Fitness

We have spent the majority of our lives researching and testing the most effective methods of achieving physical fitness for sports performance. What we have learned is, that no single sport or method actually produces what we were looking for. Some systems push metabolic fitness. Some preach pure strength. Some say fitness is only a matter of endurance. Some believe flexibility is paramount. We think that a person should be fit in an all inclusive manner.

We have been inspired by eclectic systems of the modern era, such as CrossFit, as well as long forgotten systems like La Method Naturalle. These sytems and others, like them, made us realize that fitness systems don't have to be narrow in scope, and methodology. They can be more broad, and open minded.

For years we were devoted to these ideas, overlooking the small things, like CrossFit's dislike for long duration work, and heavy emphasis on competition. Likewise, La Method Naturalle is almost word for word our philosophy, except for the fact that they believe strength work should be limited to bodyweight and lighter objects.

We realized that if we wanted something to be different we would have to leave the comfort of an established "named" system and create our own concept. So, we did.

We believe that a person should be able to work brutally hard for a short period of time. They should be able to have the strength to move heavy objects, or themselves in any way they choose. They should enjoy full range of motion in their entire body. And they should be able to sustain less intense efforts over long periods of time. We believe that form follows function. If you can do these things your body will look great! To achieve these goals we typically arrange sessions in these modes.

HIIT
High Intensity Interval Training. These sessions are short, intense, and varied, just like the name implies. They should be twenty minutes or less. They can involve anything from "cardio", like running, swimming, or rowing, to bodyweight calisthenics, various lifts, or any combination of these elements. Typically the lifting movements will be with lower weights and less technical movements, as form degrades when fatigue sets in. These sessions are Ideal for group settings due to their simplicity, and the appeal of camaraderie during suffering. These are tough.

Strength
This is power development. You can use the lifting and moving of your own body, or of an external weights. This training is best left to individual sessions as particular attention needs to be paid to personal technique development. These sessions can consist of gymnastic movements, Kettlebell lifting, odd object lifts, and traditional Olympic and power lifts.

Agility
This set is focused on typical sports agility drills, simple gymnastic movements and Parkour. Parkour is essentially the art of the obstacle course! Practicing obstacles is not only great fun, but excellent conditioning for all athletic endeavors. This set of skill works well in group settings as obstacles are fixed and everyone goes over the same one. Parkour sessions can be done in the HIIT fashion, or an individual skill can be developed for a personal record like in a strength session. Although, it has been neglected in commercial fitness, this type of training is so valuable it is considered mandatory in all military, law enforcement, and survival training camps.

Endurance
These sessions generally include the more typical "Cardio" type activities. This would be the running, hiking, swimming, or biking activities. These should be lower intensity, and long duration. These are for recovery, and health, not necessarily for athletics. Many times these are solo endeavors, although, in good weather, they make for great group activities. Obviously, any activity carried out in this low intensity long duration manner can be utilized for this purpose, even playing new sports! For general life fitness, This should be the bulk of you activities.

Flexibility
We typically look to Yoga for our flexibility work. It's benefits reach well past the increased flexibility you will enjoy. Although Yoga is our preferred method, we will use PNF, and other less holistic methods as needed. This type of session works equally well solo or in groups.

Martial Arts
Obviously, we believe martial arts can be an excellent means to develop fitness. Clearly they can be used to develop any of the afore mentioned aspects. If you are just looking at this page thinking of joining the academy solely for the fitness aspect you should give serious consideration to martial arts as a form of fitness training. Likewise, if you're already a martial arts enthusiast, you should really consider taking your training to the next level!