IGX

Yes, I plunked down the cash for this. ( CK-FMS )
I will be working with a Physician in a facility and figured a standardized test for clients would be good. I've also spoken to Dave Randolph about this since he attended this course and appears in the DVD along with many other Dragon Door luminaries such as Pavel, Doc Cheng, Brett Jones, Rif, Andrea, Dane of Pain, Dave Whitley.

Gray Cook is VERY entertaining. My feeling is,, the whole video should have been devoted to him. Brett has some good points, but the energy dies when he is on camera. I'm well aware of Brett's skills, education, and prowess. I'm just saying, on camera.. Let Gray speak.

The screen itself is very interesting but the organization of this material could have been better. It was a lot of material and could have been done in 5 jam packed discs for about 180 bucks.

Pro's- Gray's deciphering of the human body and how it compensates is brilliant. The screen is simple. It is not the be all, end all, but really simple and gives a lot of bang for the buck.

Con's- The first disc is long, the rest are shorter as per the DD style. Organization could have been better. Lots of wasted time. Film quality was good, camera man had a rough time catching everything and made a few mistakes. Not too bad.

Suggestions- Let Gray do his own discs. Pavel should do a Corrective KB DVD which expands on Resilient to include his PNF material, the FMS and his personal take of Z-Health. Pavel's strength is that he communicates others material better than the person he got it from.

Oddities-( Except for the elite, Pavel, Rif, Cheng, Dane, Dave Randolph),, many of this crew looked like average out of shape middle aged yuppies. If they showed up at your door and said, "I'm your trainer!", I'd have a hard time believing. They may snatch the 44 kilo 300 times, but the average Boca Raton Yoga Milf looks WAY fitter. Hint,... it's about the calories. They are balls of iron and not blow torches.

Now if you don't want to spend huge money on this series. (versus spending it on food)

1. Understand Jon Hines progression of Alignment, Stability, Strength, Power. His templates cover this on www.Monkeybargym.com
2. Do Jumpstretch ala Hartzell
3. Alternate with Maxwell's 20 minute recharge and mobility
4. Do Tom's magic seven, some of which were covered in the CK FMS dvd's. Do them lightly and perfectly. It will cure you.
Here they are.
-1.One legged deadlift contralateral
-2.Armbar to TGU to Windmill. ( look for Gray's Titleist clip on the TGU part )
-3.Press from kneeling and half kneeling. (half kneeling is one foot up, VERY narrow base,, almost in line). Hip must not fold. Glute is locked, no wobbling.
-4.KB toe touch to squat
-5.Ov SQ with Pvc then dislocates with same.
-6.Renegade Row or one armed, one legged planks
-7.Hip Flexor plus ( with kbell in hack position )
These are not about strength,, but perfect form.

Any questions, please ask.

How far beyond Athletic Bodies in Motion is it? Is the material more general in nature or more KB specific?

Tom, thanks a lot for all of that.

If you have links (videos/articles) to the things you mentioned that you have easily accessible/retrievable, any more on your money-saving advice would be greatly appreciated.

Gray said that Athletic Bodies was a condensed version of his 7 steps. Gray is really good and enjoyable to listen to. 90% of the other stuff is annoying. I'm really not knocking it in the sense that it was hard to organize this material.
It should have been organized thus.

DVD completely covering 2 or 3 of the tests. Less repetition.
Corrective Band Drills
Corrective Stretches
Corrective KB Drills

Don't reduntantly sell Secrets of the Knee, etc.. AND this package, AND Kalos Sthenos.

Do the drills I outlined and you'll be fine. That's until I unleash "Malayan Yoga" -- Martial Moves for Mobility and Durability. Then you'll have to buy that.

TomFurman wrote:Gray said that Athletic Bodies was a condensed version of his 7 steps. Gray is really good and enjoyable to listen to. 90% of the other stuff is annoying.

If Athletic Bodies is the condensed version, what's the full version? The CK-FMS DVDs?

I'm a little confused by your description of the discs. Did Cook cover all the movements in the FMS or is this still incomplete?

