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Brian Copeland's
Core Fitness Newsletter

Issue #45 - 1/26/2010

1. Announcement: "Disaster Relief for Haiti"
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2. Announcement: "Ranking System for Jeet Kune Do Students"
..
3. Hall of Achievements:
......
4. Words of Wisdom: "Choose Your Exercise Equipment Carefully"
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5. Training Tip: "What does Train Like an Athlete Mean?"
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6. Training Tip 2: "T is for Threat by Dr. Eric Cobb"
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7. Nutrition Recipe : "Lean and Mean Veggie & Chicken Soup"
...
8. Got Grip: "Seriously Strong Hands ebook"
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9. Self-Defense / Martial Arts Tip: "Be Like Water"
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10. Recommended Products: "Gymboss, Z-Health, Dragon Door, more" .
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11. Denver Metro Area: "Kettlebell & Self-Defense Classes in Aurora"
...
12. Personalized Program Design: "Tired of Not Reaching Your Goals?"

My first newsletter of 2010! I hope everyone had a great 2009 but more importantly, I hope everyone has plans for 2010 and actually takes action on them.

With my credentials and abilities in fitness, nutrition, Martial Arts, pain relief/mobility restoration and lifestyle coaching I am sure there is some way I can help you reach your goals in 2010.

We are at the start of a new decade, if you are not 100% happy with who you are or what you have achieved till now, it is time to get the help of a professional like me. Time to redefine you!

Change is not impossible, change is a matter of habits and intention. If you are stiff, full of pain and overweight and for some reason don't think you can become athletic, strong, pain-free and lean and mean then by God you are wrong!

As Dr. Eric Cobb often reminds us, "the body you have is the one you have earned." Baring car accidents and the like it is true. If you are in frequent pain you almost guaranteed have a movement problem that is at the route of your pain and dysfunction; Z-Health is the answer. If you need to get leaned and toned for bathing suit season, or just to look better for your spouse, or to attract a spouse for that matter, then you need to make some changes to your nutrition program and get on a time-tested fitness program.

Drop the silly "I'll get a gym membership" mind set. Even if you do, you won't know what to do with it and you probably won't go anyway.

You need a coach, not a trainer. A trainer puts you through the paces, a coach motivates you and shows you how to make fitness and nutrition fit into your life on a daily basis.

All my best wishes for 2010.

1. Announcement: "Disaster Relief for Haiti"


If any of you would like to make a donation to help the poor people in Haiti I would recommend one of three ways:

1. Use your cell phone to give to the American Red Cross by texting to "90999" with the message "Haiti."  After several seconds you will receive a reply text message asking you to confirm by replying to the message with "yes."
If you confirm with "yes" your cell phone bill is charged $10 and the money goes to the relief efforts for Haiti.

2. You can also make a donation to the American Red Cross of any amount by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or visiting their website at www.redcross.org

3. You can also donate through Food For The Poor who has an established base set up in Haiti and has been helping people there for years.
www.foodforthepoor.org

I just texted 90999 and everything went very smoothly and easy. I received a text message reply telling me that everything went through and my cell phone bill would be charged $10. I then received a text asking if I wanted to receive regular text updates from the Red Cross. If you don't want them simply don't reply.

2. Announcement: "Ranking System for Jeet Kune Do Students"


After some prodding from some of my students I have created a ranking system for my Martial Arts students. The ranking system's goal is to allow each person to develop a core competence in a variety of skills designed to be ultra efficient and effective. Then as each student develops along their individual paths they may chose to drop certain techniques that don't work for them and emphasize other ones that work well for them.

Ultimately the purpose it to help each fighter learn to find their own personal style that works for their size, strength, natural and trained abilities.


The Ranks:

• No Rank - this is where everyone starts.
  
  
• Beginner Level 1 - once you learn the basics of the RAT program and some basic awareness you earn this rank.
• Beginner Level 2
• Beginner Level 3
  
  
• Intermediate Level 1 - An intermediate can fight on his/her back, feet, with weapons and can disarm a firearm if needed.
• Intermediate Level 2
• Intermediate Level 3
  
  
• Advanced Level 1
• Advanced Level 2
• Advanced Level 3 - by now a student is quite versatile, able to easily flow from a fight on their feet to the ground to their feet again, while disarming guns and fighting with weapons as needed.
  
