Re: The Naked Warrior: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

[Guest guest]

Pavel has a new book out, _Beyond Bodybuilding_ which appears to be a

general encyclopedia of all things Pavel. He has a chapter named for the _The

Naked Warrior_. I'm going to order it soon and will report back.

Chris

[Guest guest]

,

Uncanny! I just started Pavel's " From Russia with Tough Love " program

exactly one week ago. I did buy a kettlebell, though. I really need

to take a picture of my butt now as I don't quite believe the results

I'm already seeing. I even fit into a pair of leather jeans that have

eluded me for over a year! In fact, said jeans were the reason I

dropped $100+ on Pavel's program (book, video, kb) in the first place.

To be fair, I've really recommitted to my gf NT diet too, so I'm sure

that has something to do with it as well.

We'll have to compare notes in a while. If you ever want to come over

to try my kb out, be my guest. It's a wimpy size, though.

[Guest guest]

Idol <Idol@...> wrote:

I say all this so that anyone with similar problems will see that _The

Naked Warrior_ solves them all very neatly. There's no need for equipment,

so the only investment required is the book. There's also very little need

for space. If you can find a spot to sit on the floor, you have enough

room for one-legged squats, and if you can find a spot on the floor to lie

down, you have room for one-armed pushups.

<snip>

And second, though the two basic exercises described in the book do a

surprisingly good job of training the whole body, they're not quite

comprehensive. Tsatsouline recommends augmenting them with a couple

kettlebell routines or even some other exercises. Given how much success

I'm having so far, I'm strongly considering dipping my toe in the water and

getting a kettlebell or two -- and maybe chinup bar too. But for many

people, I expect that wouldn't really be necessary.

In sum: not quite perfect, but very highly recommended.

######I would have to second that recommendation. It's a great book. Tsatsouline

takes the principles of the greatest and most effective form of lifting IMO,

Olympic Lifting, and brings them within the reach of everyone.

For anyone who can get to a gym that has an olympic platform and someone who

knows what they are doing (good luck on both counts), there is nothing quite

like the two classic lifts: the clean and jerk and the snatch (along with the

king of assistance exercises, the squat) done in classic low rep manner. But

short of that _The Naked Warrior_ is a superb approach and applicable to a much

broader range of people.

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[Guest guest]

-

-- In ,

+++++ Idol:

If you can find a spot to sit on the floor, you have enough

room for one-legged squats, and if you can find a spot on the floor to lie

down, you have room for one-armed pushups.

+++++ :

I even fit into a pair of leather jeans that have

> eluded me for over a year!

+++++++:

_Naked Warrior_ blah, blah, blah

++++++ B.:

This thread is worthless without pics!

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the review. I will check it out because I usually feel like a nice

nap after working out, instead of particularly energized. ---Carol

Idol <Idol@...> wrote:For the first time in my life

I actually feel just as well or even better after exercise.

[Guest guest]

Carol-

>Thanks for the review. I will check it out because I usually feel like a

>nice nap after working out, instead of particularly energized.

The book is well worthwhile, but in fairness, I think the

energized-versus-drained benefits will derive from any

low-rep/high-intensity lifting regimen, not just bodyweight exercises

detailed in _The Naked Warrior_. TNW definitely has the edge over crap

like Hindu squats, though.

-

[Guest guest]

Chris-

>Pavel has a new book out, _Beyond Bodybuilding_ which appears to be a

>general encyclopedia of all things Pavel. He has a chapter named for

>the _The

>Naked Warrior_. I'm going to order it soon and will report back.

I'll be very interested to hear what you think. Is it supposed to

basically be just a compendium of what he's already published, or does it

have new material or additional depth?

-

[Guest guest]

-

>Uncanny! I just started Pavel's " From Russia with Tough Love " program

>exactly one week ago.

Uhh, great minds? <g>

>I don't quite believe the results

>I'm already seeing. I even fit into a pair of leather jeans that have

>eluded me for over a year!

Hey, good for you!

>We'll have to compare notes in a while. If you ever want to come over

>to try my kb out, be my guest. It's a wimpy size, though.

I wound up springing for a kettlebell shortly after posting about TNW. I

figured I might as well take advantage of my enthusiasm while it lasts,

though if I keep seeing results I have no doubt I'll stick with it. I hope

I got the right weight, though. It was hard to guess which to pick, but

then again, kettlebells seem to have good resale value on eBay, so I

shouldn't have a problem selling it if it's too light or if and when I

outgrow it.