TomFurman wrote:)

4. Do Tom's magic seven, some of which were covered in the CK FMS dvd's. Do them lightly and perfectly. It will cure you.
Here they are.
-3.Press from kneeling and half kneeling. (half kneeling is one foot up, VERY narrow base,, almost in line). Hip must not fold. Glute is locked, no wobbling.

-7.Hip Flexor plus ( with kbell in hack position )


Any questions, please ask.

4. what are the magic 7?
3. what is the purpose? Balance? kneepads?
7. what?

aptdwler wrote:

TomFurman wrote:)

4. Do Tom's magic seven, some of which were covered in the CK FMS dvd's. Do them lightly and perfectly. It will cure you.
Here they are.
-3.Press from kneeling and half kneeling. (half kneeling is one foot up, VERY narrow base,, almost in line). Hip must not fold. Glute is locked, no wobbling.

-7.Hip Flexor plus ( with kbell in hack position )


Any questions, please ask.

4. what are the magic 7?
3. what is the purpose? Balance? kneepads?
7. what?

TomFurman wrote:4. Do Tom's magic seven, some of which were covered in the CK FMS dvd's. Do them lightly and perfectly. It will cure you.
Here they are.
-1.One legged deadlift contralateral
-2.Armbar to TGU to Windmill. ( look for Gray's Titleist clip on the TGU part )
-3.Press from kneeling and half kneeling. (half kneeling is one foot up, VERY narrow base,, almost in line). Hip must not fold. Glute is locked, no wobbling.
-4.KB toe touch to squat
-5.Ov SQ with Pvc then dislocates with same.
-6.Renegade Row or one armed, one legged planks
-7.Hip Flexor plus ( with kbell in hack position )
These are not about strength,, but perfect form.

Any questions, please ask.

Mickey,
I caught that the magic seven were in Tom's post.

I'm curious as to where one can find descriptions/demos of how to do them perfectly, as that is stated to be of utmost importance.

Personally, I'm working on making a general class to teach at some local gyms (a weekly thing, where people could learn it and do it at home or come to every week if they choose) to work on back & neck pain through posture and exercise, so I have a keen interest in what Tom is presenting.

For example, "kneeling" could mean a range of positions, and it sounds like the specific kneeling position Tom mentions is important to the exercise. I'd like to do it right the first time.

Resident Quack wrote:Mickey,
I caught that the magic seven were in Tom's post.

I'm curious as to where one can find descriptions/demos of how to do them perfectly, as that is stated to be of utmost importance.

Personally, I'm working on making a general class to teach at some local gyms (a weekly thing, where people could learn it and do it at home or come to every week if they choose) to work on back & neck pain through posture and exercise, so I have a keen interest in what Tom is presenting.

For example, "kneeling" could mean a range of positions, and it sounds like the specific kneeling position Tom mentions is important to the exercise. I'd like to do it right the first time.

Gotcha. My bad.

No worries! I'm just a stickler for doing things right, it seems like Tom has good feedback from IGxers, and I am very interested in what he's proposing.

Since the chance of me buying the CK-FMS videos is a snowball's chance in hell, and I have a pretty darn good grasp of rehab/prehab exercise, a little description or video can go a long way...but things like "hip flexor plus" don't mean a whole lot taken out of context...

Dave Chesser wrote:

TomFurman wrote:Gray said that Athletic Bodies was a condensed version of his 7 steps. Gray is really good and enjoyable to listen to. 90% of the other stuff is annoying.

If Athletic Bodies is the condensed version, what's the full version? The CK-FMS DVDs?

I'm a little confused by your description of the discs. Did Cook cover all the movements in the FMS or is this still incomplete?

1.Full version is seven steps.
2.The dvd's jumped around from testing to lab work (field and gym floor stuff), to corrective strategies, and back and forth. This needed better organization.
3. I had wished that MOST of the corrective strategies would have been kettlebell centric, and not the bands. Hence CK FMS and not just FMS.

aptdwler wrote:

TomFurman wrote:)

4. Do Tom's magic seven, some of which were covered in the CK FMS dvd's. Do them lightly and perfectly. It will cure you.
Here they are.
-3.Press from kneeling and half kneeling. (half kneeling is one foot up, VERY narrow base,, almost in line). Hip must not fold. Glute is locked, no wobbling.

