1) body comp- definitely thicker in shoulders/back... i'm a big guy 6'5" 235 or so... but folks have commented that i look bigger, which is fine (not really interested in specific body comp other than health)
2) i train a lot for OCR type stuff- so running and climbing and crawling- all of that is on the other days of the week
3) athletic carryover is profound- i played hoops for the first time in a number of years and absolutely crushed it- i was moving well, sliding great on defense, and generally running all day... conditioning for that was outstanding (stop start, sprints, etc) no problem- running is better as is basically everything else... as it gets warm i'll mix and match this with some running with the protocol- i imagine that is the best of both worlds
i am of the opinion that this kind of training is highly parasympathetic- which ties into the flow state stuff (Csikszentmihalyi, Kotler, etc) that highlights exponential physical and mental growth- this is repeatable, scalable, and touches everything that you would want for an athlete, aging and physical prowess... i feel like i can run all day, lift very heavy weights when ever i want and physically dominate someone on an athletic field... and this seems to be the general consensus of the seven or so folks who have been on this journey with me
for instance a friend who is a runner (also KB enthusiast and OCR guy)- 47 y/o- just set a PR on a difficult trail run- 7.5 miles- that he has run 3 or 4 times in the past- he's been doing this protocol for the last few months and seeing similar gains... 14 y/o boy (8th grader) who weighs 114 pounds just last night 1 handed clean and jerked a 60lb dumbell over his head- and he is still very early in physical maturation... as he gets older and more mature, i'm very interested in seeing what physical stature he will develop-
also, NO injuries by anyone or even any soreness... this training also seems to tie into the proper pace of tendon/ligament strength (see Brooks Kubik and Dinosaur Training)... this feels like this will also positively effect longevity and physical stature
basically everyone is getting better at everything all at once... this is special
i'd love to hear Pavel or any of the other StrongFirst gurus chime in on this conversation- i've been in the fitness game for a long time and have never quite been through something so extraordinary