Age VS. Exercise and Brayden's Quick Bodyweight Combo Video

Many of you have commented across the internet about how you loved the video of my 4 year old son Brayden having fun with the 8kg Pro-Grade AKC Kettlebell. I try to have him have a good time when he's exercising so that he wants to continue to do it as he grows. He sees me teach KBs and fitness practice. He sees my wife and I exercise. He sees my Kettlebells lined up in my living room and we both have our own KB necklace. He is raised among it and is encouraged to play with them. I train him a bit too, but make sure he has a great time with them so good experiences are embedded in his mind. I want fitness to be all he knows so that when he is grown being inactive is abnormal to him. That is my goal at least for him. Our kids are growing up in a time where exercise is a exercise, which can be a chore, instead of for fun.

I don't believe age, place in life, school district, country in which one is living is determining factors of being fit and being healthy. Most of my clients are Baby Boomers(50-60yrs. old), who never had video games, and they all had gym class in school as well as were encouraged to be active. Of course the women were not as much, but many still did what they could. That generation is now some of the most obese and sedentary people on the planet. It is an absolute chore for them to exercise and adapt good eating habits.

I am 31 years old. My era of schooling allowed me to attend gym class all through high school as well as play sports all year long. Many of the folks I attended school with are now out of shape and either obese or at least unhealthy. In fact I stay in touch with many of them and often times get asked to provide them with advice. I love helping and that is exactly why I got into the health and fitness industry, but it is a shame that they allow themselves to become as they are. We all can get like that though in certain ways. I'm very glad that the ones who have taken the honorable step to remedy the problem are doing so. That is a huge motion.

Ultimately we all must decide every day that we will be active and do everything we can to be as healthy nutritionally as we can. As Ori Hofmekler, author of the Warrior Diet & Anti-Estrogenic Diet books, says: "If you are not actively living, you are passively dying."

Here's another video we took that night. Pay very close attention to his pushups cause he goes so fast you won't keep up with the counting. LOL!

Integrating Kettlebells Into Fitness Programs

Kettlebells can be integrated into any fitness program.  You can train them on the same day with your other lifts and activities or you can designate them to their own day.  In my training they are exclusive based on my goals.  Before I made the goal I currently have I used to integrate them into the core of my program.  I still train all my clients in this same way.  Regardless if you use KBs or other training methods you can still over-train your body.  Recovery is key.  Nutrition is paramount.  Adequate sleep is vital.

Here is what I did the past couple days in my Boot Camp classes.  You will see both K-bells and other movements right in the workout.  What I display here is only the core working sets of the 45 min. session.  This excludes the warm-up, mobility drills as well as cooldown which includes abs and synergy stretch.  These are all extremely important to training.  If you are not properly warming up with mobility drills and cooling down with yoga type stretches then you can never achieve you true potential and potentially can open up the door for future injury.

I have the clients perform the circuit with the working set of seconds followed by the rest set of seconds.  Then after each round we take about a minute or two to recover before beginning the next round.  If your rest set is too "long" then you need to work harder during your working set. 

Routine 1:
Workout: 3 Rounds (40s/20s)
Push Press (R&L)
Figure 8 to a Hold
Situps
High Pull (R&L)

Routine 2:
Workout: 3 Rounds (60s/30s)
Bear Crawl
Overhead KB Lunges(R&L)
Pushups
Frog Hops
Jog 2 Min.

Routine 3:
Workout: 3 Rounds (40s/20s)
Slingshots(R&L) [move around the waist with straight arms and feet at shoulder width while keeping hips sqr]
Box steps/ jumps
Around The Worlds(R&L) [move around the head with the bell]
Virtual Jump Rope
Squats

As you can see there are many bodyweight movements as well as non-traditional KB movements.  Of course feel free to experiment on your own.  I'll be curious to see what you come up with.  Comment here and let us know!

I hope this info helps.  Coming soon I will be blogging about the Anatomy of Basic Program Design.  Keep stopping by and please let me know your thoughts.

