“Bodyweight Exercise Revolution” – an interview with the authors!
Ryan Murdock and Adam Steer just authored and released Bodyweight Exercise Revolution. I recently read the book and have to say that these two coaches produced an excellent resource!
If you have already purchased your copy, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t yet, please check it out at: www.bodyweightexerciserevolution.com.
You can imagine my excitement when they agreed to an interview for us! And because I know you’re excited to see what they have to say, I’ll just jump right to the meat of the matter and begin with Coach Murdock…
KW ̶ Please introduce yourself a bit, Ryan.
RM ̶ I’m one of 5 Faculty Coaches for RMAX International, the health-first fitness organization created by “Flow Coach” Scott Sonnon to promote his cutting-edge Circular Strength Training® system. I’m also the Senior Editor of RMAX Magazine (the net’s largest fitness and martial art publication). As a Faculty coach, I’m responsible for further development of the CST system, for certifying instructors, for teaching seminars, and for product development, among other things. I travel frequently to Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean to work with my private clients, and also to instruct seminars with Coach Sonnon.
Those international seminars are a highlight for both Scott and I, because we both love the challenge of bridging cultural gaps to translate our ideas into totally different worldviews. Though we both came to health and fitness through the martial arts, my academic background is Anthropology and Scott’s is Philosophy-so this international work seems a natural fit for us.
Wadi Rum, Jordan, ©Jason George 2007
When not on the road, I spend a great deal of time creating new products, such as the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution eBook we’re talking about here. I love the process of testing new program design ideas on myself, my colleagues, and my clients, and then weaving that design into a larger product that contains several layers of value. My goal is always to create a product you can plug and play and get immediate results from, but that contains additional lessons and explanations for those who want to understand “why.”
I’m especially excited about the nature of eProducts, and since last year I’ve produced a series of Downloadable Training Tutorials that have been very well received. I love the fact that they’re affordable, people can get their hands on them instantly, the overhead investment is low (allowing me to produce more), and the production time is a fraction that of a DVD. I think this eBook I’ve co-authored with CST Head Coach Adam Steer sets new standards in terms of what can be delivered in this manner. Let me also add that it’s been a pleasure to work with Adam on this project. We’ve talked about collaborating on something since he first came to CST, and it’s great to team up with someone with his work ethic, discipline, and ability. I look forward to the next two volumes.
KW ̶ One of the things you mention in your book is that it is OK to cycle or circuit, but not to cocktail. For those readers who are newer to the health and fitness world, would you please expand upon what that means?
RM ̶ Sure. Let’s first establish a few definitions.
A “cycle” is a set training period, during which you’re focused on achieving a specific goal. In our eBook, the duration of one training cycle under the 4×7 plan is 28 days. (Other training cycles may be longer or shorter than that.) In the book we’ve focused each cycle on a particular goal: fat loss, strength gain, general athleticism, etc. This means that everything we do in that 28-day cycle is focused towards that specific goal.
A “circuit” is an exercise protocol that involves moving between several pieces of equipment or exercises. Say, for example, that you’re doing 15 squats, 10 push ups, and 5 pull ups. Your workout that day is to do 15 circuits of this combination. So you start at the squat “station” and do 15, then move immediately to the push up “station” and do 10, then move immediately to the pull up bar and do 5. That’s one circuit. Catch your breath for the set rest period, then repeat again until you’ve nailed off all 15 circuits.
If you look at the 28-day cycle as the macro, the circuit is the micro. Each of the exercises in the circuit-as well as the type of circuit you’re following-is focused toward the overall goal of your cycle. Until the end of that 28-days, every workout in your cycle is focused on fat loss (for example). The thing to remember here is that a circuit is not a random collection of exercises. Each segment of the circuit works towards the same goal.
“Cocktailing” happens when things go wrong. I’m not suggesting you shake up a Gibson whenever you’ve had a bad day (though a well made Gibson is a wonderful drink…). Rather, cocktailing happens when the “ingredients” of your training plan get all mixed up.
For example, you want to increase your sprinting speed, and you also want to “bulk up” and add muscle. Your workouts consist of sprints paired with heavy bench pressing and weighted pull ups. These are totally unrelated goals jumbled together at the same time-cocktailed. You’ll achieve some sort of result, but it won’t resemble your goal.
There’s no such thing as “general training.” If you simply jumble exercises together, you’ll get jumbled results. There are a number of very good reasons for this. You may be training two competing energy systems. You may be working towards two contradictory goals (i.e. weight loss and strength gain). And, though few people consider this, you may be eating up valuable recovery time. Your body must recover from exercise and rebuild in order for you to hit that next session at a higher level. If you’re squandering your resources on “extras,” they can’t be focused towards your goal.
The most direct route to your goal is to observe the maxim: “cycle or circuit, but don’t cocktail.” I’m not saying that you can’t train for both muscle gain and sprinting speed. You can. Just do so in two separate training cycles.
