Thank you so much! This is totally unbelievable. This is going to be great, I will start a thread on this!
Thanks again,
RW
WOW! Thanks so much!
I hardly know what to say.
I logged on and, lo, and behold, I am absolutely flabergasted.
I see that I was “added” (since the original number of winners was 2) to the list of those receiving Coach Staley’s training attention! Thank you Team Staley!
Congratulations to Road Warrior and Jillybop, who deserve it more than I. I will be sure to work as hard as I know you two will. I, too, will be keeping a journal of how it goes.
TeamStaley, I’ll do everything I can to not let you down.
Fellow T-men, I’ll do everything I can to make you proud.
By the way,
I have searched and searched T-Nation for instructions on how to post or start a new thread.
Since I’m probably the old man of the 3 fortunate winners, I’d like to post in the 35 and over section, but I don’t know how to do it.
Help!
I am also ultra-excited to be picked for this and working with you both!
IJ - When you click on the forum name and go to the page with all the thread titles, at the top header (in maroon) on the far right side is a little stamp symbol that says “post”. Click on that to start a new thread.
Doh!
Thanks, and likewise, I’m looking forward to seeing what the summer will bring for all three of us!
It’s going to be a great summer.
Well folks, we have arrived at week four of our Team Staley Transformation Project workout. Here is my report.
HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION
by Iron John
How we have yearned to write and tell you what you are missing! What a month! All I can tell you is, next year - enter and win this contest! It really is the opportunity of two lifetimes. Mine and yours! What are you doing with yours?
I started by reading everything that was sent to me; a vast mound of material on EDT, nutrition, rest, periodization and work, work, work. Did I mention work? We received alot of material, and even a training and nutrition management program to help keep track of it all. I feel like I am training for the Olympics.
I learned that, especially as a “maturing” (no one would call me ‘mature’) gentleman, the value of more than sufficient warming up and stretching is vastly underrated. I generously spend up to 20 solid minutes of warm up and stretching before I go at it, and it is time well spent.
The workouts themselves are intense, and soon completed. I regularly arrive after some regulars in my gym, do my complete warm up, all lifting, and cool down, and leave before they are done with 2 exercises. THAT feels good, too, even with my long, white beard dripping with perspiration.
It was especially fun for me recently. I was in Toronto for our All American Council. I got to work out with T-Rev (who is awesome to workout with), and a few other Iron Priests, doing my program, and impressing some 20 year olds who were there. My kids can’t believe someone actually said to me “Dude, you’re, like, my hero.” Get a load of this. I heard that from their Dads! - fellow priests attending the Council. Ah, life is good!
Secondly, I would tell you that it takes enormously enjoyable concentration and focus to complete the tasks at hand. That is fun, too.
A little while ago, someone wrote about “Zen and weightlifting” or something like that, on T-Nation. I was going to respond, but thought I would wait.
Well, here it is. For those who are not Buddhists, the moment of entrance into the gym is a supreme moment. What we call a “white” moment.
In the book of Enoch (not in the Bible, but known to the Apostles), Adam enters the Garden of Eden as a priest entering a sanctuary - to do his reasonable service. Adam is to fulfill his function as the arbiter between God and nature - the one who offers. Jung identified additional archetypes, and I find them interesting as well. The King in his Throneroom; the Priest in his Sanctuary; the Warrior in the Arena; the Lover in the enclosed Garden. This is what we are about when we enter a gym, isn’t it? We come with preparation to do our reasonable service. We are that King, that Priest, that Warrior, that Lover. We have come with preparation to fulfill our function, and to give it everything with complete presence. To enter the white moment.
When I enter the gym, when I slide myself under the bar, and stare past the steel, I enter that moment. Isn’t that enjoyable? To know that you are doing what you are made to do, and do it well? I am completely present. I enter my altar the same way, with prayer and preparation, and complete presence. Entering the gym in the same manner is not an impious thought. It is reasonable service. More on this later.
Additionally, we also get the the chance to participate in a weekly Conference Call with Coach Staley, Julianne (the omnipotent!), and other members of the private coaching forum (talk about feeling like an ant around giants).
Here, the most mundane questions are answered and the answers confirmed annecdotally, or ruminated and compared to current experience. If a PR has come your way, everyone shares your joy. What seems like a meager success to you seems significant and genuinely praiseworthy to them. Now, I know that everyone needs an “attaboy” once in awhile, myself included (Thanks T-Rev!), but it was a happy surprise to hear it from so many corners.
I use the forum to ask about things I rarely see on T-Nation (like my thread on the Bent Press - thanks to all who answered!)and not a little on such things as grip training, and what is just plain “fun” to do. Coach Staley chimes in on that one too!
