Hollywood Magic Castle to the World’s Greatest Magic 

Show in Las Vegas. 

WEBSITE: http://www.coreforceenergy.com/blog/about/ | http://www.garinbader.com 

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

BILL HERON 


Bill Heron is a CPT, TRX, USSF and NSCAA licensed coach who has spent 18 years working as a Personal 

Trainer. He enjoys working out in extreme weather conditions, battling heat, cold and even flooding 

rains. The oldest of 7 children, he was born and raised in an Irish Catholic home in the fighting city of 

Philadelphia. Bill was like every boy in Philadelphia in the 80’s wanting to be Rocky Balboa, and the 

movie had a big influence on his many years of unconventional training. 

EMAIL: billheronfitness@facebook.com 

FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/BillHeronFitness | TWITTER: @HeronFIT | INSTAGRAM: #HeronFIT 



CONTRIBUTORS 

Julio ANta 

NATIONALITY: CUBAN/AMERICAN 

Cuban-born, Julio Anta, 59, is a resident of Miami, Florida. He and his wife co-own Anta’s Fitness and Self 

Defense since 1998. Anta is a certified instructor in Hung Gar Kung Fu, Judokickbox, Jeet Kune Do, Krav 

Maga, Haganah and Muay Thai. A retired corrections officer and former competitive bodybuilder, he also 

served in the U.S. Marine Corp. Anta is certified in kettlebells, Battling Ropes, Indian clubs, elite combat 

fitness, action strength, MMA Fighter fit and Fitness Kickboxing. He is the author of “Anta’s Ageless 

Warrior” and the video author of “Anta’s Shaolin Physical Conditioning” and “Anta’s Art of Fighting 

without Fighting” anti-bullying video and program. He is a student for life studying different martial 

arts, fitness modalities and longevity and anti-aging. His mission is to change the lives of children and 

adults through martial arts and fitness. 

Martial Arts and Fitness Certifications: 

Hung Gar Kung Fu Master 

Krav Maga Association Full Instructor 

Krav Maga Association Israeli Counter Terrorism 

C.O.R.E Krav Maga Instructor 

KMMA Krav Maga Martial Arts Instructor 

Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association Phase One Instructor 

Paul Vunak’s Progressive Fighting System Jeet Kune Do Phase One Instructor 

Progressive Fighting System Edge Weapon Instructor 

Progressive Fighting System Law Enforcement Instructor 

Military JKD & SPECOPS Kali certified 

Muay Thai Instructor (Trans Muay Thai Association) Level 3 Kru Instructor 

Haganah F.I.G.H.T. (Fierce Israeli Guerrilla Hand to hand Tactics) Instructor 

SABER Edge Weapons Combative’s Instructor 

Burn with Kearns MMA Fighter Fit Level 3 Instructor 

Action Strength Instructor 

Battling Ropes Instructor by John Brookfield 

Dragon Door Indian Club Instructor by Dr Ed Thomas 

Fitness Kickboxing Instructor 

Kardio Karate Instructor 

ISSA Fitness Instructor (Personal Trainer) 

HKC Kettlebell Certification 

ECF Elite Kettlebell Instructor 

Kettlebell Concepts Kettlebell Instructor 

Mike Mahler Level 1 Kettlebell Workshop 

ECF (Elite Combat Fitness) Instructor 

IYCA (International Youth Conditioning Association) Youth Fitness Specialist 

National Security Agency certified Child Safety Agent 

Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle Martial Arts for Peace Bully Buster instructor 

ACMA (American Council of Martial Arts) certified by the Copper Institute 

Dr Ben Lerner’s Maximized Living Mentor 

Pilates Physical Minds Institute 

All American Pilates 

Authorized Steal Proof Master (Anti Child Abduction and Safety) Presenter 

WEBSITE: www.antamartialarts.com 

WEBSITE: www.miamikettlebell.com 

WEBSITE: www.doralkravmaga.com 

WEBSITE: www.artoffightingwithoutfighting.com 

WEBSITE:www.martialartsandfitness.typepad.com (Blog) 

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/antafit 

FACEBOOK: Anta’s Fitness and Self Defense 

INSTAGRAM:www.instagram.com/antamartialarts 

TWITTER:www.twitter.com/fitdef 

LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/in/julio-anta-805b4b34 

PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/julioanta1 

MEGHAN CALLAWAY 

NATIONALITY: CANADIAN 

Meghan Callaway, 34, is prominent personal trainer in Vancouver, Canada, with over 12 years of training 

experience. She currently works with a wide array of clients, ranging from the elite athletes to post-physical 

therapy rehabilitation and strength training, as well as many average fitness clients who are looking to feel and 

function better. Callaway has played competitive soccer for 27 years, and also previously competed in ice 

hockey and baseball. After a major car accident 8 years ago, she rebuilt her body to make a stunning 

comeback by using a 3-pronged approach. In regaining her skills, she returned to personal training as well as 

playing on the soccer team which won the Canadian national championships this past season. 

WEBSITE: MeghanCallawayFitness.com 

FACEBOOK: https://m.facebook.com/public/Meghan-Callaway-Pt 

TWITTER: @fitfaststrong 

INSTAGRAM: MeghanCallaway 



CONTRIBUTORS 

STANISLAVS LAZDAN 

NATIONALITY: LATVIAN 

Stanislavs Lazdan was born in Latvia, Daugavpils, in 1991 and grew up wanting to be a stuntman after 

watching actors such as Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. Around the age of 15 and after trying various sports, he 

came across a man performing a breakdancing routine, doing backflips and other moves in the street. This 

inspired him to apply these methods to his own training regime. In Stanislav’s small hometown there 

were no gyms, so he had to do all of his training outside, practicing his skills outside with nature – 

utilizing various objects to aid his skills in free-running and calisthenics. After a few years of practice, Stas 

decided to travel the world, entering competitions to further his skills and inspire others. 

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

INSTAGRAM: @stanislavlazdan 

(ELIZEU NOVAES DE OLIVERIA) ZEUS STRONGMAN 

NATIONALITY: BRAZILIAN 

Strongman Zeus, (Elizeu Novaes De Oliveria ), 30, from San Paulo, Brazil, knew early on in life that he wanted 

to be a pro strongman. He started self-training with rocks and homemade equipment as a teen. To date, he 

has won numerous prestigious championships including the 2015 Brazilian Championship (CBSM) Brasiliera 

Confederation of Strongmen, the 2015 South American ExpoNutrition SP, and Xfit Bench Press Championship 

in 2016 where he set a personal record of 220 kg. He placed 2nd in the 2016 Arnold Classic in South 

America in the 105 kg category and was invited to the Ohio Arnold Classic, but was unable to attend. 

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

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1eChNWAE-6e80xOXIj4NTA 

INSTAGRAM: #Zeusstrongman 

JEROME BLOOM 

NATIONALITY: BRITISH 

Jerome Bloom is a grip specialist and has held 13 official world records in the past and still holds 12 of 

them to this day, along with a handful of unofficial world records. Jerome is a former British Novice armwrestling 

champion and was also ranked 3rd in the country for the pros, in the under 65kg category. 

He has been weight lifting for over 15 years, although he has predominantly focused on grip training in 

recent years, after suffering a ruptured disc in his spine. Standing at just 5’2”, Jerome is a force to be 

reckoned with. 

YouTube Channel: 

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UClXw_0gTFd9BLgt_vuFwNyg? 

Minotaurs Team Facebook Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/minotaurs.grip.strength 

You can see a list of the world records that Jerome has achieved at the link below: 

http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/worldrecords.html 



STRENGTH 

AT THE CORE 

DIONE WESSELS’ POWERFUL 

CENTRAL ROLE IN THE 

STRONGMAN WORLD 

By: Sharon G. Jonas 

As the CEO of Strongman Corporation, Dione Wessels has been overseeing the NAS (North American 

Strongman, Inc.) for amateur class strongmen and the ASC (American Strongman Corporation) for professional 

class strongmen for 15 years. Her commitment to establishing and enforcing a strict qualifying system 

to legitimize the sport has ruffled some pretty big feathers along the way. But no one can fault this past 

powerlifting champ for fearlessly fighting to do the right thing, or deny that she hasn’t help bolster the 

sport’s popularity among athletes and fans. Always on the move, we caught up with Dione before her recent 

trip to Uzbekistan for one of Strongman Corps international events. 

DIONE, CAN YOU GIVE US A BACKGROUND ON 

YOURSELF AND HOW YOU GOT INTO POWER 

LIFTING? 

In high school I did cross country running for a 

year…but I had asthma and my coach noticed I was 

built more for sprinting. I started lifting at the age 

of 15 with a mentor/friend of mine. At that time 

it was to improve my speed as a track and field 

athlete. In college I continued lifting because I 

was trying to find a competitive niche as I wasn’t 

running anymore. I met guys in the gym who were 

competitive powerlifters and I started training with 

them. So it started from there. 

I SUPPOSE THERE WERE A LOT FEWER WOMEN 

INVOLVED IN LIFTING IN THOSE DAYS? 

There were hardly any at all. Compared to what 

we see today, it wasn’t even in the ballpark. I think 



My motivation in life and lifting comes from 

anyone that tells me I can’t do something 

when I competed in the World’s Championship in 

2001 maybe 6 women competed, whereas now you 

probably have 30-40 women competing. 

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR CAREER HIGHLIGHTS? 

I competed in the 132 lb. weight class with AAPF 

and during those years I broke both the deadlift and 

squat record at 402 lbs. each. 

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? DO YOU STILL COMPETE? 

My motivation in life and lifting comes from anyone 

that tells me I can’t do something. My competition 

years were from about age 25 to 35. I still train 

5 days a week, but my focus is being the CEO and 

President of Strongman Corporation. 

CAN YOU GIVE SOME INFO ON STRONGMAN 

CORPORATION - HOW DID IT GET STARTED, WHAT 

IS THE MISSION, ETC.? 

My organization started under Bill Holland from 

Texas. He entrusted the company to us in 2001 with 

the intentions that I would run the company full 

time as I had quit my job with the Rockwood school 

district as a teacher. That was 15 years ago. 

The initial goal was to get 1,000 athletes. We now 

have about 22,000 athletes who have joined. Now 

the goal is to make the sport more mainstream while 

educating the fans and athletes... We also want to 

get that fan base of people who recognize this as a 

true extreme strength sport and…to appreciate that 



it is very entertaining to watch. And this also creates 

a legitimate sport for the athletes as well. 

HOW WOULD ONE BECOME A MEMBER OF 

STRONGMAN CORP. AND WHAT DOES THAT OFFER? 

You would register for a membership online (www. 

StrongmanCorp.org). The membership fee is $50. 

We offer over 200 different competitions across 

the country. They would sign up for a competition 

based on what they were capable of doing. All of 

our competitions are listed about 6 weeks ahead 

of time so that gives the average athlete time to 

train for the event. We can also help direct members 

to a location or group training facility in their area. 

First place winners then qualify for the national 

championship in the fall. 

WHEN AND WHERE WILL YOUR NATIONAL 

CHAMPIONSHIP BE HELD? 

It’s scheduled for October 29 th in Quad City, Iowa at 

the River Center, which is the convention center. 

YOU’VE BEEN THE CEO OF STRONGMAN CORP. 

FOR 15 YEARS. HOW HAS THE SPORT CHANGED 

THROUGH THE YEARS? 

It’s changed in several ways. One, it’s no longer a 

backyard sport. When I first got involved, that’s what 

it was considered. I say that because it was usually 

a bunch of friends or training partners getting 

together in a garage or whatever and having a mock 

competition… 

The goal at the time was to bring the sport to the 

masses and to create a legitimate qualifying system. 

Back then to qualify you either needed to create a 

big name for yourself, which means you might know 

nothing really of the sport, or you were a friend 

of someone who competed. Still today there are 

people who pay under the table and they really 

don’t qualify, so that was the goal – to create an 

amateur to professional system. Currently, we are 

the only organization in the world that does that. 

AMAZING! HOW DOES THE SYSTEM YOU CREATED 

WORK? 

We have several shows that are called our Pro-Am or 

Platinum Plus Event. In those events, the first place 

finisher will qualify to get their pro card. Once they 

get their pro card, there are a number of professional 

level events – not a whole lot – where the athletes 

actually get paid some money, depending what they 

are placing in. We also have our America’s Strongest 

Man, which is for our professional American athlete. 

Generally our top 5 to 6 athletes would qualify to 

go onto World’s Strongest Man. So that’s what we 

wanted to create – a legitimate qualifying system, 

not someone just because of a name…advanced. 

SO A WELL-REGULATED SYSTEM MUST BE 

APPRECIATED BY THOSE INVOLVED? 

A lot of people really, really like that because they 

know exactly what they have to do, however there 

are people higher up in the sport who don’t like it 

because it lessens their control. And I’m a female 

working with a bunch of males! 

SO YOU NEED TO BE A TOUGH COOKIE! DO YOU 

THINK YOU’RE A NATURAL BORN LEADER? 

Yeah, I do. I’ve never been one to take ‘no’ for an 

answer, so because of that you adapt and overcome. 

I’ve been sued and everything else to try and get me 

out of the sport, but I’m still here. (laughs) 



WHAT’S THE MOST SATISFYING PART OF YOUR JOB? 

I have the best job in the world. The most satisfying 

part is seeing the growth of the athletes. I’ve met 

a lot of athletes and to see where they started and 

where they are now….like for instance, Brian Shaw. 

Brian started out as an amateur athlete and when 

he first started he just was not a good overhead 

presser at all… To see him now, ranked as one of the 

best, if not the best in the world, is gratifying. 

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE WITHIN THE ARNOLD CLASSIC? 

I’ve been involved since 2005, I believe. What we 

do there is several things. One, we do a World 

Championship…we have a qualifying system across 

the world, and those who qualify get to come 

to the world championships. The winner of the 

World Championship will then go on to compete 

on the main stage with the professional athletes 

the following year. So we put together a world 

championship - there are usually about a minimum 

of 100 athletes, this year I think we had 140 from I 

believe 26 countries. It’s nice to see athletes come 

from all over, especially from places where the sport 

is almost null and void. For the professional level at 

the Arnold, I’m on the Arnold committee and serve 

as an athlete liaison, one of three judges and 

scorekeeper. 

IS THERE ANY ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER TO ANY 

ASPIRING STRONGMEN OR WOMEN? 

I would tell them to find someone experienced in 

their area to train with and treat it as a hobby, take 

the sport seriously, but always put your family first. 

I’ve seen families break up over this…but if you treat 

it as a hobby and have fun with it, you’ll be a success. 

They can go to our website and click on Event 

Calendar…and if they are curious about training 

they can always contact me at: admin@ 

strongmancorporation.com and I can direct them to 

a local training facility. 

WHAT’S THE MOST COMMON INJURY IN THE SPORT 

AND HOW CAN SOMEONE PREVENT IT? 

The bicep tear is most common. Technique is most 

important. We get a lot of athletes who are very, very 

strong, but if you have a bad technique, it doesn’t help. 

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF IN SHAPE? DO YOU 

FOLLOW A SPECIAL DIET, WORKOUT OR BOTH? 

I still train in the morning. Some free weight 

training, cardio and kick boxing. Nathan Payton, a 

world-renown nutritionist helps me with my diet. 

WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO TRAIN - DO 

YOU PREFER INDOORS AND OUTDOOR TRAINING 

OR BOTH? 

My favorite place to train is home. I prefer outdoor 

training 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TRAINING METHOD 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? 

My favorite training is squats, so I prefer trying legs 

the most. I really don’t have anything unusual other 

than wind sprints between sets. 

CAN YOU GIVE US A FEW METHODS YOU USE FOR 

STRENGTH AND STAMINA? 

I like to use the term functional strength - the farmer’s 

walk and deadlifts. Great for grip strengthening and 

it helps to carry groceries and suit cases. 

WHAT DO YOU FORESEE FOR YOUR FUTURE? WHAT 

ARE YOU GOALS? 

