The Final 5%: HIIT & CATCH

[Scott Sonnon]

Well, it's time to continue to match the work with the season. Spring arrives and the Sun shines. My new program intends to drop me from my current 9-10%BF down to 5-6%. It involves high intensity interval training with Coach Chomycia's "Catch" course (soon to-be-released) throwing, tossing and flipping Clubbells. The HIIT approach found its inspiration from Delta Cadre CST Instructor Wayne "Scrapper" Fisher (who has an excellent HIIT Clubbell Course releasing in the near future called "Triple Threat").

Yesterday began the hellish ordeal of lung-searing hi-speed torture.

4/2/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

Afternoon Session:
A. 5 sets of 30 yard sprints. At one end of the sprint 4 one handed 25lbs Clubbell swings caught in the opposite hand in Order Position with an ass-to-ground squat. At the other end of the sprint, 4 one handed 25lbs Clubbell Flip from one hand to the next (with a swing in between).
B. 2 sets of 30 yard sprints. Same two Clubbell exercises and scheme, but sprinting down and Gecko crawling as fast as possible back.
C. 2 sets of 20 yard stair sprints. 4 Cross-body Swipes (switching hands on forward phase of swing) at the top of the stairs, and 4 lateral pendulums switching hands in the middle to Muscle out.
D. 1 set of 100 hill sprint carrying Clubbell.

Nutritionally throughout this indefinite program (continued until goal BF% is achieved), I shall be making some very minor tweaks since my nutrition is near optimal for me (and my exertion type / seasonal type). Butter, decaf coffee, even the occassional beer have been removed, for instance. These are minor changes for me, but need to occur to make my target... which I hope to hit within 4-6 weeks.

CATCH provides a very unique and creative training effect. For instance, there is only one training effect that cannot be reproduced with the Clubbell: hitting an object (such as with a sledgehammer.) However, the flipping and switching of the Clubbell CATCH course creates the IDENTICAL training effect of Shock Absorption received from hitting an object with the sledgehammer. John Brookfield for instance loves to do Bruiser Flips into Swings from this material CATCH can even be performed ABC (2-handed) style. Included in this advanced Clubbell course is an even greater training effect of coordination, timing and agility. There's nothing quite like it. And most importantly, it's an amazingly fun approach to Clubbell training. Keep your eyes open for Coach Chomycia's upcoming course release on DVD.

I intend to HIIT & CATCH Mon-Wed-Fri, keep my Morning session the same on Tue-Thu with an evening Be Breathed session. Sunday's are family day outdoors with whatever recreational activity we concoct.

[Scott Sonnon]

4/3/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

Afternoon Session:
2 sets of 20 one hand Bruiser Shoulder Squats with Switches
Basically, this Combination Routine involves a swing to catch the 45lbs Clubbell in Shoulder Park while on the way down into an ass-to-floor squat. The goal is for there to be almost no impact on the trap with the timing of the exercise. On the standing phase of the squat the Bruiser push-presses into full elbow extension for the next Swing. As the Bruiser swings to the rear, execute another sit-back deep bend. You need the bend for the hip snap because as you drive the Clubbell forward, you catch in in the other hand on the upswing. Repeat on the opposite side.

I toasted on only two sets since I feel a bit fried from yesterday's ordeal... today was supposed to be an off-day, but the extra pieces of bacon gave me a little extra energy. :wink:

[Jay76]

Scott

You would not mind throwing a nice video clip..please :D

Jay

[Cilian McHugh]

Holy Crap :!:

[SCRAPPER]

Ahhh!

Scott,

Man, you are a beast after my own evil little heart! I can't wait to beat the living hell out of......

I mean, utilize the amazing exercise combinations I learned at the CST to enhance my client's ability to handle massive amounts of punishmen...I mean....work...Damn! ha!

Keep training hard and inspiring us all brother,

SCRAPPER

[Scott Sonnon]

Thanks for all the good words. It's honestly the most pain I've given myself the pleasure of in a good bit of time, but I'm enjoying the diverse training effects it produces.

I had to move the schedule to Tue-Thu-Sat for HIIT and Mon-Wed-Fri will be my active recovery days of Bruiser Shoulder Squats with Hand Switches.

4/5/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

Afternoon Session:
20 sets of 5 in 20 minutes one hand Bruiser Shoulder Squats with Hand Switches
RPE: 9
RT: 7
I decided to hit these on my off days as "active recovery" and work my way up to the 100 rep Death March; while I continue to crank up the volume on my HIIT. I think I dropped a BF percentage point in three days. :lol:

On a lark to see if there's any cross over to conventional lifts, I hit 3 sets of 15 with two 90lbs dumbbells. It wasn't too difficult and pretty boring. However, it was interesting to see that Swipes and Mills definitely carry over into pushing strength.