Dealing With Myofacial Pain

A lot of folks have pain in their knees and/or hips and they immediately believe it to be a joint issue.  While certainly a possiblity, in my experience most "knee pain", "hip pain", lower back pain, and even shoulder pain can be resolved by releasing the myofacia.  What in the world is myofacia, and how will releasing it help me, do you ask?  The myofacia is the protective sheathing that the muscles are in which connect it to organs and bones. 

One of the most common pain areas is in the knees; however much of the pain is actually rooted to the Illiotibial Band or IT Band.  The IT Band is located in the hip and stretches down to the knee joint.  It is a muscle that you can feel on the side of your leg.  Most likely you have tight spots there and a major source of your inflammation which then transfers into your knee, hip, or both.  One of its purposes of the IT Band is to keep your body laterally stable.  There are numerous causes to how injuries, tightness, inflammation, and trigger points can begin in this area, but ultimately what matters is the resolution. 

No matter if your IT Band has the problem or your upper back, or wherever you can apply the principles of this article.  When your body is inflammed, whether it be chronic or acute, your immune system is not at its strongest and so therefore neither are you. Just because you don't have symptoms does not mean you are well. Always focus on the balance of your body and you will be working on staying well. Staying well is an ongoing practice.



1. Foam rolling works very, very well. I do this daily. You can also grab a golf ball and toss it in a sock and get those trigger points just like a massage therapist's elbow. Instead of simply rolling you need to find the heart of the heart of the heart of the center of the pain. Then apply pressure and hang out there for about 15-20 seconds. Focus on relaxing all the relative muscles and breating. Your breathing will get you through all pain.

2. Pineapple by day and ginger by night will decrease inflammation.  Pineapple has an enzyme in it called Bromelian and it works very well to decrease inflammation as well as breaking down protein.  I suggest eating fresh pineapple during the day due to the sugars within the fruit.  Ginger at night(or any time) will have almost no impact on spiking your insulin and it will do the same job.

3. Schedule a deep tissue massage for further and regular work.

4. Soak in an Epsom Salt bath and then use the foam roller and golf ball.

5. If you put your body through a cleanse and then eat organic you will definitely notice great improvements.

6.  The most important one, and I am writing this last so you remember it, is drink LOTS AND LOTS of water.  I cannot stress that enough.  If you desire to remove toxins and drive out inflammation from your body it will not happen without water.   A gallon of water a day, minimum, is what I recommend.

By applying these tips you will decrease pain, increase your range of motion, and bring your body closer to a state a balance.

Nocturnal Eaters- BRAVO!!!

You probably think I'm going to frown upon eating at night.  Nope!  Instead I recommend it.  In fact if you do it right you will wake up much more refreshed and a much happier person with more energy throughout the day.  It's what you eat, in the right combinations, and then in the right timing that make all the difference. 

Humans are naturally nocturnal eaters.  For thousands of years we were hunters and gathers during the day.  We didn't eat much during the daytime as we gathered and hunted.  At night we put all that we collected and caught together as a feast for the family, tribe, community and everyone ate well.  The meal was balanced and organic since the chemicals in today's foods such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers were not present. All of those contain MSG in them which causes nervous issues as well as cancer.  Those chemicals also cause elevated estrogen levels which suppress Growth Hormone and Testosterone.  That's not very good.  So always eat organic whenever you can.  The cost is really not that different any more.

Ok so now that we have established that humans have it in their genes to be nocturnal eaters there's no need to fear or feel guilty for your late night cravings.  Instead embrace them and simply eat the right foods in the right combinations. It's what we eat and when we eat it that truly matters and makes a huge difference.

In fact indigenous people in South America, Australia, and Africa still eat this same way even today.  They don't have the cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol as the Western World does.  Of course they have other issues because they're all inbred, but that's another article topic altogether for another time.

