Origin of Energy

What key things do you need to get results with strength and mobility training?

Clear goals. What results are you trying to achieve? If you are not training for your goals you are training for someone else's.
Mentor or Coach. Who has already achieved or has coached someone similar to achieve what you are trying to achieve?

Methods. What methods were used to achieve the result that you are trying to achieve? Did this person use specific training e.g gymnastics/ weightlifting/ ballet as a child or as an adult? Most of the good coaches I have met had to work harder than other athletes. They usually did not make the team or they had to make a comeback after a significant career-ending injury.

Time and Resources. Can you commit the time and money it will take to live the lifestyle? Remember eating better and doing some training is better than nothing, but it will not automatically achieve the result you are after. Time is everyone's most scarce valuable asset.

Consistent effort. Can you learn from failure? Can you keep up the intensity and adjust the approach to keep making small consistent steps towards the result. Can you keep the needed consistent effort dispersed in a balanced way across all areas of life:

Own your mind: avoid social media & MSM

7-9hrs quality sleep

2-3 nourishing whole food meals. My go-to meal is 250-500g of Grassfed Red Meat and 1-2 pieces of fruit. Simple and complete

2-3 ltrs of mineralised filtered water

5-8hrs of working in and or on your business to keep to support your family and save for the future. Remember to save in an asset that can not be devalued by inflation or confiscated by communist dictatorships.

2-3hrs per day connecting with the people you love.

1hr in Nature fresh air and sunlight

1hr per day of movement conditioning, a conscious awareness to move throughout the day and to keep the body aligned with good posture: sleeping, standing, sitting, walking moving.

Stay strong life is not fair or easy but you have already received the most amazing gift imaginable: LIFE with conscious awareness and the ability to change.

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I used the massage ball, foam roller and mobility routine for the first 15 mins of group sessions for the last 10yrs that I was in the origin studio. I found that it benefited all my clients and gave them a great opportunity to get to know their body.

The outdoor coaching environment is not as ideal to get down on the ground on the ball and roller. I transport DB's Rings and Bands every day for coaching so adding multiple rollers would result in extra trips to the car. I still take a couple of balls and a roller but some mornings it is wet so since being outside so for the last 6 months I have switched to a 2-4 min backwards hill walk and a series of long sustained stretches using the picnic benches.

Deep lunge stretch: this mobilises the front ankle, knee and hip at the same time as opening up the hip flexor of the back leg.

Deep glute stretch: this mobilises the front hip. Multiple angles can be used. the bench provides a good platform to support the knee and a foundation to pull on for improved loading of the hip.

Deep squat stretch: this mobilises the groin, glutes, ankles, lats and lower back. Holding on to the bench allows for a deeper loaded stretch plus it stops those that do not have adequate deep squat mobility from falling backwards.

Back lever quad stretch: This stretch works well to improve shoulder flexion and deep knee flexion. You can see that I have some room for improvement with maintaining hip extension.

Deep hamstring, calf and lat stretch: This is great as it allows for the weight of the body to provide some good load into the calves and Achilles tendon. The weight falling back also opens up the lats, activating the hip flexors increased the load onto the hamstrings. I prefer the underhand grip for this stretch but only one of the picnic benches allow for this this spot only allows for a decent grip with the pronated grip.

For over 25 yrs I have personally witnessed positive results from mobility training utilising the massage ball, foam roller and mobility routines. The key is to build and maintain mobility stability strength and coordination as an integrated method.

So grateful for everyday with my family. If you never want to feel lonely get a French bulldog, yes of course it’s best to be complete within yourself so you never need anyone but french bulldogs are amazing loving companions. Thank you to my beautiful wife who manages capture moments like this effortlessly. So proud of the ability you have developed as a photographer. So beautiful when people find and continuously develop their passion. .photography

We can not let humanity become divided.

If you have weighed up all the pros and cons and have decided to get or not to get the c-d injection I respect your choice.

Whatever your decision, what do you think mandating the c - d injection will do to Australia? If over 100000 Australians are willing to be arrested and fined to stand up against lockdowns, masks and mandated vaccines and passports, how many people are too scared to protest? How many people are too scared to speak up because of family, friends & work. How many disagree but got the shot to go back to work? How many people are willing to get a booster shot every 6 months?

