Do you want to optimize the way you train for injury prevention, athletic performance, and longevity?
The Holistic Training System is designed for those who want to develop athletic bodies that are capable, well-rounded, and resistant to injury. I have helped hundreds of my clients get out of pain and restore their natural athleticism by following the Holistic Training Principals (described below). Unfortunately, many are unaware of these methodologies and so many people are not able to experience the results that this precision in training can bring.
Holistic Training Principles
1. Oppositional Balance – For each movement pattern that we train, we work the opposite movement pattern to a proportionate degree. Based off of specified body-weight percentages we determine the appropriate resistance for each exercise. This holistic ratio creates balance throughout the entire body, leading to more athletic performance and less likelihood of injury. A Holistic System Works best when in balance.
2. Strength Through the Full Spectrum of Range – This principle emphasizes working each movement pattern through the short-, mid-, and long-range phases of the muscle being trained. This method creates muscles that are strong through all phases, allowing you greater mobility, function, and less likelihood of injury. This seems obvious once stated but is a concept that is touted by many who believe training this way is actually harmful to the joints and tissue. It can be harmful if too much is done without proper preparation, which leads us to the next principle…
3. Slow, Measurable, Incremental Progression – The Holistic Training System is quantifiable. We track all of our progress so that we know exactly where we were, where we are now, and where we want to go. Tracking our reps, sets, weights, range, and time is the best way to achieve your true potential. By recording what you did last week, you will know exactly how to train today; this can eliminate the possibility for most injuries that result from overtraining. People burn out or strain their tissue by doing too much, too soon, because they simply did not progress in a controlled and measurable way.
2. Strength Through the Full Spectrum of Range – This principle emphasizes working each movement pattern through the short-, mid-, and long-range phases of the muscle being trained. This method creates muscles that are strong through all phases, allowing you greater mobility, function, and less likelihood of injury. This seems obvious once stated but is a concept that is touted by many who believe training this way is actually harmful to the joints and tissue. It can be harmful if too much is done without proper preparation, which leads us to the next principle…
3. Slow, Measurable, Incremental Progression – The Holistic Training System is quantifiable. We track all of our progress so that we know exactly where we were, where we are now, and where we want to go. Tracking our reps, sets, weights, range, and time is the best way to achieve your true potential. By recording what you did last week, you will know exactly how to train today; this can eliminate the possibility for most injuries that result from overtraining. People burn out or strain their tissue by doing too much, too soon, because they simply did not progress in a controlled and measurable way.
Weekly Training Schedule
Monday
Holistic Patterns
I’ve divided major movement patterns of the body into 7 different categories:
1) Rotation/Lateral
2) Pull
3) Push
4) Hinge
5) Anterior Flexion
6) Squat/Lunge
7) Carry
1) Rotation/Lateral
2) Pull
3) Push
4) Hinge
5) Anterior Flexion
6) Squat/Lunge
7) Carry
Every Monday we get the opportunity to address each of these patterns as we move through a well-structured workout that will include 1-3 sets of an exercise that epitomizes each of these movements. By completing a 2-month cycle you will experience 8 unique Holistic Pattern workouts that will act as the compound movements of the system; all of them comprised of different exercises and rep ranges. This supplies enormous variety that will constantly challenge your body to improve. These workouts are where you will develop the majority of total body strength, athleticism, and fitness within the Holistic System.
Tuesday
Active Recovery Day
Holistic Decompression:
Welcome to the Recovery Zone! Choose from over 17 recovery rituals (videos) to follow along with that will honor your body, mind, and spirit. Holistic Decompression is: breath, mobility, "prehab" (myofacial release classes), active recovery (blood flow pump sessions), and isometric routines. All of these modalities allow your body to decompress by improving mobility, tissue health, stability, circulation, and the homeostasis of your nervous system. This allows you to recover faster, decrease muscle soreness, and come back stronger. This is where a large amount of the mobility training is emphasized within the Holistic System. However, you will also gain mobility through the resistance training aspect woven into the entire Holistic System.
Zone 2 Description:
Zone 2 is roughly defined as cardiovascular training at 60-70% of your theoretical maximum heart rate. This means longer bouts of low-to-moderate intensity cardio. Three sessions of at least 45 minutes in this zone is a sufficient amount of aerobic exercise each week for those looking to substantially improve their aerobic base and metabolism.
Welcome to the Recovery Zone! Choose from over 17 recovery rituals (videos) to follow along with that will honor your body, mind, and spirit. Holistic Decompression is: breath, mobility, "prehab" (myofacial release classes), active recovery (blood flow pump sessions), and isometric routines. All of these modalities allow your body to decompress by improving mobility, tissue health, stability, circulation, and the homeostasis of your nervous system. This allows you to recover faster, decrease muscle soreness, and come back stronger. This is where a large amount of the mobility training is emphasized within the Holistic System. However, you will also gain mobility through the resistance training aspect woven into the entire Holistic System.
Zone 2 Description:
Zone 2 is roughly defined as cardiovascular training at 60-70% of your theoretical maximum heart rate. This means longer bouts of low-to-moderate intensity cardio. Three sessions of at least 45 minutes in this zone is a sufficient amount of aerobic exercise each week for those looking to substantially improve their aerobic base and metabolism.