I do not subscribe to the eating of 5-6 small meals per day.  When you do that you increase insulin levels and when insulin is up you are storing fat.  Growth Hormone and Glucagon must be up in order to burn fat.  That mainly happens when you are not eating.  Studies have shown that it takes roughly 72 hours of not eating before your body begins to use muscle as fuel.  So there should be no fear of losing muscle and withering away.  It just won't happen.

The 5-6 meal per day notion came about with the Bodybuilder style of eating.  Approximately 1% of the world are bodybuilders so the rest of us 99%ers need not eat like them or exercise like them.  Bodybuilders are athletes and they have different goals than most everyone else.  You wouldn't go out and eat as a marathon runner does getting ready for a race.  If people did there would be an even more obesity and health epidemic than we have now.  Think about it this way- if eating frequent meals worked then why is everyone fat and unhealthy?  It's because it doesn't work.  The human body doesn't need to eat that way and is not programmed to eat that way.

When we eat or don't eat we are working with 2 main nervous systems: Sympathetic and Para-Sympathetic.  Sympathetic (aka fight or flight): When exercising body energy is focused on skeletal muscles. Basically shuts down digestion.  Parasympathetic (aka feed or breed): After a meal body focuses on digestion and absorption of nutrients. Upon vigorous exercise your body is trying to void the stomach of its contents so it can focus on your musculoskeletal system. Your body prefers to have one system dominant at a time. That's why you're mother and grandmother always told you to not go swimming after you eat. The 2 components of your nervous system are "competing" and you may cramp/drown.

So during the day when we don't eat we engage the Sympathetic Nervous System(SNS).  When that happens our GH is high, our testosterone is elevated, our insulin is low, our glucagon is elevated, and all that causes us to be much more alert, energized, vigorous, and in a fat burning environment.  As soon as we eat enough to disrupt that the Para-Sympathetic Nervous System engages and we begin slowing down due to the blood needed for digestion.  Our body may feel sluggish and not as alert.  Our vigor has been drained and the fat burning slowed down to potential fat storage.  This is why if we eat our main balanced meal at night then we will be able to sleep much, much better and feeling sluggish won't matter since we are going to be sleeping anyway.  We regenerate and build about 75% of our muscle while we sleep each night.  That is one reason why sleep is so vital.  We can't really store protein, but we can build muscle so protein is not generally needed during the day, but only at night- with one exception.  The exception being a post workout recovery meal if you're exercising in the morning or afternoon.  Then you can have about 20-30g of protein and the same in simple carbs to return your body to an anabolic(muscle recovery) state out of a catabolic(muscle breakdown) state.

If you EVER feel hungry during the day drink water. If you think you've drank a lot already, but are still hungry drink some more. Most of the time when people think they are hungry they are actually thirsty, but are not used to recognizing that subtle feeling.  If your mouth ever gets dry you are already dehydrated.
Get through the day and then eat your main meal at night. ALWAYS start with a big salad filled with as many colored veggies as you can. Then eat your protein, then good fats, and then sleep well. Do your absolute best not to eat very many grains.

What if you work third shift?
Not a problem, but for you then you will want to eat relative to what your "dinner" is.  Then during the hours preceding either eat only small fruits and/or veggies or don't eat anything at all.  In either case be sure to drink A LOT of water.  So drink water to curve the cravings and any hunger pains.  Then eat a balance of the right foods at night with good fats being your primary fuel source instead of starches and grains.  Do that and you will never be healthier and more energized!

To sum it up in 3 sentences:  During the day don't eat anything, but 2 pieces of fruit- no bigger than your fist- 4 hours apart and then at night eat a very well balanced meal. Drink half your weight in ounces of water daily. You will be very healthy, feel super energized and have a very lean body.

I will touch more on exactly what to eat in upcoming articles.

*Big thanks to Ori Hofmekler(author of the Warrior Diet) for his research into much of this.

