CrossFit Koncepts

It seems that in today's fast paced world, where everyone want results yesterday, that there are still people falling for the same swindles that our parents and grandparents fell for ten, twenty, fifty, even one hundred years ago.  Snake Oil salesmen have been around for thousands of years selling products that are guaranteed to relieve gout, grow hair, reduce your waistline, and make you attractive to the opposite sex.  I know that you are too smart to fall for this kind of blatant BS marketing hype... but I'm going to guess that you've thrown down your hard earned cash more than once for something that was too good to be true.  I see you out there, shaking your head "no" while wrapped up in your Snuggie!  Work with me for a minute and I think you'll see what I'm right...

I can easily think of about ten things that would fall into this category and I challenge you to pick up any fitness related magazine and not come up with a substantial list of your own.  The list would include home training courses, training equipment, and most blatantly - supplements.  They all show ripped athletes, both male and female, in amazing shape and it's the direct result of using "Super Powered Android Formula X"... or something like that.  Guaranteed to make you stronger, bigger, and obviously drop-dead sexy.  Just take this pill, powder, shake, etc., and in no time you will be a Mr. Olympia contestant or CrossFit Games winner.  Hey - where can I get some of this stuff for myself?

The fact is the supplement industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that is, for the most part, unregulated and out of control.  There are no restrictions on the claims they can make, as long as they don't claim to cure any illness or disease, and the science they use to substantiate their claims is questionable at best and completely fabricated at worst.  If you are really interested in enhancing your performance, and not utilize illegal pharmaceuticals to do so, there are only a handful of supplements that will give you a push in the right direction.  The most potent thing that any athlete can do to really give themselves an edge over the competition is to eat as healthy as possible, get as much sleep as possible, get a good coach or training team, and be consistent day after day and year after year.

My friend Andrew Read wrote a great article for the Breaking Muscle website about this subject entitled "The Most Memorable Fitness Swindles of the Last 30 Years".  It's a great read and one that will give you some insight into some other things you need to avoid... not to mention saving you some time and money! 

NOTE - still interested in learning more about supplements that actually work?  Well I'll post something in the coming weeks that will give you some solid information to work with before you head to the supplement store and spend your hard earned cash.

Date: September 11th to 13th, 2015
Location: CrossFit Koncepts in Gaithersburg, Maryland

CrossFit Koncepts is hosting the last RKC of 2015 in the Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia area!  This outstanding certification opportunity is being taught by Phil Ross, Master RKC and Michael Krivka, Senior RKC and is destined to be the best training opportunity of the year. Phil and Mike have almost twenty years of combined experience teaching and training with Russian Kettlebells and over eighty years of combined experience of teaching and training in the martial arts.  There is not a teaching team out there that can offer you this much experience and training know-how!

If you are a trainer or coach and want to bring a whole new level of training to your facility then you need to attend this certification.  If you are an athlete and are looking for a proven training methodology that will give you an edge on the field then you need to attend this certification.  If you are a member of the armed services, a law enforcement office or firefighter, you need to attend this certification to give you a strong fitness base that won't let you down when you need it most.

Ready to sign up?  AWESOME!  Go to the Dragon Door website and sign up now!  NOTE: early bird discounts have expired but there are still significant discounts available fro groups of five or more.

Marty Gallagher, the author of "The Purposeful Primitive" is a legend in the Powerlifting community.  He not only held World and National titles, he has coached others to those lofty heights as well.  As a writer he has penned over a thousand articles on training and has written two other books in addition to The Purposeful Primitive: "Coan: The Man, The Myth, The Method" and "Strong Medicine".  He is currently working on several other projects that will be released in coming months - all with his trademarked "in your face" style of writing that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until you understand what he is trying to impart.

The Purposeful Primitive is Marty's "magnum opus" and contains the seeds of greatness.  His dissertations on training, periodization, nutrition, and related subjects are required reading for anyone who is serious about developing absolute strength and keeping it.  Let's put it this way: Marty is a SME (Subject Matter Expert) for the U.S. Navy SEALs and works with them several times a year on their strength and conditioning requirements - and has been doing it for a number of years.  He also does consulting for the British SBS and SAS as well as other Tier One Spec Ops personnel.  If you are thinking that you want to have the same "insider knowledge" that these guys have then you should get a copy of The Purposeful Primitive and study it from cover to cover!

