"Cowboy Fit" Program Released

PROVIDENCE, RI, November 18, 2011 – Working in conjunction with Professional Bull Rider Wiley Petersen, Anthony DiLuglio of Art of Strength has developed a brand new fitness program for bull riders called Cowboy Fit. DiLuglio became interested in the sport when Petersen first came to him for a shoulder injury.

“I discovered he didn’t do any sport-specific training, just traditional weight training,” DiLuglio says. So he took the Art of Strength philosophy – training for maximum functional strength, achieving a body that is even stronger than it looks, more durable, less prone to injury and more resilient – and applied it to bull riding.

“I studied Wiley and watched how the bull manipulates the rider to understand exactly what strengths a bull rider needs. I broke down his movements, and created a workout that builds a chain of strength, working all the muscles in concert that are necessary to sustain that bull riding motion of holding on with one hand with the other over your head. I was able to get Wiley to understand the workout as a movement, not just an exercise,” he explains.

Cowboy Fit is a three-part DVD program that will progress a rider from novice through amateur and pro stages as the exercises progress in difficulty. The first DVD is called Eight Minutes of Might for Eight Seconds of Fight, recognizing that in competition, a rider must stay on for eight seconds to progress to the next round. There are eight exercises done for one minute each on each DVD, along with how-to guidance. It begins by building a foundation and helping riders gain an understanding of the strengths they need. Then it addresses building grip and inner leg strength, keeping the body square, and for pros, finding your spurs.

“We’ve seen first-hand proof that the program is beneficial. As we were filming for the DVD in San Antonio, one of my trainers who had been doing the Cowboy Fit workout got on a bull – for the first time in his life – and stayed on for eight seconds. This speaks to the very core of Art of Strength and what we do: the training we provide enables people to do things because their bodies become resilient and strong from specific training. They end up with good body awareness, understand strengths and weaknesses, and gain a different confidence in doing things,” DiLuglio explains.

DiLuglio and Peterson will be offering clinics in 2012 at AOS gyms in Texas, as well as distributing the program through professional bull riding associations and rodeos.

Click here to purchase the Cowboy Fit DVD.