  
• Apprentice Instructor 1 - This person possesses a highly developed competence in all of the skills we use, is able to explain their use and when not to use them. They have demonstrated leadership in class and the ability to help others learn.
• Apprentice Instructor 2 - I hope this to be an actual official certification by me on behalf of Paul Vunak and his Progressive Fighting Systems organization.

The Skills:

• Navy SEAL program, Rapid Assault Tactics
• Awareness and Avoidance of trouble
• Gun Disarms (primarily from Krav Maga)
• Escrima based stick and knife fighting
• Escapes from Any Hold (easy, quick and indefensible; women, men and children can easily use these)
• Western Boxing
• Muay Thai
• Wing Chun / Trapping
• Filipino Dumog
• Brazilian Jujitsu (modified for street fighting)
• Filipino Kinimutai
• Judo / Wrestling / Sambo take downs and ground control
• Joint Locking (for passive resistance)
• Joint Wrenching (for aggressive resistance)
• Tai Chi pushing
• Panantukan / Pananjakman / Savate
  
• Bruce Lee's Jun Fan Gung Fu
• Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Concepts/Philosophy
• Mobility / Footwork
• Multiple Attackers
• Hostage Situations
• Quickness / Reaction Time / Vision / Balance / Z-Health
• Power Development
• Non-telegraphing of strikes
• Mind set / Killer Instinct / Emotional Control / Ego Control
• Individual Development of Personal Style
• And any other darn thing we think works that we want to incorporate

Currently my students consist of men and women from all walks of life, Law Enforcement Officers and security personnel. The techniques are adapted to suit each individual's needs.

I also offer a Beginner Level Self-Defense program for people who want to know the bare bones basics to defend themselves but are not committed to becoming Martial Artists.

If you would like to learn more about my Martial Arts training, contact me here.

3. Hall of Achievements:

Our newest updates:..

• Heather Hubbard - Pistol with 13 lbs
• Jennifer Halpin - Double Military Press with 2 x 26 lb kettlebells for 5 reps

4. Words of Wisdom: "Choose Your Exercise Equipment Carefully"


If your exercise equipment has more moving parts than you have, then you might be a fitness redneck!

Seriously, two major health journals recently published articles on being pain-free and avoiding diseases and organ failure respectively and they both had the same findings in their research; "move more!"

Really, move more. Think dance, yoga, Martial Arts, hard physical labor, sports that make you move... you! Whatever you choose make sure you are moving. For my money I don't think you can beat Z-Health for all of its numerous benefits, along with your trusty kettlebell. Throw a barbell, sandbag or whatever else you want but make sure that it doesn't have any moving parts, you are the moving parts!

Why? Because you get better at what you practice (good or bad), always without exception. In the real world, we stand on our feet, pick things up and move them; babies, car seats, groceries, suitcases, boxes, bags, etc. Or we stand on our feet and move us; stairs, hills, running to catch a bus, walking, jumping, kicking, etc. So your choice of exercise equipment should be clear. You should chose exercise that has you stand on your feet and move something, including yourself.

Your bodyweight, a kettlebell and the training required to learn how to use them (Z-Health's R-Phase DVD, Pavel's Enter the Kettlebell DVD, private training with a qualified coach, etc.) are far cheaper than a $5,000 treadmill or elliptical machine and provides such a better modality of fitness than simply walking in place for hours on end. Plus... BOOOORRING! Moving you and your kettlebell is fun, walking in place on a treadmill is about as exciting as watching grass grow!

I have literally watched people treadmill or elliptical themselves into pain and poor athletic performance. I even have clients who after training with Z-Health and kettlebells had to use the elliptical machine for a week and started getting knee and back pain. Why? Because those movements are not natural to how a human body was designed to move along with our visual and vestibular systems which provide visual and equilibrium feedback to our brains as our bodies move in 3D space on solid ground.

