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Wellness & Fitness
To supplement your Systema training, we highly recommend the following:
Clubbells
Used for centuries to improve functional strength, nothing beats club training. Clubbells are the new and improved version of this time tested training device and method. Utilizing circular movements, they give you a full body exercise that is fun and addictive. Once you start, you’ll be hooked for life!
The Original Patented Clubbell from RMAX International – Indian Clubs, Steel Club, Strength Training

Construction: the "bats" are well balanced, solid construction, and clean lines. They are as safe as any workout equipment available. if you want to get into the CB workouts, this is the product to get.
Clubbell Training For Circular Strength DVD: An Ancient Tool for the Modern Athlete

The first reason you need to see it: safety issues. Coach Sonnon details proper 'parking' and 'pickup' protocol, and proper hold intervals for the extended isometric positions. It becomes apparent that most 'homemade substitutes' for the clubbell (sledgehammers, baseball bats, Weaver sticks, etc) aren't really suitable for many of the exercises and routines Coach Sonnon demonstrates. That doesn't mean you can't try to substitute something else (ie, plastic baseball bat filled with sand) for a Clubbell, but it is obvious that the Clubbell is the 'best fit' for what Coach Sonnon is doing on the video especially for the 8 ultimate combination exercises at the end of the video.
The second reason is to learn how coordinate and focus the breath while using the Clubbells. Pay attention to how Coach Sonnon punctuates the lifts with his breath - it's important to the process because it helps you learn to use the breath to reinforce the body's structures to compensate for the leverage disadvantage. If you don't breathe the proper way demonstrated on the video, your progress will stall out early in your training.
Some of the exercises are obvious and intuitive. Some of them are simple and brutal. All of them are harder than Coach Sonnon makes them look. I almost broke my shin the first time I did clubbell swings to shoulder height for reps, and I'm a fairly coordinated person - I wasn't concentrating hard enough and ended up with a huge welt above my left ankle) That drove home the point that Circular Strength Training is potentially hazardous - it is really easy to clobber yourself (and other people) while training. At least it was my shin and not my head. Though some people claim that there is no difference in my case. Anyway...
You must concentrate to get the hip-snap into the ballistic drills because the Clubbell seems forgiving at first - you think you can get away with using arm and shoulder power for the lifts to compensate for a lack of lower body drive. But the habit of depending on shoulder strength instead of hip snap and leg drive will cost you when you venture into high rep territory.
After a 30-40 minute session of practicing swings, pendulums, cleans-to-order, and 'liberty torch' snatches, my wrists and forearms are always "fried". It is tough but exhilarating and I invariably feel like an initiate into a new order of 'knuckledragging dinosaurs'. Swinging the 15 lb beasts seems to revive some dormant caveman/warrior/baseball player instincts that I hardly ever get to indulge.
One caveat - there are no guidelines in the video regarding sets, reps, or intensity, or for setting up a program. Coach Sonnon emphasizes at several points that you should never train to failure (or sometimes, to stop at the last rep before failure), but that's about it. Supposedly the forthcoming book version of Circular Strength Training will contain more concrete details about creating programs and juggling volume, load, and intensity for best results. You can bet that I'll be ordering the book as soon as it becomes available; I also hope to attend a certification seminar in Circular Strength Training to take the practice to 'the next level.'
This is really interesting stuff. Just like all the other RMAX videos, there are years of progressive lessons and material to master on this tape. Any student of old time physical culture, combat sports, racket sports, or throwing sports owes it to themselves to investigate Circular Strength Training.
My favorite quote from the video: "Clubbells offer no mercy to the aspiring strongman or strongwoman. They also offer no pity to the trainee who uses them incorrectly." Absolutely.
Clubbell Yoga

Warrior Wellness – Zdorovye Health System
Warrior Wellness is not a two dimensional “exercise program”. It is a full body wellness system designed to improve your quality of life with greater range of motion, joint strength, breathing, and balance. Anyone, at any age, in any health, can and should be using this system. It’s a true full body, full life program that you will benefit from for the rest of your life. The system requires no equipment, can be done anywhere, and can improve your quality of life in a very short period of time. We recommend it to everyone!
Warrior Wellness: Six Degrees of Freedom (3 programs: Beginner-Intermediate-Advanced)

