Twisted Conditioning

How to combine barbell, strongman and bodyweight exercises

by Bud Jeffries

Bud Jeffries is strong. 1000lb squat strong. Bud is flexible. Somersault flexible. Bud is huge. He looks like the human blob. Bud is a powerlifter. Bud is a shootfighter. Bud is sfukin awesome.

This book is like Dinosaur Training, Rock, Iron, Steel and Combat Conditioning all mixed,or rather, Twisted, together.

Bud, Bud and Bud. The Three Levels of Conditioning:

Twisted Conditioning is about improving what Jeffries' calls 3 levels of conditioning:

Bud lays out the roadmap to all three levels with exercises, routines and all his experience. He's pretty flexible and gives you options to fit round your lifestyle. Bud discusses his theories on adopting weekly mini-cycles to balance different types of hard training and recovery. This is a common dilemma - how to juggle strength, endurance and skill work - without sacrificing one for another. If you want to train every day, fine. 3 days a week or just twice is fine too. There are 9 routines, each with subsections. Plenty.The important thing is the routines are do-able. Even for us humanoids that aren't from planet Bud.

Bodyweight versus Weight Training:

Oh, here we go again. Bud does both. He doesn't see the point of painting yourself into a corner by choosing one method over the other. And for those of you that are convinced that bodyweight exercises make you stronger than weights stick yourself under Bud's 1000lb barbell and take a shot at it.

Anyway he includes a lot of bodyweight stuff. Probably enough to make the purchase of some other bodyweight books unnecessary.

For more reading, check out his Martial Arts and Strength Training Article. "It (weights) doesn't really improve your fighting strength." "Okay, then let me or Tank Abbot punch you"

Bud on Bodybuilding:

"They may look like Tarzan, but play like Jane". LMAO. Bodybuilding style workouts? You can stick 'em up your loincloth. So that means big compound exercises, or "Natural Motions" in Budspeak, and not training to failure. (Although he's fine with going to failure occaisionally to test your gumption).

Bud Photos:

The book is regaled in tons of photos of Bud lifting pretty much everything. Wanna see a 350lb man do cartwheels? It's here. There's Bud pulling a bus. There's even Bud doing Step Aerobics...And oooh look, there's Bud playing with, and I quote, "some light bench presses" - hmm all 365lbs worth of 'light'! We are deeply not worthy!

Cool :

Uncool :

What more?

Just for good measure, Jeffries throws in some cable exercises, indian club swings, type flipping, sled dragging, barrel, stone and log lifting. And even some token heavybag work and Heavyhands. They are all worked into the routines - but with plenty of alternative options too.

Summary:

For those of you who read Steve Justa's book but didn't adopt his training methods for various reasons, ( because, A. you don't have a piece railroad track lying around and B. he looks like a mentalist), well Twisted Conditioning is more accessible. You may not be able to do as much as Bud, but you'll be able to do it. The training is a lot more conventional than Justa's - mainly barbells and bodyweight. He even gives guidelines to beginners (basically squat, press, pull and row).

Basically, Twisted Conditioning is ace.

SFUK links:

Barrels, Bags and more