Unconventional Athletes Issue 9

ONE ATHLETE’S JOURNEY FROM A WHEELCHAIR TO MMA AND MORE
REHABILITATE INJURY WITH UNCONVENTIONAL METHODS
ISSUE 9 VOLUME 1
OUTRUN A RACING Mind
HARNESSING ADHD with EXERCISE
INTERVIEW WITH PETER SHANKMAN
THE DYNAMIC USES OF
KETTLEBELL TRAINING
MASTER THE
MUSCLE UP WITH
MELANIE
DRIESSEN
REHABILITATE INJURY
WITH UNCONVENTIONAL
METHODS
BAR MONKEY
THE FIRST CALISTHENICS
FESTIVAL IN IRELAND
SIX PACK
MADE SIMPLE

www.unconventionalathletes.com
CONTENTS
12
FROM
14
CONSEQUENCES
18
THE
22
BAR
26
THE
30
LEARN
36
FROM
40
OUTRUNNING
44
SIX
49
ARM
A WHEELCHAIR TO MMA
HOW TO ACHIEVE A STEEL MINDSET AND SUPERMAN STRENGTH!
ANDREW CRANSTON
OF THE GAME!
REHABILITATE INJURY WITH ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES.
JENNIFER PARETTA
MULTI-DISCIPLINED MAN!
MAXING OUT PHYSICAL AND MENTAL POTENTIAL WITH DR JOHANNES
LIERFELD!
MONKEY!
Jamie Geraghty Launches First Annual Festival to Promote
Athletic Diversity in Ireland
KETTLEBELL KING!
THE DYNAMIC USES BENEFITS AND SYSTEMATIC GAINS FROM KETTLE
BELL TRAINING! LEVI MARKWARDT
THE MUSCLE UP FROM A FEMALE PERSPECTIVE!
PRO BAR ATHLETE MELANIE DREISSEN TELLS US THE ‘HOW TO’
METHODS FOR QUICK RESULTS!
OVERWEIGHT TO ELITE!
MILES ROUGH TELLS US HIS INSPIRING JOURNEY INTO THE
WORLD OF CALISTHENICS.
A RACING MIND –
Exercise And ADHD with Expert Peter Shankman
PACK SHINANIGANS.
GET AB’S OF STEEL WITH UNCONVENTIONAL TRAINING CALISTHENICS
EXPERT Shashank Thakur
WRESTLING - THE STAMINA OF STANAWAY
VETERAN AND CHAMPION STEVE STANAWAY TALKS US THROUGH HIS
DECADES OF EXPERIENCE AND HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE GROWTH OF
ARM WRESTLING!
Issue 09 - Volume 1 | 2016 Page 3

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introduction
ISSUE 6 VOLUME 1
CEO: Nigel John
Agent: Sandra Bedell
Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short
to be living someone else’s life. Kobi Yanada’
COVER ATHLETE: Melanie Dreissen
Staff writer and publicist: Sharon G. Jonas
Marketing and circulation specialist: Daniel Schwartz
Contributors:
Andrew Cranston
Jennifer Paretta
Dr johannes lierfeld
Jamie Geraghty
Levi Markwardt
Melanie Dreissen
Miles Rough
Peter Shankman
Shashank Thakur
Steve Stanaway
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.
Each life is a unique, solitary journey.
No matter how many friends or family
members you may be fortunate to
have, ultimately your body and mind,
your decisions, health and feelings,
are yours alone.
But building connections to others who
can support, influence, teach and inspire
us, can guide us down our singular
pathways towards greater fulfillment.
The extraordinary athletes in
Issue 9 represent a select group of
people whose lives shine light on
higher roads. By embracing their
individual challenges and passions,
they reinforce the belief that we
are all capable of taking charge of
our own lives, of forging ahead with
determination and perseverance.
For Peter Shankman, Andrew Cranston,
Miles Rough and Shashank Thukur,
athletes from radically different
backgrounds, their challenges share
a commonality. Managing ADHD,
recovering from a bone-shattering
accident, taking on obesity and
overcoming childhood disease, this
group of unconventional athletes
suffered and floundered, but they
more than survived – they excelled.
Levi Markwardt and Dr. Johannes
Lierfeld, seekers of knowledge and
teachers who lead by example,
reveal that strength can be built
and tested in many ways. Embracing
challenges, they find fulfillment by
setting new goals, reaching them
and maintaining the gains made by
hard work over the years.
Street workout athletes Jamie
Geraghty, founder of Bar Monkeys
and Melanie Driessen, top performers
in the calisthenics movement, reveal
the skills which built their agile,
athletic bodies. By discovering their
passion, they encourage others to
enjoy the benefits and joy of this
growing sport.
A look at the fascinating life of
the legendary armwrestler and
referee, Steve Stanaway, reveals an
uncompromising man in his 70’s who
is still willing to sit down (or stand
up) to pin an opponent in lightening
quick time.
We hope you enjoy your journey into
the world of these elite athletes,
and welcome your comments and
feedback.
(www.UnconventionalAthletes.com)
Kind regards,
Nigel Leppington
CEO
Contact
Unconventional Athletes is growing fast. If you feel you want to offer your knowledge and you fit
the criteria for writing in 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:
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INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/unconventionalathletes/
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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 those who may want to share a weeklong
course of study), Unconventional Athletes gives you
the real deal.
In addition to this magazine, Nigel 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 on 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 avoid readers from
getting ripped off or overcharged with gimmicks a trainer is
pushing to sell!
Prepare to BREAK OUT OF THE BOX! Read on and reap the
knowledge! EVOLVE! The one-eyed man is king in the valley
of the blind!
Anyone wishing to contribute ideas, articles or advertisements, please contact our agent:
SANDRA BEDELL on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Monkey777
Cell: +1 516 428-9315 | Email: Unconventionalfit@outlook.com
JOIN OUR GROUP OF EXPERIENCED UNCONVENTIONAL ATHLETES:
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Highoctanetraining/?fref=ts
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CONTRIBUTORS
ANDREW CRANSTON
NATIONALITY: AMERICAN
Andrew Cranston’s passion for calisthenics and movement-oriented fitness ignited when he was confined
to a wheelchair following a serious motorcycle accident. Overweight and out of shape as a young teen,
he began a slow and steady exercise and dieting approach, but all progress upended after his near death
experience at age 17 that left him physically shattered. Now 21, the Florida resident is not only doing all
of the things his doctors said he’d never do again (such as walk normally), he spends his days executing
impressive calisthenics moves and working as a mobility coach at American Top Team, a top-rated mixed
martial arts facility. (www.americantopteam.com)
Author of “Steps to Superman”, Andrew has received numerous accolades as a mixed martial arts fighter
including: Knockout of the Night, Fight of the Night, Performance of the Night, Submission of the Night and
even a 12-second Knockout. Inspiring others who were once in his position, he is “stoked” to be the light
others might see at the end of their own dark tunnel.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Andrewcranston/about
WEBSITE: http://www.ktfogear.com
TWITTER:@ andregotbars
DR. JOHANNES LIERFELD
NATIONALITY: GERMAN
Dr. Johannes Lierfeld, 39, has competed over 100 times in events involving seven different disciplines. He
began his competitive athletic pursuits in 1999 by entering a bench press competition after several years
of training. Wanting to become a well-rounded athlete, he turned to practicing submission grappling or
Luta Livre and wrestled in tournaments. Next, the discovery of kettlebells and the competition form to use
them derived from Russia and called Girevoy Sport consumed his attention. Excelling in kettlebells, he
earned 5 times Gold at the GS Nationals. His athletic journey proceeded to include grip strength training,
MAS Wrestling, participating in the Highland Games and Strongman competitions.
Johannes was born and resides in Cologne, Germany. He holds Master degrees in Media Science and
German Literature, a diploma in screenwriting and wrote seven screenplays, including an award-winning
science fiction thriller. He is currently preparing to submit his Habilitation thesis on the control problems
of advanced artificial intelligence which will be published by Cambridge press.
Career Highlights:
2001 & 2007: 6th place at bench press Nationals (Germany)
2010-2012: 5 times 1st place in kettlebell sport Nationals
2014: 3rd place Grip Strength Nationals
2015: 3rd place MAS Wrestling Nationals and
3rd place European Grip Championships (-90kg category)
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/johannes.lierfeld?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf&qsefr=1
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/dr.johannes_lierfeld/
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CONTRIBUTORS
JAMIE GERAGHTY
NATIONALITY: IRISH
Jamie Geraghty, 25, is the creator of The Cult Calisthenics and Bar Monkey, two companies invested in the
growth of calisthenics as a sport throughout Ireland.
Jamie’s background and passion for calisthenics led to him writing “The Cult Calisthenics Exercise Manual”,
which became a number one bestseller on Amazon. In addition to pursuing knowledge of calisthenics, he
has trained Kung-Fu in China with Shaolin Monks. He chronicled this experience in a free ebook “Inside
Shaolin – Thirty Days in the Kung Fu Village” available through the Bar Monkey’s website.
Jamie is currently involved in the growth of Calisthenics throughout Ireland by organizing workshops
throughout the country, as well as establishing kids’ programs, school programs and most recently by establishing
the largest annual celebration of bodyweight movement in Ireland - Bar Monkey Festival -which
kicked off in July 2016.
Dedicated to helping others find their own passion by demonstrating the importance of finding something
in life that inspires them is Jamie’s main goal
WEBSITE: www.barmonkey.org
INTAGRAM: instagram.com/bar monkey calisthenics
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/barmonkeycalisthenics
JENNIFER PARETTA
NATIONALITY: AMERICAN
Jennifer Paretta grew up in Long Island, NY, and has worked in the healthcare field since 2001. Through her
education and career she has had the opportunity to research and manage several health-related endeavors.
She received her bachelor’s degree in Bio-nutrition from Rutgers University and further explored the
field at Long Island University, where she received a Master’s of biology education. Jennifer suffers from
Multiple Sclerosis (M.S) and has found the motivation and strength to push through and continue with her
training despite this huge obstacle in her life. She trains at least 4 days a week which includes kickboxing,
Zumba, yoga and she also enjoys playing soccer with her 9 year-old-daughter. Jennifer has inspired many
people during her personal battle with M.S, including the members of her family, and is relentless in her
battle to better herself and overcome anything that may stand in her way.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.vasconiparetta?fref=ts
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CONTRIBUTORS
MELANIE DRIESSEN
NATIONALITY: AMERICAN
Melanie Driessen, 23, is a Street Workout athlete, excelling in a sport which executes bodyweight exercises
or calisthenics in an urban setting. In 2014, Melanie entered the First World Championship for women and
placed 5th. In 2015, she placed 4th and in 2016 she won the women’s division. A gymnast for 11 years,
she continues to teach these skills as well as work as an instructor of group lessons at a gym. Melanie is
an Official Barstarzz, with connections to team members throughout the world. Born in Heemskerk, Netherlands,
she now resides in Beverwijk, Netherlands..
FACEBOOK: Melanie Driessen
YOUTUBE: “Melanie Driessen”
INSTAGRAM:@melanie.driessen
MILES ROUGH
NATIONALITY: AMERICAN
Miles Rough decided at the age of 22 that enough was enough. Looking in the mirror at his 285 pound
body, he hit a turning point and set out to drastically improve his life. After suffering some major setbacks
in his journey, he pushed on. Now the 165 pound, 29-year-old athlete is a calisthenics powerhouse
who credits perseverance to body weight exercises for his success. Miles was born and resides in San
Pedro, California.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/miles.rough
LEVI MARKWARDT
NATIONALITY: AMERICAN
Levi Markwardt, 38, is a former collegiate wrestler and has also participated in grueling adventure races.
