Doug Szolek
04-06-2004, 03:29 PM
Being in the unique position of having attended and participated in each of the four CST Instructor Certification Seminars I want to share the evolution of not only the material but also the presentation of the material that I have witnessed Coach Sonnon implement through each of the four seminars. The common thread among all is that the information that the participants weren’t expecting was worth more than the price of the seminar, let alone the detailed description of the necessary information.
To start this off I’d like to share a brief review of each of the seminars as they each rest in my mind as life changing weekends.
CST Alpha
The weekend started on what to me felt like a comfortably brisk day in Seattle. I was traveling from Pennsylvania and wrapping up a winter long experiment to wear only shorts and a Tee-Shirt for the length of the season so the wet air in the 40’s and 50’s felt great to me.
Friday evening was met with brief introductions all around and plenty of sophisticated Biomechanical Exercises to give those in attendance the idea that they didn’t quite know what they were getting into. Most of those in attendance are now active members on the CST Forum and three of us are now CST Head Coaches.
Saturday rolled in with everyone happily carrying their Clubbells to the training room and looking forward to a day of intense Clubbell swinging. The day was certainly intense but not at all the way we were expecting. Coach Sonnon explained that until we could efficiently move our bodies we should not be swinging Clubbells. This flew in the face of the sales oriented mindset that many of us were used to with all the gadgets and gizmos claiming to be the next best thing in Strength and Conditioning. We learned the inner nuances of Core Activation, Performance Breathing, Channeling Strength, and many other principles and concepts that simply could not be found anywhere else because they all stemmed from the tireless efforts of Coach Sonnon applying his necessity for efficiency to the process of Strength and Conditioning.
The training was generously segmented with periods of lecture and Q&A so that we could recover from the education of one principle in time to apply another. One of my favorites involved raising our pulse and respiration through high rep burpees and then applying an aspect of Performance Breathing to calm our arousal in a matter of seconds. This took no small amount of self discipline but through the process presented by Coach Sonnon it worked almost like magic and it’s something that I still use to this day when I find myself lacking dignity after a grueling exertion. Meals were taken at a local steak house adjacent to the Inn and they really allowed us to come together as a Cadre and realize that this type of training tends to attract a certain type of individual. In fact as much as I loved the training I think the meals were my favorite part simply for the fellowship of Knuckledraggers.
Sunday was welcomed much earlier than any of us would have wished. Awakening to find soreness in parts of our bodies that most of us didn’t know existed we welcomed a thorough warm up to start the very long day of going over the finer nuances of each Clubbell exercise presented in Clubbell Training for Circular Strength book and video. I being the young bull that I was/am forced myself to perform every exercise that day at zero choke on my beta-tester 15lbs. Clubbells. At the time it was nearly impossible though now I hold myself to the same standard with the 25’s. During one of the breaks I got to demonstrate (much to Coach Jones’ dismay) my ability to be the first person to clean the Bruiser to order (if I only knew where that would take me… ABC’s anyone).
Sunday wrapped up with a test involving the ability to teach a newly made Combination Routine to another participant of the seminar. It was here that we learned the importance of being able to point out the transitional movements which link one exercise to another and make the combination routine uniquely effective at producing sophisticated strength.
I left Alpha unsure of the next time that I’d be able to spend time with my new found brothers but happy to have grown my tribe as much as I did.
CST Beta
Held in central Pennsylvania, CST Beta Cadre Instructor Certification Seminar was one for the record books. Coach Sonnon being one to listen to constructive criticism of his methods understood that many at the CST Alpha thought that the weekend was a bit too mental and not as physical as they were expecting. Well Beta was certainly the Yang to Alpha’s Yin.
