Review: The Spartan Warrior Workout – Dave Randolph
Sat, Jan 15 2011 09:31
| kettlebells, martial arts, training, keep fit, exercise, martial arts Altrincham, fitness, conditioning
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Some people will automatically write this book off. The front cover features a menacingly ripped topless bloke with a blank expression and two racked kettlebells lit and lettered very much in the style of the film it's inspired by. We all know about 300 and the controversy of the “real” and CGI physiques displayed so vividly and how they whipped up a frenzy amongst the fitness and fight industries alike. Secondly the title hints and the inner sleeve confirms that Dave Randolph didn't work on the film at all – he is in fact a disciple of the Russian guru and PR maverick Pavel Tsatsouline. A hard as nails Russian expert who brought the old and secret training of strength, conditioning and martial prowess out from under the iron curtain and made a mint in the process.
Gymrats may have toyed with kettlebells as a fad in the last five years or so. But typically being difficult and low-tech they have been forgotten about. While they may be slightly marginalised by this book the influence of Randolph's mentor is there to see for those who have read the brilliant yet expensive books Pavel offers the world. Simple exercises, challenging and nigh on gutwrenching variations and a basic no bullshit approach is the foundation of this book. The simple fact is that those with pretensions of a “superhero” physique and the attributes to use it will cost a super amount of work and discipline. Adherence to dietary abstinence and precise form in the gym are a must here.
The real shame about this book is the way in which the simplicity of the prose and the plan are muddied by complex charts and annotations. I fear this will put off many and dishearten some. The advice and philosophy on hand are excellent especially about the mental challenge of the workouts and how to meet and overcome obstacles. The section General Physical Preparedness (GPP to those in the know) is excellent as far as introductions to the concept go. Although the book loses itself here in its eagerness for a USP (I know, I know) to introduce the casual reader to sledgehammers and tyre flips taking itself squarely out of the realms of most exercise enthusiasts and perhaps the realms of practicality too.
The mix of compound movements, explosive movements and endocrine torturing intensity is brilliant as it is cautionary. The lack of rest periods recommended or indeed encouraged worries me slightly. In terms of inspiration the book is excellent and informative. However I fear it is a set of routines for icing your cake as it were.
Once a strong and solid foundation of fitness is well in place this has the potential to turn people onto that next edge we all crave. For those slovenly spare-tyre carriers like me it is perhaps dangerous to promote this as a starting point. The risk of injury, over-training and damage is potentially much higher if this book is taken at face value. The offer of preparation and pre-hab is good but feels like an afterthought at the back of the book. Logically it should precede the guts of the workout.
Gymrats may have toyed with kettlebells as a fad in the last five years or so. But typically being difficult and low-tech they have been forgotten about. While they may be slightly marginalised by this book the influence of Randolph's mentor is there to see for those who have read the brilliant yet expensive books Pavel offers the world. Simple exercises, challenging and nigh on gutwrenching variations and a basic no bullshit approach is the foundation of this book. The simple fact is that those with pretensions of a “superhero” physique and the attributes to use it will cost a super amount of work and discipline. Adherence to dietary abstinence and precise form in the gym are a must here.
The real shame about this book is the way in which the simplicity of the prose and the plan are muddied by complex charts and annotations. I fear this will put off many and dishearten some. The advice and philosophy on hand are excellent especially about the mental challenge of the workouts and how to meet and overcome obstacles. The section General Physical Preparedness (GPP to those in the know) is excellent as far as introductions to the concept go. Although the book loses itself here in its eagerness for a USP (I know, I know) to introduce the casual reader to sledgehammers and tyre flips taking itself squarely out of the realms of most exercise enthusiasts and perhaps the realms of practicality too.
The mix of compound movements, explosive movements and endocrine torturing intensity is brilliant as it is cautionary. The lack of rest periods recommended or indeed encouraged worries me slightly. In terms of inspiration the book is excellent and informative. However I fear it is a set of routines for icing your cake as it were.
Once a strong and solid foundation of fitness is well in place this has the potential to turn people onto that next edge we all crave. For those slovenly spare-tyre carriers like me it is perhaps dangerous to promote this as a starting point. The risk of injury, over-training and damage is potentially much higher if this book is taken at face value. The offer of preparation and pre-hab is good but feels like an afterthought at the back of the book. Logically it should precede the guts of the workout.
As a source of inspiration and even exercise fetishism this book is fantastic and can teach us all plenty however it's ordering is haphazard. I recommend it for anyone with an open mind and determination of steel, to try, try and try again until they get where they want to be.