Alexander Training

Personal training and strength programs in Austin, Texas.

Tactical Strength and Conditioning

Say Yes

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Greetings from Orlando! I am en route to the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Tactical Training Conference. I love meeting coaches who work with police, fire, and military units and taking what I learn from them and passing it along to you. (If you’re curious, more about why I attend this conference here.)

When I attended this conference for the first time in 2014, I met powerlifter and coach Matt Wenning, whom you have probably heard me refer to for his extensive strength and conditioning knowledge. The following year at the conference, he introduced me to coach Mark Tayson, who invited us to workout at a friend’s gym nearby.

We walked into a gym with dumbbells, barbells, logs, tons of strongman implements, and a handful of welcoming members, including Dimitar Savatinov who won America’s Strongest Man contest that year.


Ironhouse Gym

What a crazy world! It was so surreal to be in a gym in a city I’d never been in, with people I barely knew, but who had decades of combined knowledge and similar passions. I was like a kid in a candy shop!

Fast forward a few years, and I met another coach I look highly up to, Ron McKeefery. We kept in touch at a couple conferences, and he recently asked me to be on his podcast, Iron Game Chalk Talk. This has been one of the biggest honors of my professional life! But you knew that, because it was just covered on my blog. Details of the podcast here in case you missed it.

All this, from talking to people at conferences!

Your Turn

Who will you talk to this week? What can you say YES to that will be beneficial to you and your clients, or coworkers or family? 

Let me know if you have any questions for me to pass along at the conference this week, and keep your eyes open for serendipitous opportunity! It’s out there! 

Have a great week! Thank you for reading,

Kathryn

Training with Ed Cosner at PowerSport Strength & Conditioning

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On Monday I had the honor of training with Ed Cosner at PowerSport Strength and Conditioning in Houston, Texas. I love visiting new facilities and seeing the different layouts, equipment, and methodologies that drive the gym.


Whats even more fun than visiting a new facility is getting to know the individual behind it. In this case, that’s Ed Cosner, owner of PowerSport Strength and Conditioning.

Ed was a member of the US Army’s Elite Forces and was on the Elite Athlete Program. He played professional rugby, is an accomplished powerlifter, and Highland Games national and world champion. 

His education is top notch, too. He earned his bachelors of science in kinesiology, and his Masters of science in human performance. That, in combination with his tactical strength and conditioning background, athletic career, and decades of experience working with athletes, make Ed the real deal. 




What a great facility! Weightlifting and powerlifting platforms, strongman implements, and a hard working training environment.

What a great facility! Weightlifting and powerlifting platforms, strongman implements, and a hard working training environment.



And a bucket of rugby balls.

And a bucket of rugby balls.

He has continued to coach professional level rugby players, including several members of the New Zealand All Blacks team. He has also been on the strength and conditioning teams at University of Texas San Antonio, Baylor University, and the San Antonio Spurs.

Ed now works with high schoolers, professional athletes, and people training to get stronger and better. 

He is not just good at a lot of things, he’s great at a lot of things. If you are in Houston, stop by his facility. Visit http://www.playhardtrainharder.com/ to get in contact with Ed about training with him 

Confession: I rarely use kilo plates so I don’t know exactly how much I was lifting. I could have done the math but I just went by feel. It’s not that much different. However, I keep training notes on my phone, and there were lots of question marks beside numbers from this workout. 🙂  

I worked up to some moderately heavy deadlift triples and back down for a few backoff sets. Not my hardest workout because I didn’t want to jump into the car to drive back to Austin a sweaty, exhausted mess.

However, it was a great training session with Ed and one of his lifters, Darren, working out as well. The week’s program was written on a white board on the wall, jerseys from accomplished athletes hang in the office, and the general feel of the place says “Work hard!”

Ed, thank you again so much for your hospitality, and to Darren for sharing his session. I will be back soon! 


PowerSport office kittens need adopting, as of 10/10/16 still. Any takers? Let me know!

PowerSport office kittens need adopting, as of 10/10/16 still. Any takers? Let me know!


Tactical Strength & Conditioning Annual Training

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Last week I attended the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Tactical Strength and Conditioning Annual Training, a meeting of leaders in the police, fire and military community. Recognizing the commonalities in their units, programs, and experience allows for faster learning and implementation of effective programs. 


NSCA_TSAC.jpg

In short, when our police, fire, and military departments are fitter, we are all safer.

So, we meet, listen, learn and talk a lot!

You might wonder why, as a personal trainer in Austin, Texas, I chose to attend the TSAC Annual Training.

Continuing education is a huge component for trainer’s integrity. The chance to meet and learn from other strength and conditioning coaches is hugely beneficial to me.  


"Members of the 37th Training Wing's Emergency Services Team at Lackland AFB" by U.S. Air Force. Photo by Robbin Cresswell.

“Members of the 37th Training Wing’s Emergency Services Team at Lackland AFB” by U.S. Air Force. Photo by Robbin Cresswell.

But, I could have attended a general fitness conference or a personal trainer specific conference. Why a tactical conference? Last year, I was employed as an exercise physiologist with the Austin Fire Department. We attended the TSAC Conference, and I was taken with the people I met and the experiences they shared.

And how does this apply to my clients? Let’s back up and minute and consider the goals of a large scale military training program. The individual soldier will be most effective when he or she is strong, conditioned, agile, and healthy. Healthy includes recovery, diet, and sleep. 

Similarly, the optimal firefighter will be able to meet unexpected physical demands, understand how to recovery properly, and generally be fit. Police officers also must be quick with their feet and their mind, and conditioned to run and wrestle if necessary. 


Firefighters during live fire drills.  Photo available at pixabay.com under CC BY 1.0.

Firefighters during live fire drills.  Photo available at pixabay.com under CC BY 1.0.

Add in the extra stresses these populations face. They do not have the luxury of knowing what specific abilities they will need, or what exact situations they will encounter. Nutrition will certainly not be planned and perfect; hello, fleeing suspect or box alarm at dinnertime.

They don’t always have the best training circumstances either. Deployments don’t necessarily lend themselves to regular and consistent training in perfectly equipped gyms.

Certainly, the rest of us can learn from these tactical athletes. If they are able to get their training in with an uncertain schedule, potentially limited equipment, and limited meal options, the rest of us civilians can do it too.

There are 6 gyms or personal training studios on the 1.2 mile “commute” from my home to my second home. That is, Hyde Park Gym for those of you who don’t know me. Granted, I live in the fitness crazed town of Austin, but the point remains: we who are lucky enough to live in a major city have every opportunity to be fit and well surrounding us.


Photo by Expert Infantry available at flickr.com under CC BY 2.0.

Photo by Expert Infantry available at flickr.com under CC BY 2.0.

Several of the talks I heard were about mental toughness, a crucial skill to develop, with wide application from soldiers to civilians. Matt Wenning, one of the strongest powerlifters of today, taught my favorite hands-on session, which was the sumo deadlift, a major foundational lift for strength. 

I got to listen to Eric Cressey, Dan John and Dr. William Kraemer, none of whom need an introduction to those familiar with the training community. 

Many more names that you would know shared their experience with us, and some you would not. All in all, it was a week of great learning, ideas, and doing. I’ll leave you with one last thought.  Mark Taysom, who is a strength and conditioning coach responsible for thousands of soldier’s training, said in his opening remarks, “A lot of people are great. They just don’t know they’re great.”

My job is to bring out the greatness in people.  Some of them are performance athletes or public servants. Others are civilians like me. If I can learn from those coaching individuals whose hurdles are higher and responsibilities are great, I can help my all my clients better.