My Journey with Strength Training, Fitness and Self Defence - By David Sedunary

I love feeling strong fit, and healthy. And at near 61 years young I am still hitting the iron and trying to improve. My journey started when I was 16 years of age a skinny and small boned kid, who desired to get bigger and stronger. My Dad was a Physical fitness instructor in the Australian Army during the Second World War, he also was a professional Boxer, so he must have handed down his genetics for fitness, and self defence to me so too speak.

My first set of weights were made out of old ice cream tins full of concrete, with a broom stick as the bar. I slowly purchased some weights and also some older men in the area gave me their weights they no longer used. So I started my Gym in the sleep out or a room at the side of my Mum and Dads House.

I purchased Joe Weiders System of Progress Barbell Exercise, and the Charts with Alan Stephen, Clarence Ross and Jack Delinger showing their natural great physiques of how to perform each exercise. I also wrote to Peary Rader of how to get bigger and stronger of course Peary being the gentleman he was wrote back with the following. Train twice a week David he said on the following Exercises: Squat - 1 set 0f 20 reps, Bench press - 1 set of 10 reps, Row - 1 set of 10 reps., Press behind neck - 1 set of 10 and Curl - 1 set of 10 reps, and drink 2 quarts of milk a day.

The letter Peary wrote is laminated, and on my home gym wall..

Even today I still train on the basics, full body twice a week. Being a small boned person with a wrist of 7 inches and a small ankles I still managed to squat 300 pounds for 20 reps and 350 pounds for 15 reps in the Trap Bar Deadlift into my late 40’s and early 50’s. Today of course I have dropped the weights down and train for form and to keep safe and injury free.

I have always believed that a man should be able to defend himself and his family, so I was taught boxing by my father and a local Boxer when I was 17 years old and I have maintained that until to today.

Near 5 years ago I emailed Bradley J Steiner, interested in Brad’s System of self defence, Brad Instructed and helped me by email, I bought all his material, as I have had his weight training books for 30 years.

Since that day I have religiously practiced his Self Defence near every day. Weight Training teaches you many things in life, but none better than knowing you have battled the iron and squatted 280 to 300 pounds for 20 reps, when you thought you were going to give in, and you kept going until you achieved your goal. All this was done by myself with no one pushing me just my determination and will to improve. This teaches you in life to never give in when those challenges come at you from all angles.

At the present moment I train, twice every 7 to 10 days, therefore I train on Monday, train on Thursday, Monday the following week and I miss Thursday, this works out to training nearly every 5 days full body.

A typical week for me is a follows:

Monday: Warmup with Self defence for 10 minutes/ I always do 1 to 2 sets warm-ups to a maximum 1 set
Bench press 1 set 6 to 8 reps
Seated row 1set 6- 8 reps
Dumb bell clean and Press 1set 6-8 reps
Lat Pull down 1 set 6- 8 reps
Curl 1 set 8- 10 reps
Squat 1 set 6-8 reps
Neck work
Crunch 1set 10 to 15 reps
As finisher I use 25lb, 5olb and 55 lb block weights, one block in each hand gives me a total of 25lb etc.
I toss them, clean and press them use them for the farmers walk for a total of 5 to 6 minutes

Thursday: Warmup self defence 10 minutes
Bench press 1set 6 to 8 reps
Seated row 1set 6- 8 reps
Dumb bell clean and Press 1set 6-8 reps
Lat Pull down 1 set 6- 8 reps
Curl 1 set 8- 10 reps
Squat 1set 8-10 reps
Neck work
Side bend 1 set 8 reps

For fitness work I train the following:

•Hard aerobics on the Concept rower once a week for 20 minutes.
•I walk for 20 minutes every day I am not weight training, and after the walk I practice self defence for 20 minutes. Total of 40 minutes (the self defence work can be as hard as you want to make it?

•I have one day a week of total rest.

My Philosophy of life is the following:

Life is a challenge whether you like it or not, it is harder for some than it is for others. Prepare yourself for the tough journey by weight training, learning American Combato, and strengthening your mind, in every way you can.

Read and study and learn from the following people as I have, which has fulfilled my life, they are in no particular order:

Bradley J Steiner (read all he writes you can’t go wrong), Bob Whelan, Stuart Mc Robert, Clarence Bass, Brooks Kubik, Richard Winett, and the late John Christy. Just keep training and use abbreviated training at times, two exercise per workout. Take a week off every now and then just walk for the week, but easy.

I don’t take supplements, just good wholesome food, eating some form of protein every three hours, this maintains my body weight at 190 LBs at a height of 5 feet 11 inches.

Rest plenty, look at ways to improve your sleep.

Hope I have enlightened someone out there to, to take the journey I and the above people mentioned have taken, if you do this life will be easier to handle, you will be stronger, healthier, fitter, and more confident.

Regards David Sedunary
Australia



Great Article David! - Bob


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