-

[Guest guest]

Re: The Naked Warrior: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Carol-

>Thanks for the review. I will check it out because I usually feel like a

>nice nap after working out, instead of particularly energized.

" The book is well worthwhile, but in fairness, I think the

energized-versus-drained benefits will derive from any

low-rep/high-intensity lifting regimen, not just bodyweight exercises

detailed in _The Naked Warrior_. TNW definitely has the edge over crap

like Hindu squats, though.

- "

Why do you say that Hindu squats are crap? They are boring, yes - but I find

that when I do have the patience to do them, they are good for my knees.

They can also be beneficial to do with some kind of resistance. But, I'm not

sure why you would be comparing them with one legged squats and one armed

pushups. Seems like these would be for very different purposes, no?

[Guest guest]

" I wound up springing for a kettlebell shortly after posting about TNW. I

figured I might as well take advantage of my enthusiasm while it lasts,

though if I keep seeing results I have no doubt I'll stick with it. I hope

I got the right weight, though. It was hard to guess which to pick, but

then again, kettlebells seem to have good resale value on eBay, so I

shouldn't have a problem selling it if it's too light or if and when I

outgrow it.

- "

What weight did you choose?

[Guest guest]

> -----Original Message-----

> From: [mailto:slethnobotanist@...]

>

> ######I would have to second that recommendation. It's a

> great book. Tsatsouline takes the principles of the greatest

> and most effective form of lifting IMO, Olympic Lifting, and

> brings them within the reach of everyone.

Eh? Granted, the closest thing I've ever done to olympic lifting is the

dumbbell/ketllebell analogs, but I don't see any similarity at all between

that and the one-sided pushups and squats Tsatsouline advocates in TNW.

Olympic lifts are explosive, while the TNW exercises are...whatever the

opposite of explosive is. And as Tsatsouline explicitly mentioned, the major

shortcoming of the TNW program is the lack of a pulling exercise, which I

gather is a big part of the olympic lifts.

The kettlebell drills I can see as being a fairly good analogy for olympic

lifting, but...TNW?

> For anyone who can get to a gym that has an olympic platform

> and someone who knows what they are doing (good luck on both

> counts) there is nothing quite like the two classic lifts:

> the clean and jerk and the snatch

My gym has some bumper plates and a padded floor in the back room, so I've

been thinking of giving this a try. How many hours of coaching does it

typically take to get good enough to avoid hurting oneself?

> (along with the king of assistance exercises, the squat)

<chuckle>

Who but an olympic lifter would call the squat an assistance exercise?

[Guest guest]

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Idol [mailto:Idol@...]

>

> (I cannot stand gyms and gym culture, so

> going to a gym wasn't an option.)

What is it about " gym culture " that you don't like? At my gym, people

usually leave me alone, and when they do talk to me they're quite friendly

(the first time I went to my current gym, somebody helped me with my

deadlift form and invited me to come and train with him and his friends the

next day).

Anyway, I'd like to add a caveat for TNW. There was probably a preexisting

problem contributing to this (pronation due to bad shoes), but I've hurt a

knee pretty badly on a few occasions by doing one-legged squats. Generally

what happened was that I'd be working pretty hard to complete a rep and then

just as I was finishing I'd feel as though my kneecap had slipped a bit.

Then there was pain. Nothing too serious, but it'd usually keep me away from

squatting for a week or two. So be careful if you have preexisting knee

issues, and don't push yourself too hard.

[Guest guest]

-

>This thread is worthless without pics!

Well, if I posted pics the thread would immediately acquire negative worth,

so count your blessings!

-

[Guest guest]

-

>What is it about " gym culture " that you don't like?

My problems with gyms fall into two categories: ones particular to my

nature (i.e. I don't like wasting time traveling to and fro, I don't like

dirty lockers and showers, I don't like the on-display nature of many gyms,

etc.) and ones particular to the gyms I've experienced (preening

competitive blowhards, lots of useless machinery, incompetent instructors,

people insisting on their own dietary orthodoxy, etc.). I'm sure there are

some gyms out there I wouldn't object to, but they'd probably be quite

expensive, and they'd still have the drawback of travel time from where I

currently live. (If you remember my neighborhood, you'll understand.)

