Bullet-Proof Abs vs. Be Breathed

[bsolomon]

I would appreciate opinions from people on the benefits of Coach Sonnon's Be Breathed program as compared to Pavel's Bullet-Proof Abs program (janda situps, evil wheel, suitcase deadlifts, etc.).

After trying both, my general impression is that Bullet-Proof Abs is better for maximal strength and Be Breathed is better for strength-endurance and full range of motion (i.e. flexion & extension). Also the armor vs. agility distinction comes to mind.

Thanks in advance,
Bill Solomon

[Scott Sonnon]

Joint Mobility vs. Joint Stabilization
Performance Breathing vs. Power Breathing
Agility vs. Armor

[bsolomon]

Thanks Coach Sonnon. Any other personal experiences would be much appreciated.

My history: 20 years of back problems originating from a compression fracture in college. Recently, I've experienced dramatic recovery from Warrior Wellness drills and strenghening exercises such as jandas, swiss ball crunches, and the "evil". wheel. I can now do ballistic movements such as KB swings & snatches, and CBs with no problems.

My goals: I would like to see continued improvement with my back so that I can do heavy deadlifts pain free. Overall strength is a higher priority to me than joint mobility/flexibility. I'm also not concerned about hypertrophy (i.e. having a "6-pack".

Thanks in advance,
Bill

[bsolomon]

I forgot to mention that I'm trying to figure out whether to alternate days of jandas and evil wheels with the Be Breathed program, to do both programs on the same day, or to alternate cycles of 4-6 weeks (do Be Breathed for a month, then do jandas for a month).

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Scott Sonnon]

Bill,

What are your goals with Be Breathed?

How did you originally injure your back? How is your recovery from your rotator cuff injury?

[bsolomon]

Coach Sonnon:

Thanks for asking. The shoulder is doing much better now. Things that have helped: shoulder circles twice daily and side press with barbell. Every few days: arm pit casts, shield casts, and lateral pendulums with 2 10s or 15s. Also focusing on keeping the shoulder down and back, as well as shoulder dislocates with a towel. Had some discomfort with Screwing Arms and Shoulder to Wrist Wave for some reason. Lots of loud shoulder popping with the latter. Chinups also seem to help.

How my back was originally injured: I fell 15 feet and landed on my tailbone in 1987. Vertebra was partially crushed halfway up my back but no disc damage. Have done therapy on my own since then (Egoscue mainly) but nothing helped much until I discovered Pavel's Bullet-Proof Abs about a year ago, which helped tremendously. That's also how I heard about CST. I began doing Warrior Wellness twice daily which also helped a lot, and I began training with CBs as well (arm pit cast, shield cast, lateral pendulums, clean to order, & parry).

Goals with Be Breathed: My hope is that Be Breathed will complement the Bullet-Proof Abs & Warrior Wellness programs to protect my back against injuries and allow me to build strength and stability for deadlifts and KB exercises.

On the spectrum of mobility to stability, it seems to me that Warrior Wellness is on the far end of the mobility spectrum. Bullet-Proof Abs is on the far end of the stability side, and Be Breathed is halfway in the middle. Therefore it seems to me that an exercise that stresses mobility and stability at the same time (a balanced approach) would be highly beneficial. On the other hand, it may be completely unnecessary since I'm already getting strenth and mobility with Bullet-Proof Abs and Warrior Wellness, respectively.

Thanks in advance for any feedback,
Bill

[Scott Sonnon]

How did you originally injure your shoulder, and when? Discomfort in the Arm Screw and Arm Waves indicates that you have not yet healed the trauma. Can you describe where in the movements you feel discomfort and how intensely?

When do you feel pain in your back, during what activities? Can you describe the sensation during these aggrivations? How is your performance in the Warrior Wellness thoracic mobility exercises? Get into DL position and perform these exercises and report back with your experiences.

What is your purpose in heavy DL'ing? What's your current cycle, load and schedule comprise?

[bsolomon]

Coach Sonnon:

Thanks again for your help.

The injury to my right shoulder originated in college (late '80s) and continued after years of continued bench pressing, which used to be the staple of my workouts (not anymore of course). I used to successfully alleviate the pain somewhat by beginning my workouts with upright rows, but even that technique didn't work after a while. The pain was always on the front part of my right delt. When not exercising, I mainly experienced pain when lifting objects directly in front of me, such as when raising a milk jug to the top shelf of the refrigerator.

Even though my shoulder is much better now, I still experience moderate discomfort (in the frontal area of my right delt) with the arm screw when I "screw down" with the arm that's facing backwards. With the Shoulder to Wrist Wave, I hear a fairly loud pop in the rear side of my right delt at the very top of the movement, which eventually causes mild discomfort in the front of the right delt.

As an afterthought, I also tweaked my left shoulder recently at the top of a wall chinup when pulling myself forward over the wall after clearing it vertically with my chin. The whole shoulder felt very strange with a dull pain that I hadn't experienced before throughout the entire deltoid region. The pain went away after a few days but I haven't done wall pullups since, and I try to always keep my shoulders down and back when doing chins or pullups now. Regarding my left shoulder, I separated it twice in the mid 80s but it generally doesn't give me near as much trouble as my right shoulder does.