The Warrior Wellness Zdorovye Health System is a natural movement education system, or a type of somatic engineering. Movement Education in Zdorovye is more than working to increase range of motion (flexibility) and strength. The goals of Zdorovye are to integrate/coordinate breathing, movement and structural alignment, as well as increase the pliability, coordination and strength of any individual. These goals are accomplished in a gradual fashion using an errorless learning module of training working gradually from recovery to coordination to refinement in all aspects of health, fitness and awareness. This process is also followed with each exercise – first recovering the necessary pliability, coordination and strength, and then coordinating and refining those aspects. The exercises in Zdorovye are designed to enhance the efficiency of every movement by causing the individual to move in three dimensions simultaneously as well as understanding the use of the center of gravity (of the entire body as well as each individual segment) as a mobility tool.
How is it structured?
The Warrior Wellness Zdorovye Health System is broken down into three levels: Novice, Intermediate and Advanced.
The Novice level seeks to fully integrate Dvizheniye (movement), Polozheniye (structural alignment) and Dykhaniye (breathing). The main focus of this level is to recover our natural child-like pliability (flexibility) as well as restore our natural coordination (awareness) and strength (stamina).
The Intermediate level seeks to fully develop the coordination aspect of the exercises. In order to gain any development from the intermediate exercises one must have FULLY integrated his/her breathing, alignment and movement.
The Advanced level seeks to refine these fully coordinated and integrated exercises into truly efficient movements.
‘Recover – Coordinate – Refine’ is one of the overall principles for the Zdorovye Health System. It is applied to the entire system (Novice – Intermediate – Advanced) as well as to each individual exercise. It is a gradual process that, when followed through to the end has a more profound effect on the individual than something that is gained instantly.
Whether you are an Olympic athlete or a senior citizen, Zdorovye can help improve your performance and health.
The following is a general list of the benefits that anyone can gain from the Zdorovye Health System:
Increase Energy:
Breathing exercises integrated with movement and alignment will increase the energy levels, and help you maintain and balance them throughout the day.
Increase Mobility
Movement exercises integrated with breathing and alignment will increase the range-of-motion of your joints – keeping them mobile, supple and strong.
Increase Power
Structural Alignment exercises integrated with breathing and movement will increase the power that is inherent in the structure of your body.
Increase Efficiency
Specialized applications of breathing, alignment & movement will teach your body how to move efficiently (doing more with less).
Decrease Injuries
If your keep your body energized, mobile and powerful you decrease the risk of injury. Through the specialized applications of breathing, alignment & movement the connective tissues around your joints become stronger and more pliable.
Decrease Fear
If you have never jumped out of an airplane you will most likely be terrified the first time you do so. The Zdorovye Health System teaches kinesthetic awareness – awareness of where your body is – which allows you to let go of the fear of such things as falling.
Decrease Anxiety/Stress
There are two reactions that we have towards stress – mental & physical. The physical reaction – tension – is something that we can easily reduce through specialized applications of movement, breathing & posture. Prices & Ordering
I gave this set to Big Tom ten years ago when he could barely walk to the door. He would literally have to turn his entire body to turn his head. Very few thought he would make it to see his 55th birthday and the people at church wanted to buy him an electric scooter for mobility.
I had a better idea, force Tom to begin his path to mobility through Warrior Wellness!
Within 6 months he could walk a mile. By the end of the year he won his church's over 50, 50 yard dash!
Scott Sonnon might come across as an odd character but he has been through a lot in life. He's in better shape at 20 than 10 and in better shape at 30 than 20. Now, he's in his 40's an in the best shape of his life. You know he's doing something right.
Warrior Wellness is different than Western thinking in that it does not focus on flexibility or muscle strength. It's all about range of motion and joint strength. Anyone, at any age can do this and you never have to advance past the beginner level.
Do this every day for the rest of your life and it will be the best move you ever made!
Kettlebell Systema – The Science of Kettlebell Sport DVD

In addition to these very detailed instructions to the lifts Kanygin also gives training plans for beginners and intermediates. The latter practice already the full lifts and add drills to work on specific weaknesses. He also discusses some specific strategies for competitions.
All in all I am really glad to have purchased this DVD set. For everyone who is interested in girevoy sport or just in how to lift kettlebells in an effective manner this is the right choice.
Systema Solo Training

This book has the answers! It covers the basic methods of Systema solo practice, including:
Core Exercises, Breathing, Falling & Ground Movement, Stretching and Mobility, Equipment, Health practices and more!
These exercises will help develop your strength, freedom of movement and overall health and fitness, whether for Systema or any other activity.
110 pages and over 400 photos. Prices & Ordering
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