Coach Staley is always dropping in jokes (those darn black helicopters! - they are jokes, aren’t they?), and makes it very easy to be comfortable and ask your stupid question.
He’s one of us. Haha. Who’da thunk? With so many “gurus” out and about, he’s just a guy who likes to have fun, and train while doing it.
Jillybop and RoadWarrior are constant companions, just because I know that, even though they are doing something different, they are doing it, and that means I have to do it more. Hey, they are stiff competition, and serious competitors, and that they will likely pound my pointy little head into a pie plate. Maybe I don’t have much chance, but I’m working, as I told Coach Staley, like 3 dogs in this competition.
We don’t yet know what we have the chance to win…other than a free seat at Coach Staley’s October Boot Camp. Even after a mere month of training, I’d say it’s enough!
So, for now I can honestly write - I’m glad I won this chance. I’m sorry you didn’t win it, but not that sorry (and I’m sorry for that- heavy sigh) It has been an ascent of sorts, and it is really just beginning. I can’t wait to see what is at the top of this mountain.
Our next program comes at the end of this week. Phase 1 is over.
Phase 2 is about to commence, and will, no doubt, provide a new crop of “man, do I feel stupid” moments. As long as one of them is a “white” moment, I don’t mind.
But at least, I’ll be working with Julianne behind me, Coach Staley beside me, and Jillybop and RoadWarrior hopefully not too far ahead of me.
Oh yeah, and I’ll still have my long, white beard with sweat dripping off it.
Don’t worry. I bathe daily.
Amen.
Well, IJ is a tough act to follow, but I want to chime in, too! So far, definitely so good - I’ve been pushed out of my (small) comfort zone in the gym and have learned new exercises, new ways of doing old exercises and new ways of putting it all together. The stretching has been helpful and I definitely like maintaining my weight with less cardio. EDT is a great way to workout, especially since I have kids in the gym daycare and need to get my workout done in an hour or less. The coaching group and forum is a great resource.
If you’ve never tried it, the db snatch is just plain fun to do and really works up a sweat.
This month has set the stage for some great things to come. Since seeing my first strongman/woman contest last weekend, I’m inspired to get “hella strong” and I’m so excited to be working with such a knowledgeable coach that can help me get there!
seeing how I’ve got my diet and training on track right now more than it has been in the last few years, and I plan on staying this way for a LONG time into the future. Heck, I haven’t even drank in a couple of weeks, I’m already primed to sprout some muscle and trim some lard. I’m eating “the anabolic diet” and it’s already shedding fat and boosting my lifts, why not supercharge it with some EXPERT advice?
You want to give me results and I want them “like whoa” and then some!
Getting my degree was difficult, it took four years of hard-ass-work, it will make the next few months, no matter how difficult, seem as if it were three months of fun (because to me, it will be)!
I can’t wait for you to pick me and help me improve my body comp, athleticism, and health.
This is going to rock, me and the Staley camp pushing my gains like never before. Lets roll baby!
ah,CU Aerstallion-this contest is well underway if you are just now trying to get in on it-sorry,Julianne
I have to agree with John and Jill (its John not Jack). This has been an incredible month. After getting a small mountain of information, we all received a powerful and individualized workout. I have learned to ache in many new places. I can?t really speak about the workout but it is intense. Coming from Coach Staley, it does have EDT involved. If you have never tried EDT before, you will learn how long 15 minutes really is.
My concentration is at an all time high and my focus has definitely sharpened. Being in the coaching program has been really great on an organizational level. Up until now I have always gone for how much I can lift for 5 reps and not a lot on the total process. Every piece of this program is incredible. The level of information, brotherhood and just plain righteous people is awesome. The forum is a fantastic source of information and some great historical things from the past conference calls. Ah yes, the conference calls. These are excellent, sometimes it?s Coach Staley and other times he has a guest speaker. Awhile back it was David Barr, between David and Coach Staley it was like the ultimate T-Nation Prime Time. There is never a shortage of information in the coaching group. Julianne has been great too! She is definitely the Queen Bee and Den Mother for the group. If you need something, she is always right there with the answer or where to find it.
I would definitely recommend the coaching group to anyone wanting to advance in any direction, whether its weight lifting or martial arts there is something for everyone. Coming into this my goal was to squat 400 pounds. While I still want to do that, I am more interested in learning a synergistic approach to lifting and health in general. This has only been the first month and I am really looking forward to the next one. This is really a high point in my life. And Jill?s right, try a dumbbell snatch. Their cool, just remember to hold on so it doesn?t go through the ceiling.
[quote]teamstaley wrote:
ah,CU Aerstallion-this contest is well underway if you are just now trying to get in on it-sorry,Julianne[/quote]
the aerostallion nods down his head and shakes it in disbeleif thinking to himself “damn, I was almost there”
Don’t feel bad, Stallion.