Brayden Plays With The 8kg Kettlebell

Kids should start exercising and being active as early as they can.  Think about when you were a kid and when you used to go outside and "play" allllllllllllllllllllll day until your mom yelled down the street that it was getting dark and you needed to come in, but you yelled back begging her to let you stay out for only 10 more minutes.  After she agreed 10 minutes turned into 30 and your dad then had to come down and get you, but you were playing hard and simply lost track of time.  Of course we all know and could relate with that story.

Today kids have their video games and too many TV shows that could occupy them if us parents didn't intervene, make them turn off the TV and the games, and play.  The sort of play I am referring to is physical play.  Too many schools are removing the play time out of the cirriculum.  That's very unforntunate and definitely doesn't have to be.  You could be a voice as well as focus your child's attention on being physically active every single day.  Before TV and before the video games that's what all kids AND adults did.  They were active and they were active on a regular basis.  It's just in recent years that gym time must be supplemented for the normal family and community recreation time.

In our household we play with Kettlebells.  I also take my son Brayden to the nearby park so he can climb and jump and swing.  Speaking of swings here is a video of him performing 8kg Kettlebell Swings.  To him it's fun.  That's exactly how it should be.  I have him focus on the movement of exercise so that his body will always be stronger in each movement rather than simply "lifting weights".  That's not fun, but practicing efficient movement and adding relative weight to them is very much a different game altogether.  One of the main difference between an athlete and a non-athlete is that an athlete moves with extreme efficiency.  The non-athlete still needs to practice moving in the same way as best they can.  In the near future I will be writing more about that.

Healthy Ezekial Burritos

Ezekial 4:9 Tortilla wraps(sold at Sprout's and Whole Foods)
These are very important because they are organic and sprouted grains as well as the ingredients make up a complete protein.

1 lb. fresh ground organic or natural chicken or turkey (leave out if vegetarian style is desired)
The Spice Hunter fajita seasoning (or any salt-free fajita mix you may like)
Whole(full-fat which is healthiest) Oganic Sour Cream
Rice and beans* (see below recipe)
Shredded raw cheddar cheese
Salsa
Fresh sliced organic avocado

*Rice and beans
1 part black beans, soaked and cooked
1 part prepared brown long grain rice
1 organic white onion chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil(organic)
The Spice Hunter fajita seasoning (salt-free)

Sautee onions and fajita seasoning (to taste) in olive oil in a large skillet.
Add rice and beans and mix until flavors are blended together.
Makes a great side dish or an addition to the burrito recipe below.

Enjoy!!!

The IKFF Is Bigger In Texas!

The saying goes that everything is bigger in Texas. Well isn’t everything? Maybe, but the IKFF certainly was. We had an amazing team of teacher assistants to both Ken Blackburn and Steve Cotter. All the participants were so inspiring with their work ethic and overall personalities too. It was so much fun to be a part of a great thing. I encourage you to become an IKFF Certified Kettlebell Teacher and start having your life changed and changing the lives of others today!

Here’s a video clip of the Dallas IKFF cert, which ignited 2009 for great Kettlebell instruction.

A big Texas thanks to Steve Cotter, Ken Blackburn, Jason Dolby, John “Wild”Buckley, Nazo, Nico “The Incredible” Rithner, Lisa Shaffer, Monica Brant, B.J. Bliffert, The Reverend, and congrats to all of the new IKFF teachers. Thanks also to the Dallas Police Academy for warmly welcoming us into their home.

Synergy Kettlebell Kamp

I am working on a project right now that will hopefully bring a huge kettlebell awareness to the state of Arizona.  This may take some time, but when I fully launch I am very confident it will be exactly what this great state needs.  I will reveal more about this as I go along, but for now here's the shell website:  http://www.arizonakettlebellclub.blogspot.com/

As for my workouts I have been truckin' along.  My knee joint muscles have been a bit inflammed lately so I laid off the running just a little bit and have been foam roling them to expedite recovery.  I believe the root of the problem is my calves.  They seem to be tight and have a bunch of trigger points needing to be ironed out.  That's about as fun as taking a Polar Bear Swim in Antartica in February.  But hey nothin's as bad as a 10 Minute Long Cycle set. 