My future is continuing to run my company, 

spreading more into the international world with 

events, seminars and licensing. 

INTERVIEW ON DIONE WESSELS BY SHARON G JONAS. 

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

WEBSITE: https://strongmancorporation.com 



PHOTO CREDIT TO ‘ 

LOSING SITE OF SHORE’ 

GOING THE DISTANCE 

FOUR FEARLESS WOMEN AND THEIR RECORD-BREAKING 

ROW ACROSS AN OCEAN 

The mind-blowing row, row, row by the ‘Coxless Crew’ - 

the all-female team with the balls to cross the Pacific 

- was an effort to challenge themselves, honor women 

who have fought and overcome adversity, and inspire 

others to face difficult challenges in life. 



In April 2015 four women from the UK boarded a 29- 

foot bright pink rowboat in San Francisco with the 

intention of crossing the Pacific Ocean. Two hundred and 

fifty seven days later, on January 25 th , their 8,446 mile 

unsupported journey across the world’s largest body of 

water successfully ended in a marina in Cairns, Australia. 

In addition to breaking two world records-the first team 

of four and the first all-female team to row the Pacific 

Ocean-their goal was to raise a quarter of a million 

pounds for Breast Cancer Care and Walking with the 

Wounded. 

Enduring extreme conditions including 30 knot winds, 

40 ft. waves, periods of complete darkness, powerful 

currents that prevented forward progress, salt sores, 

sea sickness and a diet mainly of dehydrated food, the 

women also experienced the astounding beauty of a 360 

degree horizon, incredible encounters with wildlife and 

sea creatures, passing ships, tears, and a lot of laughter. 

Their vision was to inspire others to reach their potential, 

push through boundaries and overcome the challenges 

that life throws at them. This gave rise to their team 

motto: WE ALL HAVE A PACIFIC TO CROSS. 

The following interview is with 31-year-old Emma 

Mitchell, the only crew member with prior rowing 

experience. Emma, along with Laura Penhaul (32) and 

Natalia Cohen (40) were the three crew members who 

completed the entire 3 legs of the trip. On their first 

planned land stop to restock supplies in Honolulu, Isabel 

Burnham (30) was replaced by Lizanne Van Vuuren (26) 

and Meg Dyos (25) took her spot on the final leg of the 

journey from Samoa to Australia. 

An upcoming documentary, “Losing Sight of Shore” 

filmed with cameras provided by director/filmmaker 

Sarah Moshman, is due out later in 2016. A map 

outlining their 3-stage voyage and details about the 

women can be viewed at: www.coxlesscrew.com. 

Our shared 

values were 

SPIRIT – Strength, 

Perseverance, 

Integrity, Resilience, 

Inspiration and 

Trust. 



PHOTO CREDIT TO 

'LOSING SITE OF SHORE' 

WHO HAD THE ORIGINAL IDEA FOR THIS ADVENTURE? 

AND HOW LONG DID YOU PREPARE FOR IT? 

The project evolved from a previous project which 

Laura was involved in. Originally it was going to be 

an Indian Ocean crossing but developed into the 

Coxless Crew and a world first Pacific crossing. It took 

three years to get to the start line. 

WHY ARE YOU CALLED THE “COXLESS CREW”? 

The name is a bit of a pun because we are an 

all female team! 

HOW DID YOU FORM YOUR GROUP? WERE 

“APPLICANTS” TURNED AWAY OR DID YOU KNOW ONE 

ANOTHER? 

The team was formed through team recruitment. 

We worked closely with a sports psychologist who 

helped us form a team who would complement each 

other personality wise. We also had a selection 

weekend in the Brecon Beacons where we trekked 

for 24 hours and carried out team tasks to assess 

leadership and teamwork skills. 

DID THE MISSION EVOLVE OR CHANGE AFTER THE 

GROUP WAS FORMED OR DID IT REMAIN CONSTANT? 

Our mission was to successfully and safely cross the 

Pacific, set two new world records, support Breast 

Cancer Care and Walking With The Wounded and 

show what can be achieved by a strong team of 

women. 

HOW DID YOU TRAIN FOR THIS PHYSICALLY? 

We needed to put on weight before the start of the 

row so we did a strength and conditioning program 

focused on gaining muscle mass. We also had to try 

to put on fat as well which was the opposite to what 

women would usually be doing and so we had to 

consume a lot of calories. We did a lot of leg and arm 

weights and core exercises to help prevent injury 

whilst on the water. 

HOW DID YOU PREPARE MENTALLY BEFORE THE 

MISSION? 

We did a lot of work with our amazing sports 

psychologist, Keith Goddard, before we left, working on 

team dynamics, conflict management and how to get 

the best out of each other as a team, as well as coping 

strategies for different situations which might occur. We 

also surrounded ourselves with experts in terms of 

strength and conditioning training, sea survival prep, 

our amazing sponsors who provided the electronics and 

kit on board the boat and other adventurers who had 

done ocean rows themselves. 

IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU PHYSICALLY AND/OR 

MENTALLY CHANGED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE? 

The challenge was 90% mental and has proved that you 

can achieve anything you put your mind to. I found the 

ocean an incredibly beautiful and magical place and 

found it much easier to concentrate on my surroundings 

and be in the moment than when in the real world. 

Physically we all lost weight during the row and our 

body composition changed, burning fat and muscle and 

losing bone density. We also have a few healing scars 

from salt sores and blisters. We also lost a lot of muscle 

tone in our calves and ankles from not walking for so 

long, so walking around when we finally hit Australia 

was painful for a few weeks. 



DID YOU LOSE MUCH WEIGHT DURING THE MISSION? 

We all lost varying amounts of weight between 5 

and 12kg. We worked with GSK Human 

Performance Lab before, during and after the row 

and they measured the changes in our body 

composition which was interesting to see. We also 

did some cortisol (stress hormone) testing while on 

the water and are still waiting for these results. 



HOW THE HECK DID YOU MANAGE TO SLEEP FOR ONLY 

A FEW HOURS AT A TIME AND IMMEDIATELY WAKE TO 

PERFORM? 

The first few weeks were really tough while we adjusted 

to our new sleeping routine. It was always hard to get 

up when the alarm went off in the middle of the night, 

but it would never had occurred to any of us to go back 

to sleep and leave our teammates on the oars for longer 

than their allotted time, so it was just something that 

we had to do. 

DID SLEEP-DEBT EFFECT PERFORMANCE? 

A couple of the girls really struggled to stay awake at 

night while rowing leading to some highly amusing 

gobbledygook chat and hallucinations. There were 

definitely shifts where we weren’t moving as fast at 

night as during the day, but we were always trying to 

keep going in the right direction. 

WAS THE ROWING NON-STOP, OR DID YOU ALL GET TO 

TAKE DOWN TIME TOGETHER? 

We mainly rowed 2 hours on, 2 hours off, 24 hours a 

day, but around every couple of weeks we would take 

an hour out for a team social, where we might swim 

or all eat together which was good for team morale. 

On Christmas day we took a few hours off the oars to 

celebrate. Apart from that we only all stopped rowing 

when the conditions were too dangerous. 

WERE YOU EVER DISORIENTED BY EXHAUSTION? 

Sometimes in the middle of the night you would drift 

off on the oars and either wake up having lost the last 

few minutes or hallucinate that the sleeping pair were 

outside on deck, or that you were doing something else. 

It often took a minute or 2 when the alarm went off to 

remember where we were. 

WERE DECISION MAKING SKILLS EVER HINDERED BY BEING 

TIRED? 

Before we left the UK we had made plans for how decision 

making would work on the boat and this made it much 

easier because when a decision needed to be reached even 

when we were exhausted, we just followed a process. 

HOW DID YOU APPLY “MINDFULNESS” TRAINING FROM 

THE SPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST? HOW DOES THAT HELP? 

We employed mindfulness on the boat to help us stay 

in the moment. This helped us to reduce the amount 

of projecting we were doing, worrying about how long, 

how far, how fast, etc. and allowing us to just deal with 

what we were facing in that moment. It also helped us 

to appreciate where we were and how lucky we were to 

be there appreciating the 360 degree horizon, incredible 

sunrises and sunsets and the wildlife encounters. 

WAS THIS YOUR FIRST ENDURANCE CHALLENGE WITH A TEAM? 

This was the first challenge of this magnitude which I have ever 

attempted, but I have rowed in rivers for many years and have 

always loved the fact that the strength of a team can be more 

than the sum of its individuals and the support and enjoyment 

that comes from achieving something alongside other people. 

WHAT MAKES FOR A GOOD TEAM? 

A good team needs a common goal, shared values, respect 

for every member and an understanding of what each person 

brings to the team, and also how to get the best out of each 

other. Our shared values were SPIRIT (strength, perseverance, 

integrity, resilience, inspiration and trust) and we held each 

other accountable to them. I think another essential was to 

maintain a sense of humor in times of adversity. Our team was 

also very caring towards each other and as we are all such 

different people, with different personalities we were able to 

help each other through times when we were struggling. 





The challenge was 90% mental and 

has proved that you can achieve 

anything you put your mind to. 

ANY TIPS ON HOW A TEAM ATHLETE MIGHT OVERCOME 

ISSUES WITH WORKING WITH OTHERS? 

On board Doris there was nowhere to hide so if we had 

any issues or irritations we had no choice but to voice 

them and deal with them. This meant that we had a 

really open and honest relationship and were able 

to talk about everything. Then once we had talked it 

through we could move on, forget and laugh about it. 

This meant that in the whole 9 months we didn’t have 

any major arguments. 

WERE YOU PREPARED AHEAD OF TIME FOR REPLACEMENTS 

IF/WHEN A GROUP MEMBER DROPPED OUT? 

The plan was always for Natalia, Laura and me to row the 

full journey and for Izzy, Lizanne and Meg to complete 

one leg each. Luckily we all stayed healthy and had no 

injuries and that meant that nobody was unable to row, 

so we didn’t need to call in any of our reserves. 

WHAT WAS THE LOWEST POINT AND WHAT CAUSED IT? 

HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO GET THROUGH IT? 

For me the lowest point was during the second leg 

between Hawaii and Samoa. We were faced with strong 

negative currents which made rowing really hard work 

and meant that we spent quite a lot of time travelling 

backwards. Until that point I had always found the 

actual rowing the easy part and the thing that made 

me feel better, but around that time I started to hate 

being on the oars. Then we had it confirmed that we 

wouldn’t make it back for Christmas which was another 

blow. Luckily with the support of the team I got through 

it and we finally started moving in the right direction. 

WHAT WERE THE HIGHEST MOMENTS (BESIDES 

COMPLETING THE MISSION)? 

The highlights definitely included the wildlife. We had 

humpback whales breaching meters from the boat, 

a huge whale over twice the size of Doris circling us, 

dolphins, sharks following us for weeks at a time and 

lots of bird friends. The incredible 360 degree color 

at sunrise and sunset was magical and on calm, clear 

nights the stars were amazing! 

DID YOU EVER SWIM IN THE OCEAN? DID YOU HAVE 

THE TIME, OR WAS IT CONSIDERED TOO RISKY? 

Yes, we all swam in the ocean while leashed to the boat 

for safety and with someone on shark watch. The water 

is so clear that you can see really far down, but you still 

know that there are kilometers below and you don’t 

know what’s down there. It was so nice to be able to 

stretch out properly and move in ways we couldn’t in 

the cramped conditions on board. However we couldn’t 

do this too often as we obviously had to stop rowing 

every time we did this. 

I SEE YOU HAD A LOGISTICS EXPERT HELP DESIGN THE 

ROUTE. WERE YOU EVER LOST OR FEARFUL OF LOSING 

COURSE? 

We were never lost but sometimes it was really hard to hold 

the correct course due to the currents and wind. At one point 

it looked like we might miss Samoa as we were struggling 

to row against strong currents which were taking us too far 

west. We were all trained in using the Raymarine navigation 

equipment and it was amazingly reliable. We also had a lot 

of backup systems which were able to give us our position 

should anything have gone wrong. 

DID YOU EVER REGRET GOING, OR FEAR FOR YOUR LIFE 

OR THE LIFE OF OTHERS? 

No, I had an amazing time overall and we were so 

well prepared for any eventuality that we had all the 

necessary safety procedures in place. 



WAS IT MORE PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY GRUELING 

THAN EXPECTED? OR WAS IT TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU 

TO FATHOM THESE THINGS BEFOREHAND? 

I didn’t have a huge amount of expectations about what 

it would be like, but I found it much more of a mental 

than a physical challenge. 

WHAT ARE THE REASONS BEHIND YOUR CHOSEN 

CHARITIES? HOW MUCH DID YOU RAISE? 

Both our charities, Breast Cancer Care and Walking With 

The Wounded support women overcoming adversity 

and are charities close to our hearts. The stories of the 

incredible women they help inspired us to keep going 

even when it was really tough. We have raised over 

£50,000 so far but are still raising. You can help us reach 

our target by visiting our website www.coxlesscrew.com. 

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO PLAN THIS? 

The project took three years to get to the start line. 

HOW MUCH DID YOU NEED TO RAISE FROM SPONSORS 

TO UNDERTAKE THIS? 

The total budget for the project was around £250k. We 

put personal money into the project, fundraised and 

were supported by a number of sponsors. 

WAS THE BOAT DONATED? WHY THE NAME “DORIS?” 

We brought Doris ourselves and she was specially built 

for us. Doris is the name of the daughter of Oceanus 

and Tethys so it has ties to the ocean, and we thought 

it was a dependable name for the seventh member of 

our team. 

COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE BOAT AND THE 

LIVING CONDITIONS (E.G. SLEEPING, FOOD STORAGE 

AND SHOWERING ARRANGEMENTS)? 

Doris is 29ft long and about 8ft wide and weighs 

over a ton. She has two rowing seats on deck and two 

cabins. The main cabin is the size of a small 2-man 

tent and houses the electronics like the chart plotter 

and comms kit, and was where we mainly spent our 2 

hours off. The second cabin was mainly used when we 

couldn’t row due to storms, and is even smaller. With 

two people in there, you can only roll over if you do it 

together and you couldn’t really sit up properly. Food 

was stored in hatches under the deck and our personal 

belongings lived in some canvas pockets on the walls 

of the main cabin. Our toilet was a red bucket and our 

shower was just a flannel and a white bucket. 

WHAT DID YOU EAT? COULD YOU COOK OR PREPARE 

FOOD? (WAS THERE ELECTRIC, REFRIGERATION, AND 

LIGHTING ETC.)? 

We lived off mainly rehydrated expedition rations 

designed to be high in calories and energy. We boiled 

water in a jet boil and then mixed it in and waited 5 

mins before eating it. It was very repetitive and greasy 

and nobody wants curry when it’s 45 degrees outside, 

but it doesn’t taste too bad. Also, we had snack packs 

which had things like cereal bars, dried fruit and nuts 

and crackers inside. We had lights in the cabins and 

the ability to charge the satellite phone and ipad, but 

no fridge as our batteries were charged using the solar 

panels. 

HOW DID COMMUNICATIONS WORK? COULD YOU SEE 

WHO YOU WERE TALKING TO, AND DID YOU EVER LOSE 

CONNECTION? 

We had a satellite phone which we used to speak to 

our families for 10 minutes each week, and we received 

weather updates via text. We also had an Iridium 

Go! device which allowed us to send and receive emails, 

but we didn’t see anyone else’s faces except each 

others the full time we were on the boat. 

YOU ALSO FILMED SOME OF THE EXPEDITION, WAS 

THIS CHALLENGING? 

The filming gave us another project and thing to do 

while on the boat which was a good distraction and it 

was also exciting as we knew we were going to end up 

with an amazing record of our journey. 

DID YOU EACH KEEP A JOURNAL, OR DID YOU JUST USE 

THE FILM TO KEEP A LOG OF THINGS? 

We did a lot of video diaries which you’ll get to see when 

the documentary is finished, and we blogged every day 

which for most of us also acted as a type of diary where 

we recorded and shared our experiences. 

