As part of Spartan’s ongoing mission to provide training gear to the world’s elite trainers regardless of discipline, we recently formed an alliance with Stephen Nave, CEO of Competitive Performance Strategies & Director of the International Bulgarian Bag Confederation (IBBC).

Stephen served 23 years in the U.S. Navy, 18 of those as a Navy SEAL. He was also aNavy SEAL Instructor in the Naval Special Warfare Physical Training Center in Coronado, CA. and trained the men in BUD/S who would go on to become SEALs. Steve understands what it means to take people to the edge and beyond, testing their physical strength, muscle endurance, aerobic and anaerobic capabilities as well as their mental toughness.

This alliance allowed us the opportunity to have Stephen test out the Hoplite Training Armour which he has since integrated into his training and implemented into the strength and conditioning program of his student, Andre Galvao.

Here’s Stephen’s recent IBBC Blog post and initial thoughts on the gear:

Fight Conditioning with Andre Galvao & Spartan Training Gear: Increasing Anaerobic Conditioning by Stephen Nave

A friend of mine from TacFit, Alberto Gallazzi, who I worked while I was in Italy this summer introduced me to Marc Joseph and Spartan Training Gear.  This amazing training gear  is a lightweight, full-body padded suit designed for use during force-on-force encounters, scenario-replication drills, self-protection and traditional martial arts training. I have been experimenting with this gear with my clients during training and love that we we are able to execute a wide array of drills and scenarios in order to train how you fight without compromising protection or mobility.

We performed high-intensity interval training where Andre performed Bulgarian Bag movements with the 37lb bag, immediately followed by a 2-3 minutes of sparring while I wore the Spartan Training Gear, then we rested for a 1 minute, and repeated the set 4 times.  While Andre’s match in London will be No-Gi, we are working on increasing his anaerobic capacity.

Anaerobic capacity is the total amount of energy obtainable from the anaerobic energy systems. That means the combined amount of output for the ATP, phospho-creatine and lactic acid systems within a certain period of time. A simple, less scientific method for measuring and understanding this capacity is to run as far as you can at a near-maximal pace. The further you can run at a fast pace, the more anaerobic enzymes your body is capable of producing and utilizing and the better able you are to buffer lactate.  Ultimately, this means that you are able to maintain higher intensity levels for longer.

Check out the video below to see a snapshot of a recent conditioning session as Andre gets ready for his upcoming match in London.

IBBC Blog link: http://ibbconline.com/2011/fight-conditioning-with-andrew-galvao-and-spartan-training-gear-increasing-anaerobic-capacity/

To learn more on Stephen Nave: http://ibbconline.com/about/directors/ and to find out more about the Bulgarian Bags: http://ibbconline.com/bulgarian-bag/