A Couple Hours with Joel Seymour, CST

[Coach Gostnell]

On January 3rd, while in Seattle, I had the good fortune to get in a visit with CST Instructor, Joel Seymour, an opportunity no one should miss if the chance arises.

Joel's had a lot going on of late, even more than the hectic living that's become the norm for many of us, so first off, I appreciate him making the time. We zipped down to his studio which is not far from where he lives and where I was staying, where two of his friends also arrived in short order.

The three of us were the "crash test dummies" for some new material and routines that Joel is working on, with an eye towards his Wednesday night class among other things.

Since its Joel's baby, I'll leave it to him to unveil any details if and when he's ready; it's enough to say I had a great workout and a great time. I'll also mention that the intelligent way this workout is crafted enables people of various abilities to work at whatever level best suits them, get the full benefit, and make measurable progress. CST principles prevail throughout.

The space considerations of his studio means group sizes must be limited but Joel prefers small classes and keeping a close eye on his students, so that works; even though the space isn't huge, it's fully equipped with clubbells, Kettlebells, sandbags, mats, and so on.

If you're ever in Seattle with time to spare, try to get with Joel and treat yourself to the benefit of his knowledge, experience and passion for excellence.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

coach gostnell, it's all very hush hush. secret stuff.

for that reason alone, MUST HAVE IT!

glad you had a good time. seattle is a nice place.

thanks

[Jarlo Ilano]

Joel is a great trainer and very passionate about strength!

[joelsey]

Give up the "special sauce"? Of course I will, but you may have to wait until the next RMAX Magazine, lest Coach Murdock lead his team of Ninjas to take back the information!

This class has been in the works for months, and is a combination of my experiences with different training protocols. I've drawn on 4X7, Six Degress of Movements, 3X3, planes of motion, etc., and joined them with basic tenents of old school strength training, namely heavy compound movements.

It's an interval based class with "homework" for each student. It stresses strength to strength-endurance. Think "twenty rep squat" kinda strength, rather than one rep max strength.

So far, feedback has been copius and promising, and the class is due to start in 2-3 weeks.

I only wish that Coach Gostnell was closer, as she adapted to the class immediately, completed it (dare I say SMOKED IT!) and had juice left over for some lessons with the Turkish Getup!

Coach Gostnell, it was an honor to train with you. I thank you and Coach Ilano, my mentor, for the kind words, support and inspiration.

Joel

[lorenzodamarith]

Give up the "special sauce"? Of course I will, but you may have to wait until the next RMAX Magazine, lest Coach Murdock lead his team of Ninjas to take back the information!

hello,

joelsey... fear the ninjas...

one question though. copius? what is this?

thanks

[Coach Flanagan]

Copious;

1 a: yielding something abundantly <a copious harvest> <copious springs> b: plentiful in number <copious references to other writers>2 a: full of thought, information, or matter b: profuse or exuberant in words, expression, or style <a copious talker>3: present in large quantity : taking place on a large scale <copious weeping> <copious food and drink>

[lorenzodamarith]

Copious

hello,

ah. got it coach flanagan. it was a typo. simply failed to add the missing letter... you know... like any fifth grader could have...

thanks

[Garth Lynch]

I had the good fortune of working with Joel Seymour at his private gym for a one-hour session on Tuesday 17 FEB 2009. Joel generously made room in his schedule to allow time for me. He also accomodated my request to put me through some of the paces of the new physical requirements for CST instructors.

Joel not only helped me with technical pointers to make my movements more efficient, he also have me guidance on pacing to achieve the time requirements.

We started with an Intu-Flow warmup, wherein he helped me work out some hitches that I hadn't noticed. Proceeding to FlowFit®, he gave me a refresher on the level three exercises and their sequence. Then he timed me for a few circuits. Continuing to TBF, he timed me for 100 swipes. Afterward, he offered some good suggestions for efficiency that would help me perform a high volume of repetitions, even when already tired. He then took a look at my form (or lack thereof) in mills and hammer swings.

I needed a push to get back into CST, not an excuse to burn out, so I declined his offer to actually complete the TBF. All in all, Joel gave me exactly the kick in the pants I needed to get back in the saddle of CST practice and training. I recommend that anyone in the Seattle area interested in improving his strength and health to give Joel a call. He can be contacted through his website: http://www.seattlecst.com/mystory.php

Sincerely,

Garth Lynch