What happens when only the vaccinated can work, eat out, go to the gym, travel? Do you think those that have decided not to get the shot are going to say “ok no worries”?

I am doing my best to stay open to the evidence of all sides of this situation. I know intelligent people who I respect who have varied views from 1 end of the spectrum to the other. I have been repeatedly abused for sharing what I think. Frustration can be expressed in many ways unfortunately many people turn to anger and violence when they are scared or can not control others. Everyone needs compassion now more than ever.

The c-d injections can not offer sterilizing immunity, they do not stop the spread and at this point, it is looking like once the antibodies wear off they do not decrease negative outcomes. Some research is showing that the c-d injections are driving mutations and worsening outcomes.

Before WHO changed the definition of herd immunity it was healthy people that would be offering natural immunity to support herd immunity (made up of both natural and vaxed). If people can and have recovered from c-d quickly why are we not using them to get the economy up and running?

How many people have a genuine concern for side effects or death? How would you feel if someone you knew died from the covid injections or experienced serious side effects? I know many people who have had family members die or hospitalised from C-D some are now pro c-d vax some are upset that potential early treatments have been banned.

discrimination will not work

I currently know of 4 people who have died from the c---d injections and have received many emails/ messages from people who have injuries or family members who have died, I know of 2 who died from c---d because they were not offered early treatment, I know 3 people who have committed su***de in the last 18 months.

I agree that these people could have died because of poor physical or mental health, but it has driven me to question what is happening.

The people who had family members die ( within 2 weeks) or were injured were told that "It had nothing to do with the c—d injection " or in the case of injury "it will only be temporary".

I believe that it is every adult's choice what medical drug they put in their body we have a code for this. Health is taking responsibility for yourself. The c---d injections are clearly not working? We have the luxury in Australia to look at what is happening overseas 80% injected is not going to stop c---d. There are many educated people on both sides of the un injected/ injected driving mutation debate. Only difference is one side has all the $ media support. This is not a conspiracy it is business.

Humanity is being divided. People are scared and more than ever we need to support each other. If we keep pushing people (who have been locked up, dehumanised with holey masks and had their ability to make an income taken away) to be injected with something that does not stop the spread, has side effects/ causes death and is likely driving mutations they will not put up with it.

Regardless of what you believe, we all have to respect that a large growing number of people don’t like what is being done to them. Censorship, propaganda, lying, mandates, fines, police brutality, bringing in military and imprisonment will not work it is only driving those that have had enough to stand up and unite.

What would happen if we just let people protest with 1.5 meter spacing and let their voices be heard? Our leadership is failing. The government and police are only in their position to serve the people. Positive PCR cases are not hospitalisations or deaths. If people who protest get natural immunity what is the big problem?

It has been great training clients and myself outside in nature. Sunshine, fresh air, time away from screens and holey masks. This offers much-needed regeneration.

I am grateful every day that I wake up. Despite all the suffering in the world, I like many people can still live a beautiful life. My greatest stress atm and for many is the freedom that is being taken from us in the name of health. FOR OUR SAFETY

I do not mind what any adult wants to do with their body, the greatest thing about having a life is having the choice of what we do with it. I have spent over 25yrs trying to optimise my health. I have coached close to 10000 people face to face and in workshops to do the same for themselves. I have experienced and seen many amazing transformations in health. At present, CVD and cancer are still the number 1 killers in the world these both have a causative relationship with movement, food (processed product) consumption and lifestyle choices. At the moment it is more than probable that an engineered virus is mostly harming and killing people who have comorbidities that mostly have a causative relationship with movement, food consumption and lifestyle choices.

I know without any doubt that:
7-9hrs of Sleep
2-3 whole fresh food sit down meals
1 hr of balanced movement varying from low to high intensity
1hr of time in nature
1-3 ltrs of filtered & remineralised water
staying hygienic
1-3hrs of quality time connecting with those you love
3-8hrs of daily work/ study that provides for others and ideally gives a sense of purpose
creates robust health

Do I think that these things should be mandated even though they could potentially reduce most of the worlds suffering from poor metabolic health which is driving most of the CVD, Cancer, Diabetes and the current complications people are having with C-v-d? No way. Do I think we should ban all processed foods and alcohol that are driving this same metabolic derangement? No way.