[canadianclubber]

Coach Sonnon, I tried the Bruiser Shoulder Squats w/Switches, and had to modify it slightly for now, as follows:

Bruiser in r hand, swing, catch it in an open r hand, on r shoulder with a timed deep squat, then push jerk it up, catch in the l hand, down, and so on. Is this okay for now? I'm basically a)not swinging and catching on the opposite shoulder, and b)catching in an open hand.

/canadianclubber

[Scott Sonnon]

Chris,
Your variation still activates the same training effects. Enjoy!

[Scott Sonnon]

4/6/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed

Afternoon Session:
A. Four Station HIIT & CATCH: Four stations separated by 20 yards, sprinting between each station.
Station 1 Combination Routine: with 25lbs Clubbell
- Parry Cast to Shoulder Cast Muscle Out, then...
- Lateral Swing to Hand Switch caught in opposite Muscle Out, then...
- Reverse Shoulder Cast into...
- Reverse Parry Cast continuing immediately into...
- Forward Parry Cast (now with new arm)
- Repeat Steps with new arm, then park.Station 2 Combination Routine: with 15lbs Clubbell
- Swing Hand Switch to Center of Mass (COM) Catch on opposite arm
- Catching in full ass-to-floor squat, push press into hand switch,
- Catching into next swing
- 2X both armsStation 3 Combination Routine: with 25lbs Clubbell
- Swing Hand Switch catching in Flag Position, then
- Armpit Cast, hand switching and catching again in Flag Position
- Hand Switch and perform 2X with each armStation 4 Combination Routine: with 15lbs Clubbell
- Inward Pendulum hand switching and catching in opposite Order Position
- 2X with each arm
Sets:
B. First we began with a "warm-up" :twisted: sprinting to each station 3 times each in succession. Three laps got the blood pumping and prepared us for the coming torture.
C. Two Steps Forward - One Step Back:
- Begin at Station 4.
- Sprint around Station 1 to Station 2, and touch the Clubbell there.
- Sprint back to Station 1 and perform Station 1's exercise.
- Sprint around Station 2 to Station 3, and touch the Clubbell there.
- Sprint back to Station 2 and perform Station 2's exercise.
- Sprint around Station 3 to Station 4, and touch the Clubbell there.
- Sprint back to Station 3 and perform Station 3's exercise.
- Sprint around Station 4 to Station 1, and touch the Clubbell there.
- Sprint back to Station 4 and perform Station 4's exercise.Repeated 3X. If your time didn't improve, a special punishment would be given. :twisted:
Time for a hot shower.

[Scott Sonnon]

Here you go, Jay and Chris:

Bruiser Shoulder Squat with Hand Switch (http://www.circularstrengthtraining.com/images/SwitchShoulderSquat.AVI) (2.93MB)

[canadianclubber]

Coach Sonnon, if possible, can you please post a wmv version? Thanks
/CanadianClubber

[Scott Sonnon]

Sorry, I cannot.

[canadianclubber]

Coach Sonnon, no worries, I just tried a different computer and was able to see it. Thumbs up! Thanks for sharing,
/Chris

[Scott Sonnon]

4/7/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed

Choose wisely to drop out the Bruiser Switch Squats. The volume, frequency, complexity, density and intensity of all of the concurrent work pushed me into overtraining. The bad thing about getting older is that you don't recover as quickly, you pay for poor form, and you pay dearly for overtraining. The good thing about getting older is that you have less time for superfluous work, are forced to concentrate on a handful of key performance goals, and you're sensible enough to budget your exertion. I just barely tweaked my lower back (an old deadlifting injury before I gave up the conventional nonsense which revisits me whenever poor form or overtraining come.)

Here's my progress report. Down to about 7-8%BF, the next 3-4% will be the difficult digits. Here is August 2003 - April 2004.
http://www.circularstrengthtraining.com/images/sonnonbefore.gifhttp://www.circularstrengthtraining.com/images/sonnon2004c.gif

[Jay76]

Scott

The clip and your workouts are insane. :twisted: YOur a great coach and posting your workouts is great, since its great motivation.

curious...why do you want your BF so low??

Jay

[Scott Sonnon]

Jay,

I don't focus on weight, since I can afford to lose fat, but not muscle. I intend to optimize my body composition so that I will come in at the most effective OCS weight class for me. I need to know now, not on game day, how I compete at peak composition levels. After I hit my target, then I'm going to test my OCS numbers to see where I am pre-Summer.

