Physical Training Status

In all my Charger-related excitement, I haven't posted much about my physical training. In summary, these are the programs I've tried in recent months:

4 x 7

A program designed by Scott Sonnon that incorporates the Three Wings of CST (Intu-Flow, Prasara Yoga, and Clubbell Training), for improving general athleticism (strength, explosiveness, etc.).

FlowFit

An all-bodyweight strength and conditioning program addressing the Six Degrees Of Freedom, based on Prasara Yoga. From the Wiki page:

Six degrees of freedom (6DoF) refers to motion in three dimensional space, namely the ability to move forward/backward, up/down, left/right (translation in three perpendicular axes) combined with rotation about three perpendicular axes (yaw, pitch, roll).

Viniyoga/Bullwhip

My current program - I practice Clubbell lifting that is focused on the Bullwhip Combination Routine and a personalized Viniyoga routine on alternating days.

A little bit about each:

4 x 7

The "4" is the four days of a cycle in this program. The "7" is the total number of 4-day cycles, thus bringing the length of the program to 28 days. Day One is Moderate Intensity, Day Two is High Intensity, Day Three is No Intensity (active recovery with joint mobility emphasis), and Day Four is Low Intensity (active recovery using Prasara Yoga, to prep the body for more work). The Day One and Day Two sessions utilize Clubbells, a pullup bar, and a box (or similar implement) for strength/explosiveness training and conditioning. When I tried 4x7, I enjoyed the exercises but I decided my lower back was not ready for the plyometric jumps and the Four Corner Squats (sophisticated variations of the one-legged squat). Also upon retrospect, I was working with a heavier Clubbell than I should have been using for the 2-handed Clubbell exercises of this program.

FlowFit

The FlowFit program consists of 7 exercise families to address the aforementioned Six Degrees of Freedom. Each exercise family has four variations, one for each level of difficulty. In addition, there are Flows, each of which consists of a members of each of the seven exercise families linked together into one continuous movement. There are four Flows, one per difficulty level. This program was designed to be as accessible to as wide a range of people as possible. The Level 1 Flow and exercises, for example, utilize a sturdy stool as a prop for those who are really, really out of shape or recovering from serious injury. As with several other CST programs, the ultimate goal of FlowFit is to achieve "flow-state", otherwise referred to as "being in the zone", which is what elite sportsmen and women such as Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and Tom Brady experience at the very top of their games.

My personal experience with FlowFit was that it was at first a welcome relief for my back from the plyometric jumps, Four Corner Squats, and heavy two-handed Clubbell work of 4x7. But then I noticed left shoulder soreness and left knee soreness - both joints were previously injured - start to reappear and gradually be aggravated.

Viniyoga/Bullwhip

Viniyoga, according to the American Viniyoga Institute website, is

an approach to Yoga that adapts the various means and methods of practice to the unique condition, needs and interests of the individual - giving each practitioner the tools to individualize and actualize the process of self-discovery and personal transformation.
This approach evolved out of the teachings transmitted by T. Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar of Madras, India.

My previous experience with Yoga, the 12-week course in Iyengar-style yoga, had a positive effect on my low back recovery. However, I was intrigued by the personalized approach to Yoga study and practice promised by Viniyoga, so I found a local instructor and began taking lessons. I am now four weeks into my personalized version of the 10-session low back recovery program developed by Gary Kraftsow at the AVI. My teacher in particular customized the program to address my previous shoulder issue, as well as monitor my low back and adjust the program accordingly. Unlike Iyengar style which seems to place more emphasis on getting into a posture and holding it there, my Viniyoga program places more emphasis on gentle movement into and out of postures, in sync with the breath. So far, the positive effects on my low back recovery have been noticeable and more dramatic than when I took the Iyengar class.

The Bullwhip is a combination routine for single Clubbell, which consists of the component exercises known as the Parry Cast, Arm Cast, and Front Pendulum. I feel this is also having a positive effect on my back recovery.