Unleashing Your War Machine UPDATED 22 OCT 03

[J.H. Myers Jr.]

Hello Everyone:

Welcome to Unleashing Your War Machine.

You don't have to be a martial artist or soldier to use these drills, but if you do them enough, you'll start to share some of the physcial attributes of both. Things like incredible coordination, flexiblity, explosive strength and increased speed. This kind of training is great for hitting power, and high torque grappling bone crushability. It is also just as good for shedding unwanted pounds and replacing it with lean muscle. When ordinary people take it on themselves to train in this manner, the results are impressive and rapid.

Advanced athletes can use this kind of training to find new and higher levels of sophistication and physical/mental demands to place upon themselves.

Combining these tools is also a great benefit to health. Forget the term fitness, it's not very specific for our needs. But health and strength, they can be measured, and they are what you will get. My goal is help you become, an Agile Strongman or Strongwoman.

Within this thread I will be posting my combination training method for Clubbells, Kettlebells and Body Flow all in one workout. Along with ideas and training examples to help accelerate clubbell, kettlebell and body flow training.

Your feedback and comments are very welcome and appreciated.

This is the War Machine

[Scott Sonnon]

Great introduction, Jack. Sure to be a spellbinding program of result-producing potency :!:

[J.H. Myers Jr.]

Thanks Coach, much appreciated. My goal is to help anyone who comes here take their training to a new level.

Here is a focused program for the one legged squat, or Pistol as it's called in kettlebell training. If you cannot do a pistol, or are just starting to get it, as I am. This routine will get you moving in the right direction - success! Steve Cotter can pistol all day. You can't know Steve and not want to master this exercise. My legs are 3 feet 2 inches long, so for me, like everything else it's the systematic approach thats serves best.

I do the following, and will continue it until I win the battle and become the 6'8 version of Steve Cotter, or at least the best "Pistolero" in my height class. Steve is tough to top, he's damn good.

I do the following:

Exercise One:

Sit down on one leg very slow, braced and all, roll back, stand up on both legs. Repeat Ten times for a set on each leg. 3 Sets.

Two:

Heavier than I can handle or do KB Pistols - Negatives only, with strict form. 3 Sets of Three reps.

Three:

Grab a lighter bell and try proper pistols. Some days I grab a chair and do half pistols.

Four:

Repeat Step one and I'm done.

In very little time, I have gotten up to a 1 Pood Pistol of equal ability on each leg.

For Active rest, inbetween each set of pistol and assistance pistol training I will do Two Clubbell Swipes for twenty reps or more, sometimes with a squat/dip, sometimes without.

When I am done, I will pick one bodyflow exercise and work it across the floor in linear fashion. A kind of meditation motion.

Joint mobility warm down that day or next morning is advised.

This is not a pure war machine style routine, but pistols are demanding and until you are expert, they demand stand alone training.

All in all, this is a very valuable skill to have for anyone in the MA or who just wants incredibly focused leg power.

Jack.

[J.H. Myers Jr.]

War Machine Stationary Drill

Beginner Level

Combo One

- 10 Kettlebell Snatches
- 20 Clubbell Swipes
- 15 Quad Hops (Like a push up, not in motion)

Repeat 3 Times/Rest One Minute.

Then...

Combo Two

- 5 KB MPs
- 12 CB Romali
- Negative Portion Only Pistols (with or without a KB)
- Squat Creeps

Repeat 3 Times Rest One Minute.

Back to combo set one

How many times can you repeat the full cycle.

Go from drill to drill. Only rest after you have completed all exercises in a given combo. When you go from CB to KB or to BF, do so quickly, smoothly and with as little down time as possible. Keep a martial emphasis on strict, hard, directed training.

[Doug Szolek]

Wondering if the name of this cycle has anything to do with the Iron Man spin off comic War Machine or am I just too much of a comic book nerd. In anycase from the looks of this, the trainee would put to shame any machinery enhanced comic hero in just a matter of weeks 8) .

Sweet program Jack,
Coach Szolek

[J.H. Myers Jr.]

Thanks Coach.

The concept for War Machine is that the ultimate performance machine on the planet is YOU the person doing the workout. But I like the comic book tie in thing too, big fan of comics too. The Red Star is my favorite, I'm even featured in issue #2 with a customer comment Yipppeee, immortalized.

[J.H. Myers Jr.]

War Machine For Today:

Kettlebell at your feet/CB on the ground far far away. (about 15 quad hops away is good)

50 Hvy KB Swings (functional activation of you) aka warmup.

Next the Circuit.

10 KB Snatches

Hold KB by horns to chest - Side Step in low crouch to CB

15 CB Swipes per arm

Quad Hop in Place, immediately Hop forward, Hop in Place, immediately hop forward and so on. Called Double Quad Hops. Back to KB.

(retrieve KB) and then 10 Snatch, Clean, Squats Combo Exercise per arm
Double Quad Hops to CB

20 Hydra Per Arm

Standing Knees to shoulders Hop back to KB

20 Swings

Done.