When I was at the AKC cert that's what they used to say about everything.  You gotta go jogging for 30 minutes- well it's not as bad as a 10 Min. Long Cycle set.  You're doing lots and lots of lunges and pullups- well you could be doing a 10 Min. Long Cycle set.  You got a big ugly accounting class that you have to take because for some reason that's part of the master cirriculum and you absolutely despise the vial stink of anything math- BUT HEY you could be doing a 10 Min. Long Cycle set!!! 
Ok, ok here's one:  You gotta call Dish Network's outsourced customer care line to talk about your bill--- ***head bow and shake***--- yeah well...... you probably would LOVE to be doing a 10 Min. set of Long Cycle because anything has gotta better than having to call them!

Alrighty then with that said here's what I have been doing:

Practice 011909:
10 Min. Long Cycle Set @ 20kg and 5rpm
This is an improvement from the past couple week's stead 4 reps per minute.  I pushed it a bit for my prior 10 Min. set so I knew I could this.  It won't be long before I'm at 6rpm strong on my 10 min. sets.  I'm thinking no more than 2 weeks from now.

Then:
4 Min. Double Cleans @ 24kg and 6rpm

Then:
20 Min. Run
Synergy Stretch


Practice 012009:
6 Min. Long Cycle @ 20kg and 6rpm
This is getting easier for me to do and I'm feeling really strong so I think I will be increasing the time, but keeping the reps per minute at 6 for now.

Then:
4 Min. Double Cleans @ 24kg and 8rpm

Then:
Synergy Stretch

Dat Tis It!  Stay tuned for more on the Arizona Kettlebell Club and details how to join.

PF Chang's Rock 'N Marathon 2009

Joni and Bill McKeen and Bill's brother Mac represented Team Synergy Kettlebell Training in the January 2009 PF Chang's Rock 'N Roll Marathon.  This was an amazing goal taken up by them and accomplished exactly as they set out to do.  Just the fact that they did what you did is a feat very honorable.  Who cares about the distance and time.  What matters most is the journey of hard work and survival to get there for the past several months and years is worthy of taking notice.  Great Job Joni, Bill, and Mac!

Here are some Before(11/20/07) and After(09/20/08) Pics of Joni.  The "After Pics" were taken right before she started training for the marathon(01/18/09) a few months back.  She, Bill, and Mac(a more recent client) always continued to come to my private training and Boot Camps alongside their pavement pounding.  These are 3 folks who live what I stand for and are the very reasons I am in this business.

Joni's never too busy for her fans that she even paused her phone call for a moment to give a photo op.

Past Week Catch Up

It's hard to see, but my bald head is in the far back right in the white shirt.

Just wanna quick post of my past few workouts...

Last weekend I had the honor of instructor assisting at the Dallas IKFF CKT Course.  I also had some great Kettlebell fun by continuing my practice.

Practice 011009:
10 Min. One Arm Cleans @ 24kg and 8rpm
Then:
6 Min Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 6rpm
 Then:
10 Min. One Arm Long Cycle @ 24kg and 8rpm

_____________________________________________


Practice 011109:
6 Min. One Arm Long Cycle @ 24kg and 10rpm

After this I felt something in my right trap and rhomboid (shoulder blade area) that just cramped up and hurt whenever I turned my head left.  So I took my father's advice whenever I hurt myself as a child.  He would say something to the effect- let's say if I hurt myself and it hurt to make a fist- "Then don't make a fist".  So I did my best to not turn my head left.
Yeah!  So that didn't really work so well.  I decided to take the 2 days off after the cert and get massages when I normally would be practicing.  That definitely made a difference.  Now I usually take Thursdays off, but because of my shoulder issue leading to 2 days off too many I decided to work straight through this week and I actually feel great for doing so.  I'm thinking of seeing how a 6 day training week looks and feels like. 
_____________________________________________ 

Practice 011409:

6 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 5rpm
Then:
6 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 16kg and 8rpm
Then: 20 Min. Run
_____________________________________________  

Practice 011509:

10 Min. LC @ 2 20kg and 4rpm
Then:
3 Min. LC @ 2 16kg and 10rpm
Then:
20 Min. Run
_____________________________________________

Practice 011609: 
6 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 6rpm
_____________________________________________


Practice 011709:
10 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and various reps per minute.