>Anyway, I'd like to add a caveat for TNW. There was probably a preexisting

>problem contributing to this (pronation due to bad shoes), but I've hurt a

>knee pretty badly on a few occasions by doing one-legged squats. Generally

>what happened was that I'd be working pretty hard to complete a rep and then

>just as I was finishing I'd feel as though my kneecap had slipped a bit.

>Then there was pain. Nothing too serious, but it'd usually keep me away from

>squatting for a week or two. So be careful if you have preexisting knee

>issues, and don't push yourself too hard.

Hmmm... I definitely don't have any pronation, but in other respects my

knees are in terrible shape. (Long-term Lyme disease.) I haven't,

however, had any knee problems doing TNW-style one-legged squats, though I

have not, admittedly, been doing them for very long and I have yet to

achieve a full range of motion. Tsatsouline does discuss form as it

relates to avoiding undue knee stress, though. Could it be that your form

was lacking in that respect? Here's what he has to say on the subject:

>>The pistol comes in many flavors. The first variation to master is the

>>box pistol, sitting back on a box or bench, rocking back, then rocking

>>forward and standing up. The box squat has been hailed by many champion

>>powerlifters, from Frenn to Louie and Yuri Fomin, and for

>>a good reason. For max squat power the quads are not enough; the glutes

>>and the hamstrings must also be maximally recruited. The only way to

>>make it happen is pre-stretching the hip muscles by sitting back rather

>>than straight down. If this is done right, your shins will remain nearly

>>vertical and your butt will protrude far back, almost as if you are doing

>>a good morning .

>>

>>The reward will be remarkable squatting, jumping, kicking, and sprinting

>>power, all around leg development, and low knee stress.

>>

>>When the shin is kept nearly vertical the patella tendon is not smashing

>>the kneecap into the joint. Besides, the knee is further protected from

>>the rear by hamstring tension. It is a fact that the hammies stay tight

>>all the way into the hole when you are box squatting by the book. That

>>is rarely the case with conventional squats, at least for inexperienced

>>squatters. No wonder powerlifters who had torn their patella tendons

>>with traditional squats were known not to merely rehab themselves with

>>box squats but to make a quantum leap in their total -- without any

>>further knee problems!

>>

>>Another reason the box variation of the one0legged squat is so great is

>>the ease of adapting to any strength level. While the rocking squat off

>>the floor is even harder than the regular rock bottom pistol, a pistol to

>>a high bench is within anyone's ability. As you get stronger just

>>increase the depth.

OK, that was a pain to type in...

-

[Guest guest]

Gene-

>What weight did you choose?

44#.

-

[Guest guest]

Gene-

>Why do you say that Hindu squats are crap? They are boring, yes - but I find

>that when I do have the patience to do them, they are good for my knees.

>They can also be beneficial to do with some kind of resistance. But, I'm not

>sure why you would be comparing them with one legged squats and one armed

>pushups. Seems like these would be for very different purposes, no?

Aspiring to perform hundreds or even thousands of Hindu squats at a stretch

just isn't my thing -- boring is an understatement! -- but that's not my

main objection. From my research, huge numbers of repetitive motions or

impacts of any kind (jogging, Hindu squats, you name it) appear to be

dangerous to joints and connective tissue while smaller numbers of

more-intense motions and impacts, when performed properly and in

conjunction with good nutrition, seem to have the potential to strengthen

and support joints and connective tissue.

That said, you're right, small numbers of one-legged squats have a very

different purpose from Hindu squats, but while I'm certainly no expert, it

seems to me like Tsatsouline's endurance-training advice (not covered in

TNW), whether it's close to perfect or not, is likely to be a lot better

than a Hindu squat-type regimen.

-

[Guest guest]

>

> Gene-

>

> >Why do you say that Hindu squats are crap? They are boring, yes - but I find

> >that when I do have the patience to do them, they are good for my knees.

> >They can also be beneficial to do with some kind of resistance. But, I'm not

> >sure why you would be comparing them with one legged squats and one armed

> >pushups. Seems like these would be for very different purposes, no?

>

> Aspiring to perform hundreds or even thousands of Hindu squats at a stretch

> just isn't my thing -- boring is an understatement! -- but that's not my

> main objection. From my research, huge numbers of repetitive motions or

> impacts of any kind (jogging, Hindu squats, you name it) appear to be

> dangerous to joints and connective tissue while smaller numbers of

> more-intense motions and impacts, when performed properly and in

> conjunction with good nutrition, seem to have the potential to strengthen

> and support joints and connective tissue.