WAS ANYONE INJURED? AND WHAT IS A “SALT SORE”? 

Luckily, no one got hurt and we all stayed pretty healthy. 

Salt on the skin led to irritation and rashes, especially 

on our bums where there was pressure as well. We had 

to be really strict with hygiene to prevent any sores 

becoming infected or too irritated. 

DID YOU GET ANY REPETITIVE STRAIN FROM GRIPPING 

THE OARS FOR SO LONG? 

We developed what we called ‘claw hand’ from gripping 



the oars, where after a rest or sleep we wouldn’t be able to 

straighten our fingers properly and lost a lot of grip strength. 

CAN YOU SHARE A FEW SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES ABOUT 

ROWING, TO MAXIMIZE POTENTIAL? 

For rowing, it’s important to use your legs as they 

are the strongest muscle you have. Good posture is 

important to make sure your strokes are efficient and to 

prevent injuries. Rowing in time with teammates is the 

most efficient way to row, although when the waves are 

big in the middle of the ocean this is much harder than 

on a river where I usually row. The proper position is 

with your back straight and your core engaged all of the 

time. At the catch, the shins should be vertical and they 

extend to flat by the end of the stroke. 

HOW DID YOU COORDINATE THE STROKES? 

Coordinating strokes is just a case of following the 

person in front who sets the rhythm and speed. No 

communication was needed for us on the ocean, only 

when we needed to change pace or hold course. As the 

most experienced rower in the boat, I sometimes gave 

the others technique focuses to work on. 

HOW IS BREATHING INVOLVED DURING PROPER 

ROWING? 

Usually you would breathe out as you drive the oars 

through the water, breathing in on the recovery when 

the oars are out of the water and going up their slide. 

This is most important when rowing faster strokes and 

firm pressure, which we didn’t do all the time on Doris. 

REGARDING HAND GRIP ON THE OARS-IS IT TIGHT, 

LOOSE, OR WHAT? 

You don’t need to grip the oars particularly hard. Especially 

in calm conditions, the oar just rests under your hand 

on the way forward when it isn’t in the water and then 

the hand acts more like a hook when it is in the water. 

In rough conditions we obviously had to hold on a bit 

tighter to stop our oars getting knocked out of our hands 

by big waves. Sometimes a wave would catch the oars 

which would get stuck and we would get the oar handles 

jammed into our stomachs, knees or shins. This definitely 

got frustrating in long periods of rough weather. 

DID YOU WEAR SPECIAL GLOVES? 

We had a couple of different types and hand pads, but for the 

most part used our bare hands. None of us suffered really bad 

blisters, but constant salt water made layers of our skin peel 

off and sometimes our callouses would crack painfully. 

IF YOU HEARD THAT SOMEONE ELSE WAS GOING TO 

TRY SOMETHING THIS ARDUOUS, WHAT ADVICE WOULD 

YOU GIVE? 

You are stronger than you imagine and you always 

have what it takes to keep going. Remember to include 

mental training as well as physical, as the mind is our 

limiting factor. Enjoy the journey! 

WHAT’S NEXT? 

We are still fundraising for our charities and talking about 

our experience of the row. I’m not sure what will be next, 

but I’m sure there will be another challenge involved. 

INTERVIEW BY SHARON G JONAS 

Click on the links below and find out what’s going on with the Coxless Crew! 

Website: www.coxlesscrew.com | Website: www.losingsightofshore.com 

#MyPacific | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crew.coxless/?fref=ts 



LOSING SIGHT 

OF SHORE 

A VISUAL ADVENTURE 

The Coxless Crew’s epic oceanic voyage is currently 

being made into a feature-length documentary “Losing 

Sight of Shore” by Sarah Moshman, an Emmy awardwinning 

filmmaker and TV producer. It is scheduled for 

release in Fall 2016. 

with SARAH MOSHMAN 

Introduced to the women via a 

UK blogger, the 29-year-old Chicagobased 

filmmaker and director spoke to 

two of the crew members via Skype to 

explore the possibility of filming their 

journey. “I was blown away by the 

interview,” says Moshman. “Sometimes 

you need to go with it when you have 

a good feeling. We brainstormed on 

how it would all work and I sent them 

some of my work to get a sense of me.” 

Calling the project a “great leap of 

faith for all involved”, Moshman first 

met the crew in person the day they 

launched on their record-setting 

voyage. Providing them with 

cameras, hard drives and the 

promise to meet them at the two 

designated land-based supply stops 

along the way, Moshman watched them 

row away at 3:00 a.m. past the 

Golden Gate Bridge and out into the 

great blue. To support the completion 

of “Losing Sight of Shore”, the 

prestigious Tribeca Film Institute 

recently awarded a grant to 

Moshman. Best known for her 

previous documentary, “The 

Empowerment Project: Ordinary 

Women Doing Extraordinary 

Things” (2014), Moshman says that 

“”Losing Sight of Shore” isn’t a story 

about rowing at all, but about the 

human spirit and the symbolic 

challenges we all face.” 

23


Photographs by Sarah Moshman 

losing site of shore. 

SARAH MOSHMAN 

Director/Producer 

The Empowerment Project & Losing Sight 

of Shore. 

847 707 6770 

sarah.moshman@gmail.com 

empowermentproject.com 

losingsightofshore.com 

Issue 07 - Volume 1 | 2016 

24


CIRCUIT OF 

STRENGTH: 

A CUSTOMIZED SYSTEM TO BUILD A 

BETTER BODY AND SAVE TIME! 

By: Jeff ‘T. Rex’ Bankens 

You don’t need a miracle to 

get stronger! Add this mighty 

minister’s organized training 

approach to achieve a great 

change of your own! 

SUPERIOR SHOULDER GIRDLE 

I would like to introduce you to a couple of things I have 

been doing over the last year that develop the shoulder 

girdle, build endurance and help increase full body power. I 

believe you will find that what I present is easy to setup, and 

can be adapted to any training environment. I use these 

lifts on my upper body training days, but they provide a nice 

carry over to the entire body. 



Prelims 

Before we begin the actual training, I suggest we do some 

pre-workout activities. This includes general stretching, 

Indian club swinging, and a special wrist strengthening 

exercise I picked up from a friend. As most of you are 

probably already familiar with stretching and Indian club 

swinging, I will focus on the wrist strengthening exercise. 

ALLEVIATING ARTHRITIS 

I started doing this exercise last year because it 

strengthens my wrists and also alleviates the arthritis 

pain in my right wrist. It is easy to perform. You stand 

about 3-4 feet (1 meter) from a wall with feet together 

and assume the pushup position, with the BACK of your 

hands touching the wall. As a side note, I would like to 

point out that double progression can be used on this 

exercise. That is, you increase your reps to a certain point 

(I suggest working up to 80-100 reps) and then increase 

the difficulty by increasing the distance from the wall to 

your feet. Ideally you will work up to doing actual back of 

hand push-ups on the ground. 

DURATION 

I typically spend about 10-12 minutes on these preworkout 

activities, depending on how I am feeling that day. 

Once this is done, I move on to a full body warm up exercise. 

My warm up exercise is basically an old school, one-arm 

swing performed with a scale weight (aka block weight). 

This is not actually intended to be a training implement, 

which makes it a perfect fit for this magazine! You see a 

scale weight is used to test the accuracy of scales. As you 

can see in the picture, it is a big chunk of iron with a small 

handle built into the top and it weighs in at 50lbs. (22.7kg). 

I perform as many one arm swings as I can with each arm 

in a 5 minute period, usually working them in sets of 5 reps 

per side, until the clock runs out. Once this is done, I take a 

short water break, and then jump right into the “Circuit of 

Strength”. Before I get into that, I will explain to you how I 

perform the one-arm swing. 

THE ONE-ARM SWING 

METHOD 

This particular exercise has been part of my repertoire 

for a couple of years now. When performed for low reps 

it is a great full body warm up. When performed for high 

reps, it becomes a strength endurance / power cardio 

exercise. In other words, it is brutal! 

1. To begin the exercise, stand with your feet shoulderwidth 

apart with the scale weight resting on the 

ground between your feet. The weight should be 

sitting at the heels, extending slightly behind you. 

2. Bend the knees and lower your torso, so that you can 

firmly grasp the handle of the scale weight with one 

hand (I typically begin with my non-dominant hand). 

3. Place the non-lifting hand on your knee. Inhale, 

quickly tighten up the body and pull hard! Once your 

torso is semi-erect, the weight should be at or near 

eye-level. 

4. Once this is accomplished, allow the weight to swing 

back down, between your legs. Once it is between 

your legs, repeat the first pull, and then allow it to 

drop between your legs one more time (this builds 

momentum and power). 

5. Now it is time to complete the one-arm swing. Pull 

just like you did the 1 st two times. Once you get the 

weight to eye-level, complete the pull and drop 

under the weight by splitting the legs (same as you 

would do in a snatch or clean and jerk). When you 

get to this point in the exercise, you will see just how 

important the grip can be. You must firmly grip the 

handle so that the scale weight does not fall on your 

head! Once all of your reps are complete, your body 

will be thoroughly warmed up and your training 

quarters will be covered in sweat! 



CIRCUIT OF STRENGTH 

THE BASICS: 

SURROUND, AND SET THE CLOCK 

We will now move on to the main course, the circuit of 

strength! To begin, you will literally surround your training 

platform with your favorite overhead lifting implements 

in a clock-wise fashion. You will stack them in ascending 

order of weight. Stacking them in this manner eliminates 

the need for warm-up sets. As far as placement goes, the 

lightest implement should be at the “7 o’clock” position, 

and your heaviest implement should be at the “6 o’clock” 

position. I mix hex dumbbells, a scale weight, kegs, and 

thick-handled equipment into the circuit of strength. 

Doing so adds variety to the workout and also keeps you 

on your toes. By the time you finish this workout, your 

entire body will be screaming for air and water! 

PREREQUISITES 

To perform the workout, you will do a clean and press, push 

press, or push jerk with each implement. All dumbbells 

and scale weights will be treated as one-arm lifts. In this 

case you will perform a clean and press/push press/push 

jerk with your non-dominate hand, immediately followed 

by the same with your other hand. This is a circuit workout. 

Since that is the case, you must complete as many circuits 

as possible in a given amount of time. One circuit would 

be completing lifts with each one of the implements. I 

make a practice of doing as many circuits as possible in 

30 minutes. This will give you the motivation necessary 

to give it your all. 

EQUIPAGE 

My typical circuit of strength consists of the following 

implements (in order of difficulty): 

1 – 45lbs. hex dumbbell, 1 – 50lbs. hex dumbbell, 1 – 

50lbs. scale weight (same as used in warm-up, 

1 – 75lbs. hex dumbbell, 1 – 133lbs. keg, 1 – 120lbs. 

Olympic dumbbell, 1 – 175lbs. keg, and 1 – 152lbs. shotloaded 

circus dumbbell. 

Once I have completed two of these circuits of power, 

I am typically finished, with just enough energy to put 

everything away. I believe if you will implement this into 

your current training program, your overall power and 

mental toughness will grow to “unconventional” levels! 

GOD Bless 

I STARTED doing this 

exercise LAST year BECAUSE 

it strengthens MY wRISTS 

and also ALLEVIATES the 

arthritis pain in MY 

right wrist. 

ARTICLE BY JEFF T REX BANKENS 

Catch up with Jeff by going to the links below: 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TRex.Jeff.Bankens 

WEBSITE: https://sites.google.com/site/trexpowerevents/ 

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/MrJbanken01 

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/TRex4JC 

INSTAGRAM: http://www.enjoygram.com/jefftrexbankens 



RELEASE YOUR 

INNER BRUCE LEE 

THE SECRET POWERS FROM 

BREATH AND SOUND 

A BACkgrOUND IN MUSIC, ArT AND ThE MArTIAL ArTS FUSED TO rEVEAL 

A UNIqUE PErSPECTIVE ON ‘rE-CODINg’ ThE BrAIN. rENAISSANCE MAN, 

gArIN BADEr, ExPLAINS ThE INSPIrATION BEhIND hIS SySTEM 

ThAT ENABLES STrIkINgLy qUICk rESULTS. 

DEVELOPING CORE-FORCE ENERGY 

To create phenomenal strength, 

speed, energy, and fluid movement - 

sometimes you must look outside the 

current paradigm of thinking. This is 

often best done by looking completely 

outside your specific sport o r activity. 

Allow me to explain. 

Throughout my career, the media and 

friends have called me a modern day 

‘Renaissance Man’. That’s because in 

addition to being an unconventional 

strength trainer and creator of the 

revolutionary strength accelerator 

system called CoreForce Energy, I’m an 

international award-winning concert 

pianist, master illusionist, sculptor, 

painter, and martial artist. 

I know, that’s a strange combination! 

Yet, it is from different pieces of these 

skills that enhanced levels can be 

unlocked. 

I’ve learned it is when you intertwine 

and synergize different modalities of 

thought and movement that you can 

gain higher access to your full human 

strength levels and potential. 

SLEIGHT OF HAND 

My musical parents had me 

performing musical instruments on 

stage at age three and by the time 

I was seven, they had me playing 

seven instruments, tap dancing, 

and singing while appearing in 

hundreds of performances including 

television appearances with the U.S. 

TV personality Regis Philbin. 

Around the same time, I developed 

a keen interest in sleight-of-hand 

magic and began taking cartooning 

classes taught by a Walt Disney 

Studio artist. Little did I know 

the great impact studying music 

and art would eventually have on 

discovering how to access the super 

strength attributes and qualities that 

elite athletes bring forth on a regular 

basis. 

You might think all the applause 

from an early age would have given 

me confidence, but it really didn’t. 

Off stage, I was very shy, skinny, and 

weak. Growing into a teenager and 

adding glasses to this equation only 

accentuated the nerdy appearance. 

CATALYST FOR CHANGE - BULLIES 

I became the prime target for bullies 

and gang members that were prevalent 

at the time in my hometown close to a 

military base. 

Then, one day it happened, I got 

pounded by seven gang members right 

on the school grounds. Even though it 

was over within a minute and I wasn’t 

badly hurt, I immediately asked my 

parents if I could take up martial arts 

and start lifting weights. 



Supportive as usual, my father asked 

one of his friends to begin coaching me 

who was not only a black belt but also 

happened to be a former Green Beret. 

Thus, began my life-long passion with 

martial arts training and what was 

really the catalyst for me to finally 

break out of the shackles of shyness, 

and build the real self-confidence that 

transformed everything. 

BRUCE LEE! 

Like so many, I became insanely 

fascinated and inspired by Bruce Lee’s 

innovative “mixed martial arts” training 

with heavy weights and creative martial 

arts drills that he did relentlessly. Ever 

since, I have always searched high and 

low for the best training apparatus and 

peak performance techniques just like 

he inspired so many to do. 

Stop thinking of whAT’s humanly 

possible and begin VISUALIzing 

your energy differently. 

MIND AND BODY HACKS! 

One of the things that most motivated 

me early on is when I heard scientists 

say we access and use only 5-10% of 

our full capacity as human beings 

physically and mentally. 



The possibility of accessing similar 

powers that elite sports stars and 

performers tap into regularly started 

me on a life-long quest of searching 

and experimenting to find the best 

mind and body hacks and shortcuts 

that might open the door to tapping 

into that other missing 90%. 

Learning music, art, weight lifting, 

and practicing martial arts all at the 

same time, gave me unique insights 

and a unique perspective to discover 

qualities that give elite athletes their 

powers, propelling them to be head 

and shoulders above their competition. 

Where most people would attribute 

their skill levels to just being genetics 

or innate talents, my unique training 

gave insights into how to better teach 

others to access and quickly master 

many elite skill sets. 

BREATHING LIKE BRUCE 

For instance, here’s something 

extremely powerful that everyone has 

missed about what made Bruce Lee so 

astoundingly fast and powerful. Sure, 

everyone has copied his training and 

conditioning - and even his mannerisms 

down to a tee. 

