Help - ? to start - 5MM, WW, BB, BF, Z?

[seanb]

Found RMAX thanks to Scrapper and his articles/posts about Coach Sonnon in MMA.tv.

The breadth of the information Coach Sonnon offers is staggering, because all of the programs either build off of one another, or are a refinement-addition to previous work. I have searched the forums to find an answer to the following question, and the answer I keep cming up with is "That depends":

What program do I start with?Body Flow? 5 minute miracle? Warrior Wellness? Be Breathed? Zdorovye?

I am a 31 yo male, 6'4, 280lbs. I was diagnosed w/ diabetes 2 years ago and lost 100lbs through diet/blood sugar meds and light exercise. (walking, playing ball 2x a week). Now I study Dogbrothers (stickfighting) 2x a week and do (the best I can) Scrappers Mod 1 1-2x a week. I plan on adding Taku's interval 1x a week starting next week.

Primary goal - health (lose weight, get off meds, feelin better, )
Secondary goal - flexibility, strength
Tertiary goal - improve stickfighting (resulting from above), system I can take anywhere due to job-related travel

So, could anyone suggest a critical path (which programs in which order) that they would suggest?

Thanks guys.

[Lee]

Hi Sean! Be glad you found this site there is plenty of good info.

Congrats on the weight loss! Looks like you have a pretty good start on your phisical conditioning. You have some 'alive' training and some general conditioning, so you are moving in the right direction.

Honestly you can start anywhere in the CST system. All of the pieces overlap and work together to take you towards the same goal. Whatever interests you the most will be a fine place to start.

That said, I would recommend Warrior Wellness as a good place to start that would allow you to begin to address your joint mobility and joint strength, which you are not specifically working in your current program. Many people are not even familiar with the concept of joint mobility, but it is VITAL to maintaing your bodies healthy movement and preventing and recovering from injuries. The program is well laid out and easy to follow and takes about 20 min to do.

The Body Flow book is good reading too for insight and inspiration. The movements may take time to learn, but they will pay off.

Basically find something you like, order it, read the forum, and actually explore the ideas for your self, and talk to others about it. Then repeat the process!

[rbibbs]

Welcome Sean. I agree with Lee, WW is central to CST. It goes from moving linearly through your range to moving circularly, to neurologically complex patterns. It helps explore range, tension, strengths, weaknesses. Development, maintenance, and diagnostic tool.

Example: I got enough flexibility back in my knees to pursue BJJ; the circular motion allowed me to do resistance training without linear strains (like bicep tendons), and led to Clubbells and some strength increases (and reapportioning of body mass) I would not have expected at my age and body-type.

Read some of the topics and get the feel of the place, what some people are doing toward their goals. Yours sound good, and your "goal tree" will grow some specific branches as you go.

There's a tendency to "throw one's self into" exercise on the theory that "more is better". Up to a point it is. I'd caution that, taking on too much over too short a period of time can produce frustrating setbacks... times you can be forced by overuse to stop training. Almost everyone discovers "where the wall is" by running into it. I can't tell you where yours is, just that it's out there, be on the lookout for it. The most general guideline is: your training should produce performance increases; if you find your performance declining, short-term during an exercise, or long-term cumulatively (not recovering from the last session by the time the next comes around), there is a stack of bricks lurking nearby... slow down some.

[seanb]

Thanks to both of you.

I am working now to create that balance between work, life, family and health. Ignoring that balance and putting it off is why I ended up ovrweight and with a incurable but avoidable disease.

I am trying to keep the goals realistic but aggressive. I am taking things slow to make sure I get results while managing risk of injury, but I also want to expand my knowledge as well as the variety in how I "get there". I dont want to overdo it, but I want to be back where I was in High School and College - doing something physical every day.

I keep adding to my routine - first it was walking, then basketball, then stickfighting... now I am doing Scrappers and soon Warrior Wellness.

Thanks again guys.

-Sean