Coach Sonnon Bruiser Bound to the Arnold

[Scott Sonnon]

After recovering a few days after OCS, it's time to start buying tickets to the "gun show." :lol: I pulled out the Bruisers, to begin the baby steps to the demonstration Doug, Brandon and I are giving at the Arnold Fitness Classic in three weeks.

Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

45lbs Bruiser Swipes
5 sets (R/L): 1/1, 2/2, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
RT: began at a 5 and progressed to a 10 by the last set.
RPE: a constant 8

[Rich_Hav]

No rest for the wicked. It wont be long until the OCS numbers are revised to include Bruiser Class.

Peace
Rich

[Mike]

Scott are those ABC side swipes you're doing or one handed swipes? :shock:

[Scott Sonnon]

One handed Swipes. :twisted:

[JasonE]

Cripes! :shock: :!:

[Rich_Hav]

OK so I missed the announcement on the Bruiser division.

One handed Swipes with the 45's.
Your weight is around 200 or so.
WOW!

Peace
Rich

[Scott Sonnon]

Rich,

It was an unpredicted strength-gain side-effect of PHASE IV accomplishing my target volume. I weighed in at 196lbs. at the OCS meet on this past Saturday, so I feel good about the feat.

I'll continue to practice them for my demonstration at the Arnold Classic... but I'm working next on my (one-handed) Bruiser Mills as well. :twisted:

[Mike]

Looks like I've got some ground to catch up on! :D

How about a demo where Doug actually uses you as a Clubell while you are milling the Bruiser, that would impress the mullets.

You guys are sick.

Bill

[Scott Sonnon]

Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

One-hand 45lbs Bruiser Swipes (R/L) 5/5X5
RPE: 9
RT: 9

Here's a demo of one half set:
http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/images/bruiserswipe.avi (2.7MB)

[Scott Sonnon]

Additionally, if any of you computer savvy have the ability to compress the size of this file, it's needed for the new issue of CST Mag and would be appreciated.

TIA.

[daniel juson]

Wow Scott,
It looks like you put on alot of 'wiry bulk'. Does one need to do a lot of 25lb work before tackling what you are doing?

Sincerely,
Dan

[Scott Sonnon]

Dan,

Absolutely Incremental Progression. Because the leap from the 25s to the 45s is so great, I suggest the ability to handle high volume Swipes (25+reps) with an RT of 10 before even beginning to practice with the one-handed Bruiser Swipe.

[Jay76]

Coach

One arm swipes....don't get me wrong,,,but you look awesome. Your muscles look big and thick....awesome...clubbells rock....way to go....

You motivate me more each day...thanks..

Jay

[Mike]

Dan,


Absolutely Incremental Progression. Because the leap from the 25s to the 45s is so great, I suggest the ability to handle high volume Swipes (25+reps) with an RT of 10 before even beginning to practice with the one-handed Bruiser Swipe.

What about for someone who uses the bruiser for two handed movements? Eventually I'd like to give one handed bruiser work a shot, after I get good at the two handed stuff first. But would you say it's more difficult to go this route than it is for someone who uses a set of 25's?

BTW, how tall are you Scott???

[Scott Sonnon]

04/14/04-04/16/04
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

04/16/04
One-hand 45lbs Bruiser Swipes (R/L) 5/5X5
RPE: 10
RT: 8

Comments: Condensation in the air today. Grip was wonky as a result. Working now to refine hip snap swing over my current muscle clean. Key - work the grip when in the rear portion of the swing phase, rather than preserve the grip with a shallow bend. Not embarassed to admit I'm thriving back in the heavy, hard and infreqent. Such an excellent break from high volume OCS with the 25s.

[Scott Sonnon]

04/17/04-04/18/04
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

04/18/04

single-handed 45lbs Bruiser Swipes (R/L) 4 sets of 8/8
RPE: 10
RT: 7

20lbs Clubbell Reverse Mills 1 set of 5/5 to prime the strength channel.

25lbs Clubbell "anti-OCS" Reverse Mills 10 sets of 10/10 in 10 minutes alternating hands without parking

5lbs Clubbell 6DOF (Front Stroke, Back Stroke, Double Inward/Outward Circles, Elbow Infinities) to cool down.

Comments: What began as a normal day, ended in demolition. Beginning my morning practice, I found myself not wanting to do anything, unmotivated and unattentive. Something which rarely happens to me. Reflecting, I realized it could not be overtraining, because I have been training once every 3 days. The only other factor which causes this lethargy in me is undertraining.