>

> That said, you're right, small numbers of one-legged squats have a very

> different purpose from Hindu squats, but while I'm certainly no expert, it

> seems to me like Tsatsouline's endurance-training advice (not covered in

> TNW), whether it's close to perfect or not, is likely to be a lot better

> than a Hindu squat-type regimen.

>

>

>

> -

My only contention is that Hindu squats are " crap " . I would wonder about doing

thousands a day, but I would tend to doubt that up to a few hundred would be

harmful. If you jog for several miles a day, not only do you have the impact

with every step, but the number of steps would greatly exceed this number of

hindu squats.

I do prefer kettlebells to hindu squats - but, on the other hand, I haven't

found anything in Pavel's excercises that does for me what Hindu squats do, when

I can force myself to do them. And, I also wonder about his method's of building

endurance in kettlebell exercises...to truly build endurance in the kettlebell

jerk and snatch, you need to do large numbers of reps in a set. Whether this is

better in the long run for general conditioning, I suppose, is open to question,

but to do kettlebells as a sport, large numbers of reps is pretty standard.

[Guest guest]

>

> Gene-

>

> >What weight did you choose?

>

> 44#.

>

that is a tough weight to start with unless you are quite strong to begin with.

[Guest guest]

>

> Gene-

>

> >What weight did you choose?

>

> 44#.

>

>

>

> -

>

oops - was thinking 53# - the 44# is relatively new to Dragondoor. 44# is

probably a decent weight to start with, though I think that most people start

with the 36#. The 36 is probably best unless you're pretty strong to begin with.

[Guest guest]

Gene-

>oops - was thinking 53# - the 44# is relatively new to Dragondoor. 44# is

>probably a decent weight to start with, though I think that most people

>start with the 36#. The 36 is probably best unless you're pretty strong to

>begin with.

Hard to say, but at least at first I don't intend to do much in the way of

high-rep endurance-type aerobic routines. Don't want the blood sugar curse

to kick in. And I'm 6'4 and fairly broad-shouldered, though I can't say

I'm anything like pure muscle. Yet, of course. <g> So since I'm a good

deal bigger and probably still moderately stronger than the average guy and

the average guy is supposed to start with the 36# bell, I figured I'd hedge

my bets and try the 44. Time will tell whether I made a mistake.

-

[Guest guest]

> RE: The Naked Warrior: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

>

>

>

>Gene-

And I'm 6'4 and fairly broad-shouldered, though I can't say

>I'm anything like pure muscle.

A mere dwarf compared to Gene at 7'3 " , 310 lbs. Or was it 7'5 " , 325 lbs? In

any case he could probably bench you.

;-)

Suze Fisher

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----------------------------

[Guest guest]

>

> > RE: The Naked Warrior: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

> >

> >

> >

> >Gene-

> And I'm 6'4 and fairly broad-shouldered, though I can't say

> >I'm anything like pure muscle.

>

> A mere dwarf compared to Gene at 7'3 " , 310 lbs. Or was it 7'5 " , 325 lbs? In

> any case he could probably bench you.

>

>

> ;-)

>

It was 7'7 " , as I recall.

[Guest guest]

Suze-

>A mere dwarf compared to Gene at 7'3 " , 310 lbs. Or was it 7'5 " , 325 lbs? In

>any case he could probably bench you.

Oh, well, did I say 6'4 " ? I meant, uh, 6'4 " in, uh, Romulan units, which

translates to 8'9 " and 400# of pure muscle here on Earth. Gotta remember

your units. ;->

-

[Guest guest]

Gene-

>My only contention is that Hindu squats are " crap " . I would wonder about

>doing thousands a day, but I would tend to doubt that up to a few hundred

>would be harmful. If you jog for several miles a day, not only do you have

>the impact with every step, but the number of steps would greatly exceed

>this number of hindu squats.

Well, that's the thing: I'm inclined to doubt that jogging is a good idea

at all unless you're training to be a distance runner, and distance runners

require a very specific, narrow, light physique. Not for everyone at the

very least.

>I do prefer kettlebells to hindu squats - but, on the other hand, I

>haven't found anything in Pavel's excercises that does for me what Hindu

>squats do, when I can force myself to do them.