Again following the idea that participants must first be able to efficiently use themselves before adding outside resistance (Clubbells) Saturday was one of the longest days I’ve ever spent training. We learned more Biomechanical Exercises and put them together in more Kinetic Chains than would have seemed possible. To the credit of those in attendance the group was full of quick studies. I had the added benefit of being a ringer (having worked with Coach Sonnon since ’98 I was able to quickly pick up the exercises and find the easiest/most efficient means through them) so once I’d completed the exercise it was my job to assist those still working at it.
When we came close to lunch time on Saturday with more work to cover the majority proved their mustard and voted to press on until the work was done. By the end of that session however most of us were walking quite funny and wondering how we were going to climb out of bed the next day.
Saturday was difficult because we were working to get maximal relaxation and that is something to which we in modern society are completely foreign. So being that Saturday was working to maximal relaxation, (because that is the only way to get through Biomechanical Exercises efficiently) Sunday was a day of maximal tension. We were introduced to new ideas and ways of using our Clubbells (my favorite being Flag Position which still finds it’s way into most of my workouts) and Coach Sonnon demonstrated everything with impeccable form and precision in spite of coming off a strength depleting injury. He proved once again that movement always precedes strength (a lesson he never fails to teach when we grapple).
The beginnings of the CST client analysis showed themselves at the end of the seminar when individuals were paired and told to evaluate each other based on the principles presented over the course of the weekend and determine a training program that would ideally suit that individual. Again, my hat goes off to the Beta Cadre for not only surviving that weekend but out performing all expectations in your ability to perform and think critically well past fatigue.
CST Gamma
Between Beta and Gamma I had the joy of moving to the west coast to further my training under Coach Sonnon and more efficiently add to the CST tribe through my training and ideas into our continued evolution. So for this seminar I had the honor of getting to fly to Atlanta to assist in the presentation of the CST Gamma Cadre Certification Seminar.
I arrived early and began to scope out the lobby of the hotel for anyone looking like they were carrying an especially heavy bag. Some familiar faces rolled in from Beta as I saw Jack Myers towering over a table in the lobby working on his laptop. I got to have a few good meals and even better conversations with Michael Gannon (CST Alpha, Gamma, and Delta) and we reminisced of the days of the old forum where he was ‘Michael55’ and I was ‘Bearcub.’
Training started first thing Friday night as I took everyone through a warm up kinetic to show the importance of combining individual exercises into combination routines for a synergistic training effect and get every part of them ready for the work that would come with the weekend. After we got the blood flowing Coach Sonnon presented a fine distillation of the principles underpinning CST to acclimate everyone to the vernacular and give them an idea of what they should expect from the weekend.
The mental and physical aspects of Alpha and Beta were brought together so seamlessly that it seemed like he’d had years rather than months to prepare this information.
Saturday started with a detailed joint study of the human body and the presentation of the latest steps in Coach Sonnon’s evolution of his Dynamic Range of Motion exercises. Every time an issue came up with a participants form it was brought to the group to determine the causes of the hindrance and the most efficient means of alleviating the problem. And this is where a major step was evident. The information had been distilled to the point where it could be presented in the context of client assessment leading to a never before seen level of personalized training. Coach Sonnon brought into the light the fact that we and our clients are not blank slates and our preexisting issues need to be addressed before we can safely commence training.
Along with simply sophisticated means of identifying and addressing a client’s issues Coach Sonnon presented detailed ways to understand your client’s subtle body language and words as ways of determining exactly what the problem is. And when the problems go beyond the scope of our expertise he flat out said that we are the ones liable for training someone who is likely to injure themselves. Needless to say, Saturday night found everyone wondering how they could be getting all this for the price paid. Over and over the caliber of training and teaching was praised as better than anything else available and the general feel of the crowd was enthusiastic and open.
Sunday morning I was sweating bullets because I knew that it rested on me to present Olympic Clubbell Sport and Anabolic Bruiser Conditioning workshops back to back first thing in the morning. First of all I’d like to say thanks again to those in attendance for your attention and willingness to learn. I presented the material that Coach Sonnon and I had mapped out to prepare for Olympic Clubbell Sport (the Most Grueling Strength Endurance Sport on the planet) during which the participants got a taste of actual OCS competition by competing in a half tournament; five minutes of Swipes and five minutes of Mills. The performance was nothing short of inspiring to see everyone there pushing beyond the perception of limits to see who they really were when things suck.