[Scott Sonnon]

4/8/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed

Afternoon Session:
3 sets of Four Station HIIT & CATCH:
Four stations lined in a row separated by 30 yards.
Perform Station 1,
Sprint and perform S2,
Sprint to and perform S3,
Sprint to and perform S4,
Turn around, Sprint to and perform S3,
Sprint to and perform S2,
Sprint to and perform S1.
Station 1: 4/4 Side-Switch TaskMasters with 25lbs Clubbell
Station 2: 4/4 Up-Switch Swipes with 20lbs Clubbell
Station 3: 4/4 Swing-Switch Warrior Be Strongs with 25lbs Clubbell
Station 4: 4/4 Cross-Switch Flips with 20lbs ClubbellAnd I'm spent...

[Scott Sonnon]

4/9/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (200 reps)

[Scott Sonnon]

Doing some training unrelated to my CST HIIT and CATCH, I overexerted and sprained my intercostals during an intense exercise. Save my active recovery during Morning Practice (WW, PYB & BB), I shall be taking the weekend off to convalesce.

[SCRAPPER]

Scott,

When you start to mix HIIT with Clubbells, it's very easy to become deceived regarding the effects on your body. I've found that adding in things like sprints, pushups, various squats, pullups, etc, can add to the overall intensity of the routine initially, but it can also serve as a method of active recovery once a person is in better condition. This allows us to put more "ooompf" into the more demanding exercises we're doing with Clubbells.

As we get in better shape, it's easy to keep loading more and more work into each workout. It's almost as if we forget that these exercises are still very demanding, but the structure of the HIIT almost lulls us into overlooking that fact. I know that when I started throwing sprints in between sets of pullups, it changed how the entire workout "felt". I wound up injuring myself a few times because I felt like I could "do more" simply because the focus on discomfort was in my legs and not in my back and arms.

You're lucky to have an extensive training background and you have the wisdom to listen to your body when it's giving you small signals. I was quite the bonehead and it took a few more bells and whistles for me to listen up and see that something was amiss. :shock:

Recover soon!

SCRAP

[Scott Sonnon]

The easy person to "sell" to is a salesman. The easiest person to fight is a martial artist. And the easiest person to overtrain is a trainer. :wink:
No worries. Just a few toes across the overtraining line. Gives a man perspective... and hopefully a better intuition of the walking the line between overtraining and mere performance - or IOW - "toughness training."

[Scott Sonnon]

Back to 100%... thought it was an overtraining issue, then realized that I had received an unexpected heavy impact during an inhale. No worries... issue resolved over the weekend.

4/10/04-4/12/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy

Also, I was asked above to supply this in a different format. Fortunately, someone converted it for me, and sent it to me. Here is the Bruiser Shoulder Squat with a Hand Switch in WMV format at 221KB (http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/images/shoulderswitch.wmv).

[Scott Sonnon]

Going to HIIT it in a few minutes, but while we were working on the new issue of CST MAG this weekend, we were doing some updates to the old photography used in the CST CERT website. We stumbled upon exact demos of the same position: Back position. One photo was from my photo shoot for the CST Book in July of 2002, and the other from the current issue of CST MAG, April of 2004:
http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/images/sonnonclubbell2b.gifhttp://www.circularstrengthmag.com/images/sonnonclubbell4.gif
It's just interesting to see the kind of physical transformation that true functional training from Clubbells can do!
I'll report back after today's training.

[Scott Sonnon]

4/13/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (200 reps)

Afternoon Session:
3 sets of Four Station HIIT & CATCH:
Four stations lined in a row separated by 30 yards.
Perform Station 1,
Sprint and perform S2,
Sprint to and perform S3,
Sprint to and perform S4,
Turn around, Sprint to and perform S3,
Sprint to and perform S2,
Sprint to and perform S1.
Station 1: 4/4 Side-Switch TaskMasters with 25lbs Clubbell
Station 2: 4/4 Lateral Clean Switches with 20lbs Clubbell
Station 3: 4/4 Swing-Switch Warrior Be Strongs with 25lbs Clubbell
Station 4: 4/4 Cross Swing Snatches with 20lbs Clubbell

Set 1: 3 min. 46 sec.
Set 2: 3 min. 32 sec.
Set 3: 3 min. 26 sec.

Considering my best time last work session was 3 min. 54 sec. on a shorter course, I'm pleased with the performance, though my wretching guts may object. :o I'd like to continue with this and get it under 2 min. 30 sec. to ensure that it entirely hits an anaerobic cycle.

Next session we're going to fold the four stations in half, and run two people side by side through four stations back and forth... for a little competitive drive. :twisted:

[SCRAPPER]

I need to get my butt back up there for some of this!