So if your idea of fitness is sitting on your butt while doing cable curls attached to a pulley system that pulls your body up a $1500 piece of ugly furniture then you need a fitness makeover my friend. And I know just the person to give you a fitness makeover!

I recommend you contact me before I catch you
using one of these!

WOW I bet she is going to burn a lot of calories and
get toned while resting on her knee and supporting
herself with her hands while she lifts the enormous
weight of her leg out to the side.
Nope, this only works for dogs and late night infomercials...

5. Training Tip # 1:
"What does Train Like an Athlete Mean?"


My catch phrase "Train Like an ATHLETE, Not a Hamster" is more than a funny sounding catch phrase, it is governing principle, a solid foundation on which to build your fitness kingdom.

While the general "fitness" population takes an effort-based approach to fitness, athletes take a performance-based approach. What is the difference you ask? Well the general population, we will call them "hamsters," judge the effectiveness of their exercise session by how hard they think they are working or how exhausted they feel at the end of it. Now I shouldn't knock people exercising, but random exercise hoping to one day reach "fit" is the equivalent of driving in a random direction and hoping to arrive at the mall. What you need is a destination, a map and a driving route.

Some of you may be hamsters right now! That is ok, there is a 12-step program, reading this article is step 1.

An athlete on the other hand has a destination, their performance in their chosen event(s). They have a map, the tools or protocols that they use in their training which has been proven to work in the past. They look at their areas of weakness and the create a driving route (or hire a pro like me to create their driving route) to help them maneuver along the map to their goal.

Notice that Olympic athletes don't exercise or work out, they train and practice their event, always trying to improve the performance and precision of their chosen event. What does that have to do with the general fitness population who are not competitive athletes and don't have a performance goal but rather a physical appearance goal?

Well what does an Olympic sprinter, or high jumper or (name any sport except the super heavyweight division weight lifters) look like? Freaking awesome! Now let's apply their training approach to your fitness.

First off, pick a handful (say 5) exercises to get really really good at. Now go get really really good at them. Now get better. As you get better and better you are lifting more weight, doing more reps, etc. As you lift more weight and do more reps your body must necessarily adapt, it does not have a choice. Adaptation will come in the form of muscle, body fat loss and performance ability.

Try not to get too caught up in a large variety of exercises, you will ultimately end up watering down your fitness when all is said and done.

6. Training Tip # 2: "T is for Threat"


I thought I would share this article written by Z-Health creator, Dr. Eric Cobb, D.C. It gives a great analogy of how our brains create pain as a survival mechanism to perceived threats and how to use that information and apply it to your training sessions. - Brian

T is for Threat - by Dr. Eric Cobb, D.C.

In March 2002, in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the United States, the president gave a directive to the Department of Homeland Security to create the National Threat Advisory. The primary job of this system is to give the general public a moment-to-moment and day-to-day “threat level” based on intelligence gathered about potential risks to our safety.

As the system is currently in place, there are five different levels of threat with each level corresponding to increased risks of danger. While you may be wondering how this relates, to Z-Health, the answer is both incredibly simple and incredibly important...

As you may have read many times in our materials, your nervous system is the Governor of your body. As the Governor, it performs a mind-boggling number of different functions. One of its most important functions, however, is that of Guardian or Homeland Security, if you will, whose primary job is to keep you safe. In acting as Guardian, your nervous system is constantly on alert, closely examining every piece of information (intelligence gathering) that it receives from your environment. Think about the guys in dark suits and sunglasses, wearing ear pieces and talking into their wrists that constantly surround the president when he's in public. They are always watching the crowd for the smallest sign of danger. That’s a great picture of your nervous system guardian — right down to the sunglasses!

If we continue with our analogy, what would a bodyguard do if he sensed danger? Yell a warning to his teammates and then do anything possible to shove his principal into the nearest car and speed him away from the danger.

This is a great example of your body in action. When your nervous system senses a threat, it sets in motion a huge chain of events with one primary purpose — keeping you safe. Where this gets very complex is in the fact that your nervous system is so concerned about your safety that almost anything can be classified as a threat.