Even though my back is also in much less pain, a couple of exercises still aggravate it, the first being the Warrior Wellness beginner level hip flexion where I reach backward and between my legs while allowing my back to round. At the bottom of the movement I feel a sharp pain in the upper lumbar region just to the left of the spinal chord, and the sensation feels like something in my spine will strain or pop if I don't stop. I don't experience this pain if I keep my back straight or slightly arched and my head up at the bottom of the movement.

Deadlifts also cause the same pain, especially at full or extended range. Even a light weight such as 100 lbs brings pain after a few reps. On the other hand, ballistic movements such as swings with the 88 lb KB don't bother me at all.

Regarding the other Warrior Wellness thoracic exercises, the Saxon side bend occasionally causes pain in the same region, but I'm going much deeper and doing higher reps than I used to.

You asked me what is my purpose in heavy DL'ing. No great reason except full-body functional strength. I'd like to be able to lift all 4 of my kids at the same time, carry my wife so she's light as a feather, pick up heavy yard equipment without injuring myself, and other practical stuff like that. I do front KB squats for basically the same reason.

Thanks again for all the help, and sorry for the long post!
Bill

[Scott Sonnon]

Bill,

You need to heal... fully. You can't work around these injuries. They will only relapse later, and much worse. If you want true "functional" strength, and the longevity to apply it pain free, then you need to heal.

I cannot give you training guidance in the way that you request it, because increasing your training load or continuing with the manner in which you're currently training without first totally resolving your preconditions will only reinforce and worsen them.

[bsolomon]

Coach Sonnon,

It is true that my highest priority is to resolve these preconditions and experience complete healing so I can train for the rest of my life without future flare-ups. But I'm confused because I thought I was already engaged in the healing process with my back & shoulder:

With my back, joint mobility and stabilization exercises for the abs, obliques, and lower back. Ballistic drills for injury prevention and simulation of real world activities. Be Breathed because you said it helped with your back recovery.

For the shoulder, mobility drills to lengthen/stretch the overworked/shortened internal rotators & related soft tissue, and stabilization exercises such as side press & arm pit cast to strengthen the shoulder girdle (armpit muscles), and external rotators.

I would be extremely grateful for any advice on taking a different approach! I'm very familiar with Warrior Wellness, Be Breathed, & Clubbell tapes but I haven't read any of your other work except through a few visits to this forum.

Thanks again!
Bill

[JamesLinn]

I would appreciate opinions from people on the benefits of Coach Sonnon's Be Breathed™ program as compared to Pavel's Bullet-Proof Abs program (janda situps, evil wheel, suitcase deadlifts, etc.).


Hi Bill,
I have both programs and while I feel Pavel's Bullet-proof abs is very useful for ab development, Be Breathed is just a much more comprehensive program.

Be Breathed can be done anywhere, anytime, literally. I also feel that
Be Breathed is the corner stone of all CST training.

The order that I came to CST was this:
BodyFlow [Book and then tape set]
Warrior Wellness [three tapes]
Fisticuffs [Prime your bio Energy]
Clubbells [15 lbs]
Be Breathed

I think a better chronology would have been:
Be Breathed and Warrior Wellness together
Clubbells
Fisticuffs [priming your bio energy]
BodyFlow

I was floored by the jump in my performance after practicing Be Breathed. I have some breathing issues, and Be Breathed helps me to lengthen my "control pause"

One thing I added though, is a rising shin box on the trunk twists.

Another thing that is amazing, is to see Coach Sonnon talk through the whole tape while he's doing the routine. His voice never changes or sounds pressured. The man is a phenom!!!

Be Breathed is another piece in the giant mandelbrot that is CST.

Hope this helps,
James Linn

[bsolomon]

Coach Sonnon,

I was hoping you'd respond since your last post left me confused and concerned.

You stated that I have serious injuries that probably will resurface at some point if I continue with my current training, which is probably doing more harm than good. Yet my current training consists mostly of exercises prescribed by your program (Warrior Wellness, CBs, and Be Breathed), and I thought that those exercises were supposed to heal me up.

Does this mean that my shoulder and back issues are beyond treatment with CST and that I need to look elsewhere? Or have I misunderstood you completely?

Thanks, and sorry for any misunderstanding.
Bill

[Scott Sonnon]

Bill,

You'd need to drop all conventional strength training, dedicate yourself to CST (including the Performance Nutrition component) until you resolve your conditions. I suspect it would require 8 to 16 weeks. If you want me to help, I'd be willing to point you in the right direction to get you started. If not, you can sign up for a consultation, and I'll design you a program and follow your progress.

[bsolomon]

Coach Sonnon,

I would very much appreciate it if you would point me in the right direction or help design a program for me to follow, thanks.

Bill

[bsolomon]

Coach Sonnon, should I inititate this process or just sit tight?

Thanks.

[Scott Sonnon]

Let's move this to the program design section. I'm a bit bogged right now with CST Epsilon, the filming of two new DVDs and the new website, so thanks for your patience.

[bsolomon]

Stupid question: Can someone tell me where the "program design" section can be found? I can't seem to find it. Thanks!

[JasonE]

http://circularstrengthmag.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=17