SCRAP

[Scott Sonnon]

Bro, it will be great to get you back here to add your chapter to our anthology on the Joy of Cruelty. :twisted:

[Scott Sonnon]

4/14/04 - 4/15/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (200 reps)

Lower back tweaked during the previous work session. Took a couple days of active recovery to release it. Feeling solid again.

[Scott Sonnon]

4/16/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (300 reps)

Here's my 2 week report. I'm down to approx. 7%BF. Two more weeks should put me at 5%, and then I'll be moving on to a new program after a couple weeks of active recovery.
http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/images/sonnon2004c.gifhttp://www.circularstrengthmag.com/images/sonnon2004d.gif

[Scott Sonnon]

4/17/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (200 reps)

Afternoon Session:
6 sets of Head-to-Head HIIT & CATCH:
Three stations lined in a row separated by 30 yards.
An identical three stations lined 10 feet parallel to it.
Athletes A, B, and C rotate in and out: First A&B, then 30 second break, followed by B&C, then 30 second break, then C&A. Repeated so that all three athletes completed the course 6X.
Each set involved TWO laps this time: Sprint and perform S2.
Sprint to and perform S3.
Turn around, sprint to and perform S2.
Sprint to and perform S1.
Turn around, sprint to and perform S2.
Sprint to and perform S3.
Turn around, sprint to and perform S2.
Sprint to and perform S1. The exercise selection for the stations involved: Station 1: 15# Clubbell Blob Cleans
Station 2: 20# Clubbell Armpit Switches
Station 3: 25# Clubbell Flip Switches
Set 1: 1 min. 54 sec.
Set 2: 1 min. 46 sec.
Set 3: 1 min. 45 sec.
Set 4: 1 min. 42 sec.
Set 5: 1 min. 35 sec.
Set 6: 1 min. 38 sec.

Someone get me a bucket.

[Scott Sonnon]

4/18/04-4/19/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (150 reps - halved the reps because I halved the speed - grueling but much more effective considering my volume was too high, turning it into an endurance event - now it's more grinding.)

I'm also adding in "practice" of working from my Multi-Planar Back Arch into a Gymnastics Bridge. I'm adding one rep every session. At 3 now. I'm slowly building towards something...

Afternoon Session: Just a strength test... with the exercise that has remained a barometer to any "conventional" gauge of "strength"

3 sets of two 90lbs dumbbell benchpress - 20, 17, 17
Monstrous leap in strength over last time. Leaning down with Clubbell HIIT-n-CATCH has actually helped me focus my "Strength Channels" quite a bit more than I expected. I've never touched a 20 rep set before with the 90s, and the strength didn't diminish over the 2nd and 3rd sets either. Whacko.

Well, back to seriousness... Clubbell HIIT-n-CATCH comes tomorrow.

[Jay76]

Coach

Good progress..

quick question? I love Your stuff and Pavels. You guys are the best. Curious though why doesn't Pavel use Clubs?

Do you practice the tension prinicples Pavel talks about when you lift??

Thanks

Jay

[Scott Sonnon]

You'll have to ask Pavel about his personal routine. He came over at the Arnold Classic this year to learn more about Clubbells and take them for a test drive. After experiencing a couple exercises, he remarked, "I can definitely see the training value in this!"

I do not practice General ("Hi") Tension, but rather CST's "Selective Tension" (http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/23/sonnon2.html) for obvious reasons; some highlighted in the article, but others as well.

[RayK]

Coach Sonnon, on your work outs you have two sessions a morning and an afternoon session. If you don't mind me asking how long does your morning session last and how intense do you PYB? My second question, how long of a break between sessions?

[Scott Sonnon]

My morning sessions last approximately 35-60 minutes, depending upon how thorough and deeply I perform the exercises, if I include a Be Breathed segment (and the protocol/volume I perform it as well.)

Sometimes I will have a 15 minute break between the afternoon session, sometimes 2 hours; rarely longer.

Once Summer arrives full on, my morning sessions become very early, and my afternoon sessions, midday... and I'll be adding my evening session again until October (which takes place early evening before Dinner.)

It'll feel good to get out of hybernation mode and add that evening session again.

[Jay76]

Once Summer arrives full on, my morning sessions become very early, and my afternoon sessions

So Coach your a creature of the seasons, when summer comes and the sun comes out earlier, then you get up earlier and go to bed earlier as well.. :shock: :D

Keep up the great work. YOur motivating me more each day. :D

[Scott Sonnon]

Jason,

You can enhance your performance by finding the 'tune' of the Season and orienting training goals to match the Season. I have found great success with this method (including orienting diet Seasonally.)