There is always next year!
Believe me, it is worth the wait. Just start working on your entrance essay now. That should give you plenty of time to pare and polish it for Julianne’s approval.
Secondly, you could always subscribe to Coach Staley’s forum now, and get a little taste of what we are experiencing. I can only say it would be worth it.
Sorry you didn’t enter in time, but if you did, I might not have gotten my chance! So, thanks for being late this year.
Since there appears to be few if any questions for the three of us who are doing the TeamStaley T-Nation Transformation Challenge, I will post one…
Anyone who has done this in the past (last years participants, Staley boot campers, etc), can you tell us how YOU felt at this point in the game?
Can you give some encouragement for what is to come without spilling the beans and incurring the righteous wrath of TeamStaley in the process?
Thanks
IJ
Ok these 3 will be going into the final leg of this contest next week so lets see what they have been up to…Julianne
Ok, the pain log so far.
(with apologies to National Lampoon)
T=National Lampoon’s
STALEY SUMMER VACATION
(or, HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION, part 2)
Well, folks, part 2 started with a huge change up, and a lot of choices that we had to make ourselves. We were reminded not to obsess over our choices - which was good, because otherwise I’m sure I would still be trying to figure out what to do. Balance, and variety made “Phase 2” a real blast.
Some new lifts were tried, and some old ones with new loading parameters. Dave Fletcher, the owner of Fitness Masters - the gym I work out at, even picked up something just for me - and so far, I’m the only one that uses it. No one else wants to touch it. Can you tell I’m happy? (Oh, I’ll have to confess “pride”, but at least I’ve made a start here.)
Can you say D-O-M-S? I can. Sometimes very light, sometimes a real surprise, DOMS has been a house guest for summer of 2005. I haven’t figured out whether or not he’s welcome, though. Between the moaning and shuffling, I have noticed some unusual things.
1 - My big round head is no longer as round, and my face isn’t as fat. Now, you may say “How can you tell, under that enormous spray of beard?” But it’s true, and even I can notice it. I can’t even notice my own glasses normally. My wife has my shoes color coded just so I don’t mix them up on the same day.
2 - My back, while sore, is not only not AS sore, but actually has definition again. Not much, but not since 1984, have I seen lines in there. My lower back seems unusually large, but, hey, as long as it translates to strength no complaints. It has prevented my waist measurement from shrinking as I lose fat though. Bummer.
3 - My shoulders, relative to the rest of me, have either somehow contracted an allergy, and swollen to noticable size or something is working. As an aside here, I’ve worked hard to make sure I don’t injure them. Hey, I’m 43. It would take me months or years to recover, so despite my careful attention to not overdoing it, my shoulders have made great gains.
4 - A few of my presses have exploded into new PRs. I haven’t done a regular bench since starting this program, but I have done Incline Presses, and I am now well over 70lbs past my previous best. Squats also PR. All in 8 weeks. I’m also DB snatching 80lbs for reps, lots of reps - another PR. I haven’t tried a one rep PR in anything, but that’s for dessert. Is Coach Staley ever gonna bottle this?
5 - the nutrition help seems to be smoothing out and paying off. Y’know, it takes awhile for anything to work so you can notice it, if you aren’t talking about pain. Fat-down, muscle-up, stamina/strength/motivation-up. I am beginning to learn what works for me, what works great for me, and what really doesn’t work for me. Beginning, but hey, it’s a start.
And I’ve got more stamina and endurance than I have since college.
THE BIG GIANT HEAD (The Forum)
The Staley Forum is, well I’ll just say it, unexcelled. I’ve not only “met” several coaches via the forum, but had excellent advice passed on to me by experts who can address my questions personally, and are glad to help. Very encouraging, very happy to be counted in their midst, at least for a little while longer.
These guys and gals are the best. If only some of them lived near Ohio!
E.T. PHONE HOME
Again, the Conference Calls are outstanding. Not quite like anything else, and better besides. You really can’t plan for where the calls will go, and that makes them even more fun. Often the mix of participants changes quite a bit, so the conversation can quickly go from talk about fiber in the diet, to new amino discoveries, and proper diet periodization. Yeah, it really is excellent, and it is better than a forum any day.
I had a multitude of questions answered in a few short minutes, some by Coach Staley, some by other callers - professional coaches themselves. In one call. One call! And that was just me.
There has been one serious drawback to all this, and I’m serious about this…
In one month, it’ll be over.
It won’t just be back-to-school, so to speak. I won’t have the chance to join the “guys”, every week on the calls, every day on the forum. I’m not sure what that is going to do to my motivation, so I’m riding this train for all it’s worth.