So, why have so few been able to 

truly duplicate his extreme speed and 

power? What is the missing ingredient? 

Was he just a one-off genetic freak? 

Or, can we discover and duplicate his 

supreme mindset and his muscular 

speed and strength? I believe the latter 

and here’s why... 

I tried replicating his training for many 

years, but was getting the same results 

as everyone else. But then one day, it 

finally dawned on me that it was his 

sound and breathing patterns that 

revealed his phenomenal secret. 

He never elaborated on his distinctive 

“cat-like” vocal sounds you hear so 

prevalently in his movies when he’s 

kicking butt effortlessly at hyper-speed 

- most likely because he passed away 

so young. However, that very quality 

everyone assumed was just a theatrical 

effect revealed itself to me finally 

when thinking about it from my music 

and art background. 

Here’s what I mean, listen to most 

every fighter you hear today. Almost 

every strike they make, they exhale 

and you hear the same kind of short 

quippy square-shaped sound or breath 

exhalation no matter what strike they 

do and no matter what angle they 

execute it from. 

One breath per strike or move and 

always on the exhale. Who set that rule? 

Everyone does it though. Whether it’s 

weight lifting, tennis, baseball, etc. you hear 

the same constipated short sound and 

exhalation in no matter what sport it is. 

It’s so unconsciously engrained virtually no 

one exerts concentric muscular contractions 

without initiating it on an exhale. 

Interesting, right? Here’s more… 

BREATH AND SOUND: THE CONNECTION 

So here’s something different to start 

thinking about. It might seem really 

out there for some of you, but follow 

along and this might just transform 

your own strength, speed, and entire 

athletic prowess like it has for me and 

thousands of clients. 

Sound is vibrational energy and can be 

measured just like light and electricity. 

Breath and sound are intrinsically 

connected and also have distinct energy 

blueprints, as unique as fingerprints. 

From here, ReCoding your strength 

and human performance begins with 

duplicating the greater strength and 

faster movement energies. 

I know, it’s a bit “out there” from first 

take, but follow with me here. 

Just as specific sound-waves will open 

up your garage door and communicate 

invisibly throughout the airwaves, 

getting the exact sound waves or 

energy blueprints are the key. The 

correct “sound or energy key” either 

opens a door or keeps it locked. 

So, when you closely analyze the shape 

and energy blueprint of Bruce Lee’s 

battle kiai sounds both visually and 

auditorily, you discover some amazing 

things about where the generation and 

origins of his power came from. 

EMOTIONAL AND KINETIC ENERGY 

When you analyze Bruce Lee’s sound 

and/or breath power trajectory and 

watch how it’s timed with his insanely 

fast and powerful striking, it reveals 

unique energy waves of highly charged 

kinetic energy and emotional content. 

Think of it this way. A jet’s sound 

doesn’t create its speed, but from it, 

you can hear that it was generated 

from a completely different kind of 

energy source and mechanism than 

say a propeller operated craft. From 

there one can go about recreating 

the mechanism or methods from the 

evidence it leaves. 

Analyzing Bruce Lee’s breathing and 

sound exhalations (or any other elite 

athlete for that matter) gives you a 

kind of blueprint that perhaps reveals 

some of his thought processes and 

emotional attunement that resonated 

at much higher frequencies than most. 

In fact, if you watch carefully, you’ll also 

discover that he’d generate several 

lightning fast strikes on one single 

breath or kiai. You can clearly see these 

were generated from his entire body as 

well - not with isolated body parts that 

so many fighters do today. 

Couple this with his intense 

diaphragmatic breathing and the 

resulting firing of lightning fast 

muscular synapses - Voila!, you can 

see and hear it generated his freakish 

strength, speed, and fluid movements 

which also allowed him to strike 

effortlessly multiple times on a single 

breath or battle kiai. 

STAYING FLUID 

The thing is, it’s extremely difficult to 

stay fluid when you exhale on every 

single strike. In fact, you may discover 

like I did many strikes can actually be 



even more powerful and fluid on an 

inhale instead. 

When you are continually activating 

too many compressed muscles, you are 

slower, move more angularly, and have 

far less endurance. 

So, imagine now instead of exhaling 

one time per strike, you could deliver 

17 strikes with that same breath? Not 

slapping moves with no power behind 

them but each one armed with ripping 

saw blades of power. What if you could 

continue with equal power delivering 

17 expansive blows on your inhale as 

well? This is the kind of thing I teach in 

CoreForce Energy. 

THE KIAI AND BREATH TRAJECTORY 

Bruce Lee’s battle kiai and breath 

trajectory and resulting sounds were 

high-voltage pitched sounds with 

intense crescendos that also taper off 

quickly with expanding energy and 

like a 300 mile long whip. They were 

filled with intense “emotional content” 

which was of major importance in his 

teachings. 

“Don’t think, feeeeeeeeel” ~ Bruce Lee 

Yes, upon first hearing of his highpitched 

sounds, they might seem rather 

silly to some and mistake them for 

being inconsequential to his power. 

They weren’t weak falsetto pitches. 

If you were to draw it like an artist 

conceptualizes things, they almost 

always have a wicked s-shaped curve 

that sounds and is shaped like a razorsharp 

furiously whipping dragon’s 

tail - certainly not one of those fast 

short and “constipated” compressed 

“grunt” exhalations you so often hear. 

His sound energy doesn’t sound 

compressed but in fact sounds like 

effortless expansion. 

Obviously, his thought process, breath 

power, and finely tuned emotional 

attunement sparked this fierce kinetic 

energy that surged through his entire 

core exploding outward through his limbs 

like highly charged electricity surges. 

Rewatch his blockbuster movie, Enter 

the Dragon, and you’ll hear and see it 

in action. Listen closely to how each 

sound is precisely congruent with his 

supercharged speed. 

THE EMULATION OF ENERGY 

Perhaps they called him “Little 

Dragon” for more than one reason. He 

emulated that very energy. Think about 

it, do dragons grunt and compress or 

do they soar and dive in breathing 

fire in long flumes outward and with 

jagged razor-sharp claws? I think you 

know the answer. 

Think about how we as humans 

interpret explosive power in sports. 

We compress our entire musculature 

with all our might with a “HUH” 

or “CHA”. But doesn’t an explosion 

actually expand outward, not inward? 

Yet, we often lock down not only our 

lungs but our entire musculature by 

not expanding our energy. 

You see, how you think of your energy 

coerces your body to always be 

congruent with your intention. If you 

think power is all about compression, 

then you’ll always be moving with 

angular movements with shorter 

breath power than if you think of 

yourself as high-voltage energy in 

motion and your focus is on generating 

the right emotional energy. 

Think the same way you’ve always 

thought and you’ll get the same 

results you’ve always gotten. 

Instead of thinking of your breath as 

only the length of your arm movement, 

like almost every “grunt” trainer does, 

think of your breath and energy 

unleashing a hurricane of brilliantly 

fluorescent power that explodes at 

light-speed with supersonic ferocity, 

3000 miles into the horizon. 

VISUALIZING 

Start thinking differently, hearing 

differently, seeing and visualizing your 

energy differently, and learn to FEEL 

your energy and emotions as kinetic 

fireballs, and you’ll begin accessing 

that other 90% of your brain power 

currently hidden to you. 

Stop thinking of what’s humanly 

possible and begin visualizing 

your energy differently. How about 

upgrading your vision of yourself 

and have the Breath Power of Zeus 

that can hurl entire planets, ripping 

through the constellations? Your 

energy breath isn’t 3 feet, when you 

feel the speed of your entire body 

propelling towards your target like 

an out of control blazing comet, you’ll 

begin accessing powers that seem 

unworldly! 

Everything must start in your brain 

with intent. Combine all these skill 

sets together at the same time, and 

you’ll experience a powerful synergy 

that awakens your slumbering 

superhuman inside you! 

UNCONVENTIONAL! 

Once I began discovering qualities 

like those many top athletes use, I 

began realizing fantastic results; I 

took the ball and ran with it. That’s 

when my training definitely became 

very unconventional. 

For instance, in music conservatory 

where I majored in piano performance, 

other students thought I’d perhaps lost 

my mind as I regularly pushed my truck 

up the hills of San Francisco while my 

roommate steered the vehicle. 

Then, with a full set of Olympic 

weights in the back of the truck, we’d 

unload the weights and I’d run up and 

down the huge beach cliff stairways 

back and forth. 

Then, after all that training, I would 

run into the school with only 15 or 

twenty minutes before closing time 

and practice the piano totally pumped 

and exhausted physically until the 

guards would close the doors. 

Other students would be practicing 

for hours without any clear set goals. I 

chose a different path. 



FOCUS FASTER AND STRONGER AS A 

MARTIAL ARTIST 

Forcing myself to play extremely difficult 

and complex piano repertoire under time 

pressure with my entire musculature 

fatigued taught me how to generate 

speed, precision, and to utilize only what 

muscles were needed. It helped me 

become more focused, much faster, and 

stronger as a martial artist and these are 

also, incidentally, attributes absolutely 

necessary to possess as a performer. 

As a concert performer, I sometimes have 

traveled twenty-seven hours to a get to 

a performing venue. Regardless of travel 

fatigue, lack of sleep, and nutritious food 

on the road, an audience doesn’t really 

care how you feel. They simply want 

the best performance you can deliver. 

No excuses. That means, regardless of 

how you feel, you have to deliver your 

BEST. Having learned great techniques 

on how to create and conserve energy 

as well as to deliver my best, under 

ANY circumstance has helped me 

immeasurably in my career and has been 

of great value to my clients. 

Of course, many colleagues chided me 

with how ridiculous my methods were 

when I first arrived at the conservatories 

of music. But, then, they started taking 

notice when I began winning the big 

piano competitions they too had worked 

so hard for to compete in. 

Maybe my methods weren’t so crazy 

after-all? (Haha) 

The real proof was when I won the 

New York Chopin competition. This 

competition is held once every 4 

years and showcases the world’s best 

pianists. I won by out-playing over 550 

of the worlds best pianists. Needless to 

say, these training methods work even 

though they are unique and different. 

MOVE LIKE A NINJA 

Other unconventional training I 

enjoyed was learning to scale high 

walls moving as slowly and stealthily 

as possible - like a ninja. This gave me 

tremendous bodyweight strength and 

control. I’d watch my shadows casting 

on adjacent buildings to see how 

“invisible” I could be by not creating 

sudden, eye-catching movements. 

Learning how to walk over creaky wooden 

floors displacing my energy blueprint 

and breathing in long tones so as not to 

make the slightest sound taught me how 

to move my entire body stealthily as one 

unit which in turn help create more fluid 

brush strokes as an artist and more fluid 

musical lines as a musician. 

I was beginning to understand how 

ALL my different training methods 

began feeding off of each other and 

accelerated my learning for each and 

every one, which is truly exciting. 

THE PATH OF ACCELERATED LEARNING 

After many painful years of searching for 

answers as a kid, all my unique training 

began revealing an awesome path to 

accelerated learning, and helped me 

gain peak performance attributes and 

mastery in different sports, business, 

and in many areas I always dreamed 

of. I was fortunately able to break 

the glass ceilings on what I felt were 

genetics limitations and this is why I’m 

so passionate now to help you today 

realize your own human potential in 

my CoreForce Energy system. 

Like the ancient samurai who learned 

the tea ceremony and calligraphy so 

they could be better swordsmen, all 

my different studies eventually helped 

me win over a dozen international 

competitions and led to career where 

I’ve been blessed to have performed 

in some of the greatest stages in 

the world, such as Carnegie Hall, the 

London Palladium, and from Las Vegas 

to high-end cruise lines. 

TAPPING INTO THE 90% 

Eventually, I incorporated all the things 

I learned into a one-of-a-kind unique 

“Musical Magic” theatrical show that 

I currently travel around the world 

with. In the show, I not only play many 

virtuostic piano arrangements but I 

do things like fly over the audiences’ 

heads hanging onto a huge silk by the 

grip of one hand, as I then proceed to 

cut myself in half with a samurai sword 

in an original illusion. 

Other scenes include me playing the 

part of Amadeus Mozart to the Phantom 

of the Opera where I magically produce 

chandeliers to candelabras and water 

fountains, get thrown head first into a 

piano and trunk, as well as off stage 

into the audience. I then play the piano 

with my hands lighting on fire. All 

the techniques I’ve gathered through 

the years have also helped me stay 

virtually injury free for my entire career. 

In closing, I’d like to say, remember 

when you learn to integrate all the 

powers of your mind in all hemispheres 

with sound, vibrational energy, and 

breathing mastery where you are 

always congruent with the vibrational 

energy and shapes you want to be, you 

immediately begin tapping into that 

other 90% the scientist say elude the 

majority of people. 

VISUALIZING ENERGY IN MOTION 

Begin thinking of yourself as the 

superhuman you really can be. Start 

thinking of yourself as Energy in 

Motion! And that’s exactly what you’ll 

start becoming. 

If you want to know more about 

CoreForce Energy and how to unlock 

your full human potential and 

strength, check out the course at www. 

CoreForceEnergy.com or email me 

directly about my one-on-one coaching 

and seminars. These concepts and many 

more can be applied and dramatically 

improve ANY physical action, sport, or 

exercise. 

I’m more than happy to answer all 

emails personally. Train hard and think 

differently! 

Article by Garin Bader 

Website: http://www.coreforceenergy.com/blog/about/ | WEBSITE: http://www.garinbader.com 

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



AGELESS WARRIOR 

JULIO ANTA 

BUILDING INDIAN CLUB AND BATTLING ROPE SKILLS 

Cuban-born Anta aspired early on to overcome his status as a weak, sickly child refugee. He became a 

bodybuilder, martial arts master, U.S. Marine, certified defense specialist, elite fitness instructor and an 

author. At 59, the Miami resident says age won’t stop him now. 

Julio, can you give us some background on 

yourself? 

I was born in 1957 in Cuba. In 1962, three weeks 

before my 5th birthday, my parents left the 

oppressed communist country of Cuba with me 

and my younger brother. We came as political 

refugees and lived in Miami Beach, Florida, for 

a few months where my sister was born. There 

weren’t many jobs in Miami, so we moved to 

Yonkers, N.Y. where my father had three jobs 

to make ends meet. We lived there for 4 years, 

but due to my allergies and illness we had to 

move back to Miami Beach. I was allergic to 

cold weather, medications, and numerous other 

things. The doctor recommended that we move 

by the beach in a warm climate to help me deal 

with my allergies. 

As a child and even a teenager I was weak, sick 

and shy. I didn’t get good grades and was always 

the last one picked in PE. I used to watch Steve 

Reeves in “Hercules Unchained” and I told my 

father I wanted to be like him. After watching 

a Tom and Jerry cartoon when a little mouse 

flipped the cat, I told my dad I wanted to be a 

black belt. Later, after seeing Bruce Lee in the 

“Green Hornet” my interest in martial arts grew. 

After the Bruce Lee movie craze, I decided to 

study Kung Fu. 

But, my first martial art at 13-years-old was Judo. 

I earned my yellow belt and won my first trophy 

– 3 rd place – in a judo tournament. In 1976 at 

the age of 18 I started bodybuilding at Miami’s 

first hard-core gym, Brodies’ Gym and became a 

bodybuilder in the 80’s. 



How did being a U.S. Marine impact your life? 

In December 1980, I enlisted in the United 

States Marine Corps. Since I had some size 

from bodybuilding I went in with confidence. 

I thought that I would be a superstar. Yet, on 

the first day in Marine Corps boot camp in 

Parris Island, South Carolina, I was broken 

mentally. My drill instructor then broke me 

physically. I could max the pull-ups and do 

the sit-ups, but I was dying in the run since I 

had built muscle yet had no cardio. I always 

finished last along with a power lifter and 

the fat recruits. I had never climbed a rope 

or walls. 

Ironically, Parris Island is known as the land 

that God forgot - yet before boot camp I was 

agnostic, and it was during boot camp that I 

started believing in God. I don’t know if it was 

my hard work or constant prayer but I passed 

all my tests and challenges and graduated 

with my class. I was honorably discharged as 

a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps 

Reserves. 