Crossing the Mackenzie Barrens. Canol, NWT. © Colin O’Connor, 2006
KW ̶ In addition to your work as an RMAX Faculty Coach, you are also a travel writer that enjoys out of the way areas. I’m guessing that means you will spend a stretch of days to weeks mostly sitting in front of a computer at your desk and then you will spend a few weeks traveling, hiking, making your way through unfamiliar areas, and sometimes in vastly different climates. Would you tell us a bit about how you train to be productive in both environments while also being physically and mentally comfortable when work demands shift so drastically?
RM ̶ It can be a sudden change for sure. And it’s a weird combination of professions, I suppose. But that’s my thing. I’m bookish, but I can fight really well. 
If I have a lot of lead time for a trip I’ll focus my daily CST training on that, especially if it’s an expedition type assignment. Once on an expedition-traveling on foot through the wilderness with a heavy pack, for example, or a journey by camel-I still maintain my daily minimum of a full top to bottom session of joint mobility exercises. I usually do it in the evening to help me recover from the physical demands of that day, and to ensure I’m able to get out of my sleeping bag and do it all again the next morning.
If I’m on a more normal assignment-a road trip in Europe, for example-I’ll stick to a maintenance routine of daily Intu-Flow® joint mobility, plus a short session of FlowFit® or some other bodyweight-based routine whenever I’m able to fit it in. The schedules on these trips can get pretty hectic, but I always do that daily minimum of joint mobility if nothing else. Those trips usually happen on very short notice, so there’s no time to prepare for them short of packing a bag. Thankfully, my normal routine of Circular Strength Training® means that I’m normally up for pretty much anything.
When at home, I spend far too much time in front of the computer. My normal training routine is one and a half hours per day, or sometimes two. Those trips to the basement are essential in order to keep me from becoming chair-shaped. During the day, if I find myself getting mentally foggy, I might also stop to do a bit of movement and regain my focus. But usually the projects I’m involved in are so engaging that I don’t have trouble working for long hours at a stretch.
As for making the mental shift between RMAX work, writing travel literature, and traveling for writing assignments, it doesn’t seem to get any easier. The RMAX work requires tremendous energy and an analytical frame of mind. The focus on writing trips is completely different. It’s another headspace entirely. I have to let myself sink into a place, to soak it up, and be ready to follow those strange opportunity threads when they present themselves. It often involves a lot of sitting around just observing. It’s only when you get into that mental space that you can go beyond your preconceived notions and tap in. It always takes me several days of adjustment to do that. It begins on the flight out. That’s when I set aside books and just plug into music. Certain music, especially that of The Church or Steve Kilbey, helps me tap in to that place where ideas download from cosmic consciousness. Once connected to that mindset, I can go for weeks or months without ever thinking about my other work.
But of course, every trip is finite… If you think slowing down on the way over and getting into the flow of travel sounds tough, the adjustment back to “work” on the return is almost physically painful…
KW ̶ Bodyweight Exercise Revolution has been getting tremendous reviews since its release last December. Why do you think that is?
RM ̶ I think that in many ways it appeals to the mindset of our times.
We’re shifting to an age where many of us are required to become Digital Nomads. We work from laptops, carry our data in iphones or PDA’s, and jet back and forth across the country to attend meetings and conferences. With such a lifestyle, maintaining a gym membership becomes an added burden, simply because it ties you to a fixed location. The modern Virtual Nomad needs an exercise system that’s as portable as they are.
On top of that, our lives are increasingly time-compressed. We’re constantly forced to shave away the superfluous. Who can afford a twenty minute commute to the gym, time to change and shower, and then having to spend most of a one-hour session waiting around for equipment to free up? It simply isn’t a good return on your time investment. Bodyweight Exercise Revolution makes that burden of “showing up” redundant. You can do it anywhere, with a minimal amount of space, and with no equipment. And your sessions are compressed and intense, allowing you to nail off your training in 20 intense minutes, rather than an hour of train/loaf around/train.
Finally, given the strain of the current economic situation, costly gym memberships are more difficult to maintain. If you were to do all of the 28-day programs contained in our eBook back to back, you’d have a year and a half of training. Add up the cost of a year and a half of gym memberships, and compare that to the one-time purchase price of Bodyweight Exercise Revolution. Who’s coming out ahead in that deal?
KW ̶ I’m currently working my way through a 4×7 and since my waist is shrinking my stamina is increasing, the answer to your question is a no-brainer for me! Thanks for taking the time to visit with us, Ryan! It is always an honor to learn from you. (Ryan is a friend, mentor, and coach so with a little luck we might be able to convince him to drop by again in the future. If there is something that you especially enjoyed, please feel free to leave a comment.)
Also, if you would like more information about Coach Murdock or to check out some of his great eTutorials, please visit: http://www.rmaxstaff.com/murdock/index.html
We will soon be talking to another coach that I admire, Adam Steer, so please check in again for the second half of this interview!
Until next time, may your choices and behavior today create a better ‘you’ tomorrow.
Kathryn Woodall
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