We all deserve the ability to make an informed choice based on all of the evidence.

Interim Training Studio till the new commercial studio is finished.

Low Overhead Interim Training Studio I thought some trainers might be interested in the low overhead training studio I am currently using for my business before I open the next originofenergy co...

Handstand kick ups are a great way to assess, develop and maintain straight leg hip flexion and shoulder flexion.

I use a wall handstand front split in my hang handstand split warm up each day and then proceed to kick ups once I am warm.

Keeping the body flexible and strong takes consistent effort. The easiest way to get life long results is to create a lifestyle that you enjoy maintaining that creates the results you want to express. Self torture for short term gains are always short lived. This is a long game if your not prepared to do things long term why are you doing those things? I ask myself this question most days to refine my approach. I want to enjoy the time I have.

You can check out my story from today to watch a September 2018 guided tutorial my hang handstand split warm up. Let me know what you think. Always evolving what I do so I appreciate constructive feedback.
I like this photo because I can see how tight my lats are in the thoracic spine and because of the seagull
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Most people that are performing some type of strength training are not getting as much out of the time energy and money they spend as they could. I include myself in that statement. Fortunately I have stayed open enough to keep evolving my approach.

I have also been fortunate enough to train lots of clients that have recovered from significant injuries. A common thing I have found is that walking squatting and bending pain free are more valued when regained.

So why do so many not take the time to condition the ligaments of toes, ankles knees hips and spine? The major issue is that they don’t think they can or don’t know how.

Everything we do is doing something to our physiology. Being consistent with good form using effective training variable reps, sets, loading, tempo and rest has the potential to transform your connective tissue. Couple good training with good sleep, good nutrient dense food and loving relationships and you can have a healthy body and amazing life.

Progressing Deep lunges, straight leg deadlifts, bent knee calf raises and tib raises can transform the legs into something more useful against gravity.
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What’s the best weight and body composition for health, aesthetics and performance?
It depends on what your perspective is for each of these.

I have had an adult weight range of 67-100kg I had an approximate body fat % range from 7% - 15% every kg variance has pros and cons.

From 74-67 was not healthy. Till I got below 74kg I was light acrobatics and calisthenics was good as I maintained most of my strength. Lower than 74kg the strength started to drop away and my health deteriorated. 80-74kg I was super lean and with the right camera angle I looked ok till 74kg after that I became gaunt and looked weak and frail.

Personally I don’t think my body looks good till I get up to around 84kg. Power to weight ratio stays good till around 90kg after that I can feel the pressure of the extra weight. The only way I can push my bodyweight heavier than 85kg is to over eat and gain fat with muscle. I am sure if I held the weight long enough and built more tendon and connective tissue strength over 90kg would feel good.

Without excessive eating my bodyweight rebalances back to ~84kg to get it under fasting / 1-2 meals per day is needed. I could get fatter if I ate food that ruined my health making weight gain possible but performance, health and aesthetics would all suffer.

The human body is an amazing tool to experience life with. The most beautiful thing is that it is our choice what we do with it. The challenge we have is that most people don’t realise just how amazing they are and how much they can change with the choices they make. 📸 91kg ~10%

Anterior conditioning is something that I learnt from rolling my ankles when 13-16yrs. I learnt it to recover from and stopped once the pain had gone.

In in my early 20’s I learnt flat ground standing tib raises with calf raises as part of a warm up and completed them in a routine with inversion, eversion, toe crunches and ankle circles. I usually did 10-20 reps till I felt an activation pump.

For the last 10 yrs I kept 5 reps in my daily warm up. 1 x per week I rotated heavier calf work and every 3 months for 1 month I used high rep calf raises in a superset with standing floor tib raises. This was purely to keep it in the program but save time for other conditioning.

My whole approach to strength has always been whole kinetic chain antagonist mirrored training eg ring row/ push up, pull up/ press, lunge/ deadlift, anterior/posterior bridging etc this to me was always the obvious way to train to build/ maintain joint and muscular strength.

