+1 for the Podcast episode with Al, and I can say that although it's packed with good stuff, it only scratches the surface of what he has to say and teach.
For anyone who doesn't know this already, I can say with 100% certainty that
I am here because of Al. He started a physical training and kettlebell program on the military base where I work, and I was smart enough to take the class starting in March of 2013. Actually, it took me a year to get smart; it was March of 2014 when I finally realized THIS IS THE WAY, not just another fitness class among the endless cardio and little dumbell stuff I had been doing for so many years. For the first time I started to understand strength training, progression, and what sort of potential there was down that path. My mind was totally blown when I read a copy of his PT manual, and I've never thought about fitness the same way since. In fact if I had to point to one single thing that had the biggest influence on my entire fitenss journey, that would be it. Although he left this location soon after that, he has continued to mentor me as I've gone thorugh
SFG I and the preparation for it, bodyweight class, SFG II, SFL, and becoming a peronal trainer at the base -- in fact, I'm currently teaching most of my sessions with students in the gym that he built while he was here. We have great discussions via email and he's truly a great friend! I know I can never really repay all he's given me... all I can do is try to pay it forward to others. In this way we continue the shared learning and community around strength training and being our best selves.