-7.Hip Flexor plus ( with kbell in hack position )


Any questions, please ask.

4. what are the magic 7?
3. what is the purpose? Balance? kneepads?
7. what?

A- As Mick listed. I made them up from FMS dvd's and other ideas.
B- Rotational strength, glutes firing, hip flexor issues, etc. etc. Use a padded area if you must. Silat guys are tough (dumb) and use cement.
C-Hip Flexor plus. Lunge position, bolt upright, kb held in both hands behind the back like being cuffed. Rock in and out slowly to stretch and train your hip flexor to release. Focus on tightening the same side glute, sighing for relaxation, and various PNF and Activate! strategeries.

You could substitute YRG or any yoga for the Maxwell Recharge as well.
D- Last point, just do what I say! LOL

Press from half-kneeling: done with 2 KBs, one KB done on both sides, or one KB on front or back leg? When you say narrow base, I understand the straight line idea, is the lunge stance anterior-posterior pretty normal (ie. ankle under knee or slightly behind)?

Yes, lunge is 90 and 90 degrees. Press ONE kettlebell. Try each side and note the difference. Have someone watching if you can to tell you if you lean, wobble, break at the hips, etc.

These drills are good to show if something is off. Imagine pressing the 106lber but having a back ache the next day. Gray says that performance can alway mask the compensation and great athletes are great compensators. We've all seen a world class jock walking with an odd gait or posture. Then on the field, he's magic,,,,, until something happens. These assessments help target that. A tool, not a magic wand.

I'm new to Hartzell's JS routines, when you talk about doing that, is there a general routine you're referring to? I know most (if not all) of it is on YouTube, I just need some keywords to find the one you're suggesting.

Regarding the Steve Maxwell stuff, did you mean his Daily Dozen, or is there a DVD or article link? I couldn't find a DVD by that description on his site other than the Encyclopedia of JM...

(look for Gray's Titleist clip on the TGU part )

I'm assuming that you mean this is on the CK-FMS DVD? Is there an important point to be gained here?

KB toe touch to squat...seems pretty self-explanatory, but would you mind describing in slightly more detail?

TIA, Tom.

Did my best looking through the MBG articles, couldn't find the templates you mentioned? Not that those concepts are foreign to me in any way, just wanted to see if that was all put together anywhere more specific than here.

Resident Quack wrote:I'm new to Hartzell's JS routines, when you talk about doing that, is there a general routine you're referring to? I know most (if not all) of it is on YouTube, I just need some keywords to find the one you're suggesting.

Look at all of his stuff on youtube, and he also sends you a little brochure with flexibility and strength movements when you order his bands.

Resident Quack wrote:I'm new to Hartzell's JS routines, when you talk about doing that, is there a general routine you're referring to? I know most (if not all) of it is on YouTube, I just need some keywords to find the one you're suggesting.

Regarding the Steve Maxwell stuff, did you mean his Daily Dozen, or is there a DVD or article link? I couldn't find a DVD by that description on his site other than the Encyclopedia of JM...

(look for Gray's Titleist clip on the TGU part )

I'm assuming that you mean this is on the CK-FMS DVD? Is there an important point to be gained here?

KB toe touch to squat...seems pretty self-explanatory, but would you mind describing in slightly more detail?

TIA, Tom.

Hartzell
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=193126

I couldn't find Steve's Joint Mobility & Recharge dvd. He may have quit selling it since he came out with his JM Encyclopedia dvd.
http://www.budovideos.com/shop/customer ... ctid=25975

I have both but like the JM & Recharge dvd better than the encyclopedia only because I can follow along with the Recharge dvd and be done in 20:00 or less. The encyclopedia is great but is so in depth that it takes a while to go through. I've only been through part of Disc 1. If you take the time to go through the whole thing and pick 4 or 5 movements for each body part I'm sure you would have a very very nice jm routine. Also, Steve's section on "The Boys Are Back In Town" dvds is very good as well. It's joint mobility as well.

TomFurman wrote:1.Full version is seven steps.
2.The dvd's jumped around from testing to lab work (field and gym floor stuff), to corrective strategies, and back and forth. This needed better organization.
3. I had wished that MOST of the corrective strategies would have been kettlebell centric, and not the bands. Hence CK FMS and not just FMS.