Pushing through, I knew from experience when facing lethargy, the best option is to present a significant challenge in order to leverage out any 'thought' and thus crush the inner pansy. I did my job, but I'm having trouble typing. :twisted:

Now? More energy than ever. God, I love these tools.

[Doug Szolek]

Damn man! you went to town today didn't you :shock: :wink: :?: :!:

[Brett Jacques]

RT of 7 on single handed swipes, cool.

I made the mistake after getting my 25s the mimic the exact workout I was doing with the 15s. History repeats itself for those who feel the wane of pain and miss the strain.

I felt left out with all this talk of one-handed Bruiser work.

I learned how to bail out improperly then properly. I learned how to throw myself with one slip of the trajectory of the Bruiser.

However after 3 grueling workouts (1 every 4 days) motivated by jealousy, curiosity and fool-heartyness, I can with an RT of 4 do 3 sets of 5 inward and outward pendulum, 3 sets of 3 order to press and finally 3 sets of 1 swing to the overhead position and hold (with 3 or 4 prepatory mini swings).

All that verbosity aside, what I am really trying to say is I am frikkin impressed and awed by what the one-handed Bruiser club is doing. I am not ready for membership yet but it's so much fun, I ain't in no hurry at all.

Keep up the training and I can wait for a one-handed Bruiser club video.

[Scott Sonnon]

However after 3 grueling workouts (1 every 4 days) motivated by jealousy, curiosity and fool-heartyness, I can with an RT of 4 do 3 sets of 5 inward and outward pendulum, 3 sets of 3 order to press and finally 3 sets of 1 swing to the overhead position and hold (with 3 or 4 prepatory mini swings).

That's some monstrous work, amigo.

[Scott Sonnon]

02/19/04
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

single-handed 45lbs Bruiser Parry Casts (R/L) 5/5
single-handed 45lbs Bruiser Reverse Parry Casts (R/L) 5/5
*alternating with no break forward and reverse
RPE: 8
RT: 7

Comments: Recovering from yesterday's adventure: DOMS because of lacking Incremental Progression (though necessarily so, IMO). One-hand Bruiser Parries to work out the kinks. WW and PYB to 'let it go.'

[Scott Sonnon]

02/20/04-02/21/04
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

02/21/04
4 sets of 10/10 (R/L) 1-hand 45lbs Bruiser Swipes
2 sets of 10 Parallels with two 25lbs Clubbells
10 sets of 10/10 Reverse Mills in 7 minutes 15 seconds
*alternating with no break
RPE: 10
RT: 9

Comments: Another Day of Demolition...
Form took an amazing leap in motor control and coordination... leading to an increase in functional strength. The Bruiser Swipes were... easy. :shock: (I feel frightened actually even writing this for fear that I lack respect for the beasts.) I can only account for this leap in strength due to the rapid learning curve of CST with the Clubbell... that and the Arnold weighs heavily upon me, a gravity which must be broken. Quite honestly I grow weary of people misperceiving my demonstrations as sales. This tool evolved in my hands due to the intent of creating the most functional strength training tool possible for martial arts and combat sports. I absolutely love being able to share it with others, and I am always honored at the performance transforming results they produce. But I know the expo circuit club industry... :roll:
This time... the demonstration will not be informative. This time, it will merely be a demonstration of joint mobility and health, total human performance and three dimensional strength. Come one, come all. Like the man said, it's not a challenge. It's a dare.

[Connie Brown]

Does this trade show have a daily rag or something where we could follow the saga?

And, in true demonstration style :roll:
will there be an average doof to compare with?

I am only half kidding. These tools are so clean and deceptively elegant, and you make it look so smooth, how would spectators EVER know what they are seeing.

[Scott Sonnon]

Actually, we're going to be inviting several stronger looking folks onto the stage for part of the demo... and a very special, honored guest may be coming up on stage to give a few twirls of the Bruiser, as well. :o :twisted:

[Scott Sonnon]

02/22/04
6 sets of 5 Double Bruisers Swings
RPE: 9
RT: 7

Comments: Using two Bruisers significantly magnifies the demand imposed upon the CNS, and the Swing becomes a massive lower body workout. Today was supposed to be active recovery. Live and learn.

[Jay76]

Parallels

are these like clean to orders?

Jay

[Scott Sonnon]

A Parallel executes a simultaneous (syncronized) Mill and Reverse Mill.