After this I got to share my baby with the world, presenting Anabolic Bruiser Conditioning with a live audience who were chomping at the bit to handle the heavier Clubbells. In short I developed the ABCs as a way of making the heavier Clubbells more accessible to everyone but I had no idea when I got started the potential that it holds for unique strength development and real functional hypertrophy. So I had the privilege of giving the guys a taste of something completely new and yet very old and then we got ready to open the grey matter to the meat of the weekend, program design, client assessment, and the principles which make CST the most comprehensive system of strength and conditioning in the world.
The day wrapped up with careful attention to group participation and accurate assessment of issues being big factors in determining who would be allowed to carry the title of CST Gamma. The feedback was amazing and the general consensus from those who had attended earlier seminars, was that they didn’t think that they’d be able to be blown out of the water yet again. Coach Sonnons method of continued evolution and sophistication of not only his material but his means of presenting the material ensures that you always get more than you pay for at one of his seminars.
CST Delta
So we’ve come to Delta force, held right here in my own backyard of Bellingham, Washington. Several new faces were present, along with many of those wanting to see the latest incarnation of the material. The Head Coaching staff was joined this time by the talents of Coaches Chomycia and Jones so that with the three of us circulating during the seminar and presenting the form for those close to see we were sure not to let any exercise slip by without knowing that all understood its application and performance.
Friday started with a whole body kinetic chain warm up with a similar emphasis as was present during Gamma. Giving everyone a taste of things to come we then settled in for further refinement of the material. Coach Jones and I assisted Coach Sonnon in demonstrating the six principles which set CST apart as the leader of strength and conditioning methodology.
Saturday found everyone eager to learn and we followed a variety of Dynamic Range of Motion exercises for each joint always with the emphasis of assessing and addressing issues and impediments. We learned the hard way that Clubbells are the worlds only hand held home gym learning and demonstrating exercises that train everything from the finger tips to the toes (and yes even the legs). The day ended with guidance into client assessment and still more tools for cleaning the dirty slates that we find in our practice.
Sunday morning we were shocked from our slumber by Coach Chomycia and his revolutionary ideas into Mobilized Strength (a means of using supported weight to aid in Dynamic Range of Motion practice) and Catch as Catch Can Clubbell swinging where by transferring the Clubbell from one hand to the next and releasing it and catching it in action you can dramatically increase your coordination and grip strength. Following this I shared the ABCs with an eager crowd and got to strut my stuff doing what I love best. And then Coach Jones ran everyone through a hellish half test of the OCS competition lifts after going into the details of form which separate Performance and Technical variants of the Swipe and Mill.
Next came a beginning into program design where we discussed my upcoming release, the Core Cadre Curriculum a program design manual that allows for continued sophistication of strength along with increased GPP. After lunch it was straight to the client assessment tests where everyone was eager to prove that they knew what it took to help their clients. We met several interesting issues and plenty of over-trainees (something of a common theme among seminar attendees). The seminar ended happily with several permanent additions to the Head Coaching Staff and quite a few new CST certified instructors. Congratulations guys, you earned it.
I think one of the biggest parallels to the continued evolution of CST as a school is the evolution of the practitioners. At Alpha everyone present could barely handle the 15’s through all exercises and know just a year later many of us are working the Bruisers through one handed ranges of motion that we had earlier speculated would take decades to reach. There is something amazing to be said about the combination of efficient training methods coupled with three-dimensional resistance. I can say this without hesitation; Clubbells and CST are simply the most efficient means of increasing every desirable attribute of human expression. This has been proven to me by the past year of training and it will be proven to you at your first CST Certification Seminar.