He now operates a 24- hour health club and performance training center in Northwest Iowa, USA. Along
with being a certified personal trainer (NSCA), Levi is also a hard-style kettlebell instructor (SMK, RKC),
utilizing both conventional and unconventional methods to train young athletes, adults and law enforcement
officers. Levi is married and has a daughter.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/levi.markwardt
INSTAGRAM: leviarsl
Levi Markwardt, SMK, RKC, NSCA-CPT
Athletic Republic Spirit Lake - 712.336.4040
1390 Lake Street - Spirit Lake, IA 51360
levimarkwardt.isagenix.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ78YikfUERHSPyA_ULUxDw
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CONTRIBUTORS
PETER SHANKMAN
NATIONALITY: AMERICAN
Peter Shankman is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, speaker and award-winning host of the podcast
“Faster Than Normal” about ADD and ADHD. As an ADHD sufferer, he has found a way to use this condition
to his advantage, merging his creativity with his hyperactivity to succeed in many aspects of life. Peter is
internationally recognized for his radical, new ways of thinking about customer service, entrepreneurship,
social media, PR, marketing and advertising. He is best known for founding ‘Help a Reporter Out’ (HARO)
which in under a year became the de-facto standard for thousands of journalists seeking expert sources
for information and comments.
Peter is also the founder of “ShankMinds: Breakthrough”, an online entrepreneurial community with members
in over 10 countries. He serves as a marketing pundit for several national and international news
channels and is the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc. His customer service and social media
clients have included: American Express, Sprint, The US Dept. of Defense, Royal Bank or Canada, Snapple
Beverage Group.
Using his limited spare time wisely, Peter has managed to complete 13 marathons, seven Olympic distance
triathlons, two half-Ironman triathlons and one full Ironman Triathlon. He is also a B-licensed skydiver
with over 400 jumps. Born and raised in New York City, Peter still resides there with his wife, daughter and
NASA the “Wonder Cat”.
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player embedded&v=8bdPTnGYnAQ
TWITTER: peter@shankman.com
Speaking Demo Reel – Twitter – Facebook
SHASHANK THAKUR
NATIONALITY: INDIAN
JBorn in India, Shashank, 26, now resides in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where he works as a certified personal trainer, gym
manager, online trainer, calisthenics coach, yoga instructor, nutrition advisor and bootcamp facilitator.
As a child, Shashank was sickly and extremely underweight. Ridiculed by his peers for being so thin and warned
by doctors to restrict activity, he took matters into his own hands and began working out. In time he developed
his skills in bodybuilding and won first place several times in his weight class in the city of Hairdwar (Mr. Hairdwar
Competition) and state Uttara-Khand (Mr. UK Competition). Criticized by some for becoming too stiff through
bodybuilding, he studied and acquired a Masters degree in yoga, and is capable of executing the highest level
advanced poses. From there Shashank turned to mastering calisthenics. He is a team member of Bar Brothers UAE.
Shashank gives special thanks to his teacher/mentor, Sanjeev of “Fitness Matters” Academy of North India/Punjab
and his father, whose role gave him much motivation.
FACEBOOK: https:www.facebook.com/shashank.thakur
INSTAGRAM: Bar Brothers UAE and (Thakurshashank9)
Instagram/Facebook/YouTube: Bar Brothers UAE and Shashank Thakur
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FROM FACE
DOWN TO FLYING:
THE FALL AND
RISE OF ANDREW
CRANSTON
AFTER A DEVASTATING FACE-FIRST FALL OFF HIS MOTORCYCLE,
THE EXPERIENCE OF SEEING A BARSTARZZ VIDEO SHOWING
“SHREDDED DUDES” DEFYING GRAVITY WITH THEIR CALISTHENIC’S
MOVES CREATED AN OVERWHELMING DESIRE IN ANDREW TO DO
THE SAME. BUT FIRST HE HAD TO STAND
WITHOUT A WHEELCHAIR.
What was your first experience with fitness? How
fit were you before your accident?
My first experience with fitness would date back to
playing sports such as football, soccer, and baseball
when I was a child. I was a fat kid for most of my
young life. Beginning in high school I decided to
make a major change. I was 14-years-old, 5’4” and
210 lbs. Those numbers disgusted me, so I started
to eat a little better and exercising by riding my bike
and walking more. But everything changed when I
was 17 and a senior in high school.
What was your main inspiration for getting into
shape? When did you decide enough was enough?
When I was still in a wheelchair, my mom had me roll
into her room to show me a video. At the time I thought
this was going to just be another dumb cat video or
something stupid, but it ended up drastically changing
my direction in life and gave me purpose.
The video she showed me was a video called “Super
Human Pullups” by the Barstarzz. The guys in this
video were doing pushups with their feet off the
ground, and moving their bodies as if gravity didn’t
even exist. I had never seen anything like this in my
life. I was completely blown away by these guys’
abilities and their physiques. I mean these dudes
were the most shredded people I had ever seen.
At the time I was barely able to
use my legs and both of my hands
and wrists were broken, but I didn’t see
that, I saw what I wanted. What I wanted
was to be able to do everything I just saw in that
video. I am proud to say that I can now do everything
I saw in that video and much, much more.
Could you give any details leading up to your
accident? Do you remember where you were
going when it happened?
I was on my way to pick up my girlfriend from
school on my new motorcycle when I was T-Boned
by a drunk driver on a Thursday afternoon. It was
just a normal day, I ate some food at my house and
then geared up with jeans, jacket, helmet, spine/
rib protector and a backpack that was filled with my
weatherproof motorcycle cover.
Can you recall any details of the accident? How
frightened were you?
I remember everything about the accident because
I never lost consciousness throughout the entire
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experience. I was in the left lane, first in line at a red
light and a car was next to me on my right. The light
turned green and I took off. There was a car about
300 yards ahead of me on the right side of the road
waiting to pull out, or what seemed to be waiting. I
got up to 50/55 mph and when I was about 30 yards
away from the guy, he gassed it and went left to try
and drive straight across the road. I swerved right
to try and avoid his vehicle and I hit his little car
directly on his back left tire. I was thrown straight
over his trunk, landing face first, then tumbling and
sliding to a halt. I ended up almost 100 yards away
from my motorcycle.
The first thing that went through my mind was that
I am totally not finished here yet. I definitely haven’t
done enough in my life to be even somewhat
satisfied with leaving right now. The first thing I
did was move my toes and then shouted in relief
that I wasn’t paralyzed. It was a short-lived victory
because as soon as I put my hands down, my entire
body felt as if I was bathing in gasoline and set on
fire because my wounds were open and I was being
hit by direct sunlight in the Florida heat at 3 pm
(nearly 100 Degrees outside.)
How did you feel when you were first told that
you would never run, or play sports again? Were
you angry?
Doctor’s tried to tell me that I would be
lucky to walk normally, and that I would
never play sports again or even
be able to run because the
accident destroyed nearly
the entire left side of
my body. I was
raised by an incredible single mother who taught
me that quitting wasn’t an option. When the doctor
spoke those words, I laughed, smiled, and replied
with, “watch what I’ll do.”
You said that you felt defiant and positive that
you would overcome this ill-fortune. Have you
always had this optimistic outlook in life?
I have always been an optimistic person, and it’s
very hard to be positive when you’re the one that’s
struggling. At a young age, I realized that the trials
and tribulations that occur in our lives are destined
to happen, to mold us into the individuals that we
will become. It did not take me long to realize that
this trial would be the hardest I’ve had yet, but it
would produce the greatest results. I was not willing
to accept that [compromised] quality of life by any
means or take no for an answer.
How did you feel when you first started walking
again after your time in the wheelchair?
It felt so amazing to take my first steps again
when I got rid of my wheelchair. I was given a
cane to support myself and I didn’t use it for
very long, due to the mental clarity I received
from having no physical crutch. I never even took
a pill or even morphine during the immediate
surgery after the wreck.
It was a great feeling of accomplishment going
from bed rest, unable to actually contract the torn
muscles to bend my leg, to now being able to at
least get myself to the restroom. This feeling of
accomplishment from not being capable, to earning
that capability through consistent work is what
ended up being the fire that drove me to be who
I am today.
The majority of my
training would most likely
be labeled “unconventional”.
Everything I do is bodyweight
training, originating from
gymnastics. I don’t
lift weights.
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Did you jump straight back into training or was it a
very gradual process?
I was so eager to start training hard to be able to
move my body like the Barstarzz, but I had to take it
very slow. The person who hit me on my motorcycle
was uninsured, and unregistered in Florida, so I had
a very hard time trying to get my medical bills paid.
This resulted in me only being able to do physical
therapy for a limited amount of time. I basically was
only in therapy long enough to learn a few things
to aid my recovery, but then it couldn’t be paid for
anymore and so I had to figure it out by myself, or
enjoy a life of being crippled.
You have come such a long way and it is a huge
inspiration. Did you expect to come so far after your
accident?
I did expect to come as far as I have, and I expect to
go as far as I will go. The reason I say this is because
I genuinely wanted this. Nothing could get in my way
or change my mind about this goal. I wanted it more
than anything. I would dream about it every night
when I slept, and when I woke up it was on my mind.
This constant presence is how I was reassured that I
was on the right path.
What would you say to someone who feels like
giving up on their fitness journey after suffering
from a similar accident?
Recovery is not easy. It should not be easy. Nothing
in life that is worth having comes easy. It’s not going
to feel good, you’re not going to enjoy every step
you have to take to get where you want to be, but
guess what -- the only one who cares how you feel is
you. Your dreams and goals don’t have feelings, and
it’s going to come down to thinking that it doesn’t
matter how you feel, it’s something you have to do.
People might say that it will be easy or its simple, but
the truth is it’s not easy and nobody is going to just
hand it to you! You have to work for it and earn it!
You’re not always going to be happy throughout this
process, you’re going to hurt, you’re going to break
down, you’re going to cry, and you’re going to want
to quit. What defines you is the choice you must now
make. To do, or not to do. There is no try, you either
continue, or you quit. That’s your choice that you get
to live with, nobody else’s.
Tell me about your achievements and what you
hope to accomplish in the future.
So far in my journey I’ve managed to obtain a few
accolades, My E-book “Steps to Superman” has been
published and distributed all over the internet. I also
started a small company (Ktfogear.com) to provide
fitness apparel and gear to people who train in a
similar fashion. I’ve become the movement coach
at American Top Team, here in Palm Beach Gardens,
Florida. When it comes to MMA, I’ve received awards
such as Knockout of the Night, Fight of the Night x2,
Submission of the Night, and Finish of the Night. I
always entertain, and I’m just getting started.
Through my physical capabilities and by just being
myself, I’ve earned the highest level of respect from
nearly everyone in the game. I plan to go on to be
seated comfortably in an appropriate throne when I
reach the pinnacle of this sport. I would love to enjoy
my time fighting, and transition into Hollywood to
pursue acting when the time is right. All things take
time, and I am well on my way to accomplishing what
I set out to do.
What exercises do you perform which you consider
unconventional? (not normally seen in the gym or
used by average fitness enthusiasts)
The majority of my training would most likely
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L Sit/ L Hang - lift knees to create a 90 Degree angle at
the hip, extend legs and point your toes. Hold as long
as you can.
Leg Lifts - Start by just raising Knees. To make it harder:
extend your legs, or even try touching your toes to the
bar.
Dips - Keeping your elbows rotated forwards, dip
down slightly past a 90 degree bend in your elbow,
and push back up.
Pull-ups - All varieties and grips are great. Experiment
with these and do a lot of them!
be labeled “unconventional”. Everything I do is
bodyweight training, originating from gymnastics.
I don’t lift weights, I don’t believe it’s necessary,
although, to each his own. I focus a lot on Primal
movement, obtaining and retaining absolute control
of your body. In nature, one must be able to move
himself adequately and efficiently, or become prey.
Additionally, the one who can perform the most
impressive movements is labeled as the Alpha.
Monkey’s don’t lie on a bench and push around rocks
- they move. I believe the focus of fitness has been
geared purely towards aesthetics, and has steered
away from actual functionality. What drove me to start
training is seeing people move as if gravity didn’t exist.
That is awesome, lifting up a heavy rock and putting it
down is not in my opinion.