In 2000 I learn’t both terms OIAR optimal instantaneous axis of rotation and RC factor resistance contraction from the grandfather of using strength training to create balance in the body.

The thought that if people can run they do not need to condition their calves: whole body weight going into 1 calf when running the faster you go the more the load increases. Is this sufficient lower extremity conditioning? This thought is the same as just using performing as your form of conditioning. This is how genetically gifted athletes waste their true potential. Imagine how much better they would be if they trained to their potential.

Looking back as a coach it was so obvious that heavier conditioning for the tibialis anterior was needed to mirror heavier calf conditioning. This would have made a weekly training checklist much more complete for increasing performance and injury prevention.

🙏 for waking the world of strength and conditioning up. The biggest benefit to humanity is the potential reduction in depression related to ankle, knee, hip and lower back injuries 📸 tib bar @ Origin of Energy

At 43yrs old: Longer stronger hamstrings are a lifestyle:

calf and tib raises
Sub max deep lunging and straight leg bending ( handstand kick ups are great dynamic work)
7-9 hrs sleep
2-3ltrs filter water
1-2 tablespoons of Celtic sea salt
600mg magnesium
3 meals
mostly: regenerative, nose to tail beef/ lamb, butter
Tolerated plants: berries, rice, carrots, pumpkin, cucumber, avocado, coconut, herbs, cacao
Spending time with those I love


Heavy bends and lunges
Straight leg raises with loaded straight leg bends
Heavy calf and Tib work
Stair and grass sprints
Cartwheels dynamic work

As I get older I have to respect the 3 compounding factors:
1. faster to decondition
3. harder to make gains
4. longer to recover

This is life and is easily solved with:
1. Training consistently
2. Using a challenging, balanced varied training program
3. Live a lifestyle that regenerates
4. Adequate rest between heavy workouts
5. Train to fatigue without loosing form

Anyone can improve their hamstring strength and length if they live the lifestyle that facilitates them. As a side effect all the choices also improve overall health, athletic performance and make life more enjoyable.

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For the last 10yrs I have had calf and standing tib raises as part of my weekly training checklist. I learnt the importance in gymnastics conditioning. I coupled ankle and neck work every Tuesday for 6 mins of core: 60 sec calves & tib 60 sec traps/neck 3 sets
Keeping it in the weekly checklist kept the Achilles tendon and calves healthy. One of the most common debilitating injuries in over 35 males who used to be very athletic and play sport infrequently is calf tears.
I found keeping it in a weekly routine prevented injures in my client base although having it 1 day per week in the studio meant that unless people trained on Tuesday they missed it.
The weekly checklist was completed over the 6 days Monday to Saturday programming. I have recently switched it to make calf work biweekly and of a higher priority in the checklist. Additionally I am adding more progressive tib work and I am excited to see the results over time.

has popularised calf/tib and quad/hamstring work with impressive knee strengthening and jump performance gains. It’s great to see the wave go through social media and create positive change. Social media has many negative impacts but it is refreshing to see it have a positive impact on health and performance. Thanks for the inspirational work

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The cobra split bend feels awesome. Posterior chain activation (conditioning if held long enough), hamstring mobility front leg, calf mobility back leg.

I use it dynamically with the overhead lunge alternating for 3 reps every day to warm up and connect with my body. Always a way to improve the hip hinge.
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Getting stronger in the lunge position improves athletic ability, feels good and creates well balanced hips, knees and ankles. Going deep offers connective tissue strengthening that not only offers performance enhancement for most sports but injury prevention. Find the level that is stimulating to your body and start conditioning gravity is not going to go away anytime soon:)
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Simple things done consistently with attention and intention offer countless benefits. The single leg down dog can be done by most people. Working into this position with effort overtime can improve overhead strength and alignment at the same time as strengthening and opening up the hamstring and calf. This position has little to no risk while conditioning the body to perform a good kick up and handstand.
The body has an amazing capacity to adapt to stimulus the art and science of coaching is finding the Goldie Locks of exercise choice, progressions, sets, reps, tempo, rest all with respect to the individuals goals, current ability and resources they have. Keep enjoying the opportunity to strengthen your body and make a better life:)
📸 Behind me is the new building that the new originofenergy studio will be in eventually 🤣

Hip flexion with external rotation is an interesting position to get strong in. Most people think of holding a static position at end range as just a stretch but stretching is isometric end range loading (strength training).