As an aside, during Phase 2, I went to a local tailor to be fitted for a kilt and tux outfit for my sister-in-law’s wedding next week. I’ll just say, as the numbers were called off, and doublechecked by the tailor - with my lovely wife watching - well, that was a great day.
Maybe 40 really is the new 30.
The kilts will be here Monday.
As we pull into our final month, its time to look at past month. This has been a great month and they keep getting better. I am definitely getting leaner and stronger. One of the biggest changes of the last two months is that I have finally discovered the joy of record keeping. I have always had a bad habit of keeping every thing in my head. Being in this group has finally taught me to take a clipboard to the gym and then record everything in my spreadsheet. It really is great to review at the end of the week or weeks and look back at gains and progress. Although, this epiphany has not been without disaster, last Friday my @##@** laptop crashed and my records died along with my hard drive. I have not only learned the value of a backup (didn’t have one) but also never to put so much trust in Dell again.
The Wednesday conference calls are fabulous. It is definitely worth joining Charles’s coaching group just to be able to attend these. Sometimes, Charles has a guest speaker (my favorite so far was David Barr) and other times it is a round-table with people from the group/ forums. There are some really great people on the forum: Dano, Nick, Geoeff, Josh Henkin (this man has turn lifting sandbags into a science), Greg, Keats, Troy (apologies to the ones I missed). Everyone is really helpful and brings a true sense of community to the boards and Charles is great at keeping things interesting and moving. The amount of knowledge in the website is huge. One could spend forever cruising topics and articles.
I am definitely getting healthier than I have ever been. I am stronger than I have been in years. There is something to be said for a directed workout, before this I would do 10 to 12 different exercises based on what I “felt” like doing a the time. I have discovered that I can do things I never thought possible, like doing straight arm DB snatches with 45 lbs. and alternating 5 x 5 with each arm for 15 minutes with minimum rest.
While I am not getting “huge” per se (at 53, huge becomes a new definition) I am definitely putting on quality muscle and feeling/looking great. I saw my direct family (mother, sisters etc.) and they remarked that I looked great and so healthy. This was a first in about 20 years, most of the time they don’t notice/pay much attention.
I look forward to the upcoming month and the challenges it will bring. It is both awesome and an honor to be part of this group.
Cheers,
RW
Yup, Charles Staley and his team ROCK! I also have greatly enjoyed this experience so far and am really excited on several fronts -
Body comp - my weight has stayed the same since before the contest started (130lbs), but I think I’m looking a little leaner and more muscular. And this is with almost no cardio! Since I am usually bored silly by cardio and want to use my precious gym-time to lift, this is a big deal to me 
Strength - Can you say PR? I CAN! I finally squatted with the “big” plates on the bar (135lbs) and nailed it. Working up to that weight had been a goal of mine for a while and I hit it 2 weeks ago and zoomed right by up to 155lbs last week! And don’t forget the bench press - I passed my triple digit goal and benched 105lbs last week!
“Livability” factor - The workouts are direct, smart and challenging. No extra fluff, no wasted time or energy. I’ve got little ones in the gym daycare and I need to get in, lift and get out - Coach Staley’s programs are perfect for that. I like getting “the most bang for my buck”.
Confidence - Working with Coach Staley has helped my confidence in the gym. His critique of my squat form was a huge boost and his encouragement has helped me make a pretty bold move on my part…
I contacted a local Olympic lifting coach and am going to meet him tomorrow to learn about O-lifting (about which I know very little, but am very interested). I am very excited about this
Resources - As the others have mentioned, the forum, the conference calls and the direct coaching calls are all incredibly helpful, interesting and educational.
I really feel like I’m taking my body and my workouts to the next level with this program and it’s very exciting. Even in last nights softball game, I hit the ball hard enough that it bounced off the fence - first time I’ve ever done that 
And my teammates can’t get over what good shape I’m in (compared to a few years ago) and I’m running the bases way faster than I can ever remember.
All around, as good as I ever could have hoped for - and then some!
These 3 are awesome and with one month to go it is still hard to see who will actually win-but they are all really close…-Jules
I just found this thread and just wanted to say kudos to JB,IJ,RR. This thread is inspirational and an endless source of motivation. I’ve been doing a form of compound EDT for a few weeks and must say I havent worked this hard since wrestling in highschool. Keep up the good work and congrats on all the new PR.
Hey Working,
Thanks for the kind comments.
EDT is hard work, alright, but the programs we are doing are actually fun.
And what is better than hard work that is fun?
Hard, fun work that produces results.
Is there a Staley fan club yet? Yes, it’s called the Private Coaching Group. For what it’s worth, if/when you can join, do so.