This experience showed me that my big 

muscles were not necessarily functional. In 

boot camp I lost around 20 pounds and a 

lot of muscle. Within a month I regained my 

muscle and was more athletic. 

You are extremely accomplished in the 

martial arts and have studied to gain a lot of 

skills. Tell us about these accomplishments. 

In the martial arts my first black belt was in 

Hung Gar Kung Fu. I was later promoted to 

Master by the late Grand Master Bill Chung. 

I am certified as an instructor in 4 Israeli 

self defense systems - Haganah F.I.G.H.T 

and with 3 Krav Maga organizations. With 

the Krav Maga Association I hold the rank 

of full instructor and I’m certified in Counter 

Terrorism. In Muay Thai I hold the rank of 

full instructor Kru under the Tran Muay Thai 

Association. In Jeet Kune Do, I am certified 

as a phase 1 instructor under Paul Vunak’s 

Progressive Fighting System. I’m currently 

certified as a Coach 1 instructor by the 

Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association. In Gracie 

Jiu Jitsu I’m a blue belt under the Valentie 

Brothers. 



After a life time of not doing judo and 

having forgotten it, I started training 

in Judokickboxing (JKB). I was recently 

promoted to 2nd dan black/red belt 

equivalent to 2nd degree black belt in 

Judokickboxing, the first Cuban Mixed 

Martial Art by its founder Carlos Finales. 

JKB was founded in Miami, Florida 

by Finales and co-founded by world 

kickboxing and Muay Thai champion Eric 

“El Tigre” Castanos. JKB is now being 

practiced in 28 countries worldwide. It is 

also being practiced in every province in 

Cuba. There is an annual Cuban National 

Judokickbox competition in Cuba. 

I’m an ISSA fitness instructor (personal 

trainer). In kettlebells, the first kettlebell 

instructor trainer was done at my studio 

by Kettlebell Concepts in 2004. I was also 

certified by Dragon Door HKC and Elite 

Kettlebell. I also hosted and took Mike 

Mahler’s Aggressive Strength Kettlebell 

Workshop at my training center in 2005. 

I’m certified as a Youth Fitness Specialist 

by the International Youth Conditioning 

Association. MMA Fighter Fit Trainer 

Level 3 by Kevin Kearns. Action Strength 

Trainer certified by the Jeet Kune Do 

Athletic Association. I am certified in 

Elite Combat Fitness by Commando Krav 

Maga. In Cardio Kickboxing I’m certified 

in Kardio Kickbox and Kardio Karate. In 

1999 I began certification in Pilates, 

although I am not yet fully certified. My 

wife, however has full certification in 

Pilates, mat and equipment. 

I was certified in 2010 by Dr. Ed Thomas 

in Dragon Doors Certified Indian Club 

Specialist. Before that I was training and 

teaching Indian clubs through his videos. 

I was certified by the originator John 

Brookfield in Battling Ropes in 2009. 

I believe in being a student for life. I love 

martial arts and fitness and I’m constantly 

learning and studying different martial 

arts, fitness and health modalities. I believe 

that martial arts and fitness are one. 

What are the qualities of a good 

instructor? 

As a martial arts and fitness instructor 

I must lead by example. One of my pet 

peeves is the martial arts instructor or 

fitness expert who is not in shape or 

doesn’t look the part. I always tell my 

students, “Why would you want to be the 

greatest fighter in the world - if there 

was one - and be overweight and die of a 

heart attack? Or why would you want to 

have the best-looking body in the world, 

yet get beat or killed by a thug because 

you do not know how to defend yourself?” 

What’s the mindset of an “ageless 

warrior?” 

Age or injury is not an excuse to be out of 

shape. Age is just a number. At 59, I’m in 

better shape now than I have been most 

of my life, and my martial arts is better 

and more complete. 

I feel that there are different mindsets, 

philosophies and modalities of training 

that can get you fit and you’ll accomplish 

your goals. As they say “all roads lead 

to Rome.” There are so many different 

ways to get fit depending on what 

your goals are. We have people that 

only do kettlebells, or calisthenics, or 

bodybuilding, or power lift, or yoga, or 

cardio or just functional movements. 

They all criticize the way the other 

groups train. Yet, I believe in training for 

longevity and health, but also having a 

muscular body that looks good. That was 

the ancient Greek mindset. The Greeks 

were great conquerors and warriors and 

they admired and believed in having a 

symmetrical, beautiful muscular body. 

You can see that in the muscular warrior 

sculptures and paintings of that era. 

U.S. Marine CORPS BOOt Camp: The experience 

showed me that big muscles were not 

necessarily functional. 



That was also Bruce Lee’s mindset. He 

trained like a bodybuilder to look good 

and did functional training to enhance 

his martial arts. He was quoted as 

saying “adapt what is useful, reject 

what is useless, and make it your own.” 

As a Jeet Kune Do man and due to my 

injuries and wanting to look good, I 

continue to train and learn new martial 

arts for life, I follow Lee’s philosophy. I’m 

always searching for ways to look and 

feel healthy and younger. 

Always hold the clubs with your pinky finger 

around the knob and 3 other fingers and 

thumb around the stem of the Indian club. 

What motivates you? 

I’m afraid to get out of shape and look 

like the average 30-year-old or what 

they call a ‘Dad Bod’. I’m also motivated 

by my students. As a Marine I learned 

to lead by example, so I cannot tell my 

students to workout and eat healthy if 

I don’t workout and eat healthy myself. 

I’m also motivated by older athletes. I am 

not as impressed by a fit 20 something as 

I am with an older athlete that continues 

to achieve. I admire and I’m impressed 

with Jack and Elaine LaLanne. Jack lived 

to be 96 and Elaine is active at 90. Also, 

Helio Gracie, who lived to 96 and was 

rolling until his death. In my book “Anta’s 

Ageless Warrior Fitness” I write of those 

ageless warriors that motivate me. 

I’m motivated by bodybuilder Robby 

Robinson who will be 70 this year and 

looks better than I did in my competitive 

body building days. Last year I had the 

privilege to train with him at Gold’s Gym 

in Venice Beach and then picked his 

brain over lunch. 

You adopted the use of kettlebells and 

Indian clubs early on in the fitness world. 

Tell us about Indian clubs, which you 

were one of the first to use in Florida. 

What are their benefits? 

In 2004 after I became a kettlebell 

trainer, I was introduced to Indian clubs. I 

ordered the only Indian club DVD I could 

find which was by Dr. Ed Thomas. I started 

using their original Indian clubs that his 

brother, owner of Motion Rx sold that 

looked like maracas. When they started 

making heavier ones I got those also. 

By 2004 my fitness kickboxing class, which 

at one time was my biggest class, was 

dying off. So, I came up with an idea of 

starting a functional training class which 

incorporated the 2 new systems that I was 

personally working out with - kettlebells 

and Indian clubs. So I started the first Indian 

club group workout in Florida, and possibly 

the first kettlebell group class in South 

Florida. I added it to my fitness kickboxing 

and also added medicine ball training. 

I called this class Xtreme Functional 

Training. With time and other certifications 

this class has continued to evolve, and in 

March 2009 battling ropes also came into 

that class. Today, it continues to evolve. 

Can you list any methods that help train 

specific body parts with the Indian clubs 

and battle ropes: 

Wrist Strength: 

All battling ropes and Indian club 

exercises work the wrist. 

How to properly hold an Indian club: 

INDIAN CLUB TRAINING METHOD 1 

To start Indian club training, in your 

ready position you hold the clubs at 

your sides, with your feet together to 

avoid hitting your knees with the clubs, 

back should be straight. 

For these circular moves I recommend 

light clubs. We use 1 1/2 to 3 pound 

clubs, unless you are extremely slow. 

METHOD 2 

Double inside-outside club swing: 

1) Start with the clubs horizontal, 

slightly under your chin and at shoulder 

level. Have the elbows fully bent. The 

knobs by the stem will be facing towards 

each other, the bottom part of the clubs 

facing away from each other, pointing 

towards the walls. Your palms are facing 

in and thumbs out. 

2) From the position stated above, bring 

your shoulder blades back and together, 

opening your elbows out. This will make 

the bottom of the clubs face each other. 

3) Release the clubs down across the 

body by extending the elbows. As they 

come across the center line of your 

body, they will cross. 

4) Start bending the elbows again and 

raise up the clubs to finish back in the 

starting position-with clubs horizontally 

under your chin at your shoulder level. 

That will complete one repetition. 

5) Keep on moving the clubs without 

stopping for 10 to 20 repetitions. 



METHOD 3 

Reverse double inside-outside club 

swing: 

This is the reversal of the double 

inside-outside club swing. 

1) Start with clubs horizontally under 

your chin at shoulder level. Have the 

elbows bend fully. The knobs by the stem 

will be facing each other, the bottom part 

facing away, pointing at the walls. 

2) Cross the arms inwards and proceed 

downwards, extending the elbows. 

After the elbows are fully extended 

and coming across to your knees, start 

bending the elbows. Bring the clubs to 

shoulder level and retract the shoulders. 

The bottom of the clubs are pointing 

towards each other and arms should 

now be bent. 

3) Turn the knobs in pointing towards 

each other-clubs are now horizontal 

under your chin at shoulder level. 

Have the elbows bend fully. That will 

complete 1 repetition. 

4) Keep on moving them without 

stopping for 10 to 20 repetitions. 



SHOULDER STRENGTH: 

Indian club training works circular 

strength. Very few other types of 

exercise work circular strength. I wish 

that I would have known about Indian 

clubs in my teens and twenties. If I 

would have, I would have not dislocated 

or injured my shoulders. 

Indian club swinging has lots of other 

benefits. They improve coordination, 

shoulders range of motion, wrist 

strength, and elbow and wrist flexibility. 

ISOMETRIC TRAINING WITH CLUBS AND 

THEIR BENEFITS: 

For the crucifix I’m using 5 pound clubs. 

The crucifix is an isometric training 

exercise that works your shoulders and 

wrist. Hold the Indian clubs horizontal 

like if you are crucified. Bend your wrist 

towards you, pointing the clubs to your 

ears. You can do this move together, 

moving them towards your ears and 

then straight with the bottom of the club 

pointing towards the sky, or alternating 

the movement one arm at a time. 

SPEED STRENGTH AND CARDIO 

TRAINING WITH THE BATTLE ROPE 

WAVE MOTION! 

I do not believe in long cardio. What 

I have always asked my students is 

“Do you want to look like a marathon 

runner or a sprinter?” I believe in HIIT, 

high intensity interval training. Very few 

people that have never done battling 

ropes before have been able to do 1 

full minute correctly. This HIIT method 

of battling ropes is a low impact 

workout that will develop stamina 

and speed up your metabolism, while 

not destroying your muscles like long 

cardio will. It is also ideal for anyone 

with knee or hip problems to work out 

their cardiovascular system, without 

getting injured. 

The staple of battling ropes is what is 

called the wave motion with the rope. 

You must keep the wave action, or what 

is called undulation to the end of the 

rope. When I first got certified with 

John Brookfield, very few people were 

doing it. Today, everywhere you look 

you will see people training with ropes, 

from athletes such as UFC fighters, to 

commercials and in gyms. Most people, 

including some high level athletes, are 

not doing the most basic battling ropes 

move correctly, which is the wave. 

Brookfield’s philosophy is undulation, 

or making the wave go to the end of the 

rope. Most trainers do not understand 

that principal and teach flat line, or 

with the waves not reaching the end 

of the rope. To get the full effect on 

the waves; strength, speed and cardio, 

you must do the technique correct. 

As I always tell my students “practice 

does not make perfect, perfect practice 

makes perfect.” 

ARM STRENGTH WITH BATTLE ROPES: 

Battling rope waves will strengthen 

your biceps and your triceps. For biceps, 

feed the rope over the top of your hand 

through your thumb and four fingers. For 

triceps work, feed the rope from under 

your hand through your pinky. Start 

moving your wrist and make waves with 

the rope. 

BASIC BATTLE ROPES 

The most basic way to do battling ropes 

is standing, as you can utilize your 

entire body. After you master the basics 

you can squat as you do the waves. You 

can also side step, shuffle and squat 

to each side. Another progression to 

make it harder on your upper body and 

wrist, is to kneel. Now, if you want to 

make it even harder, sit with your legs 

extended forward. 

How often should you train with the 

above methods? 

I train 5 to 6 times a week, sometimes 

2 or 3 workouts in a day. Currently, due 

to injuries, I train with weights and 

calisthenics 5 days a week, Yoga 2 to 4 

days a week, joint mobility 4 to 7 days a 

week, Indian clubs 1 to 2 times per week, 

Cardio HIIT 3 times a week: sprints, 

boxing rounds or battling ropes. I am 

also experimenting with Animal Flow/ 

Primal Moves. Also, I perform Judo once 

a week. I use to train with kettlebells 

before the injuries got worse. I teach 

Krav Maga, Muay Thai, Judokickbox and 

Jeet Kune Do 5 days a week. 

TELL US ABOUT THE HEALTH ISSUE YOU 

OVERCAME TO BECOME STRONGER 

THAN EVER! 

At 29 years old I was training in karate 

and I was a competitive bodybuilder. 

While sparring at a tournament, I 

dislocated both shoulders. Doctors and 

my therapist told me that I had to stop 

working out with weights and doing 

martial arts because it would get worse. 

For the last 11 years bodybuilding had 

been my world. I was competing and 

I even had a bodybuilding show that 

we would perform in clubs, including 

the Collegian National Bodybuilding 

Championships. After the shoulder 

dislocations, I broke up with my 

girlfriend, lost my job and blew my car’s 

engine. My bodybuilding competitive 

days were over. I even stopped doing 

martial arts. I was super depressed. My 

world as I knew it, had ended. 

GETTING OUT OF THE HOLE 

As I was in my deepest hole in my life, 

I turned to God and became a Christian. 

Even though I started believing in God in 

December, 1980, I made a commitment 

to follow Jesus in July 1986. A few 

months later I started dating a girl at 



church and 3 years later we got married. 

We’ve been married for 27 years. We 

have 2 wonderful boys who will be 26 

and 21 this year and now a 1-year-old 

grandson. Both of our sons were raised 

eating healthy, doing sports, and were 

promoted to black belt. Both were 

taught at our training center. 

I believe that things happen for a reason. 

Before I dislocated my shoulders all I 

wanted to do in my martial arts training 

was spar. With the exception of a yellow 

belt that I got in judo, my first martial 

art at 13, I was an eternal white belt, 

because I did not like doing forms. 

I continued to do different martial 

arts and gain rank after the shoulder 

dislocation, yet I always ending 

up stopping due to the shoulders 

dislocating. I decided to do Tae Kwon 

Do to improve my kicking and since they 

were mostly kicks, I figured that I would 

not hurt my shoulders. Well, at my green 

belt promotion I broke my right, small 

toe sparring. 

By then I was an officer working in a 

maximum security prison. I did not have 

the size or strength I did when I was a 

competitive bodybuilder. So, I started 

looking for a more functional martial 

art that would help me survive an attack 

from a convict. That’s when I started 

studying Hung Gar Kung Fu which was 

more practical for the street and prison. 

I dislocated my shoulder numerous 

times yet this time I was committed 

to earning my black belt. When one 

shoulder dislocated I would train and 

practice with the other arm. 

I also suffer from vertigo. I don’t have 

the balance I use to have, but I know 

that the martial arts have helped 

me with my balance. I have gotten 3 

strong vertigo attacks where everything 

started to spin and I just saw colors 

spinning. They have been around 2 1/2 

years apart. When this happens I end up 

in bed for around a week and can’t train 

for around 3 to 4 weeks. This is always 

a setback in my training, yet I always 

come back even stronger. 