Wednesday
Holistic Accessories – Upper Body Day
Think of this as your A-Z checklist for restoring and maintaining incredible strength and function in the shoulders, elbows, and wrists. There are 2 different Holistic Accessory days that we alternate each week, an “A Week” and a “B Week”. These 2 weeks will hit all of the same movements of the upper body but with different exercises that will bias certain phases of the movements, along with different rep ranges to challenge your muscles through a variety of loads.
Thursday
Holistic Accessories – Lower Body Day
Think of this as your A-Z checklist for restoring and maintaining incredible strength and function in the ankles, knees, hips, and spine. There are 2 different Holistic Accessory – Lower Body days that we alternate each week, an “A Week” and a “B Week”. These 2 weeks will hit all of the same movements of the lower body but with different exercises that will bias certain phases of the movements, along with different rep ranges to challenge your muscles through a variety of loads.
Friday
Active Recovery Day
Holistic Decompression:
Welcome to the Recovery Zone! Choose from over 17 recovery rituals (videos) to follow along with that will honor your body, mind, and spirit. Holistic Decompression is: breath, mobility, "prehab" (myofacial release classes), active recovery (blood flow pump sessions), and isometric routines. All of these modalities allow your body to decompress by improving mobility, tissue health, stability, circulation, and the homeostasis of your nervous system. This allows you to recover faster, decrease muscle soreness, and come back stronger. This is where a large amount of the mobility training is emphasized within the Holistic System. However, you will also gain mobility through the resistance training aspect woven into the entire Holistic System.
Zone 2 Description:
Zone 2 is roughly defined as cardiovascular training at 60-70% of your theoretical maximum heart rate. This means longer bouts of low-to-moderate intensity cardio. Three sessions of at least 45 minutes in this zone is a sufficient amount of aerobic exercise each week for those looking to substantially improve their aerobic base and metabolism.
Welcome to the Recovery Zone! Choose from over 17 recovery rituals (videos) to follow along with that will honor your body, mind, and spirit. Holistic Decompression is: breath, mobility, "prehab" (myofacial release classes), active recovery (blood flow pump sessions), and isometric routines. All of these modalities allow your body to decompress by improving mobility, tissue health, stability, circulation, and the homeostasis of your nervous system. This allows you to recover faster, decrease muscle soreness, and come back stronger. This is where a large amount of the mobility training is emphasized within the Holistic System. However, you will also gain mobility through the resistance training aspect woven into the entire Holistic System.
Zone 2 Description:
Zone 2 is roughly defined as cardiovascular training at 60-70% of your theoretical maximum heart rate. This means longer bouts of low-to-moderate intensity cardio. Three sessions of at least 45 minutes in this zone is a sufficient amount of aerobic exercise each week for those looking to substantially improve their aerobic base and metabolism.
Saturday
Holistic Conditioning – Primal Engine & Zone 4 Training
Primal Engine Description:
The Primal Engine Series are unique workouts that are done once a week based off of access to equipment, ability, and personal goals/interests. All of these workouts have a few things in common; moving weight over distance, usually in a 20-minute time domain. This is cardio meets strength training; it is both aerobic and anaerobic. These workouts mimic some of the unique and important physical challenges that our ancestors would have been involved in regularly. Think carrying water up to your village, carrying the meat from a successful hunt for miles, carrying stones to build shelter. This type of training is ideal for those who want to create a lean, muscular physique to be both strong throughout their entire body, and have the capacity to back it up. My hypothesis on this type of training is that it was the most calorically demanding physical activity that we would have regularly done (more so than running). This would imply that carrying weight over distance was extremely important, and done for survival.
Anthropologists believe that carrying weight over distance was a huge contributing factor to our upright posture, long and strong legs, and our aerobic engines as humans. Most people in modern society avoid this type of training because it is hard and not recognized for its value. This series gives you 3 different challenges that will allow your body to evolve back into its primal condition: that of an elite athlete. Although these have the potential to be devastatingly hard, they are all scalable based off of the weight you select — start light! All of these workouts and how to scale them are explained throughly in the videos so that anyone can start at their own level. These workouts are all goal oriented and will follow our principle of slow incremental progression. You can conveniently track your times and weights on the True Coach app — We will aim to improve on these scores as you naturally progress. Time to start priming our engines with the most evolutionarily consistent example of physical fitness!
Zone 4 Description:
Aerobic zone 4 training is defined as working in the 80-90% zone of your theoretical maximum heart rate. In our “Zone 4” series we cycle through four unique workouts, each executed once per week so that you attempt the same aerobic challenge only once per month. These workouts are easily quantifiable — we can track your progress with precision, down to the very second and or calorie. Each workout is designed to push your heart rate into zone 4 for roughly 10-15 minutes. Towards the end of these maximum efforts, you may end up crossing the threshold into zone 5 (if you are willing to go there). Also known as metabolic conditioning, this type of training can be thought of as strength training for the heart. Your heart, after all, is a muscle that will get stronger if adequately challenged, resulting in better aerobic capacity and heart health; leading to a decrease in your resting heart rate. This all translates to a longer ‘health span’ and, if you are in the ‘elite bracket’, a five-fold decrease in all-cause mortality (source: Petter Attia). Pushing this zone will make lower aerobic activity much more sustainable and you will be able to accomplish more work with less perceived exertion. This efficiency may be noticeable in everyday life, allowing you to enjoy tasks and recreation more.
