Instructor Profile: Steve Shannon
Let's meet one of the top NZ Iron Instructors in Hamilton NZ. Steve Shannon is an expert in functional training who believes in minimalism, kettlebells and the steel mace.
Steve Shannon
Contact: Info@comsfitness.com
Steve Shannon : Coms Fitness : Hamilton
We caught up with Steve to discuss his personal philosophy of training, his personal training regime and how he feels about rehab and prehab training.
Steve, how long have you been running your business?
I've been working full time in the fitness industry since 2010 and established COMS Fitness (my personal training brand) in 2015.
What’s your personal philosophy on how you train your clients?
My focus is on quality of movement and technique. I put a heavy emphasis on mastery of primal movement patterns. Optimising movement reduces the risk of injury and seals any leaks in strength, meaning you'll move smoother, with greater strength, power, balance and timing. This is called kinaesthetic intelligence and will bring a higher standard of general physical preparedness to all those who work with me. I want my client's to be ready for any task at hand, whether it's keeping up with their kids, playing rugby or stepping into the ring.
What are your favourite training tools?
Without a doubt it's kettlebells, but I also specialize in steel mace and bodyweight training. These tools and methods are about as minimalist as it gets; but they are also the most effective when it comes to strength and conditioning and reducing the risk of injury that I've come across over 20 years of training.
You’re pretty fit, flexible and mobile - what does your personal program look like?
Four sessions a week. I do circuits using a combination of kettlebells, steel mace and body weight movements. They cover all the bases - strength, power, conditioning, mobility, balance and timing. I do one heavy session a week with a focus on the big compound movements like deadlifts etc... this is usually followed by a rest day. I also do one technical session a week where my focus is on refining technique and improving movement. I'd class it as an active recovery day. Turkish get ups are a staple in every session, regardless of the type of session I'm doing.
What about rehab? Do you get many clients that look to you for rehab advice? How do you work with these clients differently than your normal “fitness” clients?
Regress to progress. These sessions are at a slower pace. It's back to basics for optimal movement, stability and mobility. Once the quality of movement has been attained then we rebuild the strength and eventually power.
You’ve heard the term at NZ Iron that prehab training is there to “bulletproof clients against injury” - do you think many fitness professionals take this into consideration when training their clients?
The smart ones do, but there's a lot of trainers who got into the fitness industry with the bare minimum education and stopped there. Having the education and knowing how to bulletproof your client's against injury should also be viewed as bullet-proofing your business. Clients unable to attend sessions due to injury are also lost income for the trainer.
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