Author: Al Ciampa
Al Ciampa has been a barbell athlete for 25+ years. A former powerlifter and bench press specialist, he has a raw bench press of 605lbs in training and 585lbs in competition, at the time, setting an IPA record. He served in the US Army first as a LRS-D team member, then as director of the Army’s hand-to-hand combat program in the South Korea: Modern Army Combatives Program.
After his service, Al co-opened and led training for a fitness and health and wellness center that served military units and the local public, where he specialized in strength and conditioning and nutrition. Feeling a desire to support the military again, he now works as an exercise physiologist and health educator for the US Air Force, specializing in rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and instructor development.
Al has an MS in sports and health science, is an SFG Level I, and is certified through the FMS, ACSM, and USAW. He has been recognized for excellence by the Secretary of Defense, Mr. Chuck Hagel.
“It’s funny, but you never really think much about breathing. Until it’s all you ever think about.” – Author Tim Winton There is no doubt that you have heard of employing some type of breath control to improve your performance, your state of health, or to reduce stress. Moreover, it probably isn’t a stretch to […]
I will take the reader from A-Z on all the essentials of rucking: how to prep your gear, how to walk, how to structure your workouts for different goals, and why.
How do you evaluate the credibility of an author and his recommendations? Without decades of personal trial and error, how do you discern the truth from the misinformation?
This article will explain how to incorporate heart rate training into the Simple & Sinister program, and how to progress over time.
I will offer you a road map toward building serious endurance. It is based on the idea of improving your level of conditioning by using short but powerful bouts of work.
Preparing for deployment is what I do professionally, so I'm providing an overview of my philosophy. Here's how I train for military deployment.