THIS EXERCISE HELPS WITH 

MY VERTIGO 

THE FUTURE 

I will continue to improve with age. My 

short term goal, as I wrote in my book 

“Anta’s Ageless Warrior Fitness” when I 

was 57, is to continue to improve and 

be in better shape and look better 

at 60. At 60, I’m planning to write a 

second book and/or make a video on 

my training and improvement. 

I want to continue to learn about 

organic gardening and eating for 

longevity. Today, I’m looking into 

Animal Flow Moves. I want to continue 

doing them and improve. I’ll continue 

to do yoga to relieve my back pain and 

gain back my flexibility. Possibly start 

Tai Chi again to add to my training 

routine. I also want to continue 

to improve my Judo to progress in 

Judokickbox. I most of all want to 

heal my back and to stay away from 

injuries. As a student for life, who 

knows what other subject I might find 

an interested in! 

Interview by Sharon G Jonas. 

WEBSITES: www.antamartialarts.com | www.miamikettlebell.com | www.doralkravmaga.com 

www.artoffightingwithoutfighting.com | www.martialartsandfitness.typepad.com | www.youtube.com/antafit 

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

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CAR CRASH! 

REBUILDING AN ATHLETIC LIFE AFTER SUFFERING 

FROM A SEVERE ACCIDENT 

Top-notch soccer player and personal trainer Meghan Callaway powered through pain 

until her body decided enough was enough! Meghan shares her story and approach 

to reclaiming her amazing strength, and the glory of being a champion. 

CAR ACCIDENT! 

I was in a very bad car accident about 8 years ago, 

and my car was totalled. I was on the highway during 

a massive snowstorm and hit black ice. I was on a 

straight part of the highway, but my car completely 

lost control. Fortunately, I was only going 60km/h 

or it could have been much worse. My car smashed 

into the median on the driver’s side door, bounced 

off and did a 180 across the highway and smashed 

into the median on the opposite side of the highway. 

I was extremely lucky as it was about 11pm at night, 

and due to the awful conditions no other cars were 

on the road. I wouldn’t have gone out, but a close 

friend of mine had just torn her ACL when she was 

playing basketball and I was driving out to the 

hospital to pick her up. They said I walked away 

without any critical injuries or pain because of my 

strength. I had to lean across the car to brace myself 

so I would avoid the impact, and I’m pretty sure this 

is when my ribs became severely misaligned, as 

my torso was completely twisted when the violent 

impact occurred. When my car was sliding across the 

highway, I remember thinking to myself ‘’I’m going 

to die’’ then I thought ‘’no, I’m just going to be hurt 

really badly’’ and prepared myself for the impact as I 

knew it was going to be hard. 

REHABILITATION AND DETERMINATION! 

A few months after the accident, I started to 

experience random symptoms, ranging from severe 

tingling and numbness in my feet and legs, severe 

tightness from head to toe that left me in awful 

discomfort whenever I was awake, unexplained 

muscular weakness that would come and go, joints 

that would go out of place for no reason at all, 

including my lower, mid and upper back, sacroiliac 

joint, sacrum, upper ribs, neck, lower leg, and even 

feet. I also dealt with severely inflamed facet joints 

in my lower back, nerve issues that caused severe 

muscle spasms, and subsequent muscle tears, as 

muscles would go from normal tension to random, 

severe tightness in a split second. I hadn’t so much 

as pulled a muscle in well over a decade, and in the 

span of a year I tore my calf muscle and my hamstring. 

I continued to work out and play soccer for 3 more 

years when I was in this state because I was still 

playing well and I’m stubborn and I didn’t want to 

quit. It took me a full week between games to recover, 

and this recovery included 1 to 3 weekly sessions 

with a specific doctor, and endless ‘’rehab’’ on my 

own, which was obviously very financially, physically, 

and emotionally draining. Due to my limitations, it 



definitely impacted my ability to do my job, and it 

made me question myself as a fitness professional. 

I finally forced myself to stop playing soccer until I 

got better because I could no longer cope with the 

physical, emotional and financial stress. The team I 

was on unexpectedly folded so I knew I had to take 

the time to get better. 

PHYSIO AND RIB REALIGNMENT, AND MOVING 

FORWARD 

The turning point occurred when a colleague of 

mine referred me to another physio, and told me 

that this physio would catch what all of the others 

had missed, and he was correct. Right away, the 

physio determined that my ribs were severely out 

of alignment. The second the physio realigned my 

ribs and did some neural manipulation as my nerves 

were severely inflamed from being compressed for 

years… all of the weird symptoms/alignment issues 

went away almost immediately. I saw this physio 

two more times, and for the first time in years, my 

body felt normal. In the five or so years that I had 

been dealing with these issues, I spent well over 

$20,000 on trying to fix myself, but I wasn’t going to 

stop until I was better. So seeing this physio was my 

turning point. 

STARTING FROM SCRATCH 

It has been just over two years of feeling normal. In 

order to rebuild my body and overall fitness level, I 

had to start out from scratch. With my own knowledge 

and expertise, and also a lot of research, I started 

training my body very systematically. My first step 

was making sure that I was moving properly and was 

maintaining proper alignment, as I had been used to 

being so out of whack for years and had developed 

some pretty major compensation patterns that I 

had to correct. Once I had accomplished this and 

received the green light from my physio, I started 

performing my staple compound strength exercises, 

that included squatting movements, hip hinging 

movements, lunging movements, upper body 

pushing and pulling movements, and loaded carries. 

I also included a lot of core stability exercises that 

addressed anti-extension, anti-lateral rotation, and 

anti-lateral flexion. Some of these exercises include 

dead bugs, hollow body holds, pallof presses, and 

RKC planks. Once I established a good base level of 

strength, stability, and mobility, I was able to increase 

the resistance of these exercises, and I began to 

incorporate more unconventional strength training 

methods into my training. I also added sprinting into 

my training plan. 



100 PERCENT MOTIVATION 

Throughout this whole ordeal I learned 

a huge lesson. I used to take my 

athleticism, and simply feeling good 

for granted. Now I am so grateful that 

I am able to move my body how I want 

to, and feel good while doing so. I no 

longer focus on working out to look a 

certain way. This hasn’t crossed my mind 

in years. When it comes to my workouts, 

100% of my motivation is to feel good 

and to be able to do cool things, while 

feeling strong, fit, and athletic. 

RECREATIONAL AND ELITE 

My clients range from the ages of 14 

to the 70’s. About 50% of my clients 

are male. Many of my clients are your 

average person who simply wants to get 

stronger, move better, and feel amazing. 

Other clients of mine are physio referrals 

who are working to recover from an 

injury, mainly by improving their mobility, 

and really focusing on improving their 

strength. So many injuries/issues arise 

from people simply being weak. I have 

a number of clients who are recreational 

or elite athletes. One of my clients 

competes in mixed martial arts. I have 

a few competitive soccer players, a high 

school level rower, and another is on 

the Canadian sailing team. I have also 

worked with hockey players, football 

players, and other athletes. 

SPEED TRAINING 

METHOD 1: 

Prowler sled sprints – This is one of 

my favorite methods to develop speed. 

When I perform this exercise, I load the 

regular sled with approximately 30 to 

50% of my maximum weight and will 

perform 10 to 40 yard sprints. I will rest 

for 30-60 seconds, and will repeat 10- 

20 times. 

ALIGNMENT: 

When I perform any exercise on the 

Prowler sled, I make sure that my 

technique is good at all times. I pay 

attention to my alignment, and make 

sure that I brace my core. This allows 

me to generate more speed, and keeps 

my body healthy. 

METHOD 2: 

Curve treadmill sprints – If I don’t 

have access to a soccer field, I will 

often perform sprints on this type of 

treadmill. Unlike your regular treadmill 

where you simply pick up your feet and 

are not really striding, this treadmill is 

not electronic and you actually propel 

it yourself. Also, this treadmill is on an 

incline so you are sprinting up a big hill. 

My typical sprint workout looks like the 

following: 

* 30 sec on/30 sec off x 10 @ 100% 

* Rest 1 minute 

* 15 sec on/15 sec off x 10 @ 100% 

* Rest 2 minutes 

* 15 sec on/30 sec off x 10 @ 100% 

* Rest 2 minutes 

* 10 sec on/20 sec off x 10 % 100% 

HIGH INTENSITY ENDURANCE TRAINING 

ALTER THE RATIO: 

I use the same methods as my speed 

training. However, my work intervals 

are between 30 seconds to 5 minutes, 

and I use a 3:1 to 5:1 work to rest ratio. 

I still perform each interval at a very 

high intensity, and keep my heart rate 

between 75-90% of my max for the 

entire workout. I will usually do this for 

30-40 consecutive minutes. I have found 

that this style of training has really 

enhanced my aerobic conditioning. 

ASSAULT BIKE AND POWERSLED 

COMBO! 

One other method that I use to 

enhance my endurance is to pair the 

Prowler sled with the Assault bike and 

perform conditioning supersets. I will 

often use the mini-sled. One of my 

favorite conditioning workouts involves 

combining a 30-second sprint on the 

Assault bike with a 40-50 yard sled 

push. I will perform these exercises for 

5 minutes without any rest until the 5 

minutes are up. I will rest for 1 minute 

between rounds and will perform 4 

rounds total, which amounts to 20 

minutes of work. The last time I did this, 

I took my heart rate at the end and it was 

216 beats per minute. I took my heart 

rate again one minute post exercise and 

it had dropped to 128 beats per minute, 

so this type of training is definitely 

helping my overall conditioning and 

recovery, which is especially important 

for soccer. 



POWER 

LEG STRENGTH 

METHOD 2: 

METHOD 1 

Prowler sled squat + rows – This Prowler 

sled variation is great for developing 

full body power. 

1) I will load the mini sled with a weight 

that is very challenging. Right now I am 

using 115 lbs. 

2) I will grab on to the handle, and will 

set myself up so I am in a squat position 

while facing the sled. 

3) I take a deep breath in and brace 

my core, and then explode up and back 

with my legs, while simultaneously 

performing a row. 

4) I take several steps back so the rope 

has no slack, and then reset and repeat. 

*This exercise involves a tremendous 

amount of anti-rotational core stability, 

so you want to make sure that your body 

is facing straight ahead the entire time 

and is not twisting. 

METHOD 2 

Explosive push-ups between two boxes 

This type of push up is extremely 

advanced, and requires a lot of upper 

body power, and core stability. It is a 

great exercise for developing upper 

body power. 

1) Before I descend into the push-up, I 

take a deep breath in, brace my core, and 

squeeze my glutes as this will provide 

my body with the stability that it needs 

to generate a lot of power with my 

upper body. 

2) I then drop into the push-up and 

explode back up onto the boxes. I reset 

at the top, and then repeat. 

METHOD 1 

Step-ups – This exercise develops 

unilateral strength and stability, and 

also improves balance. It also mimics 

the running and jumping motion that 

is a large part of soccer. I perform this 

exercise on both a low and high box. 

While I usually do them with a barbell and 

backloaded, I will sometimes perform 

them front loaded, and I occasionally 

use dumbbells. I try to perform these as 

explosively as possible! 

1) Before I drive up onto the box, I take 

a deep breath in, brace my core, and 

push through the mid/back of my foot. 

2) I try to use as close to 100% of my 

forward leg as possible. I make sure that 

I maintain proper alignment the entire 

time, and that my knee does not deviate 

medially or laterally. 

3) I will perform the desired number of 

reps with one leg before I switch to the 

other leg. I keep the planted foot on the 

step the entire time. 

Deficit split squats – The deficit split 

squat is one of my favourite unilateral 

exercises for the lower body. This 

exercise is a more glute dominant 

version of a regular split squat, and in 

my opinion hits the glutes even harder 

than most hip thrusts, at least if you 

perform this exercise through a full 

range. 

1) To perform this exercise, I will stand 

on two boxes/steps. I make sure that 

my weight is focused on the back of 

my front foot, but I keep all of my toes 

down and spread as this will give me 

more stability. 

2) I stand on the toes of my back foot, 

with the sole vertical, keeping a very 

slight forward lean with my torso. 

3) Before I descend into the split squat, I 

take a deep breath in, and brace my core. 

4) I will go as low as my mobility, 

strength and form permit. Once I reach 

my full range, I drive through the back 

of my front foot, and use the muscles 

in my front leg to return to the starting 

position. 

5) My body travels in a vertical plane, 

and not horizontally. 

This exercise is so much tougher than it 

looks. The key to this exercise is getting 

as deep into the movement as your 

mobility and strength will permit, hence 

why you are on two boxes - so you can 

go into a deficit (below parallel). You 

do not need to go very heavy for this 

exercise to be effective! 



TRADITIONAL STRENGTH METHODS 

METHOD 1 

Front squats – Front squats are my 

favorite bilateral quadriceps- dominant 

exercise. They help strengthen the lower 

body, most notably, the quadriceps, and 

they also develop core stability. I will 

perform heavy front squats at a regular 

tempo, negatives (3 second descent), 

pause squats (3 second hold at the 

bottom), and I will often do heavy, frontloaded 

box squats. Sometimes I use 

a cross grip, other times I will use an 

Olympic style grip. 

1) Before unracking the bar, I take a 

deep breath in and brace my core. I rest 

the bar just above my clavicle. 

2) Before I descend into the squat I take 

another deep breath in, brace my core 

again, and sit between my feet. 

3) I make sure that my torso remains 

upright, that my elbows do not drop, 

that the weight remains on the mid/ 

back of my feet, and that my knees do 

not deviate medially or laterally. 

*I also like to perform heavy front or 

back loaded box squats. With this type 

of squat, you squat down onto a bench 

or box, pause, and stand back up. 

METHOD 2: 

Glute hamstring raises - This exercise is 

good for developing hamstring strength. 

It can also be used to develop power. 

The hamstrings act upon both the hips 

and knees, and extend the hips and flex 

the knees, and this multifaceted exercise 

addresses both of these movements. The 

glute hamstring raise is specially useful 

for developing eccentric strength, which 

will dramatically improve performance 

and will help reduce the risk of hamstring 

strains, which is a common injury among 

soccer players. This exercise also requires 

a lot of core stability. 

When you perform this exercise, 

proper alignment matters. Your body 

should remain in a straight line from 

head to heels. Do not allow your hips 

or neck to sag, or your lower back to 

hyperextend. Also, there should be no 

rotation occurring in your pelvis, thorax, 

or spine. It is important they lock out 

the right way. Many people make the 

mistake of locking out by flaring their 

ribs and hyperextending their lower 

back, instead of using their glutes and 

hamstrings. This will not make your 

lower back very happy. 

DOUBLE POLE CLIMBING PLANKS 

METHOD 3: 

This is an extremely advanced version 

of a plank, and is even more challenging 

than the single pole variation. It trains 

anti-extension and anti-rotational core 

stability, and also develops upper body 

strength. To perform this exercise. 

1) I grab onto two poles that are roughly 

shoulder width (or slightly closer) apart. 

2) I set my body in a RKC plank position, 

take a deep breath in, brace my core, 

contract my entire body as hard as I can, 

and climb down the poles. 

3) Once I get to the bottom, I reset, and 

return to the top of the sticks/poles. 

*This is one of the toughest core 

exercises I’ve ever done. 



ADVANCED CORE STABILITY EXERCISE 

METHOD 4: 

The Advanced Plank: This exercise is an 

extremely advanced type of plank, and 

develops upper body strength and core 

stability. It is anti-extension in nature. 

1) To perform this movement, I set myself 

up so I am in plank position with my 

hands on the floor and feet on the wall. 

2) Before I transition from the horizontal 

plank into the wall handstand, I take a 

deep breath in, brace my core, squeeze 

my glutes, and simultaneously walk 

towards the wall with my hands and 

climb up the wall with my feet until I 

am in a handstand. 

3) I then return to the starting position 

by walking forward with my hands and 

walking down the wall with my feet. 

Once I get to the starting position, I 

reset and repeat. 

*It is absolutely crucial that you 

maintain proper alignment the entire 

time. Your ribs should remain tucked, 

your body should remain in a straight 

line from head to heels, and there 

should be absolutely no hyperextension 

in the lower back. 

PULL UP VARIATION 

METHOD 5: 

This is one of my favorite pull-up 

variations, and is very fun to do. It looks 

like I am jogging or dancing as my body 

is ascending to the bar. While it does 

look very showy, it develops upper body 

strength and core stability. It is far more 

advanced than your traditional pull-up. 

1) In order to perform this movement, 

I initiate the movement by pulling up 

with one arm while simultaneously 

driving up with the same leg. 

2) I repeat with the opposite arm and 

opposite leg until my chest is above the 

bar. 

3) Once my chest is above the bar, I 

perform a jogging motion with my legs 

while contracting my lats and core, 

and then pull my body laterally back 

and forth across the bar. I return to the 

bottom by performing the reverse of the 

ascending phase. 



LATERAL SLED DRAG WITH 100 LBS 

METHOD 6: 

This advanced exercise is an extremely 

effective anti-rotational core exercise, 

and trains the body to be able to resist 

rotation. In addition to this, it also really 

strengthens the glutes. This is highly 

beneficial for athletic performance, 

injury prevention, and daily living. 

3) I make sure to keep my weight on the 

mid/back of my foot, and not on the toes. 

* It is very important that you maintain 

perfect alignment the entire time. Your 

knees should not deviate medially or 

laterally, and you should maintain a 

neutral spine the entire time. 

1) To perform this exercise, I place a 

resistance band directly above my knees 

and position my body so it is facing 

sideways. 

2) I get into a partial squat position, 

extend my arms, and drag the sled by 

performing a sideways shuffle. 

* The key point to this exercise is 

maintaining perfect alignment the 

entire time. Your knees should remain in 

line with your feet, your torso and pelvis 

should remain level, and there should 

be no rotation in your pelvis or spine. It 

is also very important that you maintain 

tension the entire time so your glutes 

are constantly working. 

WIDE GRIP NEUTRAL TOWEL PULL UPS 

METHOD 8: 

This exercise is like your traditional pull 

up. However, instead of holding on to a 

stable bar, I am pulling myself up while 

holding onto 2 towels. This is extremely 

effective for improving upper body and 

grip strength, which has a carryover 

effect to many other exercises and sports. 

UPSIDE DOWN HIP THRUST TO PLANK 

ON THE RINGS 

WEIGHTED PISTOL SQUATS 

METHOD 7: 

This exercise demands an incredible 

amount of strength, mobility, and 

stability, and develops lower body 

strength. 

1) I grab onto a weight and keep it close 

to my body so I am not cheating and 

using it as a counterbalance. 

2) I take a deep breath in, brace my core 

and descend into a single leg squat. I 

then drive up and return to the starting 

position. 

METHOD 9: 

This exercise develops full body 

strength and stability, most notably, 

in the upper body, anterior core, and 

glutes. 

1) Before I start, I take a deep breath in, 

and perform a pull-up. 

2) Once my chest is just under the height 

of the rings, I flip upside down and 

transition into a vertical plank. 

3) Once I am in this position I squeeze 

my glutes and brace my core so that my 

body is rigid and stable. 

4) I then drop my hips down, perform a 

hip thrust/kipping movement, and return 

to the upside down plank position. 

I do this until I have completed the 

desired number of reps. 



I no longer focus on working 

out TO LOOk a CERTAIN way. This 

hasn’t crossed MY mind 

in years. 

VERTICAL RENEGADE ROW 

METHOD 10: 

This more advanced version of a 

renegade row develops upper body 

strength, and core stability (anti-lateral 

flexion). 

1) To perform this exercise, I hold onto 

two dumbbells and get into a wall 

handstand. 

2) In order to stabilize my body so it does not 

shift laterally and tip over, before I perform 

the row, I take a deep breath in, brace my 

core, and really contract my glutes. 

3) I reset after each row. 

*You will find that if you do not maintain 

tension in your core muscles and glutes, 

you will tip to one side. 

ARTICLE BY MEGHAN CALLAWAY. 

For visual content of how to do the exercises mentioned in the article please go to Meghan's YOUTUBE channel 

following the link below: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFbaWKmqPuJwFOBFCwrxg8A 

WEBSITE: http://www.MEGHANCALLAWAYFITNESS.COM 

FACEBOOK: https://m.facebook.com/public/Meghan-Callaway-Pt | TWITTER: @fitfaststrong 

INSTAGRAM: MeghanCallaway | YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFbaWKmqPuJwFOBFCwrxg8A 



OVERCOMING 

OBSTACLES 

THE PRACTICE OF PARKOUR FOR BUILDING 

MIND, BODY AND SOUL. 

STANISLAVS LAZDAN 

THE ART OF 

FREERUNNING 

Based upon a training method employed by 

the military, Parkour participants learn how 

to overcome natural obstacles standing in 

their way. Exhibiting fluidity and finesse, top 

runners make getting from point A to point 

B seem effortless. (It’s not!) 

Rooted in the search for true strength, 

discipline and a sense of completeness, 

the equipment-free practice of freerunning 

builds the body, mind and soul. Sharing his 

knowledge and background, Stanislavs Lazdan 

sheds some light on this athletic pursuit. 

WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL MOTIVATION TO BEGIN A LIFE OF FITNESS? 

COULD YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR EARLY YEARS? 

I can’t say that in my early years I really cared about health or fitness. As 

a kid watching TV, I just wanted repeat all the tricks I saw and I wasn’t 

thinking about my body strength and mobility. I recognized at that point 

that I needed to develop my body and mind, because I could not technically 

do easy moves requiring physical strength or flexibility. 

In my early years I was just a regular kid, nothing special. I went to school 

and afterwards I went outside and played soccer or different types of games. 

When I was 7 years old, I was really a Nintendo computer game addict! 

Haha! I remember that it was the only thing that I wanted to do in life! Ha! 



YOU PERFORM A VARIETY OF MOVEMENTS THAT SEEM ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE 

TO PULL OFF. HOW OFTEN DID YOU HAVE TO TRAIN AND HOW LONG HAVE 

YOU BEEN TRAINING TO PERFECT THESE IMPRESSIVE SKILLS? 

My first year of training, I was upset with Parkour. I was training all of the 

time after school with no rest days and even in the rain! Ha! Looking back 

right now, I can’t say that it was “real” training as we’d just go out and have 

fun doing random stuff, whatever we liked. In general, to “learn” a new move 

you need one day to just basically overcome yourself, try once and that’s it. 

Next step is movement drilling, and that takes time. Here comes a rule: the 

more you do the better you do it. So do the moves everywhere you can to 

drill more naturally. If a move needs some specific place, then it’s harder, and 

you cannot really drill it effectively. 

DID YOU HAVE ANY ASSISTANCE FROM ANYONE TO AID YOU IN YOUR 

TRAINING? OR ARE YOU SELF-TAUGHT? 

Yes, I did. I was training my first 3 years only with one guy, his name is Pavel 

Petkun, also known as Pasha. I think without him I would not be where I 

am now. Maybe he wasn’t a professional coach with a program, but more 

importantly he gave me support and the motivation to keep training. Also I 

want to say a big thanks to Youtube. It was the number one place where we 

watched videos and got tips from other athletes from around the world. It 

provided us with a lot of information and inspiration. 

To perform 

free-running 

movements you 

don’t need to 

be a superman 

as it is mainly 

skill-based. 



THE TYPE OF SKILLS THAT YOU EMPLOY COULD OBVIOUSLY NOT BE 

BUILT IN A COMMERCIAL GYM; YOU HAVE TO BE CREATIVE AND USE 

YOUR ENVIRONMENT EFFECTIVELY. HOW IMPORTANT ARE BODYWEIGHT 

EXERCISES TO YOU? 

Right - Parkour is not Parkour without environment. It is easier to practice 

it when you have a large area with different types of walls and levels. 

Daugavpils is not such a big city with rich architecture, so we don’t have 

too many spots, so we needed to think in more creative ways than most 

practitioners. Nowadays there are more Parkour parks around the world. I 

think this will help our sport to grow. 

Bodyweight exercises play a really important part in training. Parkour 

alone is a good routine, but it is important to do some extra workouts. 

Compared fitness-wise with bodybuilding, we are not focusing on volume 

in our training, but in useful, functional strength. It does not mean that 

exercise with additional weight is useless however. Workouts should be 

mixed - use your bodyweight and some dumbbells and bars. Exercises are 

important to make the body strong enough to withstand greater impact. 

This helps prevent injuries 

DOES IT TAKE A LOT OF STRENGTH TO PERFORM FREE-RUNNING 

MOVEMENTS OR IS IT MAINLY SKILL-BASED? 

To perform free-running movements you don’t need to be a superman 

as it is mainly skill-based. Another question is HOW you perform these 

movements and skills. Here, strength is important. An easy example is the 

backflip. It is a simple trick and a lot of people can perform it, but you can 

just turn over your head and barely land it, or you can jump high, tuck nicely, 

open and only then land it. Both performers can have the same techniques, 

but one will have more powerful legs to jump higher, more powerful abs 

to spin faster, and be more flexible which makes the tuck tighter and the 

visual appearance will look nicer. 



YOU GREW UP IN A SMALL TOWN WITH NO ACCESS TO A GYM; DO YOU FEEL 

THAT THIS SLOWED DOWN YOUR PROGRESS AT ALL? OR DID IT ALLOW YOU TO 

USE YOUR INITIATIVE AND GROW AS AN ATHLETE? 

With no gym my mental game became really strong. I knew if I wanted to perform 

some tricks I needed to try them first. I didn’t have a foam pit or big mats to 

use while learning. I couldn’t work inside and then take it to the streets outside. 

Also, with no gym and a lack of good training spots, I started to think in more creative 

ways. I think that having a gym is good, but that you can become “addicted” to it. 

DO YOU LIKE TO TRAIN ALONE OR DO YOU TRAIN IN A GROUP? 

Training in a group is what I prefer - it’s more fun, and guys can push you in good ways! 

But, sometimes, I prefer to train alone, like if I want to just to drill some moves and make 

sure that no one will disturb me, or cause me to lose my focus. 

IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO LEARN HOW TO GET STARTED WITH FREE RUNNING, WHAT 

WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS? ANY DO’S OR DON’TS? 

Right now it is becoming more popular so I would advise to use the Internet and try 

to find some Parkour gym or communities from your area. They will help you with your 

basic moves and guide you, teaching you to avoid beginner’s mistakes. If there is not any 

gym or practitioners in your city, then the most important thing is to not rush. Take your 

training slowly! Do a lot of physical training first, combined with some basic techniques. 

CAN YOU LIST 5 BEGINNER METHODS OF BASIC MOVES THAT 

PEOPLE CAN FOLLOW? 

Hmm.. I think the first common thing in Parkour is a precision 

jump. The goal of this is to stick the landing, so the focus is not 

on distance, but in control. 

Second, is rail balance. Just walk on low bars without falling 

as long as you can. There are different ways of balancing, so 

be creative. 

Third, is the Speed Step. This is vaulting, where you keep your body 

weight on your arm which helps with your leg stepping over a wall. 

The fourth move is Climb Up. You start from a hanging position 

on a wall and try to get on top - do it in your own way, but try 

to avoid using your elbows and knees. 

Last, but not any less important, is Quadruple Movement. Here, be 

creative, and move as you want, and on various surfaces, but keep 

in mind to move as smoothly as you can, and bring your hips down. 

HAVE YOU COME ACROSS ANY MAJOR SET-BACKS OR 

HAD ANY INJURIES WHICH IMPACTED YOUR SKILL-SET? 

I had a couple of injuries, but there wasn’t any serious 

ones, like breaking bones or dislocating joints. Of 

course they hold you from complete training, but 

then it is a good time to work on your physical 

condition. I think I had a really big set-back from my 

training when I was close to finishing my studies in 

university, not because of studies, but because I was really 

depressed by my life situation. I didn’t know what to do next 

in life. I really did not want a regular job because I knew 

that I would train less and after a while would stop 

progressing. Then I’d not train at all. Luckily, I managed to 

work with Parkour, although it is not so easy! 

HAVE YOU EVER PERFORMED ANY STUNT WORK 

OR CONSIDERED IT AS A FUTURE CAREER? 

I did a couple and right now I am really focused on my career 

in stunts, but it’s not going well! Hahaha! 

Article by STANISLAVS Lazdan 

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

INSTAGRAM: Instagram: @stanislavlazdan 

YOUTUBE: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMk4ipmflG8 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB6oMpejm9c 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufYE4dEVOb4 



ZEUS 

GOOD GOD HE’S STRONG! 

BUILDING UP TO "THE MOMENT" OF PERFORMANCE – 

MOTIVATION AND THE BOOST FROM BEING MAD 

TRAINING I have trained for 13 years. Before that, I had always wished to be a strongman, looking up the biggest ones 

in the world, like Zydrunas Savickas and Brian Shaw. I hadn’t had an opportunity, so I started training (lifting heavy 

weights) on my own. In February 2014, I knew about a strongman competition for freshman near my city, so I saw a big 

opportunity to experience the strongman adrenaline. I went to the competition, even without specific training for that 

- and I won it. 



cylinder in each arm – 300kg/400kg. 

Tire Flip - It requires so much force from the athletes because 

it is one of the last proofs, and there are tires weighing 600kg 

and in the “absolute” it is 900kg. 

Dead Lift - Of cars, tires, bars. This is one of the proofs that I 

like most, because I’m beating my own record at every attempt 

that I do. Currently, I can manage 300kg. 

Log Lift - Lift a tree trunk over the head. This one is so difficult, 

and the current World Record is from Zidrunas Savickas 

(228kg). I can get 140kg over my head. 

I am hoping to do intense training for as long as possible in 

the gym as a Strongman. I’ve carried a Yoke with 420 kg and 

I’ve lifted Deadlifted 300kg. I’ve flipped over a tire of 600 kg 

and done squats with 300 kg. I’ve also benched 230 kg. 

MAINTAINING GROWTH, ENERGY AND PERFORMANCE 

I am an athlete weighing 105kg, and I do a high calorie diet 

because of the intense training. I eat lighter foods during the 

week - meat, rice, beans, vegetables, salads, shakes with fruit, 

protein and carbohydrates. On the weekend, I increase my 

intake of food with pizza, snacks, milk-shakes and ice cream. 

FOCUS 

My preparation and concentration comes days before the 

competition, and when it’s time to do it, I get focused and 

forget about everything but the competition. I have a direct 

relationship with weights, and I feel angry about them, so 

when I am going to lift, I do it with so much force and anger, 

fighting with them until the end. With the Farmer’s Walk I have 

to use force and velocity at the same time. 

DISCIPLINES FOR STRONGMAN 

As a strongman, I always have to be prepared and training with 

the elements is very important. Normally, the Championship 

gives us just a short time to get prepared. We’ve got the: 

Atlas Stone - Which is a concrete ball and requires a great 

amount of force and a special way to lift it. 

Timber Carry - Which has this name because it simulates lifting 

a square piece of timber, with the athlete inside of it– reaching 

a total of 350kg/400kg. 

Farmer’s Walk - It looks like timber, but in this one we use a 

PREPERATION PROTOCALS 

Protection: knee pads, elbow pads, belt, straps etc. In the week 

before a competition the athlete should be calm, eat well, 

remember that the training has been done, calm down and 

give their best in the competition. Four days before, I stop 

training - I just relax and get focused! 

UNCONVENTIONAL PREP 

Lifting the Atlas: I train with rowing movements in the gym, 

deadlifts and specifically with the Atlas Stones to prepare me 

for this lift. 

Endurance: Training at the gym with a lot of repetitions, and 

on the street I flip tires without stopping, until failure. I also 

perform a lot of running for my cardio. 

Forearm strength: Forearm strength is important and I use a 

lot of different forearm exercises with weights. 



thE "MOMENt" IS whEN I 

forget ABOUt everything 

around me 

Power: Concentration, focus and a little anger just before 

the moment when I need to exert more force. "The 

moment” is when I forget about everything around me! 

