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All-Terrain Conditioning Course - Wow!

Anna C

Anna C

Level 9 Valued Member
Team Leader Certified Instructor
Elite Certified Instructor
Sinister
Just finished attending the All-Terrain Conditioning course held in Denver (I attended online from home).

Master SFG Derek Toshner and StrongFirst Elite Kenneth Bolyard instructed the course.

I the two-day seminar, we covered some incredibly effective StrongFirst-based programs to prepare you for the mountains... or trail endurance, climbing, obstacle course racing, and multi-day adventures of any type.

The plans are Pavel Tsatsouline's Strong Endurance protocols, adapted for a more enduring approach and this slightly specialized application. You must be Strong First, but then the focus is on building quality mitochondria in the muscles that can do enduring work.

We did plan 015 and 044 from Q&D. We also did 060 and some other variations. Also learned/practiced skills: Swing, snatch, get-up, single-leg deadlift, pull-up, push-up, some special leg-strengthening exercises, and step-up techniques.

Mountain pursuits can be difficult to train for. If you focus too much on building Endurance, Strength might suffer. Similarly, if you focus too much on building Strength, Endurance might suffer. It's like a teeter-totter. As Derek explained, you really can't ever escape this quandary. The answer is to build a bigger teeter-totter.

Step-ups, snatch walking, The Triple Threat (TTT), slow-fiber training, protocol variations, glycolytic peaking (if/when indicated), how to build a complete Program... All included.

The theory is enlightening, the manual is gold (ALL the programs you need for this type of training), and the demonstrations and exercises made it all accessible. Even attending online with the others in the online group, I was able to use my home gym and cell phone camera and get the same feedback as the in-person participants.

There was time for Q&A both days and I think everyone really understood both the theory and the application.

Hope we will see more of these seminars on the schedule soon!

www.strongfirst.com

All-Terrain Conditioning™ Information | StrongFirst

Built for everyone from new kettlebell users to advanced Mountain Bikers, Mountain Climbers, Hikers, Ruck March Participants, Skiers and Snowboarders, Obstacle Course Racers, CrossFit Athletes, and Special Operators. Endurance Dr. Fred Hatfield described an endurance challenge of carrying twenty...
www.strongfirst.com
 
Anna C said:
Just finished attending the All-Terrain Conditioning course held in Denver (I attended online from home).

Master SFG Derek Toshner and StrongFirst Elite Kenneth Bolyard instructed the course.

I the two-day seminar, we covered some incredibly effective StrongFirst-based programs to prepare you for the mountains... or trail endurance, climbing, obstacle course racing, and multi-day adventures of any type.

The plans are Pavel Tsatsouline's Strong Endurance protocols, adapted for a more enduring approach and this slightly specialized application. You must be Strong First, but then the focus is on building quality mitochondria in the muscles that can do enduring work.

We did plan 015 and 044 from Q&D. We also did 060 and some other variations. Also learned/practiced skills: Swing, snatch, get-up, single-leg deadlift, pull-up, push-up, some special leg-strengthening exercises, and step-up techniques.

Mountain pursuits can be difficult to train for. If you focus too much on building Endurance, Strength might suffer. Similarly, if you focus too much on building Strength, Endurance might suffer. It's like a teeter-totter. As Derek explained, you really can't ever escape this quandary. The answer is to build a bigger teeter-totter.

Step-ups, snatch walking, The Triple Threat (TTT), slow-fiber training, protocol variations, glycolytic peaking (if/when indicated), how to build a complete Program... All included.

The theory is enlightening, the manual is gold (ALL the programs you need for this type of training), and the demonstrations and exercises made it all accessible. Even attending online with the others in the online group, I was able to use my home gym and cell phone camera and get the same feedback as the in-person participants.

There was time for Q&A both days and I think everyone really understood both the theory and the application.

Hope we will see more of these seminars on the schedule soon!

www.strongfirst.com

All-Terrain Conditioning™ Information | StrongFirst

Built for everyone from new kettlebell users to advanced Mountain Bikers, Mountain Climbers, Hikers, Ruck March Participants, Skiers and Snowboarders, Obstacle Course Racers, CrossFit Athletes, and Special Operators. Endurance Dr. Fred Hatfield described an endurance challenge of carrying twenty...
www.strongfirst.com
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Anna - have you also taken Strong Endurance? I've skipped ATC as I've been more interested in SE when that's available and from the descriptions of the events ATC sort of seemed like SE Lite.
 
Yes, I've actually taken Strong Endurance twice and I'll take it again if I get the chance. There is a lot of complementary material, though if feels fresh enough that I wouldn't call it overlap. SE is heavier on theory. They are both heavy on protocols/plans/programs. ATC is heavier on specific applications. ATC really makes clear how to use the tools (snatch, swing, step-up, pull-up, SLDL, etc.) to make your performance engine (think: legs hauling you up a mountain while carrying gear) WAY bigger and more enduring, and how to progress over time. So SE is more about a bigger toolbox and exploring deep into AGT theory, some of which aims to be minimalist, though not all of it does. ATC is about building the ability to perform in very challenging and multi-day events, and has literally no top end on how far you can take the training; i.e. to world records and ultra-endurance.