The Primal Engine Series are unique workouts that are done once a week based off of access to equipment, ability, and personal goals/interests. All of these workouts have a few things in common; moving weight over distance, usually in a 20-minute time domain. This is cardio meets strength training; it is both aerobic and anaerobic. These workouts mimic some of the unique and important physical challenges that our ancestors would have been involved in regularly. Think carrying water up to your village, carrying the meat from a successful hunt for miles, carrying stones to build shelter. This type of training is ideal for those who want to create a lean, muscular physique to be both strong throughout their entire body, and have the capacity to back it up. My hypothesis on this type of training is that it was the most calorically demanding physical activity that we would have regularly done (more so than running). This would imply that carrying weight over distance was extremely important, and done for survival.
Anthropologists believe that carrying weight over distance was a huge contributing factor to our upright posture, long and strong legs, and our aerobic engines as humans. Most people in modern society avoid this type of training because it is hard and not recognized for its value. This series gives you 3 different challenges that will allow your body to evolve back into its primal condition: that of an elite athlete. Although these have the potential to be devastatingly hard, they are all scalable based off of the weight you select — start light! All of these workouts and how to scale them are explained throughly in the videos so that anyone can start at their own level. These workouts are all goal oriented and will follow our principle of slow incremental progression. You can conveniently track your times and weights on the True Coach app — We will aim to improve on these scores as you naturally progress. Time to start priming our engines with the most evolutionarily consistent example of physical fitness!
Zone 4 Description:
Aerobic zone 4 training is defined as working in the 80-90% zone of your theoretical maximum heart rate. In our “Zone 4” series we cycle through four unique workouts, each executed once per week so that you attempt the same aerobic challenge only once per month. These workouts are easily quantifiable — we can track your progress with precision, down to the very second and or calorie. Each workout is designed to push your heart rate into zone 4 for roughly 10-15 minutes. Towards the end of these maximum efforts, you may end up crossing the threshold into zone 5 (if you are willing to go there). Also known as metabolic conditioning, this type of training can be thought of as strength training for the heart. Your heart, after all, is a muscle that will get stronger if adequately challenged, resulting in better aerobic capacity and heart health; leading to a decrease in your resting heart rate. This all translates to a longer ‘health span’ and, if you are in the ‘elite bracket’, a five-fold decrease in all-cause mortality (source: Petter Attia). Pushing this zone will make lower aerobic activity much more sustainable and you will be able to accomplish more work with less perceived exertion. This efficiency may be noticeable in everyday life, allowing you to enjoy tasks and recreation more.
Sunday
Active Recovery Day
Holistic Decompression:
Welcome to the Recovery Zone! Choose from over 17 recovery rituals (videos) to follow along with that will honor your body, mind, and spirit. Holistic Decompression is: breath, mobility, "prehab" (myofacial release classes), active recovery (blood flow pump sessions), and isometric routines. All of these modalities allow your body to decompress by improving mobility, tissue health, stability, circulation, and the homeostasis of your nervous system. This allows you to recover faster, decrease muscle soreness, and come back stronger. This is where a large amount of the mobility training is emphasized within the Holistic System. However, you will also gain mobility through the resistance training aspect woven into the entire Holistic System.
Zone 2 Description:
Zone 2 is roughly defined as cardiovascular training at 60-70% of your theoretical maximum heart rate. This means longer bouts of low-to-moderate intensity cardio. Three sessions of at least 45 minutes in this zone is a sufficient amount of aerobic exercise each week for those looking to substantially improve their aerobic base and metabolism.
Welcome to the Recovery Zone! Choose from over 17 recovery rituals (videos) to follow along with that will honor your body, mind, and spirit. Holistic Decompression is: breath, mobility, "prehab" (myofacial release classes), active recovery (blood flow pump sessions), and isometric routines. All of these modalities allow your body to decompress by improving mobility, tissue health, stability, circulation, and the homeostasis of your nervous system. This allows you to recover faster, decrease muscle soreness, and come back stronger. This is where a large amount of the mobility training is emphasized within the Holistic System. However, you will also gain mobility through the resistance training aspect woven into the entire Holistic System.
Zone 2 Description:
Zone 2 is roughly defined as cardiovascular training at 60-70% of your theoretical maximum heart rate. This means longer bouts of low-to-moderate intensity cardio. Three sessions of at least 45 minutes in this zone is a sufficient amount of aerobic exercise each week for those looking to substantially improve their aerobic base and metabolism.
What is The Holistic Training System?
Holistic Fitness Fusion
by Walker Eaton
Website and Content © Walker Eaton
by Walker Eaton
Website and Content © Walker Eaton