[Scott Sonnon]

4/20/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Be Breathed (150 "grinding" reps)

Afternoon Session:
6 sets of Head-to-Head HIIT & CATCH:
Three stations lined in a row separated by 30 yards.
An identical three stations lined 10 feet parallel to it.
Athletes A, B, and C rotate in and out: First A&B, then 30 second break, followed by B&C, then 30 second break, then C&A. Repeated so that all three athletes completed the course 6X.
Each set involved TWO laps this time: Sprint and perform S2.
Sprint to and perform S3.
Turn around, sprint to and perform S2.
Sprint to and perform S1.
Turn around, sprint to and perform S2.
Sprint to and perform S3.
Turn around, sprint to and perform S2.
Sprint to and perform S1. The exercise selection for the stations involved: Station 1: 15# Clubbell Reverse Hammer Cleans (an incredible CATCH exercise with amazing training effects)
Station 2: 20# Clubbell Shield Switches
Station 3: 25# Clubbell Flip Switches
Set 1: 2 min. 03 sec.
Set 2: 1 min. 59 sec.
Set 3: 1 min. 58 sec.
Set 4: 1 min. 54 sec.
Set 5: 1 min. 54 sec.
Set 6: 1 min. 54 sec.
Hello bucket, my old friend...

On a lark, I stepped on the scale. Generally, I don't put much weight on "weight," but it's interesting to observe the body composition changes from all angles. Although my strength soars, my endurance, speed and even size has increased dramatically, my weight in 2 1/2 weeks has gone from 194lbs to 189lbs.
I can only conclude that this 5lbs was fat loss, since I'm rapidly approaching the goal line of 5%BF. Feeling fantastic... AH! If I only knew how to HEALTHILY drop bodyweight and fat back when I used to compete in Sambo. I remember dropping 22lbs in three weeks to make weight for 93 worlds. Ugh. :roll: I had ZERO strength on the mat as a result! And God knows what irreparable harm I did to my health. Well, at least I can help others avoid the mistakes I made.

[Jay76]

Coach

Whats amazing is just looking at the progress you made in 3 months with the clubbell program equals that of using a basic 20 rep squat program, which is suppose to one of the best ways of increasing mass. Just sharing some thoughts :D :shock: :shock:

[Scott Sonnon]

Jason,

I don't care how fast the results come so long as it follows my value hierarchy of Health first, Performance second, Power third, and Physique last.

The Clubbell is an amazing piece of equipment. However, the real genius is how CST helps YOU (personally) get from where you ARE to where you want to BE. Every other "system" in the industry focuses on cramming their approach down your throat insisting that it is universally applicable. CST, on the other hand, shows you how to create a truly personalized approach of your own to meet your goals (not their's).

[Scott Sonnon]

4/21/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (176 "grinding" reps)

[casey]

Coach,
About how long does it take you now to do 150 grinding reps of the be breathed spinal rocks? And do you still use all of the different variations? I have been working alot on these from your most recent article in the CST mag (Lumbarred from Pain Free Mobility) - since I have been prohibited from resistance training :cry: - and I am loving them. But do you take the same amount of time that you recommend in the article? I think it works out to about 6 seconds per rep.

And also I need to use my hands for support on the floor when doing the butterfly version slowly and smoothly. Does this take away from the performance value at all? Would a reasonable developmental goal be to be able to complete this motion (from sitting, to rolling back onto the shoulders, to rolling back up to sitting in butterfly position) without placing my hands on the floor? Or is it just as effective either way?

Thanks again,

Casey - enjoying the break from resistance training

[Scott Sonnon]

4/22/04: (yesterday)

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (200 "grinding" reps)

Casey, I'm not sure how long it takes me, because I've never timed it. I use these variations: Pike, Straddle, Hurdler, Butterfly and Knee Drop. Yes, I take about 5-6 seconds per rep. It's a grueling abdominal workout, but I do it because it always releases any tension in my lower back.

Use 'training wheels' with the Butterfly until such a time you no longer need them. It doesn't detract from the dynamic mobility for lower back release. However, it does ease the abdominal load, so if you're perform it for that training effect as well, then, yes, it does detract from the training effect.

Only a few more days on your stay from resistance, amigo. Gut it out. :wink:

[Scott Sonnon]

4/23/04:

Morning Session:
Warrior Wellness
Prime Your Bioenergy
Be Breathed (250 "grinding" reps)

Giving my lower back a break after a little tweak from poor form last week. Since Be Breathed releases residual muscular tension in my lower back like no other exercise program, I'm testing the volume and intensity of it. Grueling fun exploring the depths of my Performance Breathing.