 
What is a threat?

As mentioned above, a threat can be virtually anything. It can be an old scar causing a movement restriction, visual issues causing your brain not to trust the information coming in, something disagreeable in your lunch, poor respiratory patterns, a fight with your boss, bad lighting, extreme temperatures, a foul smell, uneven footing...

The list of potential threats to our body is varied and nearly infinite. The important thing to note about the list above is that many of the threats listed aren't obvious, they are really subtle. And, it's rarely one threat that makes the difference — instead it's the build-up of them all to the body, as the effect is cumulative.

And, because it is cumulative, what your body considers a threat one day may not be a threat the next. Which makes this whole threat management thing sound really complicated. But, it's not once you understand it and know what to look for.

 
How do I recognize it?

Whether you recognize it or not, you've seen this phenomena in action. You head out for your standard run, pick up your favorite kettlebell, or load up the bar with your "usual" weight, and your body is like "nope, this isn't happening today."

That is threat overload. It is your body's way of saying that what you are trying to do is simply too much. In fact, your guardian has been put on high alert by something in your internal environment and your safety has now become highest priority. If you insist on continuing, your guardian WILL find another way to get your attention and move you to "safety". And the body's favorite way of doing that? Pain…

 
What do I do about it?

1. Build your awareness of what your guardian’s danger signals are and learn to pay attention to them! If you get them while training, you should back off on whatever you are doing at the time. Reduce the mileage, slow the pace, reduce the weight. Change one or more variables until you start feeling better.

2. Learn how to do better intelligence gathering. There are numerous ways to find out how your body is responding to exercise, long before your guardian feels compelled to step in. In Z-Health we call these neural self-assessments. We teach many of these self-assessments at the Essentials of Elite Performance workshop, including strength, range of motion, rate of perceived exertion, and peripheral field testing. Once you have these intelligence gathering tools at your disposal, you can learn to keep your threat levels at a safe level with little effort — leading to life-long, pain-free high performance!

Keep moving and stay safe!

Read more great articles on Dr. Cobb's blog and sign up for his free newsletter by clicking the banner link below.

7. Nutrition Tip:
"Trim and Lean Soup"

How should one eat to get lean and trim while maintaining muscle? Lots of cruciferous vegetables and meat and make sure it is as chemical-free as possible. Plus it has to taste good too, right?

So buckle up and here we go.

INGREDIENTS:

• Cabbage, Kale or Bok Choy x 1 head, chopped
• Onion x 1 med, chopped
  
• Garlic x 4-6 cloves, chopped
  
• Carrots x 2, chopped smaller pieces
  
• Celery x 2 stalks, chopped
  
• Natural Sea Salt and Pepper
• GMO-free Organic Coconut Oil x 1-2 Tblspn
• Whole Black Beans x 1 can drained
  
• Hormone-free, Antibiotic-free Chicken x 2-4 lbs
  Optional:
  
  • Fresh Cilantro x small handful, chopped or
    torn
    
  • Jalapeño x 1-4, chopped
    
  • Tomatillos x 1-3, chopped
    
  • Oregano x to taste
    
  • Cumin x to taste
    
  • Chili powder x to taste
    
  • Lime juice x to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chicken in a pot with at least 6 cups of water, add more water if needed but only enough to cover the chicken
2. Add spices such as onion powder, chili powder, thyme, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, natural sea salt, fresh ground black pepper.
   1. We are making our own chicken stock/broth so season how you like
3. Boil the chicken until almost done or just barely done enough. You don't want to over cook chicken or it will get dry and tough.
4. In another pot put jalapeño, carrot, onion, cabbage/kale/bok choy and celery and saute in 1-2 tblspn of coconut oil about 5-10 mins until veggies start to caramelize. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add garlic and cook 2 more mins.
6. Add the chicken stock we made earlier. Add more for a soup and less for a thicker stew consistency.
7. Add black beans and any other spices or optional vegetables that you want to add and turn down to med-low, partially cover and simmer for 15 mins.
8. While the soup is simmering the chicken should be cool enough for you to chop it into bite sized pieces and then set it aside. This is a good chance for you to see if the chicken needs to be cooked longer.
9. After 15 minutes, add the chicken and turn the heat off. Let it sit for a moment to make sure the chicken is fully cooked and heated up.
10. Serve.

