“Steve absorbs the knowledge, distills the essence and then coaches his clients with a keen eye that can only be developed through experience.”
If you have been involved in fitness, kettlebells, Brazilian Jiujitsu or even low carb eating for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard of Steve Maxwell. At age 59, he has fashioned a life as a nomadic fitness warrior and healthy lifestyle evangelist. I’ve been aware of Steve’s fitness musings all the way back to the Nautilus and Superslow days with his gym, Maxercise, in Philadelphia. These days one can find Steve globe trotting with his young, female, assistant. He’s constantly refining his game, whether it be nutrition, restorative drills, strength training, Brazilian Jiujitsu or currently Systema with Vladimir Vasiliev. Steve absorbs the knowledge, distills the essence and then coaches his clients with a keen eye that can only be developed through experience.
So when I gifted myself this Christmas, I had the choice between “The Best of Tom Jones” collection or Steve’s new, “Backyard Gods” download video,.. I chose the latter. This automatic download from Steve’s site is a group of videos devoted to Lower Body, Upper Body, Core and Mobility. You can buy them with in a package to save some cash. I had NO problem with any technical portion of this,.. it is NOT complex.
What I liked–
The visual clarity is great. You can see they used a HD camera since the look of the video is very, very good. The audio is good as well. Each ‘video’ offers exercises in a Cardiovascular Super Circuit. Steve gives what he feels is an optimal ratio of work, rest, cardio and strength work. This methodology uses minimal equipment and Steve’s instruction as always is superb.
What was missing–
There was no guidelines for templates on what days to train, or how to alternate the upper/lower/core. I could have missed it, but a .pdf would have been a good idea. Perhaps he can put one up on his blog.
What I didn’t like-
The royalty free music drove me nuts. I understand the copyright issues and so forth, but the new age track on the mobility video was worse than getting water boarded.
So I give this download a very high rating with the suggestion that a template be available for those who are not seasoned in exercise. Another refreshing point is as Steve speaks, he works. He does all the drills and doesn’t simply give you an impossible workout on a cocktail napkin. He walks his talk.
You can purchase and download Steve’s Backyard Gods, at this link Click here to visit Maxwell Strength Conditioning.