[casey]

Coach Sonnon,
Re. Parallels, in the book I think they are described as a simultaneous mill with one arm and a shoulder cast to outward pendulum with the other arm. For the arm doing the shoulder cast/outward pendulum, how do you bring the club back to back position? If this is a reverse mill it seem like you would use a parry cast to back position. But that seems difficult with the other clubbell coming in to back position also.

Could you possibly post a video clip of these?

Casey

[Scott Sonnon]

Casey,
I'll post a video today.

[Scott Sonnon]

02/23/04-02/25/04
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

02/25/04
2 sets of 15/15 (R/L) 1-hand 45lbs Bruiser Swipes
10 sets of 10/10 Reverse Mills in 5 minutes 35 seconds
*alternating with no break
RPE: 10
RT: 7

Comments: the Demolition continues... today the bucket nearly had to be pulled. As my partner suggested, I believe my grip has finally... truly... caught up with my level of conditioning. It appears that I can push myself to hurl-potential before my grip fatigues. Still settling the nausea.

I may do one more work session before the Arnold... maybe not. I intend to be fully rested thanks to Warrior Wellness and Prime Your Bioenergy.

Casey, I'm sorry my man, but the stomach wouldn't permit me extra work today. I'll try to get something up for you tomorrow.

[casey]

Coach,
This lackadaisical attitude is just not going to cut it anymore. I want results, not excuses! (shakes head disappointedly...)

All right, give me the Bruiser and the 25s.
I'll just have to do it myself.

Casey :twisted:

umm...I mean :wink:

[Dan Chomycia]

Casey,

I can't wait to get to that hurl threshold, :twisted:

I think it is coming soon with the 25's.
After the Arnold I'll be on your case training for the Next OCS. :lol:

[Scott Sonnon]

02/26/04-02/29/04
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (100 reps)

02/28/04
5 sets of 20/20 Reverse Mills in 6 minutes
*alternating hands with no break
RPE: 7
RT: 10

Comments: Yesterday was my work session, and I dropped out the Bruiser work. Too taxing and I need to fully recover before the Arnold. I added in Be Breathed to rehab my lower back which suffered a little tweak from the low RT of the Bruiser Swipes. I'm already about 80%. But I need to be at 100% before the flight. Planes are horrible for the lower back, but Be Breathed has rehab'ed my lower back several times already, so I'm confident that everything will be copasetic for the Arnold (despite the four flights in 36 hours).

I also doubled my endurance on the Reverse Mills. After I return I suspect that this carried over to OCS. If that's true, I predict a major jump in my OCS performance volume.

[Jay76]

Coach

Sorry about your back :D :D . Is it in the same place where you hurt it a while back from deadlifting? Curious for the Be breathed sequence, which I think is Fantastic for ones back, are you going to make a different sequence/form of it at all in the future, or bascially you gave me the tools, so I should go make something.. :D :D :D

Jay

[Cilian McHugh]

Coach,

You're an inspiration

[Scott Sonnon]

Jay, the same injury. It's chronic now, so that if I ever over-train, it's typically where the kinetic chain breaks down. The key is to not over-train. Be Breathed is a self-sufficient program which doesn't need any expanding. For its purpose, the variety will last you indefinitely.

Cilian, right back at you, amigo.

[Scott Sonnon]

02/29/04-03/01/04
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (100 reps)

03/01/04
5 sets of 20/20 Reverse Mills in 6.5 minutes
*alternating hands with no break
RPE: 6
RT: 10

Comments: Just keeping the groove going. Back is about 95%.

Casey, here you go: Clubbell Parallels (http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/images/parallel.avi)

[Connie Brown]

What kind of camera do you use to do these? They are simple and so effective.

[Scott Sonnon]

For these type of small projects we have a Fujifilm (http://fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/digitalA210Overview.jsp?item=I598546&dbid=598546&urltype=overview).

[casey]

Coach,
Thanks for the video, although I hope Connie and I are not the only people enjoying it. Parallels look like a great exercise, a real jump in coordination. How have you found Reverse Mills by themselves? As effective as regular Mills?

Casey

[Scott Sonnon]

Repost it over on the OCS forum. Reverse Mills are superb. Loving the training effect. I'm wheels-up in a few, so talk to you after the next flurry of events: Arnold Expo, ROSS IDP, CST Delta.

[Jay76]

Coach

Noticed you haven't been running lately?

Jay