I hope this gives you a good idea of what you can find at a CST Cert. Seminar and I sincerely hope to see you at the next one.
In faith,
Doug Szolek, CST Head Coach (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta)
To start this off I’d like to share a brief review of each of the seminars as they each rest in my mind as life changing weekends.
CST Alpha
The weekend started on what to me felt like a comfortably brisk day in Seattle. I was traveling from Pennsylvania and wrapping up a winter long experiment to wear only shorts and a Tee-Shirt for the length of the season so the wet air in the 40’s and 50’s felt great to me.
Friday evening was met with brief introductions all around and plenty of sophisticated Biomechanical Exercises to give those in attendance the idea that they didn’t quite know what they were getting into. Most of those in attendance are now active members on the CST Forum and three of us are now CST Head Coaches.
Saturday rolled in with everyone happily carrying their Clubbells to the training room and looking forward to a day of intense Clubbell swinging. The day was certainly intense but not at all the way we were expecting. Coach Sonnon explained that until we could efficiently move our bodies we should not be swinging Clubbells. This flew in the face of the sales oriented mindset that many of us were used to with all the gadgets and gizmos claiming to be the next best thing in Strength and Conditioning. We learned the inner nuances of Core Activation, Performance Breathing, Channeling Strength, and many other principles and concepts that simply could not be found anywhere else because they all stemmed from the tireless efforts of Coach Sonnon applying his necessity for efficiency to the process of Strength and Conditioning.
The training was generously segmented with periods of lecture and Q&A so that we could recover from the education of one principle in time to apply another. One of my favorites involved raising our pulse and respiration through high rep burpees and then applying an aspect of Performance Breathing to calm our arousal in a matter of seconds. This took no small amount of self discipline but through the process presented by Coach Sonnon it worked almost like magic and it’s something that I still use to this day when I find myself lacking dignity after a grueling exertion. Meals were taken at a local steak house adjacent to the Inn and they really allowed us to come together as a Cadre and realize that this type of training tends to attract a certain type of individual. In fact as much as I loved the training I think the meals were my favorite part simply for the fellowship of Knuckledraggers.
Sunday was welcomed much earlier than any of us would have wished. Awakening to find soreness in parts of our bodies that most of us didn’t know existed we welcomed a thorough warm up to start the very long day of going over the finer nuances of each Clubbell exercise presented in Clubbell Training for Circular Strength book and video. I being the young bull that I was/am forced myself to perform every exercise that day at zero choke on my beta-tester 15lbs. Clubbells. At the time it was nearly impossible though now I hold myself to the same standard with the 25’s. During one of the breaks I got to demonstrate (much to Coach Jones’ dismay) my ability to be the first person to clean the Bruiser to order (if I only knew where that would take me… ABC’s anyone).
Sunday wrapped up with a test involving the ability to teach a newly made Combination Routine to another participant of the seminar. It was here that we learned the importance of being able to point out the transitional movements which link one exercise to another and make the combination routine uniquely effective at producing sophisticated strength.
I left Alpha unsure of the next time that I’d be able to spend time with my new found brothers but happy to have grown my tribe as much as I did.
CST Beta
Held in central Pennsylvania, CST Beta Cadre Instructor Certification Seminar was one for the record books. Coach Sonnon being one to listen to constructive criticism of his methods understood that many at the CST Alpha thought that the weekend was a bit too mental and not as physical as they were expecting. Well Beta was certainly the Yang to Alpha’s Yin.
Again following the idea that participants must first be able to efficiently use themselves before adding outside resistance (Clubbells) Saturday was one of the longest days I’ve ever spent training. We learned more Biomechanical Exercises and put them together in more Kinetic Chains than would have seemed possible. To the credit of those in attendance the group was full of quick studies. I had the added benefit of being a ringer (having worked with Coach Sonnon since ’98 I was able to quickly pick up the exercises and find the easiest/most efficient means through them) so once I’d completed the exercise it was my job to assist those still working at it.
