How regular people went from doing a Turkish Getup with a 6 kg to a 40 kg, and some to the “Beast” (48 kg)
At the Qiyas gym we see people from all walks of life. We have schoolteachers, computer geeks, students, mothers, chefs, doctors, academics, etc. Some have a history of exercise, some don’t. Some are motivated to get in shape, some need to be driven. They all have one thing in common—they understand the importance of movement!
The first group of students begin to file into the gym at around 6:00 a.m. Some are still rubbing their eyes, while others have already had their first shot of espresso for the day. Everyone comes ready to sweat and become a stronger individual. At Qiyas, we do not follow the mentality of “push yourself till you throw up,” but rather, we personalize a training program for each individual that helps them move better and become stronger through a program they can withstand and enjoy. The personalized program is intense, but varies from individual to individual because it all depends on where they currently are in their training, fitness, or overall health. We have a handful of 60-year-olds training in the gym alongside their young 30-year-old counterparts; both come out stronger!
Over the years I’ve had a handful of mentors who have guided me in the right direction. Yes, I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by great company. Recently, I’ve had the pleasure to be taught and advised by Dr. John Sullivan. He is an ex-marine who stands strong at 72 years of age. Dr. John has helped me relearn the art of training, and therefore help people to move better and get stronger. I used to make the mistake that most trainers make, train every client hard so they feel drained at the end of their workout. However, thanks to Dr. John, I now know that the correct way to train is to leave a few reps in the tank so one is fresh at the end of the session. The Russian Master of Sports, Pavel Tsatsouline, advises, “A workout should give you more than it takes from you.” Meaning that at the end of a workout one should feel energized and ready for the work day ahead, not beat to a point where you need to go back to sleep!
With the above advice from the masters, we now have a new system at the Qiyas gym. We start all our sessions with a focus on Mobility Drills; spending a good 10–15 minutes on mobilizing the joints before getting into the heavy lifting. The heavy lifting, or intense and dynamic exercises, we run for no more than 30 minutes, because after that people usually burn out and the form starts to suffer, which will eventually lead to injury. The program is foolproof, and we make every attempt possible to keep our clients injury-free. Once you get injured, you cannot train, so we advise that everyone train in a safe and controlled manner. The key word here is train, not exhaust yourself. This is how our strong men and women have increased their strength across the board, in all the exercises, and most notably the Turkish Getup (TGU). The benefits of the TGU are many, and will be discussed in more detail in a future article, however, at the Qiyas gym we also use it as an assessment of full body strength.
The environment and tools are important as well. Our gym is not like a traditional gym where you see machines that isolate a muscle that is only 2% of your body, and then expect you to spend 10 minutes training that muscle, nor do we have treadmills or ellipticals. The Qiyas gym is an open space with lots of kettlebells, barbells, Indian clubs, pull-up bars, rings, and most importantly the human body (the best tool). These are all tools we use to get stronger. We start with mastering the control of the body and then move on to lifting heavy iron. We employ compound movements and full-body exercises. We use traditional training methods that have worked for centuries. But we train everyone in a safe manner, following a program that is personal to them.
At the Qiyas gym everyone is a student and a coach. We all keep an eye on each other. We motivate each other. We encourage each other. We stand strong and stay humble together.