1. Well i figured that but I was wondering which of Cook's products was the "full version" if any. Sounds like all his DVDs are piecemeal. Very good marketing strategy for him I guess but confusing for customers.
2. That's not good. Sounds very unorganized and maybe frustrating. And at that price? No way.
3. So most of the strategies ARE NOT Kb centric? What's the point then?

The price puts me off but I've been looking at this set for a while. From your description, I think I'll pass.

Would another of his DVDs give better bang for the buck? I heard that the Athletic Bodies DVD was substandard home video quality.

Dave, this may be a better purchase.
http://www.beyondstrong.com/shafsblog/2 ... views.html

Remember, I'm not knocking Gray, who is an incredible source. I know Brett, I did RKC with him back in the day. In person he is relaxed and funny. His delivery is a bit of "party line" tough guy. I always get this feeling there is this "victims, punishment, a punch can be arranged, military" component to all RKC stuff. I think attendee's would be better served to get the best communication and delivery from US, the service personnel they pay to see. That's why I'd rather have Gray do a series alone.
--Tom

Yeah I like Cook's stuff a lot too. But i think I'll stick with Athletic Bodies for now. There's a lot in there, probably enough for me for now. The CK-FMS set sounds overpriced. But we'll see what other people say about it.

they shot the entire weekend. so I assume they put the dvd's together in the order they were shot.
It was a LOTof material. I learned a lot and I enjoyed it

However I did not/have not taken the official test.

WHat I have found is that I can tell most of what the screen shows, if not all, just by watching someone walk, squat, do an inline lunge and a 1 legged dl.

I didnt know I was one the DVD.I havent seen them.

Dave wrote:they shot the entire weekend. so I assume they put the dvd's together in the order they were shot.
It was a LOTof material. I learned a lot and I enjoyed it

However I did not/have not taken the official test.

WHat I have found is that I can tell most of what the screen shows, if not all, just by watching someone walk, squat, do an inline lunge and a 1 legged dl.

I didnt know I was one the DVD.I havent seen them.

You right Dave, it's pretty much the whole weekend from beginning to end.

lots of good info, but if Id didn't get teh discount on the dvds for attending I don't know if I would have plopped down the cash. we'll be taking the test shortly to at least get listed on the FMS website then start working on our case studies.

Resident Quack wrote:I'm new to Hartzell's JS routines, when you talk about doing that, is there a general routine you're referring to? I know most (if not all) of it is on YouTube, I just need some keywords to find the one you're suggesting.

Regarding the Steve Maxwell stuff, did you mean his Daily Dozen, or is there a DVD or article link? I couldn't find a DVD by that description on his site other than the Encyclopedia of JM...

(look for Gray's Titleist clip on the TGU part )

I'm assuming that you mean this is on the CK-FMS DVD? Is there an important point to be gained here?

KB toe touch to squat...seems pretty self-explanatory, but would you mind describing in slightly more detail?

TIA, Tom.

Hartzell- It's that little tri-fold he sends you that is poorly printed. The youtube stuff is good and you can customize it. It has worked so well for the Pro players who seemed bound up from a career of doing what they do so often and so hard.

The Gray TGU clip- from Titleist is on IGX somewhere. Too much nonsense about 300 year old kettlebells and the first TGU was a kettlebell, etc. but Gray is very good.

KB Toe Touch- Cup the bell in your palms, legs shoulder width and do a nice controlled stiff or semi stiff deadlift to the floor. Then squat ATG with knees outside of elbows and kettlebell curled up to a goblet position. Return to straight leg, stretched position, then come up slowly. Repeat.

His 20 minute recharge was sold by him and Dragon Door till the OTW split happened. I guess someone has it on DVD now.

Hope this helps. Anymore questions, ask.. I missed this so you can PM me or email me.--Tom

BTW, although it is a big set. Collision Course has a GREAT section with Jon Hines. I do a tight one hour (we came in a few minutes short, I didn't want to go over), of mobility with Martial intent. Plus strongman, Mike Mahler's raging hormones and Battling Ropes.
http://tom-furman.blogspot.com/2009/03/ ... ourse.html