Crossing your legs like the photo is not really a functional requirement for life, the pigeon pose, lotus pose or 90/ 90 seem to be irrelevant but getting strong outside of the standard lunge squat and deadlifts allows for an athletic buffer. Most sports football, tennis, skateboarding, surfing require strength in what looks like awkward positions. Having strength beyond the basic requirements of a sport means less injuries means more days building skill and performing.

Static end range strengthening (stretching) is of course limited and there is a lot more value in active full range of motion training under load that takes you to fatigue. The load intensity % 1rm, volume: reps, sets, tempo and rest all are ways to make it measurable and progressive if your goal is to improve capacity.

Everyone responds differently depending on there body’s age, genes and life choices.
This photo is the end of a 360 hip rotation I usually don’t bother holding this position too long I have found that loaded floor 90/ 90 using a weight plate, dB or bb work well and are more knee friendly as you can keep the lateral thigh against the ground when going into hip flexion.

The big question is how far do you condition the body in awkward positions?

Bridging is an effective way to simulate mammalian/ infant developmental conditioning into your weekly routine. I usually include some form of balanced spine stabilising postural endurance Bridge work at the end of a workout 1-2 days per week. I chose different core variations every day, so I expose my body to a variety of stimulus to maintain muscle-skeletal health.
If I do Prone (face down) bridge work, I couple it with supine (face up) bridgework. Just like if I do lateral I do both Left and Right. Anterior Posterior/ Push Pull balance is still so overlooked in conditioning. The classic crunch and bridge core is easily balanced with crunch/ cobra or prone/ supine bridge. Just like push-ups are easily balanced with ring reverse push-ups or bench press is easily balanced with bent rows or the more neurologically deficient bench pulls 🤣.
Like crunches, bridges will not give you shredded abs. Lean body mass is the only way to see good definition. That being said, strengthening the abdominal wall encasing the visceral contents can hold in distention. The only problem with using muscular strength to fight abdominal distention is that unless you change your nutrition, it is a losing battle.
Only eat the carbs that you spend with the brain and body or you need to replenish your liver and muscles with. Any extra will spill over into unwanted six-pack covering blubber only useful if you plan on going into hibernation/ extended fasting. While your choosing what to nourish and regenerate your body with make sure it’s not something your immune system is going to have a fight with 😬 📸

📸 When performed well the supine lateral ball roll is one of the most effective and efficient postural endurance/ core stability exercises.

I first learnt this from James Walsh a student of .chek in 2000. I have used it with predominantly 1 on 1 clients since then. Due to the complexity of the exercise I typically don’t use it in larger group sessions.

I usually use 2 mirroring core exercises at the end of a workout eg front back or side side for 60sec each for 3 sets. In the case of the supine lateral ball roll it is a challenging tri plane front back side side and anti rotational exercise. Because it conditions everything I prefer to couple 90 seconds of work with 30 seconds of rest.

Like any exercise performing good quality reps allows for optimal conditioning and equally poor quality reps can lead the participant down the path of bio mechanical dysfunction. This can also be said of performing excessive anterior or posterior chain exercises. When performing the supine lateral ball roll well the participant will walk away with a balanced anterior posterior lateral LR and rotational LR response.

Every workout is an opportunity to bring balance to your body.

📸 One week of re integrating my whole body mobility routine and I feel so much better.

I completed the exact same mobility routine everyday for the last 5yrs and prior to that a form of it for the previous 15yrs.

https://youtu.be/DP9nsaDWKTo

Being part of a health conscious community makes it much easier to maintain a healthy routine. As much as the covid transition has been challenging, the disconnect has allowed for new connections and the opportunity to learn so much.

Testing out the minimum effective dose on mobility by only using 2 upper body and 1 lower body strength sessions per week has shown that I can maintain the majority of my extreme mobility. This approach would yield great results for most people.

It is one thing to maintain range of motion but it feels so much better to be in a body that commits to 10-15mins of mobility on a daily basis. Sub maximal movement has value, not as much as the reps that transform your tissue and nervous system but they still make you feel good.