Do you want a copy of The Purposeful Primitive for you yourself? Great!  Head over to the Dragon Door website and pick up a copy... and one for a friend!

Convict Conditioning (Volume One and Volume Two) were best sellers not only on the Dragon Door website but with online retailers as well.  Coach Paul Wade reinvigorated the art of using your body weight as the primary tool for the strength athlete.  Inspired by the success of the two books Dragon Door teamed with the Kavadlo Brothers (Danny and Al) to create the PCC (Progressive Calisthenics Certification).  The certification has been well attended from coast to coast and worldwide, with events held in Australia, England, and soon in China.

So, after two volumes on body weight training was there really something left to be said about the subject?  Hell yes! There is a whole body of dynamic and explosive calisthenic techniques that needed to be presented in a manner that athletes could follow and progress on to more challenging skills.  Explosive Calisthenics sets the foundation for a whole new level of athleticism that you can explore and add to your training program.

What are you waiting for?  Head on over to the Dragon Door website and pick up a copy for yourself!

Mike Gillette is truly a man to be reckoned with. His background in the military, law enforcement, and martial arts are incredibly impressive. As are his amazing feats of strength that have put him into the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley's Believe it or Not. So when someone who has such an amazing pedigree comes along and writes a book about training, I'm going to listen very carefully to what he says.

Mike is very honest about how his years of martial arts and bodybuilding-like workouts took a toll on his body. I can wholeheartedly relate with Mike's struggle to find things (after the age of 40) that didn't add to the damage that he had already done. His discovery of Rings allowed him to eventually be pain free and retain, if not gain, additional strength and mobility. If you are entering your third or fourth decade of physical training then you might want to take Mike's lead on this one?

Rings of Power takes an in-depth look at the various planes of movement and the exercises that will best address them. While some of the skills are pretty advanced for your average athlete, Mike provides progressions and next steps to get you there (given the right application of time, sweat and effort).

If you need a tool that will add some depth to your training, as well as add some much needed challenge to movements that you are already familiar with, then I suggest that you look at picking up a copy of Mike's Rings of Power and a pair of Rings. Enjoy the ride!

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book head on over to the Dragon Door website and pick up a copy!  Tell them "Mike sent you!".

I like to read - a lot! It's what I do to relax as well as educate myself. As a matter of fact I've been reading several books a week for the majority of my adult life; if you do the math you'll figure out that it's a lot of books. I can even tell you the five books I've read that have had the greatest influence on me. Here they are:

1. The Bible (several versions)
2. The Tao of Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee
3. The Filipino Martial Arts - Dan Inosanto
4. On Combat - Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
5. The Gift of Fear - Gavin De Becker 

It's a pretty eclectic list but I have to add a new book to the top five: Strong Medicine by Dr. Chris Hardy and Marty Gallagher. Any book that gets added to the above list has to have a lot to offer and Strong Medicine fits the bill. Coming in at a massive 575 pages it will fill in the blanks in your understanding of how your body works right down to a molecular level. Through illustrations and easy to manage terminology you will be able to grasp the complex mechanisms that cause obesity, contribute to diabetes, accelerate heart disease, and exacerbates chronic inflammation. Not content with just giving you the knowledge on how these life threatening, and potentially life ending conditions are developed, it also gives you a step by step plan to reverse their progress and set you on the path to health.

The information contained in this book is life changing and paradigm shifting. If you take the time to read and digest the information that the authors have painstakingly assembled you will be blessed with the greatest gift of all: health. I challenge you to read this book and not have your understanding of food and its impact on your health and lifestyle changed.

Are you prepared to make a massive change in your life? Great!  Purchase your copy today on the Dragon Door website and then get started on a path that will improve every aspect of your life!

Five weeks of workouts in honor of the amazing Ladies of CrossFit Koncepts and we are all still on our feet!  Not sure if that's a testament to the training or the fear of falling and not being able to get back up again!?!?

It was a great month and we all had a lot of fun training together, learning together, and getting stronger together.  The real key to our success is that we train as hard as any individual can but we succeed because we are stronger together than we are on our own.  Thank you ladies for helping us learn this valuable lesson!