I decided to up the pace a bit and start off a touch faster and then finish strong.
Minute 1: 5rpm (I said just a touch faster than my normal 4rpm)
Minutes 2-9: 4rpm (I am almost flexible enough to have both elbows in the true Rack Position(elbows touching hip bones so that I am "bone stacking".)
Minute 10: 8rpm (This was pretty good and I should have knocked out 10rpm)
Total: 45 reps

Overall my grip held out fine and I now know I can bring up my overall pace for the 10 minute sets to a solid 5rpm at least. 

Then:
4 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 10rpm
Then:
2 Quarter Mile Sprints
I rested the same amount of time it took me to sprint the distance.  Then I just jogged a final quarter mile.

Dat Tis It!

The Cotter Press

This past weekend I had the honor of assisting at the IKFF Kettlebell Teacher Certification in Dallas, TX. It was a great time in both instructing and being instructed. I always love attending these sorts of things because I am surrounded by the most talented and amazing people. A lot of the fellow Kettlebell Coaches and attendees I met were folks I have communicated with online via email as well as on such websites as Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, blogs, etc. It is always really cool to meet them face to face and get to know them better in an element we all love.

Among the many people who I worked side by side with this weekend there was one person who performed some exceptional feats of strength and just plain old really cool stuff. He is none other than John Wild Buckley of the Orange Kettlebell Club or OKC. He's an enormous man, ok well it doesn't take much to be enormous compared to my size of only 5'6", but he is actually pretty big at 6'6" and over 300lbs. The man dwarf's Paul Bunyan by a heck of a lot! In case you don't know who Paul Bunyan is I have enclosed a video so you can know.

Ok so now that you are fully aware of who Paul Bunyan is allow me to finish telling my story about John Buckley. So he does these things called "Nazo Presses and Nazo Getups" where he performs a human press or turkish getup with his OKC partner Nazo. She's about 100lbs. so this is pretty cool to see. Take a look...

What is even cooler is what else he did at the Dallas cert. After performing one of his trademark Nazo Presses he decided to step it up to the 80kg "Cotter Press". This is the latest and greatest pressing endevors and methods in Girevoy Sport training. Anyone who's anyone is doing it and very cool if they can. And John is definitely the coolest of the cool for being the first to "Cotter Press" the one and only Steve Cotter. For a full walk-through tutorial on the ins and outs of the Cotter Press you gotta go to either the OKC and/or the IKFF for details. In the meantime take a peak at the first images ever shown in public known to man.

Now isn't that impressive or what???!!! John is truly a character, friend, great kettlebell coach, and amazing Cotter Presser. :)

Roadmap To Beginning Kettlebell Lifting

Some folks who live remotely from me have been asking what to do, who to turn to, and what instructional material I would suggest getting to start Kettlebell training.  Of course I would recommend finding a certified AKC and/or IKFF Kettlebell Coach to provide you with the proper form instruction as well as program design.  It’s one thing to know how to use the bells and/or equipment when you’re exercising, but it’s another to know how to properly and efficiently program design.  Additionally Steve Cotter has a great, great series on DVD called the Encyclopedia of Kettlebell Lifting Volumes 1 and 2.  Steve Cotter is a great teacher.  I have been mentored by him and am ongoing as well.

From there you can purchase the American Kettlebell Club (AKC) Pro-Grade Kettlebells right from my website.  The prices are the ones set by the AKC.