Both use the Q&D protocols, so that is definitely a gold nugget we can all have access to from both seminars.
 
Anna C said:
Yes, I've actually taken Strong Endurance twice and I'll take it again if I get the chance. There is a lot of complementary material, though if feels fresh enough that I wouldn't call it overlap. SE is heavier on theory. They are both heavy on protocols/plans/programs. ATC is heavier on specific applications. ATC really makes clear how to use the tools (snatch, swing, step-up, pull-up, SLDL, etc.) to make your performance engine (think: legs hauling you up a mountain while carrying gear) WAY bigger and more enduring, and how to progress over time. So SE is more about a bigger toolbox and exploring deep into AGT theory, some of which aims to be minimalist, though not all of it does. ATC is about building the ability to perform in very challenging and multi-day events, and has literally no top end on how far you can take the training; i.e. to world records and ultra-endurance.

Both use the Q&D protocols, so that is definitely a gold nugget we can all have access to from both seminars.
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Anna great explanation, thank you!
 
I can only agree, it was such a great course. I attended online and was very impressed. I have taken Strong endurance once about 3 year ago and ATC really is a nice addition. Martial arts is my main practice but this course also got me interested in som kind of adventure sport :)
 
How will the information from the ATC course be distributed to the masses? Is the knowledge only obtainable by attending the course or by seeking out an instructor who has participated and getting the information second hand? It sounds like something I would be interested in. It would seem silly to have such valuable information not widely available somehow.
 
Lotto said:
How will the information from the ATC course be distributed to the masses? Is the knowledge only obtainable by attending the course or by seeking out an instructor who has participated and getting the information second hand? It sounds like something I would be interested in. It would seem silly to have such valuable information not widely available somehow.
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The information is basically out there. Think of it like this -- the course is a bit like taking a weekend cooking class. The resources and recipes are out there and available, but you learn so much more by learning from an expert, doing the thing yourself under expert guidance and coaching, hearing all the tips and cues to do it right, getting a really exceptional and well-tested recipe, and learning more about the context in which the recipes have been developed and can be used.

The physiology and theory is in Q&D and will also be in the new book, Kettlebell AXE. Application is in both books. Variations have been discussed here on the forum. Longer endurance type work and step-up protocols specifically can be seen on Kenneth Bolyard's IG.

Maybe @Derek Toshner will write a book someday, but my guess is he'll be too busy climbing, mountaineering, etc... ;)

Meanwhile I hear there are going to be more ATC seminars... per Derek's FB post, "ATC Eventbrite has launched for Feb 3-4 in Seattle, and ATC Germany was finalized for Feb 17-18." We should see them on the schedule here soon.
 
Hi Anna - Thanks for the description. Given your background as a cyclist, how well do you think ATC would apply to mountain biking disciplines (short track to ultra endurance) versus the SE course?
 
intheways said:
Hi Anna - Thanks for the description. Given your background as a cyclist, how well do you think ATC would apply to mountain biking disciplines (short track to ultra endurance) versus the SE course?
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Great question. There was a participant who mentioned Leadville 100 and other type events but I don't recall who it was or the details.

I think ATC would apply more to mountain biking disciplines than SE overall, but I do remember that when I first started doing A+A I did notice a difference in my cycling abilities - recovering quickly from hard efforts, etc. I'm mostly a road cyclist and only a "lite" level mountain biker, but MTB uses a lot more full body strength. cross-body tension, etc as compared with road biking, and ATC emphasizes those cross-body strength builders that I think would help a lot.

Of course getting out there and doing the thing -- long bike rides, climbing mountains, etc. -- is always going to be the best way to train to do well and endure that specific thing, but the ATC protocols can help you 1) build those qualities when you can't get to the real thing, and 2) specifically target GPP qualities that can enhance your abilities or "build a bigger teeter totter" so that you can do more and do better when you're in the real thing.
 
Anna C said:
build a bigger teeter totter
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I get the intent of phrases like this, but I don’t buy into it. A teeter totter implies there is always going to be a difficulty of balance. Using this imagery one can easily see how even the slightest change on one side or the other is going to upset the whole thing. You can make the teeter as big as you want, but it will by its very nature always be precarious.

Again it may be just imagery or semantics… but I prefer to think of blending as opposed to balancing. Imagine if you will, that you were one of the poor misguided souls that put cream in their coffee… The resulting mixture is more or less homogeneous, and does not become ’unblended’.

Thinking of training or lifestyle in the same way helps (me at least) avoid the balance issue. I find I am now finally getting to a place (with the help of SF) where I have the right blend of Strength and Endurance for my chosen life.

Much like coffee and cream, or better yet maybe gin and tonic… in the right proportions for the tasks at hand.
 
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