My Review of David Whitley's (The Iron Tamer) DVD 'Lessons Of The Old-Time Strongmen

Right from the beginning...YES, I LOVED IT!

I had the honor and priveledge of meeting David 'The Iron Tamer' Whitley, Master RKC, CK-FMS at the recent FMS Instructor Training Summit with Gray Cook in Danville, VA last month. I have been a loyal follower and avid fan of David's for a long time. His work has literally changed the way I train and the exercise programs I teach to patients. Needless to say, I was so excited to meet the man in person. The first thing that struck me about Dave was his absolute passion for what he does. It permeates everything that he teaches. He is one of the most honorable people I have ever met and a true giver. I even got to train with him in the athletic department of Averette University and get personal instruction on my favorite exercise the Turkish Getup. Talk about an experience! 

My dear friend Laree Draper and publisher from On Target Publications (also the publisher of Gray Cook's new book 'Movement') sent me a copy of Dave's 4-set DVD series with Mark and Tracy Reifkind with include the following titles: 

1. Lessons Of The Old-Time Strongmen
2. Kettlebell Fundamentals: Deepening Your Getup Skills
3. Programming The Kettlebell Swing
4. Lats: The Super Muscles

(And yes I will be reviewing each DVD as I watch them)

The DVD starts with a wonderful introduction of Dave by Mark Reifkind, a truly eloquent speaker. Dave goes straight into some amazing feats of strength. He is one of the greatest Strongmen in the world today. He bends nails, bends a frying pan (he actually rolls it into a ball...crazy), straightens a horseshoe, rips a deck of cards behind his back, does an incredible grip strength demo you just have to see to believe, drives a nail through a board by hand to pop a balloon, and does a Turkish Getup with a Kettlebell while balancing a sledgehammer!. What's not to love about this??

The 'Lecture' section of the DVD is a virtual gold mine of applicable information. Dave has some of the best quotations to support his teachings. The one that resonated with me the most and laid out the foundation for what he is trying to teach in this DVD, is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson on principles and methods. Write this quote down and read it everyday! Remember it as you watch the DVD. Dave has learned from, talked to, trained with, and researched the greatest strongmen in history to see what they all had in common. What made them such tremendous athletes? What made them so strong? And how did they do it without all technological overloads in today's fitness industry?  Dave's life experience and tireless quest for research into these questions is right here for you to discover. 

There are many moments that I like to call 'Fortune Cookie Moments'...simple and profound statements that can make all the difference in reaching your goals. Dave stresses more than once not to over complicate things in regards to your training. He discloses different ways to attain strength while maintaining proper function and form. Dave has the FMS and CK-FMS background in understanding the role of movement in fitness and he skillfully combines it with the art of Kettlebell strength. I loved how he starts with feats of strength, imparts pearls of wisdom and ends with more amazing strength demonstrations. Nice way to keep the audience engaged. Plus, he is absolutely hilarious with some one liners that will have you rolling. The one on functional training was hystericall....lol

Every fitness professional who wants to take themselves to the next  level in skill development  should get this DVD. The foundational principles Dave teaches in movement and strength also applies to health and medical rehabilitation professionals. I encourage any health professional that evaluates movement and is entrusted with restoring strength and function for patients to watch this video. The general public will benefit greatly from learning how the history of foundational training principles can be applied to current fitness workouts.

Nice camera angles. Well lit. Good audio. Professional editing and a nice menu of topics on the DVD Main Menu. On Target did a professional job on this project. Well worth the investment.

Learn from the past to improve yourself today.

Brilliant in it's simplicity, yet says it all. Thanks Dave for sharing it with us.

Get the DVD series here from On Target Publications today!  

Click here to order>> PURCHASE DVD

Stay tuned for my review of the other three DVD's in the set.