When we came close to lunch time on Saturday with more work to cover the majority proved their mustard and voted to press on until the work was done. By the end of that session however most of us were walking quite funny and wondering how we were going to climb out of bed the next day.
Saturday was difficult because we were working to get maximal relaxation and that is something to which we in modern society are completely foreign. So being that Saturday was working to maximal relaxation, (because that is the only way to get through Biomechanical Exercises efficiently) Sunday was a day of maximal tension. We were introduced to new ideas and ways of using our Clubbells (my favorite being Flag Position which still finds it’s way into most of my workouts) and Coach Sonnon demonstrated everything with impeccable form and precision in spite of coming off a strength depleting injury. He proved once again that movement always precedes strength (a lesson he never fails to teach when we grapple).
The beginnings of the CST client analysis showed themselves at the end of the seminar when individuals were paired and told to evaluate each other based on the principles presented over the course of the weekend and determine a training program that would ideally suit that individual. Again, my hat goes off to the Beta Cadre for not only surviving that weekend but out performing all expectations in your ability to perform and think critically well past fatigue.
CST Gamma
Between Beta and Gamma I had the joy of moving to the west coast to further my training under Coach Sonnon and more efficiently add to the CST tribe through my training and ideas into our continued evolution. So for this seminar I had the honor of getting to fly to Atlanta to assist in the presentation of the CST Gamma Cadre Certification Seminar.
I arrived early and began to scope out the lobby of the hotel for anyone looking like they were carrying an especially heavy bag. Some familiar faces rolled in from Beta as I saw Jack Myers towering over a table in the lobby working on his laptop. I got to have a few good meals and even better conversations with Michael Gannon (CST Alpha, Gamma, and Delta) and we reminisced of the days of the old forum where he was ‘Michael55’ and I was ‘Bearcub.’
Training started first thing Friday night as I took everyone through a warm up kinetic to show the importance of combining individual exercises into combination routines for a synergistic training effect and get every part of them ready for the work that would come with the weekend. After we got the blood flowing Coach Sonnon presented a fine distillation of the principles underpinning CST to acclimate everyone to the vernacular and give them an idea of what they should expect from the weekend.
The mental and physical aspects of Alpha and Beta were brought together so seamlessly that it seemed like he’d had years rather than months to prepare this information.
Saturday started with a detailed joint study of the human body and the presentation of the latest steps in Coach Sonnon’s evolution of his Dynamic Range of Motion exercises. Every time an issue came up with a participants form it was brought to the group to determine the causes of the hindrance and the most efficient means of alleviating the problem. And this is where a major step was evident. The information had been distilled to the point where it could be presented in the context of client assessment leading to a never before seen level of personalized training. Coach Sonnon brought into the light the fact that we and our clients are not blank slates and our preexisting issues need to be addressed before we can safely commence training.
Along with simply sophisticated means of identifying and addressing a client’s issues Coach Sonnon presented detailed ways to understand your client’s subtle body language and words as ways of determining exactly what the problem is. And when the problems go beyond the scope of our expertise he flat out said that we are the ones liable for training someone who is likely to injure themselves. Needless to say, Saturday night found everyone wondering how they could be getting all this for the price paid. Over and over the caliber of training and teaching was praised as better than anything else available and the general feel of the crowd was enthusiastic and open.
Sunday morning I was sweating bullets because I knew that it rested on me to present Olympic Clubbell Sport and Anabolic Bruiser Conditioning workshops back to back first thing in the morning. First of all I’d like to say thanks again to those in attendance for your attention and willingness to learn. I presented the material that Coach Sonnon and I had mapped out to prepare for Olympic Clubbell Sport (the Most Grueling Strength Endurance Sport on the planet) during which the participants got a taste of actual OCS competition by competing in a half tournament; five minutes of Swipes and five minutes of Mills. The performance was nothing short of inspiring to see everyone there pushing beyond the perception of limits to see who they really were when things suck.