There are fundamental exercises that are the base to
all progressions. I will list a few of those exercises here,
and they can be done nearly anywhere. If you don’t
have paralettes then you can use something such as
two chairs or the corner of your counter top.
Chin-ups - Grip fairly close, and do not neglect the
chin-up! It works different muscle groups to the
pullup!
Pushup - All varieties are great, but my preferred
variation would be strictly keeping the elbows rotated
forward, with your hand at nipple height.
Squat- Squat for proper form and control! Keep your
chest out like you have something to prove.
Lunge - Keeping your chest out, place a foot forward
and touch the opposing knee to the floor as gently
and quietly as possible. Switch legs and repeat.
Handstand - find a wall and get started! You need to
be inverting at least twice a week!
I personally do all exercises listed above, but the more
impressive stunts I do would include Front lever, Back
Lever, Planche, Handstand, Explosive pushups, Ninja
Burpees, Human Flag, Backflips, Tornado Kicks, One
leg Squat, and I am a badass with nunchucks.
Suggested Equipment- Olympics Rings, Gymnastic
Canes.
Article by Andrew Cranston.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Andrewcranston/about
Website: http://www.ktfogear.com
Twitter: @andregotbars
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Consequences
of the Game
By Jennifer Vasconi-Paretta
Regardless of skill or ability, at some point
everyone sustains an injury. While traditional
treatments are often prescribed and effective,
other less typical approaches designed to
expedite healing and offer relief are worth
considering. Whether based on cuttingedge
discoveries, ancient practices or
unconventional approaches, getting better
faster is a shared goal. Finding the remedies
which work best for your own body might
include trying something new.
Sprains & Strains
These common injuries can range from
annoying to debilitating, and many people
often confuse them.
A sprain is a stretch and/or tear of a ligament
(a band of fibrous tissue that connects two or
more bones at a joint). Severity of the injury
will depend on the extent of it - whether a
tear is partial or complete - and the number of
ligaments involved.
A strain is an overstretched muscle or tendon,
causing fibers to be pulled apart and lose the
ability to contract. A strain may be a simple
overstretch of the muscle or tendon, or it can
result from a partial or complete tear.
CUPPING
Interview with Danielle Kwozko –Licensed
NY State Acupuncturist and Certified Yoga
Instructor
Q – Who came up with cupping therapy and
what was it used to treat?
Cupping dates back roughly 3,000 years and
has its roots in China, but also is used as
traditional folk remedies elsewhere in the
world, passed down generation to generation.
Today it is one of the ancillary modalities used
by Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners,
i.e. your acupuncturist.
It was mostly used to treat what Licensed
Acupuncturists call “Bi Syndrome” which
roughly translates to “Painful Obstruction
Syndrome.” For the most part it helps alleviate
discomfort by stimulating the flow of energy
(qi) in the body through the use of suction.
The cups used can be made of bamboo, glass
or plastic materials. The cup is either warmed
or air pumped out of it to create a vacuum.
Once placed on the skin the suction created
lifts the skin and tissue up into the cup. This
suction warms and frees the energy in the
body to alleviate pain. Chinese Medicine
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believes that when energy is flowing well in
the body the patient is healthy and has no
symptoms of disease or pain. However, when
this energy becomes stagnant it leads to pain
and treatment with acupuncture or cupping
can greatly benefit the patient to help ease
this discomfort.
Q – What is cupping most useful in treating?
Cupping is particularly effective in treating
what Chinese Medicine refers to as “excess”
conditions. That is to say that conditions marked
by symptoms of too much energy accumulated
in an area of the body or an energetic “stuckness”
if you will. It is particularly useful in
treating arthritis, myofascial pain, headaches,
tension and hypertonicity of musculature.
Q – How does it work?
Suction Cupping: A plastic cup is placed on the
surface of the skin and a pump device is attached
to the cup in order to suck the air out and create
a vacuum-like pressure. Cups are commonly
retained for anywhere between 10 to 30 minutes
in order to be therapeutically effective.
Fire Cupping: The TCM (traditional Chinese
medicine) practitioner lights an alcohol swab
on fire and using a hemostat places this light
alcohol swab inside the cup. This drops the
pressure inside the glass and when it is rested
on the skin surface it too creates a gentle suction.
Sliding cupping: Plastic or Glass cups are placed
on the skin surface after oil (or other lubricant)
is spread on the skin surface. The cup is then
moved around (usually on the back/ trunk) to
help further with myofascial discomfort.
acupuncture and Chinese Medicine according to
the State and Office of the Professions. It is safe
to receive treatment from these professionals.
Q – What does it feel like?
I always explain to my patient that it kind of
feels like “the opposite of a massage.” Whereas
massage presses downwards in an effort to
increase blood flow, ease stress and tension
and stimulate lymph circulation, cupping
therapy, which has some of the same goals has
a drawing effect as the tissue is being sucked
up into the vacuum created by the practitioner.
Q - How long is a session and what is the
timeframe for results?
If cupping is used as a stand alone therapy (rare)
the session could last anywhere between 10 to
30 minutes or so. If it is part of a larger Chinese
Medicine treatment there may be insertions of
needles that are retained about a half hour in
order to be therapeutically effective and then
cups may be placed for a shorter time simply to
assist the needling treatment.
As far as results are concerned, many patients
notice a moderate to significant reduction
in tension and pain immediately. However,
the longer a patient has suffered with their
pain, the longer it takes to observe significant
changes. A general rule is it takes 1-3 visits to
completely quell an acute ailment, where as
chronic conditions usually require 4-6 sessions
before significant results are achieved.
Q – How does someone find and choose a
qualified practitioner?
Many insurance companies are coming
around to the idea of accepting Licensed
Acupuncturists as contracted health care
practitioners. You can search on your
providers’ website for acupuncturists in your
area. Look for the letters L. Ac. (licensed
acupuncturist) or M.D. C.A.C. (medical doctor
and certified acupuncturist) after their name.
This means they are allowed to practice
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injuries. It helps reduce pain from sprains and
strains and muscle spasms and inflammation
often found in the shoulders, knees, hips and
elbows. Cold laser can also relieve pain related
to arthritis, joint pain, tendinitis, wound healing
and fibromyalgia. It’s great for post-surgical
use too as it can be used over pins and plates.
It is important to treat any joint or acute injury
as soon as possible.
How does cold laser work?
Cold laser approach uses three clinically- proven
wavelengths of light for tissue saturation.
Energy is absorbed from superficial tissue to
reach areas up to 4 inches below the skin. The
interaction between cells and photons causes a
photo chemical reaction - this reaction improves
tissue repair and has an anti inflammatory
effect. Because a specific indicator is used to
detect the area of most inflammation and the
penetrating ability of laser is so efficient, it is a
very precise technique.
How does someone find and choose a qualified
practitioner?
The practitioner should be a licensed
practitioner in their state of choice, in the
medical field or a licensed health care
adjunctive practitioner.
COLD LASER
Interview with New York State Chiropractor, Dr.
Tara O’Brien trained in Mind/Body medicine
Tell us about Cold Laser?
Cold laser is a natural and drug free solution
to pain. Treatments can be done alone or in
conjunction with other approaches, such as
chiropractic manipulation or acupuncture.
Cold lasers have been in clinical practice for
many years and much research has been done
internationally about their effectiveness and
safety. The 3B lasers in the U.S. were cleared
in 2002.
What is Cold Laser most useful in treating?
Cold laser in my clinic has a high rate of
effectiveness on sport and athletic-related
Beware of devices sold online as many do not
produce the desired effect. The device must
be FDA-approved or meet the standards set
in their area and be well-maintained by the
practitioner’s equipment company.
Cold Laser should not be used during pregnancy,
on malignant tumors, infants or with patients
using medicine that is photosensitive.
What does it feel like? How long before
patients feel results?
Cold laser is an amazing modality because
it doesn’t illicit any feeling besides a slight
pressure or buzz-like sensation.
Results can be immediate, however everybody’s
body is different. At minimum a decrease
in some pain can be expected in first visit,
however maximum benefit is seen with a 6
week treatment plan.
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MASSAGE/BREATH RELEASE TECHNIQUE
Interview with Maxine Demner NYS Licensed
Massage Therapist/Owner of Feel Well
Therapeutic Massage and Bodycare
Most people are familiar with massage and
think about it as a passive process on their part.
Can you share your perspective on this?
Most know that a good massage can help with
a myriad of muscle aches, injuries and pain as
well relieve stress and promote emotional wellbeing.
There are many different techniques
and styles, but a good massage therapist
understands and promotes the importance
of the physical/mental connection to muscle
release and wellness.
body, and at the speed of nerve impulses can
witness a drastic decrease in localized pain
with a deep sense of relaxation. At this point,
the masseuse is the facilitator and the client
becomes the healer.
If you ever had a massage you may be familiar
with pain as a muscle releases or a trigger
point is activated. I have certainly caused a fair
amount of pain to a client’s unrelenting muscles
using knuckles, elbows and deep trigger point
work to decrease spasm and ease pain. Simply
beating a muscle into submission without a
deeper mind-body connection can be effective,
but when a patient takes partial ownership of
the healing, the relief becomes more profound
and longer lasting.
How can a patient participate to expedite
healing?
Some use the phrase “no pain, no gain” when a
trigger point is activated or a muscle releases.
A much more productive perspective is “no
awareness, not gain”.
In deep tissue work, we must go against our
natural survival instinct and relax while a
therapist is delving into a sore muscle. The
therapist should tell the patient before they
begin a painful deep work move. Once aware,
the patient should simply breathe deeply as
though breathing into the pain, then exhale
and imagine the area releasing the spasm.
Too often patients hold their breath through
the process. Breathing this way will also bring
oxygen and nutrients into the blood stream to
compliment healing.
Probably the most profound result of this
breathing technique is that the client starts
to realize what is happening in their own
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MULTI-DISCIPLINED MAN
A THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE COMBINED WITH A PASSION TO BE A VERSATILE,
INTELLIGENT ATHLETE KEEPS DR. JOHANNES LIERFELD LEARNING NEW DISCIPLINES
--THEN TESTING HIMSELF BY COMPETING IN A WIDE RANGE OF EVENTS.
Can you give us a background on
yourself and how you got into your
training routine?
As a teenager I wasn’t athletic at all.
Intuitively I choose strength training
as the tool to develop some of the
qualities I was lacking.
After a few years of strength
training I began as a competitive
athlete in 1999 by attending a
bench press competition. After a few
years competing in powerlifting, I
eventually got the notion that every
specification has its price. I had no
general stamina, no explosivness
and few skills.
I started to practice Submission
Grappling/Luta Livre, and wrestled
in a few tournaments. Through
grappling I learned about kettlebells
and the competition form to use
them derived from Russia and called
Girevoy Sport.
I gave it a shot and years later
I earned 5 times Gold at the GS
Nationals. The journey proceeded as
I implemented grip strength training
into my regimen and started to
compete in grip events as well as in
MAS Wrestling, Highland Games and
Strongman.
Now I look forward to practice all
of this awesome stuff and become
a better, more complete athlete.
I am well aware that it’s frankly
impossible to be a top contender in
all these disciplines, so I focus on
the stuff that is the most promising.
What is your current focus on
developing and learning?
Currently it is on grip strength and
eventually MAS Wrestling, but this
may change. Anyway, I love to be
versatile and ready to compete
within a relatively broad spectrum.
From time to time I even enjoy
competing without much or any
specific preparation. This is by
no means disrespect to the other
athletes; it’s merely a test for
readiness for me.
For example, when I competed in
the Highland Games, I did all of
the events which are required of
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I lift axles and
anvils, rocks and
Atlas stones,
bend nails and
bolts. I’ve driven
nails into wood
barehanded.
competitors like the caber toss, stone
lifting, farmer’s carry sprint and such.
I didn’t train special for the events,
just competed based on my regular
training to challenge myself.
What’s a typical workout routine
include?
I combine several methods into my
schedule. So I’ll use some basic barbell
movements like squats, do some grip
work and finish with MAS practice. Or I
do kettlebells, some bodyweight work
and finish with neck bridges and some
grappling drills.
To spread some of my experiences,
I teamed up with a group of
unconventional athletes and thinkers
and found “LET’S LIFT!” a franchise
for athletic training in minimalistic
gym settings.
Do you use any Unconventional
Training equipment for your training?
Beside the Olympic barbell which is
an eternal staple of strength development,
virtually everything else I use is
“unconventional”. The most extreme
piece of equipment might be my thick
bar MAS which is 2.5 inches in diameter.
I use it with a double overhand
grip to really fry my forearms.
I lift axles and anvils, rocks and
Atlas stones, bend nails and
bolts. I’ve driven nails into wood
barehanded, carried a 300kg yoke,
flipped cabers and a 300kg tire and
walked with a 230kg frame. This list
of unconventional elements might
still be incomplete...
What motivates you?
Truthfully, I am motivated by the years
I trained half-heartedly. Especially
as an aging athlete (turning 40 next
year) I start to value every step of
the journey. Every workout has its
purpose and quality beats quantity.
It is also very motivating to learn
new things, to improve and develop
and of course to compete against
younger athletes.
How many competitions have you
been in? In which did you excel?
I don’t know an exact number, but
I competed around 100 times,
distributed across 7 disciplines –
powerlifting, kettlebells, submission
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grappling/Luta Livre, grip strength
sport, MAS wrestling, Highland
Games and strongman - with a good
dozen of National (Germany) and
International Championships.
Some highlights:
2001 & 2007: 6th place in bench
press Nationals
2010-2012: 5 times 1st place in
kettlebell sport Nationals
2014: 3rd place Grip Strength Nationals
2015: 3rd place MAS Wrestling
Nationals and 3rd place European
Grip Championships (-90kg category)
If in the grappling scene you
discovered kettlebells, how did you
learn how to correctly use them?
The knowledge about specific techniques
demanded was practically
non-existent at that time in Germany
(back in 2007). There was some Hardstyle
influence developing back in
those days, and I admit that my first
competition experience was a Hardstyle
5-minute snatch test.
Luckily, I got in contact with the
evolving scene of Russian athletes
and Mihaly Balogh invited me to the
German Nationals in Girevoy sport
2010 to show what I could do.
I took one silver medal in jerk and a
gold medal in bench press and was
pretty hooked. From there I worked
on my technique “the Russian way”
and eventually met my teacher,
Oleh Ilika, at the Nationals 2011 in
Hamburg. This time I took 3 times
gold and attended Olehs certification
seminar later on to become one of
the first four German Girevoy sport
coaches of I.G.S.F. (International
Girevoy Sport Federation).
How did kettlebells help in your
development in grappling?
Girevoy Sport is of a cyclic nature and
therefore the athlete needs to learn
how to relax and explode in easy
change. Effortless power output,
breathing control and a mindset
of staying calm under stress offers
great benefits to combat athletes
who need to go for several rounds
and maintain energy.
How often do you have to train?
In an optimal case, I have around
8-10 workouts per week. This
sounds a lot, but a large portion of
this would happen to be abbreviated
workouts of 20-40 min.
I like to combine training for different
skills in one session. For instance,
I do heavy thick bar deadlifts, a 20
reps squat set and finish with some
kettlebell sets. Or I do some Olympic
lifting, some bodyweight stuff and
finish with some grappling drills. A good
powerlifting workout, followed by some
MAS wrestling matches, is also a great
option. And one thing is for granted: it
won´t become boring that easily!
Can you give some examples of
intelligent training for multiple sports?
First of all, to compete in more than
one sport in one season calls into
play an intelligent program design.
My own approach to handle the
challenge is what I call “systematic
overlap”.
Although I train for different skills
and movement patterns, I find
categories of familiar movements
that carry over to more than one
discipline.
For instance, take a look at the
zercher squat or deadlift variations.
The loading is directly in front of the
body, so the mechanics are pretty
similar to the leverage a wrestler has
when lifting his opponent. So there’s
clearly a carryover for grappling. But
it would also help to develop the
explosive strength and core stability
to toss a caber.
Another great way to combine work
capacity and skill are high intensity
intervals. Anything from tire
flipping to bodyweight training to
coordination to motor control can be
implemented in a very short amount
of time. Used in a way to produce
lactate tolerance by high rep, high
intensity work, this training method
can also shorten your recovery time.
What do you foresee for your future?
First of all I am finishing my
habilitation thesis about the
chances and dangers of advanced
artificial intelligence and I am super
excited about this. Then I am hooked
on testing myself in different
challenges.
Russian ladders
are a very effective
and somewhat grueling
method to grind up
the intensity
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There are some things I’m
considering to try in 2016. I have
never grappled in a GI (ok, once)
but I would love to prepare for a
BJJ match as it is a very grip related
combat sport. Then I´d love to
compete at least in one Olympic
weightlifting event. I do have to get
my technique more crisp though.
The next main events will focus on
international competitions, starting
with the international German MAS
wrestling tournament at the FIBO
exhibition and escalating in the
Viking vise grip event of Odd Haugen
in San Jose in May. A prestigious
MAS Wrestling tournament and
an internationally attended world
record breaker set-up of grip events
will mark some new highlights of my
life as an unconventional athlete.
Zercher squats and rock lifting for reps.
Russian ladders are a very effective and
somewhat grueling method to grind
up the intensity while controlling the
volume. You simply add one rep with
each set. First set consists of one rep,
the last of 6 reps. Thus the scheme
is: 1-2-3-4-5-6 Notice that the rep
volume of the last 2 sets it bigger
than the volume of the accumulated
sets 1-4. This means the longer you
work the harder it gets. A total volume
of 21 reps works perfectly fine as an
abbreviate workout. Nevertheless it
can be done twice in a row, or going
down the ladder. With only around
one minute of rest in between the sets
the intensity is pretty tight. And the
training time short and productive.
Farmers Walk here shown with
two kettlebells per hand as a gripfocused
variation. Farmers walk
events in Highland games are
often parcours sprints and thus
not that heavy. Anyhow it’s not
less demanding, just different. One
minute of running in a circle, pulling
two pieces of timber with you will
call into play some cardiovascular
conditioning. It always depends
what you train for.
Can you list any methods that help
you train for the following.
EXPLOSIVE POWER (I.e. when you
log toss)?
Clean Pulls from the floor or
off of blocks are a fundamental
way to increase speed. The high
pull variation can be done with
less weight, but the clean pull
just across the hip line is a true
explosive strength builder as is can
be done very heavy and still with
a mandatory minimum of speed.
Without controlled momentum we
would merely end up with a not-soproductive
shrug.
ARM STRENGTH 1-2 detailed
methods with HD picture’s that
correspond to the exercise.
arm strength is not hit directly and
is never the issue within Girevoy
FARMERS WALK (or POPCORN LIFT)
With two or three kettlebells per
hand find a position to put the
handles together. Then walk as long
as you can. Repeat at least 2 times.
BOTTOM UP CLEAN & PRESS
Grip the handle tightly and clean it
while balancing bottom up. Stabilize
the kettlebell in front of the shoulder,
then press it up. This exercise brings
into play wrist stability and is great
for all kinds of combat sports.
RENEGADE ROW WALKS
Place 2 kettlebells together. Get
into a push-up position, shoulders
above handles. Then you pull one
kettlebell up while pushing the
other into the ground. Slowly walk
forward without rotating the hips.
DRAGON FLAG
Press 2 kettlebells from the floor
press position. Then lower your
entire body as slowly as possible.
Article by Dr Johannes Lierfeld
FACEBOOK: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=530144
https://www.facebook.com/johannes.lierfeld?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf&qsefr=1
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/dr.johannes_lierfeld/
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BAR MONKEY AND THE
GROWING THE CULT
OF CALISTHENICS
JAMIE GERAGHTY, THE FOUNDER OF IRELAND’S
IMPRESSIVE CALISTHENICS GROUP, BAR MON-
KEY, WANTS TO PASS ALONG HIS PASSION
FOR THIS DYNAMIC SPORT. KNOWN FOR TIRE-
LESSLY REACHING OUT TO NEW ATHLETES,
HIS LATEST FORAY INTO HOSTING AN ANNUAL
FESTIVAL BOOSTED THE MOMENTUM OF CAL-
ISTHENICS AND FITNESS DISCIPLINES BEYOND
THOSE FOUND IN A TRADITIONAL GYM.
What inspired you to come up with an annual
calisthenics event The Bar Monkey Festival?
Where was it held?
The idea for the Bar Monkey Festival came
about over a year ago. I sat down with various
people and explained what I had in mind. My
passion for calisthenics came about by seeing
what all these other athletes around the
world were doing and the control they had
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I wanted people to feel as though they
discovered a purpose and found a form
of training that allowed them to express
themselves through movement.
Aaron Fitzpatrick
over their bodies. I was blown away by calisthenics the
first time I came across it and I just knew it was the type
of training for me. That feeling was what I wanted to try
and recreate for attendants of this festival, for calisthenics,
or maybe one of the other disciplines we included,
to have the same impact on people that calisthenics
had on me. I wanted people to feel as though they
discovered a purpose and found a form of training that
allowed them to express themselves through movement.
We held the event in dlr Leisure Loughlinstown. They were
brilliant for us throughout the whole day and building up
to the event, providing me with a lot of support all the way
through.
How many different disciplines were at the event?
At the event we were lucky enough to have Calisthenics,
Parkour, Breakdancing, Capoeira and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Here’s how it worked:
»»
Parkour workshops were held by Paul Allen of JumpNi
along with Glenn McMahon, which was amazing and
they really put on a great demonstration.
»»
The breakdancing section was run by Jacek
Snochowski from Dublin b-boys. Jacek is an amazing
performer and was brilliant to get the festival up and
running.
»»
The Capoeira section was run by Vincent Vis, which
was amazing to look at and see the difference in
movements from different styles.
»»
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was run by Chris Leddy of East
Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy Bray. Again this was another
fantastic performance by Chris, and he really
showcased Jiu-Jitsu in a positive way and got the
message of Jiu-jitsu across really well.
Tell us about the competition you ran on the day and the winners.
The competition we ran was Ireland’s largest ever
calisthenics competition. This was the first of its kind
and we looked at all elements , judging athletes on:
individuality, creativity, statics, strength, flow and transition.
This meant we were able to judge athletes on an overall
scale rather than solely being one particular type of
competition. The athletes had to perform a routine on the
pull-up bar, the double parallel bars and the floor.
Myself, Leigh Kettle and Neill Timms were judges on the
day, and it was great for me personally to see how far all
of the athletes performing had come, and for them to have
a crowd watching their performances and getting support.
For a lot of the lads competing this was their first ever
competition, and some of them were only seventeen and
eighteen and they performed really well. This gives us
great hope for the future of Calisthenics as a sport! This
is without a doubt a young sport and was only the second
competition we have held. So to see the standard that the
competitors are all at makes me personally really excited
for the future.
Aran Kearns
The list of athletes was as follows:
Paul Allen, Pete Wilson , Stephen Parkes, Jarlath O’Nuain,
Jamie Hempenstall, Aaron Fitzpatrick, Matthew Burke,
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Jamie Hempenstall
Callum Lynch, Josh Cates, Patryk Romanowski, Eric Cahill,
Anel Kvrgic, and Mirsad Mandzuka.
Winners: 1 st Place: Paul Allen 2 nd Place: Peter Wilson 3 rd
Place: Stephen Parkes
Tell us about the people - did the event inspire them?
Without a doubt. I know for a fact that next year will be
even bigger and better. This event I genuinely believe will
be seen as the one which kicked the door down and kick
started calisthenics in Ireland. We had so many people
talking about the event after, asking how to start, and a
huge amount of athletes wanting to compete in next year’s
competition. It’s a really exciting time for calisthenics, and
to see so many people inspired by the event only makes us
want to continue pushing the sport forward and making
next year even bigger again.
What was the sickest move of the day?
Probably the toughest question you have asked me!
Because of the completely different styles of training on
the day it’s really hard to say. I was blown away by each
different style, and how amazing the human body really
is. Every person that put on a demonstration, they were
absolutely amazing to watch, and you could see the level
of dedication each athlete had towards their chosen form
of training. Each style really showcased their different
sports really well and I think demonstrated perfectly how
adaptive the human body can be to your chosen training.
As a judge for the competition I think when Paul Allen
pulled off the shrimp flip on the high bar, that was probably
the biggest ‘wow’ moment from the crowd and even the
Athletes themselves, so I’ll probably go with that!
Did the general public join in with the events and Tutorials?
One of the great things about the Festival was the
wide variety of attendants. We had people there from
backgrounds of all the workshops and they were eager to
try out everything . We had parents who brought their kids
for a fun day out. We had people to support the athletes.
We had people who wanted to try and learn something
new, and we had advanced people there who probably
could have competed in the competition themselves!
Personally, I thought it was great to see so many kids there
on the day. They are the future of any sport and to see
their eyes light up when they are trying movements really
gives you hope that we are building something positive
here. I think everyone walked out with a smile on their
face, and once that happens I think you can class the day
as a success.
Was there anything you would change when you do another
event?
In terms of the day itself, there wasn’t one moment where
I thought ‘’oh crap, I forgot about that’’ or ‘’I should have
done that’’. Personally, that was great.
This event had over a year of planning gone into it. In
terms of the build up to it, I definitely learned so much
throughout the year, and I feel I am much more prepared
for our next festival next year as I know what to expect. I
figured out so much this year, how to promote the event,
generate sponsorship, increase awareness, etc., that I
definitely feel as though I will be in much better shape for
next year. Having said that, I am sure I will say the same
thing again next year! The aim is to continually progress
with this event, to make it bigger and better each year, and
I do think we are on track to do that. Our first competition
had 7 or 8 guys involved, with six of them coming from the
one gym in Dublin, this year we had 22 registered from
all across the country, with attendant travelling to support
from all over, so there is growth there, and I hope that
continues to be the case. . If I am willing to continue to put
the work in there is no reason why that can’t be the case.
A big moment for me, and I never actually said this to
anyone, but a huge moment for me was when there were
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Joshua Cates
Mirsad Mandzuka 2
Leigh Kettle 2
two people in the hotel the judges were staying in that had
travelled over from Galway to take part in the festival. It just
struck me at that moment and I was just sort of blown away.
Something I am putting together and people are travelling
from all over the country to be a part of. For me personally
that’s just a great feeling and a proud moment.
Would you say the event united people and other disciplines?
Paul Allen, the man who won the calisthenics competition,
was actually initially only going to be there to host the
Parkour workshops! I think Paul was a perfect example
to everyone as to how learning from each sport can help
make you a better athlete overall. Take from each discipline
what you enjoy or what you feel benefits you and your own
specific aims.
That has been my own motto behind training with
people. A lot of people bang on about calisthenics and it
moving too much into freestyle -- so what? If you don’t
like freestyle, just don’t do it. You don’t need to criticise
other aspects just because you don’t do it. What works
for you might not necessarily work for somebody else.
From my own personal point of view, I trained Kung-
Fu in China with Shaolin Monks, I have taken from that
discipline what I feel benefits me and my calisthenics,
and I think that’s what everyone can do. Take little bits
and pieces from other forms of training and encorporate
how it can help you.
I think it was really cool to see so many different styles
together on the one day and all uniting to showcase
bodyweight movement. We really wanted to show people
that there are a lot of alternatives to keep fit. You don’t
just have to lift weights three times a week. You can mix it
up and do whatever you enjoy. You could definitely see on
the day how different athletes were all coming together
and teaching each other different styles of movement.
Breakdancers teaching calisthenics guys how to work on
their floor game, while the calisthenics guy is showing
him how to work on his game on the pull-up bar. It just
showcased perfectly how we can all learn something new
from everyone, no matter what our background.
What’s the future for Bar Monkey? Will there be other events?
Definitely. I only see this as the one that opened the door.
The plan now is to stage provincial competitions next
year in the build-up to next year’s festival, and then being
able to select an Ireland team from that competition to
go and compete against an England selection. It’s exciting
times ahead, but it’s only exciting if we put the work in and
continue to make progress like we have done.
With me personally, I am involved in a lot of different
schools, trying to promote calisthenics as a lifestyle to kids,
as well as running our own intro and master class programs,
looking at developing people to hopefully compete in the
next Bar Monkey competition. The competition has been
brilliant on that front because it has given everyone a
push and a reason to train and to continue trying to make
progress. This is why it is so important that we continue
working the way we have been. I’m really excited by the
future of calisthenics in Ireland, and the influence we are
having on that. I do see this as just the beginning, and I’m
just so excited at seeing how far we can take it.
Article by Jamie Geraghty
WEBSITE: www.barmonkey.org
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/barmonkeycalisthenics
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/bar monkey calisthenics
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16
KETTLEBELL KING
68kg swing
In the unconventional kingdom of fitness
and exercise Levi Markwardt rules with
skill and flair. Following his lead, athletes
are learning how to acquire their own
sense of power.
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157lb windmill
hang
Where did you grow up and what was your first experience
with fitness? Who or what inspired you initially?
I grew up in a small town in Northwest Iowa, close to where
my business is now. For me, fitness started with school sports
– mainly American football, wrestling, and baseball. My dad
was my high school wrestling coach and an assistant on the
football staff, so he was absolutely a huge influence on me
and the person I am today. But all of my coaches have played
a significant role in me being a coach today.
You train yourself and your clients with kettlebells. What
sparked your interest in this form of training?
I love the kettlebell (KB) ballistics and training high reps
– working on strength endurance. I think my wrestling
background is to blame for that madness. But the KB is so
versatile, and in my opinion, very easy to operate once you
understand the basics.
The KB allows you to be quick and explosive – to move a lot
of weight in a short amount of time without loading your
spine. I’ve also been able to address some mobility issues
when practicing the getup and the windmill, for example. For
my clients, a lot has to do with time restraints. KBs eliminate
the “I don’t have time” excuse that is so prevalent in our
society today. Ten or 15 minutes of swinging and/or getups
will change your life!
Could you explain SMK and RKC. What exactly are these and
what did you have to do to attain the titles?
RKC = Russian Kettlebell Certification. The original ‘hardstyle’
company through Dragon Door. The RKC teaches instructors
the “Big 6” – swing, clean, snatch, squat, press, and TGU
(Turkish get-up) – making sure your form is correct and safe,
trouble-shooting problems, etc. It’s a 3 day course with lots
of technique drilling with each movement and many, many
‘mini-workouts’. At the end of the weekend, community
members are brought in for a free KB lesson – in which the
trainers/coaches in waiting are graded on their instruction on
how they teach the principles and skills.
SMK = Strength Matters Kettlebell. Strength Matters is a UK
based company that is just getting started in the certification
business. Also hardstyle, it has a twist to its focus – strength
endurance (which is why I’m a good fit) – as opposed to max
efforts in loading. It’s also a 3 day course filled with technique
sessions and workouts. I feel SMK did an outstanding job
focusing on the business side of things – what to do once
you receive your cert. How to get your business growing and
turning a profit – certainly an instructor’s course.
Can kettlebells be used for beginners?
Yes! It is a very useful tool. When working with a beginner,
I feel it’s much easier and safer to learn how to hinge and
squat with a KB vs a barbell (nothing wrong with barbells,
however). When working with both young athletes and
inexperienced adults, I’m not comfortable loading their spine
and using a bar.
In my opinion, the bell is easier to manipulate and control
when learning those two grind movements – deadlift and
squatting (front squat or goblet squats). Once the hinge is
learned, the rest is right around the corner. If you can swing
(ballistic hinge), you can do just about anything!
If you wanted to convince someone to try adding kettlebells
to their training, what would you say?
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SA HS hold on KB
wt + KB pushup
The easiest way is to let the KB speak for itself—it has a way
with words! Once a person picks one (or two) up and feels the
weight distribution and learns how to hinge ballistically the
rest takes care of itself.
I believe the KB adds a unique benefit that compliments
barbell training very well. I’ve used this many times in my
gym with my high school and college athletes. There is
generally a learning curve, like with all things. KB training
is a skill in itself so patience and practice is necessary. My
athletes and members trust me to get them to their goals
safely. We always start with the basics—two-hand swings and
goblet squats—and progress as confidence improves.
How does a newbie to kettlebells determine what weight to use?
Always error on the side of caution! I advise beginners to
learn from a qualified instructor --but for women 12-16 kg
(considering two-hand swings and goblet or rack squats) and
24 kg for men. A lot can be accomplished with one sized bell
if you’re creative, but multiple bells are always nice.
What are some common mistakes people make with
kettlebells and how can they avoid making them and possibly
getting injured?
The hinge, which seems simple, can trip people up, especially
if they don’t have an athletic foundation or are untrained.
Rounded backs, “scooping”, not fully extending the knees and/
I think my
wrestling
background is
to blame for
that madness.
trap bar carry
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securedownload sledge + KB 200
The easiest way is to let
the KB speak for itself—it
has a way with words!
or hips or even arching the low back when standing are all
common mistakes. That’s how the unfortunate myth that KB’s
are bad for your back got started. The truth is that swinging
a KB incorrectly is bad for your back. The best way to avoid
mistakes is to hire a qualified trainer.
I’d start with Strength Matters: The Trusted Source For
Health & Fitness or another trusted organization is the
RKC or www.dragondoor.com It’s possible to find many
quality videos online, but I rarely recommend that approach
because without hands on instruction it’s easy to overlook
important aspects.
Have you personalized any of your kettlebell routines by
adding or changing moves?
Yes! I’m always tweaking what I’m doing. I love to add my own
spin to things, to combine get-ups and snatches. Recently I’ve
been doing a lot of jumping split snatches, sometimes I’ll add
a get-up or crossover get-up to the mix as well. Additional
“fun” variations I like to play with are get-up and bent press
complexes!
Are kettlebells good for cardio as well as strength training?
Yes and Yes. Again, it’s just a tool. Weight is weight. But its
unique design allows for much more versatility.
Changing loads, sets, reps, rest – the KB can be used for 1RM
training or for strength endurance.
Steady state cardio is a different aspect. You won’t get the
same effect with KB as you would with rowing, running (not
leisure jogging), endurance biking, or swimming. Meaning,
if you were competing in triathlons – you best be running,
swimming, and biking!
For athletes, such as martial artists, and with your own previous
experience with wrestling, do you feel that kettlebells are a
good tool for conditioning the body for such activities?
The best! I often wonder how my ‘career’ would have been
different training how I do now. Not only physically, but my
change in confidence is significant.
One more thing…what’s the meaning of the large tattoo on your side?
It’s a memorial to a good friend, Carlos Ledesma, an undercover
narcotics officer, who got killed on the job.
Article by Levi Markwardt.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/levi.markwardt
Website: levimarkwardt.isagenix.com
Instagram: @leviarsl
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GRIPPING, DIPPING,
FLIPPING TO THE TOP AND
MASTER THE MUSCLE-UP!
Melanie Driessen’s love of challenging
workouts was fulfilled when she discovered
calisthenics. A former gymnast, her
passion for the sport of freestyle Street
Workout catapulted her in two short
years to the top by winning the 2016
World Championship.
How did you get into doing freestyle Street Workout?
I was training in a fitness gym and heard about this “calisthenics” sport. Members
told me it was a sport with high speed and a lot of reps. I always like to train hard
and to have a challenge, so I started by joining this class. I just loved this sport!
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After a half year of doing these basic
reps, I went to a new outdoor park
near my work, and there I met a lot
of people doing the freestyle part of
the sport. I immediately loved this
and after a month I joined the very
first World Championships (WSWCF)
for women.
How did your first event go? Can you tell
us about your other competitions, too?
I placed 5 th in my first World
Championship in 2014. Then in 2015,
I placed 4 th . In July 2016, I was hoping
to place in the top three in the World
Championship held in Moscow. I
ended up winning first place!
I’ve been in a lot of other competitions,
too – King & Queen of the Barz, WCO
Battle of the Barz and a lot of more
localized competitions.
I think the toughest competitions
were Fibro 2016 and the 2015 World
Championship. After the first round of
that World Championship I felt really
low in energy. Now I know this was
because I didn’t eat enough carbs.
What must you do in a World
Championship competition?
You must do a 2 minute freestyle
routine. The top 15 guys and top
5 girls move on to the finals. Then
you do another 2 minute round. I
choreograph my own routines.
Do you ever compete against men
or are all competitions divided by
gender?
The World Championships are against
women only. But I did compete in two
other events against guys – one I won
against 5 guys and the other with 20
guys, I placed 2 nd .
It seems like street workout groups
form tight bonds? Is it like that for
you?
Yes, it is a close family! We do meet
up to train and compete together. I’m
an Official Barstarzz and have team
members worldwide.
Do you think that calisthenics is
harder for women as men naturally
have greater upper body strength?
Yes, that’s true. That’s why for women
it’s harder to achieve some goals. We
need to train longer for some things
than men. But overall I don’t think
it is more physically demanding for
a woman. Of course, if you’ve never
trained you should start with some
basic exercises like pull-ups, pushups
and dips. But this is a sport for
everyone…men, women, young, old!
How is this sport progressing with
women?
There are more woman than ever
with my level, and that’s a very good
thing because it gives me even more
motivation to keep training!
Is it true that the muscle up doesn’t
look too difficult, but there’s a lot
involved in executing it fluidly? How
does one work up to doing it?
A muscle up needs work, but I
don’t think it is too hard to learn.
I have seen many people doing the
muscle up!
First you should start off with pullups
and straight bar dips. Try to do
at least 10 in a row before you start
training the muscle up.
It’s hard to say how long it takes to
master because it depends on how
hard you train for it and how much
strength you already have. But let’s
say a couple of months, maybe? Your
back, chest, shoulders, arms and even
a little core are working together to
get this muscle up! So what a great
workout right!?
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After you be able to do this you can start training
the explosive pull up.
Then it’s time to get that transition from the pull up
into the dip. What you can do is stand in front of a bar tha
t is a bit higher than you are, and then jump from
the floor into the dip
A muscle up needs work,
but I don’t think it is too
hard to learn.
Another good exercise is to do the muscle up negative. So you start from above and slowly go down.
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Then it’s very useful to train with a
resistance band. In the muscle up it
is important that you have a little
swing.
You can practice this swing by
standing on a platform and then
jump off into that swing. Make sure
your hips are straight all the way.
After that, you pull yourself up and try
to get the transfer into the dip. You
can use different sizes of resistance
bands. The thicker they are the more
help you will get. So if one size gets
easy, you can move on to a thinner
band. And as soon as you understand
the swing you can do it without
platform.
6) (I call it false grip) You can use false
grip to get the transfer done more
easily, but I only use false grip with
my slow muscle up. If you want to do
a muscle up in the rings a false grip
is needed. Look at the pictures to see
what a false grip is. Bend your wrist
and hold the bar/rings. The pressure
is now on the side of your hand. This
way your hands are already in the
perfect position to get your transfer!
7) ?
There are more woman
than ever with my level, and
that’s a very good thing because
it gives me even more motivation
to keep training!
8) The more often you train it, the
faster you will learn it. But your
body also needs rest to recover. I
would say start training it 3-4 times
a week and always a day of rest in
between. I’m sure you will have it
very soon then!
And if you have it, make sure to post
it in Instagram and tag me in it: @
melanie.driessen I would love to see
you make a muscle up!
Article by Melanie Dreissen.
Instagram: @melanie.driessen
Youtube: “Melanie Driessen”
Facebook: Melanie Driessen
Issue 09 - Volume 1 | 2016 Page 33

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www.unconventionalathletes.com
TIPPING POINT
ONE DAY, WHEN MILES ROUGH HAD ENOUGH WITH BEING MORE THAN 100 POUNDS
OVERWEIGHT, HE DECIDED TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF HIS LIFE BY GETTING IN SHAPE. BUT
JUST LIKE MOST JOURNEY’S, THERE WERE SOME PAINFUL OBSTACLES ALONG THE WAY.
You have a lot of followers and inspire
many people. What initially inspired
you to get into fitness?
I was a big guy my whole life and I
reached my peak at 285 pounds. I
remember getting up in the morning
one day, looking at myself in the
mirror and trying to figure out how I
got that way! I began to feel disgusted
with myself and started to wonder
what I could do to change this, as I
had to do something. I thought one of
the easiest things I could do to get
myself started was riding my bike.
So I started doing bike rides from my
house on local paths about five times
a week.
So bike riding was your first step on
the road to change. How did that work
for you?
Shortly after I made the decision to
get active and to lose weight, I went
for a little vacation with my dad for
some dirt bike riding. During this
trip I got into a bad accident that
left me with a spiral fracture of the
tibia, and I had to have two plates
and eight pins for an AC separation
in my right shoulder.
After my time of difficult healing I had
to go to rehab and get the strength
back and just try to get healthy. I didn’t
want to be overweight anymore or
have these injuries, so I tried lifting
weights, but certain movements were
hurting my shoulder, and anytime I
tried to bench press for example, my
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Adding calisthenics to your training routines is good
for anyone. It helps to build strength using your
body’s natural movement.
clavicle would shoot out the top of
my shoulder and cause a lot of pain.
So that’s when I turned to bodyweight
movements!
What were the first bodyweight
exercises you did?
I started doing push-ups on my knees
which eventually gave me strength
to start doing them on my feet. After
I gained the strength back and my
shoulder was improving, I started
to fall in love with bodyweight
training (calisthenics), so I got on
YouTube and did my research about
calisthenics and certain movements.
Over-time while working out and
building strength, I started to have
fun with it and just kind of started
making up my own movements,
tricks and routines. Calisthenics
changed me a lot as a person, not
just in my physical appearance, but
it also helped me appreciate things
in my life more, and made me love
myself again. It also taught me to
always be respectful to others on
their fitness journey!
For those people who slave away
in the gym, without achieving their
goals and who are rigid with their
training, please explain how adding
calisthenics could aid them in this
journey.
Adding calisthenics to your training
routines is good for anyone. It helps
to build strength using your body’s
natural movement and helps more
muscle groups to fire and work
together. This allows for more allround
strength and stability, and
it can strengthen inner connective
tissue along with muscles, ligaments
and tendons, enabling them to take
on heavier loads.
Calisthenics help you become more
efficient in movements throughout life,
so you’re not struggling at work, playing
with your kids or just doing everyday
activities of your own. Calisthenics
movements help the body become
more agile, similar to when you were
a child. This gives you the feeling of
being brought back to your youth.
What are the most impressive feats
that you have achieved…what are you
most proud of?
Well the first thing that I am very
proud of was gaining my inner will to
get up every day and put in the hard
work to lose 120 pounds, and getting
to just 4% body fat! I went from 285
pounds to 165 pounds, starting from
back in 2010 and made nothing but
solid gains since then, also being
able to keep a body fat percentage
between 4% and 9% this whole time.
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Stretching is so important when it
comes to calisthenics and making gains
My second big accomplishment in
calisthenics was the handstand and it
is one of my favorites! Learning to get
all your muscles to fire at the same
time while being upside down and
learning to control the movement is
hard work and very rewarding. I’ve
achieved great self-fulfilment from
the handstand and it’s made me a
lot stronger with my body control
throughout a lot of other movements.
Last but not least--the Straddle
Planche. The Straddle Planche was
a challenging one for me to train
because of my right shoulder with
the AC separation from my dirt bike
accident. Gaining strength in my
right shoulder was quite a challenge
because of the clavicle not being
intact. I had a lack of support which
caused a few muscle imbalances
throughout the right side of my upper
body. Aside from actually training the
move, it also took me a lot of rehab
like foam rolling and stretching to get
my range of motion back, and to work
out all of my muscle imbalances. This
was just so I could achieve proper
form without pain while training. The
journey was very tough, but I reaped
all the benefits and feel so much
stronger than ever before!
How important is nutrition to you…
do you have to be super strict?
Well to me, nutrition is very important.
It’s actually one of the main things
you need to stay on top of, if the
goal is to lose weight or keep a
good figure. I personally only stick to
one style of eating and that’s Paleo
(also known as the Hunter-Gatherer
diet). I mainly concentrate on eating
meats, vegetables and fruits and
just mainly trying to stay away from
all grains and dairy products. When
it comes to my protein intake, I get
about a gram of protein per pound of
my bodyweight, so that equals about
175g of protein a day… but I always
eat my veggies first!
Are you a firm believer in stretching,
and do you use any tools for
preventing sore muscles?
Stretching is so important when it
comes to calisthenics and making
gains. The repetitions of certain
movements or any movement
actually causes your muscles to bind
up and get tight and you have to
break them down and stretch them
for full effect. This is so we can have
that strength throughout the whole
range of motion of any movement
that you’re doing.
If you don’t stretch your muscles out
and you let them lock up, then you
remain tight, preventing yourself
from achieving a lot of potential
strength and flexibility. Range of
motion is everything when it comes
to building strength. My muscles
are used to all kinds of tools, such
as foam rollers and hard rubber
lacrosse balls. However, one of the
main things I like to use the most
is my own fingertips, because I can
actually feel the muscles that I am
focusing on and get a little deeper,
rubbing the target muscle down
from beginning to end, feeling it
release tension.
A lot of people buy a gym membership
with the intention of getting into
shape after seeing videos of people
like you, and many of them give up
after not getting instant results. What
would you say to these people?
I’d say, come up with a plan and stick
to that plan. Stick to it for as long as
it takes for it to become repetition in
your brain. Know that you have to get
up and do this every day and make it
a habit, because it’s a great habit to
have. You only have one body! It’s
not like your car - you can’t trade it
in when it gets old and damaged.
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You have to keep up with all the
maintenance yourself. You must
remember it takes hard work so be
patient and stay consistent and you
can achieve greatness!
What are your future goals?
My goals are to keep moving
forward and to keep progressing in
calisthenics/bodyweight training. I
see myself doing this for the rest of
my life, as this is my passion. Someday
I will turn it into my career by opening
my own functional fitness warehouse
for calisthenics, pole sport training
and offering other functional fitness
exercise techniques and equipment.
Could you list some of your favorite
and most useful exercises?
One of my favorite exercises that I
consider to be one of the quickest,
most efficient ways to burn body fat
and to maintain muscle is the Burpee
Jump Rope Circuit.
The Burpee Jump Rope Circuit
consists of Burpees and Jump Rope,
obviously, and what that consists
of is: 100 skips of the jump rope,
followed by 10 Burpees. You do it for
10 rounds non-stop and this will get
your body into a metabolic state like
you wouldn’t believe!
Handstands are also a great exercise,
and when it comes to training them
I found that in the beginning doing
them against the wall helped me
out a lot! This allowed my body
to remember all the muscles that
needed to engage to hold a straight
handstand. I would get into position
and then start with my hands,
making sure they were flat on the
ground with my fingers spread out
and my hands gripping the ground.
Then I’d make sure my elbows
were locked out, making sure my
shoulders were also pushing all the
way out towards the ground - then
make sure my core and hips were
Article by Miles Rough.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miles.rough
tight. Keep your glutes flexed and
don’t forget to point your toes!