OK, what benefit do you get from Hindu squats that you don't from Pavel's

exercises? Again, I'm no expert, but if you have knee problems,

strengthening the muscles around the knee, taking joint supplements and

maybe looking at his Super Joints book (I haven't read it, so I don't know)

would be better than Hindu squats. Or maybe there's something else out

there even better. I'm just not a fan of Hindu squats and other

low-intensity long-run exercises. I used to use a treadmill for an hour a

day up to six days a week. I tried building intensity by increasing speed,

increasing the incline and gradually adding weight to a weight vest. It

helped me get good at walking fast on a treadmill (not so good at walking

fast in real life, because the motions are actually very different) and

eventually it made my knees a lot worse than they'd been before and I had

to stop.

>And, I also wonder about his method's of building endurance in kettlebell

>exercises...to truly build endurance in the kettlebell jerk and snatch,

>you need to do large numbers of reps in a set. Whether this is better in

>the long run for general conditioning, I suppose, is open to question, but

>to do kettlebells as a sport, large numbers of reps is pretty standard.

Well... I know very little about kettlebells, and I'm just starting to read

about them, but I think it's pretty generally true that specific sports

aptitude and general fitness are different things, sometimes very different

things. To take a somewhat extreme example, I wouldn't advise anyone to

become a marathon runner, or to train like a marathon runner, but if for

whatever reason that's your sport, well, then you've got to train for

running a very long time. So for certain applications (an event requiring

100 or 500 jerk and snatches in a row, or something like that) large

numbers of reps would obviously be required even if it's not necessarily a

good idea generally.

But I'm really just blowing smoke here, since I'm a total newbie to

kettlebells, not having touched so much as a single one yet.

-

[Guest guest]

>

> Gene-

>

> >My only contention is that Hindu squats are " crap " . I would wonder about

> >doing thousands a day, but I would tend to doubt that up to a few hundred

> >would be harmful. If you jog for several miles a day, not only do you have

> >the impact with every step, but the number of steps would greatly exceed

> >this number of hindu squats.

>

> Well, that's the thing: I'm inclined to doubt that jogging is a good idea

> at all unless you're training to be a distance runner, and distance runners

> require a very specific, narrow, light physique. Not for everyone at the

> very least.

>

Sorry - my point wasn't clear - I agree about jogging, but I wonder whether the

amount of stress put on the knees doing hindu squats isn't miniscule in

comparison.

> >I do prefer kettlebells to hindu squats - but, on the other hand, I

> >haven't found anything in Pavel's excercises that does for me what Hindu

> >squats do, when I can force myself to do them.

>

> OK, what benefit do you get from Hindu squats that you don't from Pavel's

> exercises? Again, I'm no expert, but if you have knee problems,

> strengthening the muscles around the knee, taking joint supplements and

> maybe looking at his Super Joints book (I haven't read it, so I don't know)

> would be better than Hindu squats.

I'm just judging by how they feel, not by what Pavel says. I don't think that

hindu squats strengthen your muscles (except perhaps when you do them with

weight). But they make my knees feel better, and seem to loosen up the muscles

in that area. I'm certainly not arguing that Pavel's exercises are bad for your

knees. And I never found joint supplements to make the slightest bit of

difference.

>

> >And, I also wonder about his method's of building endurance in kettlebell

> >exercises...to truly build endurance in the kettlebell jerk and snatch,

> >you need to do large numbers of reps in a set. Whether this is better in

> >the long run for general conditioning, I suppose, is open to question, but

> >to do kettlebells as a sport, large numbers of reps is pretty standard.

>

> Well... I know very little about kettlebells, and I'm just starting to read

> about them, but I think it's pretty generally true that specific sports

> aptitude and general fitness are different things, sometimes very different

> things. To take a somewhat extreme example, I wouldn't advise anyone to

> become a marathon runner, or to train like a marathon runner, but if for

> whatever reason that's your sport, well, then you've got to train for

> running a very long time. So for certain applications (an event requiring

> 100 or 500 jerk and snatches in a row, or something like that) large

> numbers of reps would obviously be required even if it's not necessarily a

> good idea generally.

>

> But I'm really just blowing smoke here, since I'm a total newbie to

> kettlebells, not having touched so much as a single one yet.

>

Right- but I'm not convinced that the number of reps that you do in kettlebell

sport are harmful that, say, the repetitive stress that you do in marathon

running can be harmful. And generally you're not going to be doing anything

approaching the numbers that you mention above. But Pavel generally recommends a

very low number - like up to about 5. And I honestly wonder whether that is the

best method for developing endurance with kettlebells.