Frequently Asked Questions

How tough is Intense Conditioning?

If you give 100% every time, it is very tough – I won’t lie.

It can be lung-searing at times and your legs may feel like they’re going to fall off but apart from that, you’ll be fine….

You will be expected to go beyond what you thought you can do (well beyond) but it’s a varied and very rewarding experience. You will get out what you put in so if you make life hard for yourself by committing fully to every session and your nutrition, great things will follow!

Any program worth its salt will push you to your limits but the key with Intense Conditioning is that you will learn how far to push yourself to get great results within your capabilities.

You need to be physically fit to begin the program.

How much training time is required?

If you follow the program to the letter you will need to train 5 times per week for up to 45 minutes, usually about 30 minutes and sometimes only 20 minutes

However, you may choose to just focus on the conditioning aspects in which case you will not need more than 3 training sessions. You won’t see much gain in strength or power but your conditioning levels will still shoot up dramatically!

The aim is to enable those who play other sports to be able to do it all without fatigue or burnout.

The focus is on the intensity and not the duration, but you’ll still see fast improvements in performance levels, day to day energy levels body composition and recovery rate.

Is this a fat loss program?

Intense Conditioning is designed to maximise both your anaerobic and aerobic conditioning levels whilst developing athletic strength and power.

It does not target fat loss as an end goal like most online programs but the very nature of the program (sprint intervals and metabolic weight training) will force body fat reductions as part of the course.

Body fat reductions come from a clean diet and you will be able to upgrade to receive a complete nutrition system as well.

Athlete’s don’t train for fat loss most of the time yet achieve it with relative ease.

Will I gain muscle?

Again the aim of Intense Conditioning is not to build muscle for the sake of it - it is not a bodybuilding program which aims to pack on size regardless of negative effects on athletic performance.

Depending on your body type and genetics you may add muscle, but most people will create a lean, athletic body with more visible musculature which isn’t necessarily much larger in size.

I’m naturally a bit skinny - will I lose even more muscle?

Not if you eat enough!

You will be performing short, intense training sessions which actually stimulate the release of human growth hormone. So long as you keep your calorie intake up (as you should be whether on Intense Conditioning or not) you won’t lose muscle.

I am naturally a skinny guy but I kept my weight where it was for the entire duration of the program whilst my body fat dropped slightly and all my strength, power and conditioning numbers went up!

What gains can I expect?

In testing with myself, some personal training clients and the willing volunteers, it is typical to see 15-25% increases in the strength, power and conditioning tests. It is impossible to label each test with specific gains as again this will depend largely on your body type.

For instance if you are a male with a high level of fast-twitch fibres typical of sprint athletes, you will see faster and more impressive gains in strength and power than those with higher levels of slow-twitch fibres typical of endurance athletes.

That said, I am a typical ‘ectomorph’ and have seen all my ‘numbers’ up by between 13-20%.

Train hard enough and you can’t fail to see impressive improvements!

Order Now with

Is there a lot of running involved?

The furthest you will be asked to run in one go is 3km and that is only 2-3 times depending on your speed..

The rest is purely sprint based interval training.

However, the key to the program is adaptability with intensity as the focus. There are always other options as everyone has different issues and injuries which may affect exercise choice.

Do I need gym membership?

No not at all! The only thing you may need which may be impractical at home is a Concept 2 rower but again fear not as there are always equally effective substitutes.

The program is specifically designed for people who want a new, exciting and highly effective way to increase all elements of their fitness without having to be a member of a commercial gym – I hate them as much as you!

How is Intense Conditioning delivered?

The program is delivered 100% online via PDF document and email which will direct you to report downloads and video links to optimise the 12 week experience.

You will receive two emails per week. One will direct you to videos to help explain exercises and workouts and the other will direct you to the weekly special report and recipe (with some motivational kicks up the butt included as well!)

You will also have exclusive access to the Intense Conditioning Inner Circle where you can access Technique Development videos and the latest articles in the future.

What support do I get after purchase?

Not only do you get two support emails per week but you will also have access to a private community where you will get priority response from me on a daily basis and support from others on the program.

Ask a question - get a quick answer within hours!

I want to be part of your training as I would if you worked one-to-one with me as a personal training client so I’ll help you with anything and everything. This is not a ‘go and do it yourself’program unless you want it to be. I love helping out all my clients whether online or in my personal training studio – the same applies to you!

You can also fire emails to me if you like – I answer them all personally.

What equipment do I need?

You will need…

...either dumbbells or kettlebells (ideally both). They will need to be quite heavy for the strength aspects but not to the extent of needing squat racks etc – we have more unique methods which can be used at home with virtually no equipment!
…a jump rope
…a rowing machine (e.g. Concept 2) if possible, but this is not essential and can easily be substituted.
…a deck of playing cards (seriously)

Where are all the bonuses?

I believe in giving customers everything they need.

Everything you need for great results is in the core program so why would I add or take things out just to use as a teaser?

You either want this or you don’t. It’s all in the program whenever you’re ready!

I’m a beginner so this scares me a bit but I like your approach – should I risk it?

No.

This is not for beginners I’m afraid.

However, my Fat Loss Action Blueprint has beginner, intermediate and advanced levels which is much more appropriate and will help you lose body fat fast whilst increasing both energy and all round fitness levels.

Please begin with the FLAB then return when you’re ready! If you’re a beginner you could work your way through the various FLAB programs taking you months!

This can be found at http://www.fatlossactionblueprint.com

I have an old injury – is this going to be a problem?

That depends on the injury.