After this I got to share my baby with the world, presenting Anabolic Bruiser Conditioning with a live audience who were chomping at the bit to handle the heavier Clubbells. In short I developed the ABCs as a way of making the heavier Clubbells more accessible to everyone but I had no idea when I got started the potential that it holds for unique strength development and real functional hypertrophy. So I had the privilege of giving the guys a taste of something completely new and yet very old and then we got ready to open the grey matter to the meat of the weekend, program design, client assessment, and the principles which make CST the most comprehensive system of strength and conditioning in the world.
The day wrapped up with careful attention to group participation and accurate assessment of issues being big factors in determining who would be allowed to carry the title of CST Gamma. The feedback was amazing and the general consensus from those who had attended earlier seminars, was that they didn’t think that they’d be able to be blown out of the water yet again. Coach Sonnons method of continued evolution and sophistication of not only his material but his means of presenting the material ensures that you always get more than you pay for at one of his seminars.
CST Delta
So we’ve come to Delta force, held right here in my own backyard of Bellingham, Washington. Several new faces were present, along with many of those wanting to see the latest incarnation of the material. The Head Coaching staff was joined this time by the talents of Coaches Chomycia and Jones so that with the three of us circulating during the seminar and presenting the form for those close to see we were sure not to let any exercise slip by without knowing that all understood its application and performance.
Friday started with a whole body kinetic chain warm up with a similar emphasis as was present during Gamma. Giving everyone a taste of things to come we then settled in for further refinement of the material. Coach Jones and I assisted Coach Sonnon in demonstrating the six principles which set CST apart as the leader of strength and conditioning methodology.
Saturday found everyone eager to learn and we followed a variety of Dynamic Range of Motion exercises for each joint always with the emphasis of assessing and addressing issues and impediments. We learned the hard way that Clubbells are the worlds only hand held home gym learning and demonstrating exercises that train everything from the finger tips to the toes (and yes even the legs). The day ended with guidance into client assessment and still more tools for cleaning the dirty slates that we find in our practice.
Sunday morning we were shocked from our slumber by Coach Chomycia and his revolutionary ideas into Mobilized Strength (a means of using supported weight to aid in Dynamic Range of Motion practice) and Catch as Catch Can Clubbell swinging where by transferring the Clubbell from one hand to the next and releasing it and catching it in action you can dramatically increase your coordination and grip strength. Following this I shared the ABCs with an eager crowd and got to strut my stuff doing what I love best. And then Coach Jones ran everyone through a hellish half test of the OCS competition lifts after going into the details of form which separate Performance and Technical variants of the Swipe and Mill.
Next came a beginning into program design where we discussed my upcoming release, the Core Cadre Curriculum a program design manual that allows for continued sophistication of strength along with increased GPP. After lunch it was straight to the client assessment tests where everyone was eager to prove that they knew what it took to help their clients. We met several interesting issues and plenty of over-trainees (something of a common theme among seminar attendees). The seminar ended happily with several permanent additions to the Head Coaching Staff and quite a few new CST certified instructors. Congratulations guys, you earned it.
I think one of the biggest parallels to the continued evolution of CST as a school is the evolution of the practitioners. At Alpha everyone present could barely handle the 15’s through all exercises and know just a year later many of us are working the Bruisers through one handed ranges of motion that we had earlier speculated would take decades to reach. There is something amazing to be said about the combination of efficient training methods coupled with three-dimensional resistance. I can say this without hesitation; Clubbells and CST are simply the most efficient means of increasing every desirable attribute of human expression. This has been proven to me by the past year of training and it will be proven to you at your first CST Certification Seminar.
I hope this gives you a good idea of what you can find at a CST Cert. Seminar and I sincerely hope to see you at the next one.
In faith,
Doug Szolek, CST Head Coach (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta)