General

Becoming a Supple Leopard, i.e., Physical Badass…

I have been excited bout this book since Glen first mentioned the idea, so when Vanessa and I’s advanced copy showed up three days ago I couldn’t wait to dig in.  What follows is my attempt at to provide you with a virtual flip through of what is offered but if you want to skip ahead to the punch line just buy the book. It is basically an owner’s manual for your body…

The approach taken is systematic and thorough so, just like an owner’s manual, I can pick the book up, reference a body part, and be taken through pages and pages of mobility and movement pattern correction.

Kelly’s movement hierarchy method of breaking down movements from stable to complex is deceptively simple and may seem like an arbitrary notion; but from a programming perspective it creates a new world of organization. This hierarchy lays out a framework for progressing clients through everything from walking to the clean and jerk and snatch.

This owner’s manual is full of mobility work and has incredibly detailed photos with written descriptions for every variation you’ve seen on MWOD plus a few extras.

 This is not just a mobility book though, the depth and detail in which they cover the traditional lifts is nothing short of amazing. Taking the bar out of the squat rack is dedicated two full pages of text and photos.

They also do a great job of showing common faults and providing motor control and mobility fixes for each. My favorite fault page so far is “Burpee Fail” excellent imagery…

If you haven’t had a chance to work with Kelly or attend one of his seminars you have probably at least gotten an idea of his personality from the MWOD videos. The book carries much of that through each page, which is testament to Glen’s ability as a writer. Becoming a Supple Leopard owes its organization and flow to the creativity and passion of both authors and I am sure they are quite proud of the book, as they should be. On a side note don’t judge Glen by his “mean mug” he is probably the nicest guy you will ever meet…although I did seem him save Christian Benjamin Friedland’s life one night with that look alone.

Get it here