The Planche is a great core move too,
and my absolute favorite training
method for perfecting the Planche
is with a special piece of equipment
I like to use called @Rubberbandits,
They are like big rubber bands that
help reduce some of your body weight
when training calisthenics moves. Now
specifically for the Planche what I like
to do is wrap a band on a high bar and
lay through the band so it’s braced by
my waistline. I then use a small pair
of parallettes (I personally use a brand
called @Paralocs). I find them more
efficient to use while training Planche
because it keeps you more parallel to
the ground, allowing you to work on
keeping your hips up, and level with
your back. Now when I train Planche
like this I either do static holds for
time or Planche Push-ups.
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OUTRUNNING A RACING MIND –
EXERCISE AND ADHD
PETER
SHANKMAN SPENT YEARS STRUGGLING WITH
ADHD UNTIL THE DISCOVERY OF RUNNING PUT HIM
ON THE FAST TRACK FOR SUCCESS. NOW THE HIGHLY
ACCOMPLISHED ENTREPRENEUR AND AUTHOR
TOUTS HOW A FITNESS ROUTINE CAN HARNESS THE
‘SUPERPOWERS’ UNDERLYING THE VERY CONDITION
WHICH ONCE COMPROMISED HIS LIFE.
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You have achieved so much in your life, Peter. How did
it all begin?
I was born and raised in New York City, a public school
kid who had no choice but to learn to hustle early. I
wasn’t anything special…at least to anyone other than
my mom! I knew at a very early age, though, that I
could read people and figure out what they needed,
even if they didn’t know themselves. That helped me
tremendously as I grew up. But I didn’t understand the
power behind that skill until my 30’s. Until then, I was
just a socially awkward fat kid trying to fit in.
You were diagnosed with ADHD. How did you respond
to this?
I wasn’t diagnosed until my 30’s. Prior to that, I was
just considered a hyper kid who needed to learn when
to shut up. But that had tremendous advantages, in
that I learned not to care so much about what other
people thought of me. This made it a lot easier to go
my own way, do my own thing, and eventually become
an entrepreneur. I imagine that if I didn’t have this sort
of “trial by fire” as a kid, I wouldn’t be as much of a risktaker
as I am now.
You have inspired so many people who have had
a similar diagnosis and given thousands of people
the motivation they needed to turn afflictions into
something positive. What inspires you?
I like helping people. It’s truly that simple. Plus, the
The endorphin high
I got at the end of my
first run (maybe a
half a mile?) was like
nothing I’d ever
felt before.
majority of people out there do the bare minimums. I
found out early on that doing slightly more was the key
to getting everything you want.
Your prowess in marketing, advertising and social media
is extensive, but you are also a fitness enthusiast. How
did you get started?
In my late 20’s, an employee asked me to join her on a
run. I told her I only ran to the store for cigarettes. She
told me it was like walking, but faster, and the easiest
way in the world to lose weight. “What the heck,” I
thought, and gave it a shot. The endorphin high I got
at the end of my first run (maybe a half a mile?) was
like nothing I’d ever felt before and I wanted more.
And because of my ADHD and the way my brain works,
I couldn’t be satisfied with simply running a 5k – I had
to do more. Hence, 5k, 10k, half then full Tri, half then
entire Ironman. I’m always looking to improve. What
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I’ve also realized of late is that exercise is probably the
best addiction to have.
How do you find the time to stay fit and strong while
being at the top of your game with your hectic, fastmoving
career?
It’s all about priorities. I can’t stand the “I don’t have
the time” excuse. You ALWAYS have the time. What
you don’t have are the priorities. And that’s ok, but at
least be honest about what it is – it’s not about not
having the time – it’s about not having the desire or
the priorities.
For me, I focus primarily on early morning. I go to bed
early so I can get up early. I’m asleep before 9 pm on
most nights, but I wake around 3:30 am. That allows
me to get to the gym, get in a long run, lift, and even
have time to come home and play with my child before
heading to the office. Or, I go straight to the office and
am working after my workout by 7 am, allowing me to
get home earlier. It’s all about priorities.
How much time do you devote to running in a typical
week?
I run 3 to 4 days – 3 times for an hour or so and once
for 2 – 3 hours.
What attracted you to skydiving? Does it provide you
with physical or mental benefits?
The ADHD in me loves it. It’s a complete and utter
“brain reboot.” It lets me focus on my life, forget about
problems, and when I land, I’m the most creative and
focused I’ll be all day. I’ll sit down and write 10,000
words in one shot.
You are clearly good at endurance-related activities.
What are your eating habits like to support your
performance?
I try to eat clean. It’s not always easy with as much
time on the road as I spend, but there’s always a place
you can get an apple or a salad with grilled chicken. I
try not to vary my eating habits too much. I try to stay
consistent whether I’m training or not.
What’s your typical weekly workout include”
»»
Monday: Lifting with a trainer for an hour. 30
minutes on stationary bike.
»»
Tuesday: Run
»»
Wednesday: Bike
»»
Thrusday: Lifting with a trainer for an hour. Run.
»»
Friday: Swim
»»
Saturday: Long run or long bike ride.
»»
Sunday: Off (Sometimes I switch weekend days if
necessary)
A gym isn’t necessary.
Body resistance exercises
– push ups, sit ups, tricep
dips, etc - are some of
the best exercises
in the world.
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Do you find that your ADHD affects the way you train and
exercise? You have managed to make your condition
work for you in your career. How does exercise augment
your work performance?
No question - exercise has provided me with many
benefits. It’s a give/take scenario. If I don’t work out, it’s
a lot harder to manage my ADD/ADHD. If I do work out,
I’m more focused, in control, and ready to do whatever
I need to get through my day. If I don’t work out, I feel
unaccomplished. Working out definitely improved
my business skills. If I don’t work out in the morning,
I’m not as sharp, as creative or ready to take on the
world. EVERYONE should workout or at least get SOME
movement in once a day.
A lot of people with busy careers feel that they don’t
have the time to exercise and eventually it becomes
habitual for them to forget about their health and wellbeing.
What would you say to them?
I’d tell them about my Oxygen Mask Theory (OMT).
In an airplane, they always tell you that in case of an
emergency, you need to put on your own mask before
helping others. It’s the same with exercise. We all
know that exercise is good for you, and we all know
it helps make you a better person. How can you help
other people, how can you do well in your own career,
how can you advance in life if you’re not taking care of
yourself first?
For people who spend hours in an office or have no
access to a gym, how can unconventional methods help
them? How do they establish a routine?
A gym isn’t necessary. Body resistance exercises – push
ups, sit ups, tricep dips, etc - are some of the best exercises
in the world. Running, heck even walking a lot, helps
make major changes. Park at the back of the parking lot.
Walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. All these
things exist. We just need to choose them.
You achieved great things and found the strength to
pursue your career and stay fit at the same time. Is there
anything you feel you would have done differently? Do
you have any regrets?
I wish I’d started earlier.
Will your new book “Faster Than Normal” address
fitness in any way?
Yup. A chapter on why exercise is the best medicine in
the world for bringing out the superpowers of ADHD.
What are your future fitness goals?
I’d like to pull a 13-hour Ironman one day, maybe even
a 12-hour Ironman. But I’ll settle for 13! And, of course,
as my daughter gets older, I look forward to running
with her, too. That’s going to be the highlight of my
life, no doubt.
Article by Peter Shankman.
YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playerembedded&v=8bdPTnGYnAQ
EMAIL: peter@shankman.com
Speaking Demo Reel – Twitter – Facebook
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GET A PACK OF SIX!
HARD CORE ABDOMINALS MADE
SIMPLE BY Shashank Thakur!
The core muscles play a ‘central’ role
in providing stability and helping
to generate more force during any
activity. Whether we are exercising or
doing daily routine work, the core plays
an important role in preventing injury.
Athletes with higher core stability
have a lower risk of injury.
The main core muscles are the
Abdominal Muscle Group, Erector
Spine, Gluteus Maximus and the
Latissimus Dorsi.
Calisthenics and Core
Calisthenics are among the best workouts
you can do to activate core muscle, build
more core strength, generate more core
force and build abdominal muscles.
These are power workouts that require
maximum effort in a minimum time
period. In order to generate maximum
force, you will need the maximum power
of your core.
Movements like the front lever, muscle
up, hand stand, superman push up
and all variations thereof require the
activation of the core muscles. Squats,
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push ups, pull ups, leg lifts and planks
are the best workouts to train the
core. They give stability and strength
to all the core muscles including the
Trapezius and Gluteus.. Here we have a
total abdominal muscle solution using
unconventional training calisthenics.
Abdominal Muscles
The Abdominal Muscles are slow twitch
fiber muscles. Therefore the hypertrophy
of abdominals is difficult. More rep range
is not a solution to get stronger abs. We
have to train with low weight reps. That
combined with training will give the
desired results. There are four muscles
in the abdominal muscle group:
1. Rectus Abdominis
2. External Oblique
3. Internal Oblique
4. Transversus Abdominis
Also, the line between your ab muscles
is called the linea alba, it is a connective
tissue between ab muscles.
I want to share a very important and
common myth about abdominal muscle.
Myth - There are upper, middle and
lower abdominal muscles which we can
target separately to build strong abs.
Truth - I have seen many people focus
on upper and lower abdominal muscles.
We think of these muscles separately,
as upper, middle or lower, but actually
they belong to the same muscle group
called the Rectus Abdominis. Any
time we train the Rectus Abdominis, it
effects the entire muscle group.
These muscles will visibly appear
differently from person to person
because of two reasons. First,our
genetics. Everyone has different fiber
types and ab muscle shape that cannot
be changed. It is possible for some
people to have four visible abdominals,
while others could potentially have six
or eight visible abdominals.
The second reason is our fat
percentage. Fat percentage makes a
big difference in abdominal visibility.
A lower fat percentage gives better
visibility to the ab muscles. It’s better
to train effectively within our anatomy
by performing more variation in our
exercises, with and without weights.
Every muscle has an origin point and
an insertion point. When muscles
contract, the opposite points should
come close to each other. Ab workouts
involve the flexion of the spine. So we
have to make sure with all ab exercises
that we are maintaining proper flexion
of the spine and the abdominal
muscles are properly contracting.
WORKOUT TO BUILD HIGHLY DEFINED
ABS/CORE STABILITY
1. Jack Knife Crunches
1. Lie flat on the floor, extend your
arms straight back behind your head.
2. Exhale and raise both your arms and
legs, trying to reach as near together
as possible.
(Model - Ryan Bear)
2. Weighted Half Crunches
1. Lie on the floor with your knees
bent with weight(s) in your hands.
2. Lift the shoulders with the weights
towards your knees using your ab muscles.
(Model - Sebastian)
Target: Upper and middle section of
the Rectus Abdominis, Transverse
Abdominis.
Progressions: Weighted vs. Crunches
1. Lie on the floor with a weight in
your hand.
2. Make a “V” position with your feet
in the air.
3. Try to touch the weight to your toes.
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3. Hanging Leg Rises
1. Hang from a chin-up bar with both
arms extended.
2. Raise both your legs straight until
your torso makes a 90 degree angle
with your legs.
4. Reverse Crunches
1. Lie on the floor with your legs
straight out in front of you.
2. Bend your knees up and lift your feet
above your chest.
3. Pull your legs towards your torso
and back to first position again.
Target: Lower and middle section
of the Rectus Abdominis, Transverse
Abdominis
Progression - Hanging Leg Lifts
1. Hang on a pull up bar with extended
arms.
2. Raise both legs straight up above
your head, until you touch the bar with
your toes.
7. Hanging Side Knee Rises
1. Hang on a pull up bar while holding
the bar on a dead grip.
2. Rotate your body one side and
lift your knees towards your chest.
Alternate and repeat.
5. Bicycle Crunches
1. Lie flat on the floor.
2. Put your hands behind your head
and try to touch your left elbow to your
right knee by using your ab muscles.
3. Reverse the movement with the
opposite limbs, making the movements
similar to cycling.
6. Oblique Crunches
1. Lie flat on the floor with bent knees.
2. Put your right hand behind your right
shoulder and left leg over your right knee.
3. Try to touch your elbow to your knee.
Alternate sides and repeat.