You could top this off with some lime juice, Tobasco sauce, cilantro or just leave
it alone. Choose organic ingredients whenever possible. Create variety in this soup by varying the ingredients every time you cook it, feel free to experiment.

Keep this stored in the fridge for quick access to healthy food.

All of the cruciferous vegetables will help to detoxify your body of phytoestrogens which mimic the hormone estrogen and cause fat storage. Plus they provide iron, calcium and a lot more. The protein in the chicken will make you feel full and satisfied plus provide your body with much needed nutrition.

8. Got Grip:
"Seriously Strong Hands ebook"


If you are interested in Grip training you owe it to yourself to get Brian Copeland's Seriously Strong Hands - it will guide you through building a Grip you can be proud of - because remember - the stronger your hands are the stronger your body can be!
This is the grip book I should have written a few years ago.

- Brett Jones CSCS, Master RKC, certified Red Nail bender


"In his ebook Seriously Strong Hands, Brian Copeland has put together a no-nonsense guide for the aspiring gripster. Filled with useful tips and no fluff, it is a valuable resource for the beginning grip enthusiast."

- David Whitley, Sr. RKC (tearer & terror of many phone books!)


I purchased your ebook about a month ago. Your ebook very much summarizes all aspects of strength training for bending/tearing. You also give a great plan for improving strength; following this plan leads to success for sure. I just tore a full deck of cards (wrapped in duct tape) in half, so I know what I am talking about... :-)

- Peter Lakatos, RKC Team Leader
Hungary, Budapest



If you are ready to get grip, here is the tool to get you there.

Learn more about it here

9. Self-Defense / Martial Arts Tip:
"Be Like Water"



"When you're talking about fighting, as it is, with no rules, well then, baby you'd better train every part of your body!"
- Bruce Lee: The Lost Interview (1971)


"Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend."
- Bruce Lee

When Bruce Lee coined the Martial Arts concept of Jeet Kune Do he never intended it to be limiting like any other "style" of Martial Arts at the time. It would not make sense to try to make a 105 lb female interested in self-defense fight with the same techniques or tactics as a 225 lb man.

To that end it is important for an aspiring Martial Artist to both learn established styles, methods and tactics that are in existence now but also to break free from them to form their own personal style.

My students all go through a process involving learning the Rapid Assault Tactics program created by Paul Vunak to teach the US Navy SEALs how to take someone out on their feet, on the ground and with weapons, ASAP! Then we move into the next phase which involves exploring a variety of techniques that we/I have incorporated from other styles of Martial Arts. These techniques were chosen for their efficiency, effectiveness and ability to flow well with the Rapid Assault Tactics program.

My students gain a core competency in these techniques and are encouraged to explore other techniques that suit their personal style as they develop as a fighter.

So learning combat begins with a more rigid, "this is how we do it" approach but ends up evolving into a more fluid, "how do YOU do it?" approach that allows each student to use tactics that favor their build, speed, strength, reach, reaction time and combat needs.

Any Martial Artist owes it to themselves to not be bound inside of the box of their chosen style. Even the so-coined term of "Mixed Martial Arts" of today's UFC and other fight sports has become it's own style.

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."
- Bruce Lee

Ultimately the goal is to eliminate techniques, to find a short list of skills that work for you and get really really darn good at them. You should be versatile enough to handle any situation/scenario and to be able to change tactics if your current ones are failing. Beyond that you should have the most simple effective moves that you can pull off against anyone, anytime.

A black belt or similar rank is not the goal, it is the starting point where one can now learn to apply these techniques and truly make them their own.

"Any technique, however worthy and desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it."
- Bruce Lee

To learn more, visit my Martial Arts/ Self Defense site here:
www.progressivecombatsystems.com