Strength: I train with very big weights, and in the last set I do 

the maximum amount of weight that I can handle. 

THE PLAN 

I plan to be an athlete that is recognized to all, to get a good 

sponsorship, to continue in the sport and to be one of the 

best in my category. In 2017, I hope to move up in category. 

I have two titles in 2014 and in 2015 - Brazilian League 

selective. 

ARTICLE BY ZEUS STRONGMAN 

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

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1eChNWAE-6e80xOXIj4NTA 

INSTAGRAM: #Zeusstrongman 



Grip Like a 

GORILLA! 

JEROME BLOOM SHARES HIS TIPS FOR 

BuiLdiNG TOuGHEr HANdS 

PULLING PALLETS AND ARM WRESTLING! 

I have been training my arms and particularly my shoulders 

and hands since the early 1990s. I was always a fan of the 

World’s Strongest Man events, having watched it on TV since 

about 1981. More importantly, I was a fan of what they 

could lift rather than how they looked. I remember watching 

Magnus Ver Magnusson (in the early 1990s) performing the 

Crucifix Hold. He was as cool as ice! I recognized that it was 

his great control that scored him the points against much 

bigger chaps. When I watched Jamie Reeves beat the world 

record for the Crucifix Hold on TV (on “Record Breakers”) I 

decided that I wanted to do that! Even though I was very 

small and knew I would never be “big”, I felt sure that if I had 

enough practice I could become as strong at this discipline 

as anyone, and I was right! By the time I was 19 years old I 

was getting my times as good as anyone on TV, with weights 

varying from 10kg to 15kg in each hand. I recall tuning into 

the heats of the World’s Strongest Man in 1996. Raimunds 

Bergmanis got a time of one minute and five seconds (which 

was the winning time) and so did I. Eventually I progressed 

to heavier weights and could perform a crucifix hold with 

24kg (53 pounds) in each hand. 

My fascination with grip strength began with another 

Strongman, many times World’s Strongest Man finalist, 

Manfred Hoeberl. In 1997 he was one of only 12 people 

who had closed the Captains of Crush number 3 gripper. 

Though it would be many years till I would purchase one of 

these infamous grippers, it did inspire me to train my grip 

in every way that I could. My favorite grip exercise when I 

was at college was similar to the “Farmer’s Walk”. I would 

basically keep all of my text books in one very large satchel 

and carry it everywhere by my side with one hand at a time, 

only swapping hands when the pain became unbearable. 

Passers-by must have thought I was crazy! 

I got into arm-wrestling entirely by accident! Even though 

I was always good at it (often challenging people in pubs) I 

never thought that I would become a Pro. 

My identical twin brother, Paul Bloom, is also a fan of 

Strong Man (and he is in fact very talented at Deadlifting). 

In May 2010 we both went to see Giants Live (The Strong 

Man event) at the Excel Centre in London. After the main 

event they brought out an arm wrestling table! I actually 

recognised a man who sat just two rows in front of me as 

being Ron Bath, whom I had seen on the Internet winning 

some impressive-looking matches and now here he was 

discussing the ins and outs of technique, whilst battles 

ensued on the tournament table beyond. 

This event was called ARM WARS. The event was not without 

drama! In fact, play was stopped for about 45 minutes when 

Wagner Bortolato broke the arm of Michael Todd right there 

in front of us! We had to all wait for the ambulance to come 

before matches could be resumed. You wouldn’t think this 

would be inspiring stuff for a passive chap like me, but it 

was after the tournament on the practice table, when I had 

the chance to spar with some of the professionals that I felt 

the surge of adrenaline, and it actually made me feel like a 

bigger man. 

Even though I have a desk job now, in the mid 1990s I worked 

in factories and warehouses, carrying around heavy objects, 

often pulling pallets of steel that weighed many tons, so my 

work only made my grip stronger. 



SIZE MAKES NO DIFFERENCE! 

My size difference is highlighted the most when I compete 

in grip tournaments, particularly in open competitions. I 

have been competing in competitions organized by David 

Horne since 2013. Unfortunately I have not found that my 

height (or lack of it) is any particular advantage in Grip 

Strength or in Arm Wrestling. These sports are dominated 

by men and women with big hands and long arms. This has 

not stopped me in my tracks, but there is no doubt that I 

have had to work a lot harder because of it. A longer hand 

and arm is simply more efficient at transferring power into 

motion. In fact there is no better example than with Arm 

Wrestling. Often relatively skinny people can dominate in 

matches because of their leverage advantage. I have also 

struggled with grip feats such as thick bar lifts and heavy 

grippers because my small hands simply don’t cover enough 

of the equipment. Nevertheless, I am now, after many years 

of trying, able to close the Captains of Crush number 3, so 

better late than never! 

problems such as pain, circulation problems and they 

slightly inhibit my movement, so I am not very flexible. I 

have had a couple of operations to remove large amounts 

of bone from one of my legs and I have MRI scans every 

year to monitor the condition of other bumps, such as one 

that is in my chest. Even with this, the biggest barrier I ever 

encountered was when I badly injured my back in 2011. I 

ruptured a disc in my lower back. This put an end to my 

heavy weight lifting and was almost the death blow for my 

arm-wrestling. I had to completely change the way I live; 

that meant the way I walk, sit, sleep, and exercise. After 

six months I returned to competitive arm-wrestling and 

actually won the British Novices Title in November 2012. 

WORKOUT=WORK! 

I know a lot of power lifters. I recognize the strain that they 

put themselves through. I would not describe Grip Training 

as hard work in the same sense as power lifting because I 

rarely get that “BURN”. Grip training is not necessarily very 

relentless. I have to train 7 days per week. Basically I have 

to treat my training like WORK. Unlike power lifting and 

bodybuilding, where people essentially have to damage 

themselves in order to progress; I cannot afford to rip 

myself up like that. Actually I always try to maintain the 

same body weight (between 65 and 67kg) and have put on 

no significant volume of muscle in the last 10 years. 

BREAKING IN! 

My first arm wrestling competition was in August 2010 at 

the BAF British Arm-wrestling Championships in Lancashire, 

UK. I was very nervous on the five hour long drive to the 

tournament, but nerves were soon replaced by adrenaline 

when I got there! 

I got through to the third round. My head was buzzing after 

that tournament! Three months previous to that I had met 

Dan Thomas at Arm Wars in London and met him again at 

this tournament. It was here that I decided I would join 

Dan’s club “The Minotaurs,” which was at that time based 

in Cambridge. Now I was driving from my first tournament 

with my brother, Deep Purple turned up to the max on the 

car stereo, and the prospect of training with a Pro armwrestler! 

HME IS NO HINDERANCE! 

Other than my small size, I have a bone disorder called 

HME (Hereditary Multiple Exostosis) which means I have 

very large benign bone tumours throughout my body. Some 

of these “bone bumps” are very large and internal; so they 

get in the way of nerves and muscles and organs, causing 

British Novices Title 2012 (Here I am pictured with my 

former coach Dan Thomas) 

After 5 years the soft tissue damage in my back completely 

healed. My back is now considerably stronger than it was 

before my injury! Significantly grip training has taken over 

as my primary exercise. 

I have a desk job and do not need great strength to design 

buildings, which is what my job entails; however my grip 

training has helped me in many other ways. It actually 

improves my back. I am still prone to posture-related pains 

in my lower back and neck, particularly sitting around at 



work, when I can’t exercise. Even with all that strength, my 

back still has a bit of trouble holding itself up sometimes! 

Fortunately a lot of my grip training involves lifting with 

the legs and arms, whilst keeping a good back posture. 

This tightens up the whole of my torso and improves my 

body’s ability to deal with the strains of every day life. 

There is also the undeniable positive effects of endorphins 

that are produced during training, which actually act as a 

natural pain relief. 

GOOD SKIN GOOD HANDS! 

I have very good skin on my hands and rarely have skin 

problems. I believe this is partly due to having a good 

varied diet and keeping my body water levels neutral, by 

trying not to eat too much salt and also not over drinking. 

I use Coconut Butter on my hands a couple of times per 

week and particularly after competing in grip competitions 

or long training days. I actually have no callouses on my 

hands, which is significant if you consider the amount of 

heavy metal that I lift. 

GETTING THE GRIP: THE BASICS FOR BEGINNERS 

1) Carry things around! “Supportive” grip strength 

has the best crossover for other sports and also for 

hand strength in general. Vary the size of objects 

so as to fully challenge your functional grip. 

2) Grippers are NOT the most important tool for 

exercising your grip, but I do recommend that you 

train equally with lighter grippers for endurance, 

mid-range grippers for broad sets or “no set” 

closes. The heaviest grippers should be used only 

occasionally to test your progress. Torsion Spring 

Grippers are by far the most popular type of tool 

on the market, but the number of grippers in your 

collection will not guarantee you success! 

3) No matter what you like the most, if you want to 

be successful as a grip athlete you should train all 

aspects of functional grip strength. Grip training 

should be broken down equally into the following 

categories: 

(I quote the following list from David Horne’s 

“Gripopaedia, Volume 1”) 

• Crushing 

• Pinching 

• Supportive and Thick Bar 

• Wrist 

• Endurance 

4) Try not to over work your grip. If you have ever 

been told by your coach or a personal trainer 

“No pain, no gain”, well this should not apply for 

grip training. Grip training should be treated like 

work, so work within your means and you will 

progressively improve. 

SAGE ADVICE! 

DO NOT TAKE DRUGS! If a small man like me with all of my 

difficulties can excel without steroids then so can you! 

As a side note; I do not use supplements or refined proteins. 

This is no commentary on other sports such as Body Building 

or Powerlifting, but I simply do not find a use for them in 

my training. I had a tub of Casein Protein Concentrate at the 

back of my cupboard for several years and finally threw it 

away recently when I realized that, like a pair of socks that 

never leaves the drawer, I just don’t use it any more. I think 

I do just fine with a very normal diet! 

My last word on training is, Mix It Up and always enjoy your 

training! 

If you don’t enjoy one thing, move onto another thing. It 

is only by enjoying grip training that you will continually 

improve. It matters less that you concentrate on specific 

types of grip strength, rather that you should keep your 

hands useful and healthy. Do not forget that your hand 

strength is dependent on the ligaments, tendons and 

muscles in your forearms and that it does not matter how 

big your forearm muscles are if the tendons and ligaments 

are not correspondingly strong. 



FAVORITE GRIP TRAINING! 

There are many feats that I am proud of, but here are a few 

of my favorites: 

Grip-topz Half Penny (key-style lift). My best lift was 20.55kg 

to a “full height” of 16 inches off the ground and 21kg for a 

“partial lift” of 6 inches off the ground. 

a US Half Dollar, where you 

can only grasp half of the coin 

between finger and thumb. 

I can lift over 23kg (50.7 

pounds) with this. 

FACILITATE FOREARM 

STRENGTH AND GRIP BY 

USING THE FOLLOWING: 

1) Using the Adjustable 

Gripper (I use the Vulcan II 

from David Horne’s World of 

Grip) 

2) Doing Wrist Curls (I use 

a 16 pound bowling ball for 

a lot of repetitions) 

Even with my light body weight I am probably among 

the three strongest men in the world with this piece of 

apparatus. This is a challenge that often defeats the biggest 

people (as well as the smallest). It does not discriminate! 

3) Table-top Wrist Curls (off a 45 degree timber block). I 

can curl up to my own body weight with one arm 

I believe I am the only man who currently lifts in excess of 

20kg every week as a routine part of my training. 

I CAN CLOSE THE CAPTAINS OF CRUSH NUMBER 3. 

This has taken many years to 

achieve, which is significant 

considering my small size and 

weight! 

The Training Penny Key-style 

Pinch. This is an original 

pre-decimal British Penny 

measuring about the same as 



4) Table-top “Posting Curls”. This is a classic arm-wrestling 

exercise and mostly engages your static lock-out strength 

in the wrist, biceps and shoulder, plus the pull-back action 

engages the back muscles. I usually train with 40kg (88 

pounds) for sets of 10 reps or 50kg (110 pounds) for one 

or two reps. 

5) Arm-wrestling (I train with Andrew Smith and Adam 

Bushaway) 

ARTICLE BY JEROME BLOOM 

YOUTUBE https://m.youtube.com/channel/UClXw_0gTFd9BLgt_vuFwNyg? 

MINOTAURS TEAM FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/minotaurs.grip.strength 

Carry things around! “Supportive” 

grip strength has the best crossover for 

other sports and also for hand 

strength in general 



MAXIMIZE YOUR ATHLETIC 

PERFORMANCE SAFELY IN EXTREMITIES 

BILL HERON ON THE ELITE BEATING THE HEAT! 

INTO THE FURNACE! 

Training in the heat is not for the average person. 

This type of training is only for very fit, competitive 

athletes to elevate their performance. Studies have 

shown that pushing your limits in extremely hot 

weather conditions can improve your performance 

in the cooler months. 

The principle way in which the body cools itself 

during exercise is through sweat. It hits our skin’s 

surface and it evaporates to cool the body. In a humid 

environment, you don’t experience as much of that 

evaporative cooling effect because the environment 

is already pretty saturated with fluid. 

COMBAT WEAKNESS WITH WATER! 

Hydration is extremely important when training 

in the heat. Water alone is not enough. Adding 

electrolytes is vital when exercising in warm 

weather. Consider drinking a sports drink with 

electrolytes, carbohydrates and especially sodium, 

to properly rehydrate. Drink before, during, and 

after exercising. Try to consume 16 to 24 ounces 

of water a couple of hours before exercising in hot 

temperatures. If you are going to train for longer 

periods, add another 6 to 8 ounces of fluids every 15 

to 20 minutes of training. Avoid drinks with caffeine 

in these conditions as they can dehydrate you. 

TRAINING TIPS – HEAT BEATERS 

• Wear proper clothing. Choose lightweight, lightcolored, 

and breathable clothing. 

• Wear sunglasses that protect your eyes from 

100% of the UV rays. 

• Apply sunscreen with the highest UVA and UVB 

protection. 

• Exercise with a partner. If this is not possible 

please be sure to let others know where you are 

training and when you expect to return. 



• Bring a cell phone and make sure it is fully 

charged. I highly recommend purchasing a 

back-up battery. 

• Avoid or limit training if you are recovering 

from a recent illness. Some illnesses can 

cause dehydration and adversely affect body 

temperature regulation. 

BENEFITS OF TRAINING IN THE HEAT: THE COOLING 

SYSTEM. 

Studies show that training in the heat increases 

blood supply. The less the body has to work to cool 

itself, the more blood there is available to transport 

oxygen to the muscles. In hot weather, one way your 

body tries to cool itself is by sending blood to the 

skin’s surface, where the heat of the blood dissipates 

into the air. This adaptation by the body acts as a 

cooling system, diverting blood (and its run-fueling 

oxygen) away from working muscles. To satisfy the 

opposing demands of cooling and exercising, your 

body makes more blood. Embrace the heat and use 

it to your advantage to make gains in performance 

when the weather gets cooler. As with any exercise 

program, check with your Doctor before starting this 

type of training. 

THE BILL HERON PLATE WORKOUT! 

UNIVERSAL PLATE METHOD 

1) Perform 14 repetitions on all of the 10 

exercises listed below in order. 

2) After completing the 10 exercises attach 

the 45 lb plate around your waist and run 

a 50 meter sprint, dragging the plate. (This 

is one round). 

3) Repeat as many rounds as possible while 

decreasing one rep each successive round. 

Knee High with Plate Overhead 

Alternating Forward Lunges with Plate 



Bearhug Plate Squats Plate Swings Single Arm Plate Rows 

Facebook: Facebook.com/BillHeronFitness 

Instagram: #BillHeronFit 

Twitter: @BillHeronFit 

Straight Arm Plank 

Hold Over Plate 

Clap Push Ups 

Over Plate 

Plate Halos 

Plate Twists 

Lateral Plate Jumps

Unconventional Athletes Issue 7

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