Target: External Oblique and Internal
Oblique
Progression - Wiper Exercise
1. Hang on pull up bar.
2. Raise your legs towards your hands.
3. Rotate your legs all the way to the
left and right side of your body as much
as possible for full range on motion.
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10. L Sit Exercise
1. Sit on the floor with arms extended,
palms touching the floor and extend
your legs.
2. Try to lift your legs and hips with
full body to create space between your
body and the floor.
3. You can use a push ups stand or
stepper to make it easier.
11. V Sit
1. Start in the L sit position.
2. Lift your legs until your body and
legs resemble a “V”.
3. Hold the position for as long as you
can.
8. Plank and Plank Variation
1. Start in the push up position.
2. Drop down with your forearms to the
floor, make a straight line with your
body from shoulder to ankles and hold
the position as much as you can.
Try this from various variations like
shown in picture.
Target: Core Force Generation Capacity
and Strength
9. Mountain Climbing
1. Start in the push up position.
2. Bend your knee and bring it towards
the chest
3- Do one at a time, alternating the
legs like cycling.
Progression - Front Lever and V Sit
Front Lever - One of the best
calisthenics and core exercises. It
requires more effort but provides more
support to our core muscles.
1. Hang on a pull up bar.
2. Keep your spine straight in a line
with your legs and body.
3. Contract your core muscle tightly
and try to pull your body up until it
becomes parallel to the ground.
Tip: Try starting in the negative
position. Pull your body up vertically
and try to hold it straight while coming
down into a static hold.
The importance of Reps Range in
Calisthenics and Core Training
Your reps range is a very important
factor to build your core and Abdominal
muscles.
Note: You need to train the abdominals
with and without weights. It’s not
easy to achieve hypertrophy of the
ab muscles. It requires high rep range
exercises without weights, and also
low rep range exercises with weights. I
will explain how you can apply both of
these methods in your training.
Without weights : You will perform five
to eight exercises for your abs workout.
This includes four sets of every exercise
with a rep range of between 15 to 30
per set. This is going to burn your core
and abs deeply on the interior.
With weights: Try to add a standard
weight during your abs workout. It
shouldn’t be either too much or too
little. You will perform five of either
exercises. There will be four sets of
every exercise and your reps range will
be 8 to 10 per set.
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Calisthenics circuit workout to burn fat
fast and strengthen core - Calisthenic
exercises, core and abs all work with
each other. We cannot see visible
abs or reach an advanced level of
calisthenics without controlling our
body fat percentage. Here I am going
to describe a calisthenics workout
schedule that will help you burn more
fat fast.
1. 5 Burpees
1. Stand with your feet shoulder width
apart.
2. Bend your knees in a squat position
and jump up with your hands in the air.
3. Then, jump back down into a push
up position.
4. Perform a push up and stand on your
feet. Repeat.
3. 20 push
The core
muscles play a
‘central’ role
in providing
stability and
helping to
generate more
force during
any activity.
2.10 pull ups
1. Hang on a bar hands shoulder width
apart with a little extra room.
2. Pull your body towards the bar until
you chin goes over or near to the bar.
4. 20 V Crunches
5. 20 Dips
6. 20 Body Weight Squats
7. 50 to 100 meter run.
Repeat this circuit 6 to 10 times. Try
to increase 5 to 10 reps per set for
progression.
Calisthenics is a proven scientific
method. Within it, there is a strong
relation between speed, strength and
power. You will feel more tension in the
muscles during and after your workout
to avoid injury. Therefore, stretching
is also part of training. Do it properly
before and after your workout. Also
during your workout, perform some
stretches when you feel increased
tightness.
ACE, CPR,Gold’s Gym Certified Personal
Trainer, Nutrition advisor, Calisthenics
Coach and Athlete.
Article by Shank Thakaur
FACEBOOK: https:www.facebook.com/shashank.thakur
Instagram: Bar Brothers UAE and (Thakurshashank9)
Instagram/Facebook/YouTube: Bar Brothers UAE and Shashank Thakur
Issue 09 - Volume 1 | 2016 Page 48

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ARM WRESTLING
THE STAMINA OF STANAWAY
by: James Retarides
Legendary armwrestler Steve Stanaway, nicknamed “Brutal”, was known for his
strength and uncompromising ways. Like him or not, his long, extraordinary
career and contributions to the sport cannot be denied.
It was disappointing news. The results
of his physical read “4-F”, unfit for
military service, due to a knee injury
dating back to his sandlot football
days. They year was 1967 and 50,000
men per month were being drafted
for the Vietnam War. Unbeknown to
the U.S. Army, an unwritten rule of
engagement had just been violated:
they told Steve Stanaway that he
wasn’t good enough.
Three days later Stanaway entered
the ‘Most Physically Fit Man’ in
Virginia contest. Not only did he win,
he dominated, taking first place in
four of seven categories. He showed
them.
Such stories of Stanaway seem too
many to mention. The legendary
armwrestler’s defiant nature has
garnered both applause and
opprobrium through his long career.
Despite the controversies that
followed him as a vicious competitor
and tough referee, he has left an
indelible mark as a pioneer, and the
history of armwrestling has no choice
but to remember him as a winner.
Now 72, Stanaway’s muscles have
atrophied some, and despite the
onset of arthritis, his hands are still
capable of crushing what and who
they grab. A hard edge, a saltiness,
lingers partly from more than 43
years as a pipefitter in the shipyards
in Newport, VA, and partly because
of a chip that seems permanently
affixed to his shoulder.
The competitive nature was instilled
in Stanaway growing up the second
oldest of nine children in a modest
home in Virginia. Calling his father a
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Stanaway with Milt Christmas
Armwrestling
brought me to a
lot of places and
helped build selfconfidence,”
“hard man” he said he was hardest on
him. “I was the athlete of the family and
I had an attitude.” Too small physically
to compete in high school football,
he found his home as a wrestler, a
sport in which took him to the state
championship.
Where he really excelled was in the
areas of lifting weights. Legend has
it that Stanaway bench pressed 400
pounds the first time he ever tried. He
also enjoyed armwrestling because of
the one-on-one competition. “It’s pure
competition. You win or you lose, you
have no one to blame,” says Stanaway.
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But he had a choice to make.
Armwrestling and powerlifting
do not mix,” Stanaway says
emphatically. “I decided to quit
powerlifting because I had a bum
knee and couldn’t keep up with the
guys doing heavy squats.”
September 1968 marked Stanaway’s
initial foray into organized
armwrestling. He made it to the
semi-finals of the “Show of Shows”
held in New York and sanctioned
by the Federation of Bodybuilding.
Although not the top winner,
Stanaway was hooked. The event
also marked the first time he met
Bob O’Leary, who together with
Stanaway would develop two of the
most successful organizations in the
history of the sport: the World Arm-
Wrestling Federation (WAWF) which
later became WAF and the American
Armsport Association (AAA).
In one of O’Leary’s events held at
the YMCA in Scranton, PA, in 1969,
Stanaway won the under-200 pound
weight class. This started a trend as
he would win major events in each
of the following decades up until the
present day.
The 1970’s were undoubtedly
Stanaway’s heyday. By 1975 he was
officially recognized as the first
man to reach 100 armwrestling
titles, including seven Atlantic Coast
Championships each year from 1972
to 1978.
Stanaway had similar success
internationally as well, attending the
Carling O’Keefe World Championships
in Ontario. According to Stanaway,
the only time he lost – 1978 -was
the year the airline misplaced his
custom made armwrestling shoes
with a platform heel.
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At the same time, Stanaway was
promoting events as the American
Armsport Association’s (AAA)
Virginia state director. 1978 was a
critical year for armwrestling as the
“two-minute time limit” rule was
abolished, which decided a winner
of a match regardless of whether or
not one of the armwrestlers were
pinned. If one armwrestler was in a
winning position at the end of the
clock, they were declared the winner.
“That didn’t bother me because my
matches were over quickly,” he said.
“But enough people disliked the
rule to do away with it.”
As the sport grew, including world
events held outside of the U.S.
attracting a growing number of
countries, Stanaway was honored as
the AAA Armwrestler of the Year in
1979. Even his ardent critics could
not deny the role he contributed to
the sport’s progress.
In January 1980, while recovering
from elbow surgery, Stanaway took
on a new controversial role in the
sport—referee. As a referee he drew
the ire of competitors who accused
him of everything from favoritism to
racism, accusations he vehemently
denies. Compared by some to “Dirty
Harry”, he was known at times to
hate everyone the same. And he
was always willing to throw out
any competitor who got out of line,
including his own brother, Randy.
Stanaway was also willing to give
a young lady a chance to become
a referee, which was unheard of at
the time, and contested by many in
the sport. Karen Bean, the current
co-owner and promoter of AAA,
indicated it was Stanaway who
allowed her to test as a referee
after 12 years as a competitor. Bean
said he treated her “like another
one of the guys” and never gave her
privileges due to their friendship.
“I owe Steve a debt I absolutely
cannot pay,” said Bean.
Though Stanaway would be
inducted into the WAF Hall of
Fame in 1987, it was not until 1996
that he would receive perhaps
armwrestling’s greatest honor, “The
John Miazdzyk Award.”
“Stanaway’s accomplishments in this
sport are second-to-none,” Bean said.
“He was a fierce competitor, rarely
losing. He most likely could be called
the fastest man in armwrestling.”
Stanaway continued to serve on the
Board of Directors with AAA until the
board dissolved in 2000. Four years
later, he was endowed with the AAA
Lifetime Achievement Award, although
he continued to serve an important
role in the sport into the 00’s.
In 2005 he resigned as the head
referee for AAA after competitors
inferred he would show favoritism
to one of his teammates. Although
Stanaway agreed to sit out and allow
someone else to referee the event,
complaints continued. Stanaway
stormed out of the building onto
the famed Atlantic City Boardwalk.
“It wasn’t just one situation,” says
Stanaway. “The ice had been cracking
for a few years,” he said, regarding his
relationship with the AAA.
Though 2005 would be the end
of an era for Stanaway, it was also
the year he was inducted into the
Athletic Hall of Fame of the Lower
Virginia Peninsula. The National
Armwrestling League would
later give Stanaway its lifetime
achievement award in 2013, and the
Professional Armwrestling League
would follow suit in 2016 at an event
near Scranton, PA, the city where his
winnings began 47 years prior.
Stanaway is credited with winning
more than 200 tournaments
including 32 combined world and
national titles in a career that is
still semi-active. He still invites oneon-one
challenge matches but they
have to be in armwrestling straps
due to his arthritis.
Stanaway believes the modern focus
solely on stand-up armwrestling
prevents knowing who the best
armwrestlers are. In the old days he
said placing third at both sit-down
and stand-up in national events was
what brought you respect among
peers. To win both you had to be
“brutal” according to Stanaway. And
Stanaway was just that, as “Brutal”
was the moniker he earned not only
as a competitor, but a frequently
embattled referee.
Armwrestlers of yesteryear he said
would frequently compete in either
style. “Today’s wrestlers can’t do
that.” Stanaway pointed out that
a major difference today is that
athletes have an abundance of
video clips to review. “There was no
video to study back then. I learned
a lot of armwrestling by refereeing.
As a referee you can watch the best
armwrestlers and see how they
approach a match, where they place
their hand and elbow…you learn
different styles.”
In October 2014, Stanaway had
some shortness of breath. He was
diagnosed with atrial fibrillation
after five days of an uncontrollable
heart rate of 150 beats per minute.
And yet he has no plans to slow
down. Stanaway plans on competing
in 2018, which will make him the first
armwrestler to compete for more
than 50 years. Though it has been
a tumultuous love affair, the sport
of armwrestling brought Stanaway
to five continents, 22 countries and
nearly every state.
“Armwrestling brought me to a lot
of places and helped build selfconfidence,”
said Stanaway. “A lot of
people have low self-esteem, but let
them excel at competition and watch
what happens. It changes their life.”
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