I will always advise taking steps to cure or at least manage an injury rather than ‘playing through pain! If you are unsure please email me details of the injury and I might be able to advise you.

If in doubt, please consult a well-qualified fitness professional.

There are always other options so it may be a case of simply replacing certain exercises.

Order Now with

I’m already quite conditioned. Will this take me to the next level?

Definitely, Intense Conditioning will develop pain tolerance. There’s no limit to that - we all suffer from lactic acid and muscle fatigue!

You’ll also develop power endurance. Most people slow down towards the end of runs or games due to lack of strength, strength endurance and power endurance. Reduced stride length comes down to lack of strength endurance rather than because they’re gasping for breath so this is a key element of the training.

Many athletes ignore strength training either because they’re scared of bulking up or because it makes them sore and that’s why we use the isometrics in the program. This will enable you to develop strength and power without being sore for days after either.

How are workouts structured?

The strength workouts follow a clear, progressive overload scheme.

The conditioning however is full of variety with no workouts the same. Sometimes supersets, sometimes circuits, sometimes weight based intervals, sometimes hill sprints – you’ll love it!

All exercises are full body exercises with a focus on intensity, allowing muscles to recover slightly at times but with no rest for the cardiovascular system.

You’ll not be working to muscular failure which will require you to stop and rest too much!

You’ll perform mostly non-competing exercises which cover all the key movement patterns performed by your body.

Here’s just a couple of sample circuits:

Kettlebell swing
Med ball thruster
Jump pull up
Jump squat
Inverted row (or split row depending on equipment)
(1 minute each, 3 rounds)

100 burpees
100 push ups
100 bodyweight squats
100 inverted rows
100 split jumps

I find I focus on conditioning my strength decreases – what can I do?

We’re actually looking to cause increases in both – that’s the very point of the program.

You’re not going to make huge increases in strength – you won’t add 30 kg to your squat. However, we’re looking at how we can add significant strength and turn it into strength endurance by combining the two.

From a personal point of view, I can press a 36kg kettlebell, run 10k in around 40 minutes and perform get ups and pistol squats with a 40kg bell. Many people could do much better than that on an individual exercise basis and on full squats for example but we’re looking for big increases in all-round ability.

Take a boxer for instance. If they are super strong but lack stamina, they’ll get exposed after 6 or 7 rounds. On the other hand, if they have endless stamina but no big punch, the chance of a knockout goes out the window.

Soccer players might be able to run around for 90 mins but if they can’t jump as high in the 90th minute as in the 10th to clear a ball at a corner, it could be the difference between winning and losing the game.

We’ll be using isometrics to avoid too much muscle soreness so you’ll see increases in both strength and conditioning!

If I have to take a day off due to other commitments or illness?

You get a weekly program, which alternates strength and conditioning.

A degree of planning is necessary if you want to play around with it (not advised) but because the workouts are short and designed not to induce too much muscle soreness, you could even do the strength in the morning and your sport at night for instance.

Athletes often need flexibility in training due to competitions etc so the program is designed that way. This doesn’t give you free reign to do what you want but it’s not like if you miss Tuesdays conditioning workout for football training you’ve ruined the program.

However, take responsibility for getting as many of the training sessions done as possible.

Take responsibility for planning by the week.

What about nutrition?

If you choose to purchase Intense Conditioning Nutrition you will be tested to see which of our nutrition systems best suits you.

One is based on regular meals, the other around intermittent fasting. Both produce fast fat loss results whilst maximising energy levels for training and recovery.

This is not specifically a fat loss program (although very likely) but a strength and conditioning program.

You cannot burn body fat or train hard with no fuel inside you but at the same time we want to make sure you’re not adding weight which could slow you down.

Do not sacrifice performance for fat loss unless you feel you’re carrying weight which is slowing you down.

I’m going to show you how to build carbs around your workouts and how much protein you need to optimize your performance whilst minimizing body fat.

You might not be in this for fat loss but nutrition is still critical.

Don’t forget that eating clean, nutritious food isn’t just about losing fat or not losing fat it’s about making sure all the internal systems are firing on all cylinders with no junk to essentially confused your body – like pouring sand in your petrol tank – might still work to a degree but nowhere near potential.

How do I assess my progress?

You will be tested as follows:

Week 1 and Week 12 - Stamina test (not VO2 Max or anything like that!)

Week 4 and Week 12 - Strength and power test.

Constant monitoring of energy levels and workout performance will be your responsibility so you know if you’re struggling due to the workout kicking your ass or because you’ve not eaten or slept properly for recovery from the last session.

If you are looking to lose body fat you’ll also be required to take measurements and photos on a weekly basis.

This is all explained in the program

Is the emphasis on endurance or work capacity i.e. length of time or how hard?

Both. The key is that anaerobic training will always lead to improvements in aerobic capabilities when done properly, but not the other way around.

The truth is that unless you are in a highly aerobic dominant sport like endurance running, you’re going to need to focus on the ability to work at high capacity for short bursts. Think of any sport like boxing, soccer, squash etc and you’ll see a need to work hard for a few minutes at a time if that.

That’s what we’re aiming for. You won’t dramatically improve your 30 yard dash or your marathon time but you will find you can keep pushing and pushing when others start to flag like at the end of a boxing round, the latter stages of any race and on the sports field,

It’s not a sprint program but we’re building the ability to have a high work capacity when others are forced to slow down in order to keep going. This comes down to lactic acid tolerance, anaerobic capacity and strength endurance.

If you have any further questions about the Intense Conditioning program, please do not hesitate to email me at jon@stormforcefitness.com . I will personally get back to you as soon as possible.