These are the only bells I use and the exact ones time tested and proven in competition arenas worldwide, testing labs, many gyms, and my living room every day.  The handle is made universal in size (32 or 33mm) and so is the bell.  The size bell is the exact same no matter what weight it is from 8kg to 60kg.  They just fill the core more with denser steel.  This way your form will not change as you move up in weight.  That's exactly why they use them in competition too.  They are much safer and functional. The other style bells (iron based) get bigger as the weight gets bigger and so does the handle.  Also the shape of the handle is not very good when performing the main lifts.

From there all you will need is 2 different weight bells at the very least to get you started.  I recommend a 16kg and 20kg for men and an 8kg and 12kg for women.  You could stick with both of these for a very long time.  With Kettlebell training you do not jump up in weight simply because you can perform 15 or 20 reps of a given movement.  You do 2 things before you move up in weight.  First is you increase the time and next is the reps per minute.  Your goal is to perform the 3 main traditional lifts from 1-10 minutes.  The lifts are: Snatch, Jerk, Long Cycle (clean and jerk).  Anything beyond that can be supporting lifts or movements.  You want to be able to perform these lifts during your pre-determined set amount of time with only one hand switch.  This is where the challenge is and where the benefit comes.  It strengthens your muscles, joints, tendons, nervous system, and mind more than any other style of training or equipment due to the focus on strength endurance.  

When performing your set think of a marathon runner.  He/she would not start out their race by sprinting or going too quickly.  If they did their race would be over because they burnt themselves out early on.  Same is true for Kettlebell training.  Your goal is to last the full time limit without stopping.  That is where your pre-determined time meets your pre-determined pace.  Start off with a given pace and end up with the same pace.  As the weeks and months go on and you get better then you simply increase the time first till you reach the 10 minute mark and then increase the reps per minute.  Then lastly is the weight.  There is much more to it, but that’s essentially the pattern in a nutshell.

Once you can perform each of those lifts for the full 10 minutes with one hand switch at a controlled, but respectable reps per minute range, then you increase the weight.  You see why it might take you months or longer before you move up in bell size.  That's the beauty in Kettlebell training.  It's a great thing and delivers above and beyond expectations if and only if the practitioner is consistent and keeps it simple.

Grip Matters So Make It False

 

Girevoy Sport is about efficiency.  You want to focus on every detail- small or large- when looking to be efficient.  No matter if you are performing a Jerk, Clean, Press, Long Cycle, etc. you will want to have the same grip and it should be a very efficient one.  When you have your grip squeezed tight, fingers straightened out, or fingers fully wrapped around the bell you are essentially using more energy than you want.  The Hooked False Grip is what is recommended.  First is to be sure to use the "false grip" where your fingers are bent and touching between the handle and your palm.  Then you will need to have the "hook grip" around the bell as well with the forefinger and your thumb. Conserve it.  False Grip it.  The pic is of Valery Fedorenko with the 40kg bell and his perfect false grip.  Notice how relaxed the rest of his body is.  That is efficiency.  That is true Girevoy Sport.  More to come on this later...

It's Almost IKFF Time...

This weekend is the IKFF cert in Dallas.  I will be going to that to assist in the instruction alongside Steve Cotter and Ken Blackburn as well as present a sales training module.  I'm very much looking forward to going to this because I know everytime I attend a cert whether it be as a student or assisting I learn something new, I hone my skills, and I network with great, great people.  The fitness and kettlebell community is definitely a good one to be a part.  There are a lot of great minds and I always look forward to being mentored as well as mentoring when given the opportunity. 

This weekend will be my first opportunity, my pilot program, to present my training module outside of Anytime Fitness.  It has been a vision of mine to work with a top level certifying organization such as the IKFF for a while in training the trainers.  I truly believe in what the IKFF represents and teaches.  I only hope my presentation is enjoyed and seen valuable by both Steve and Ken so that I will continue to work with them ongoing.  I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

As for my workouts I have worked very hard this week and will be taking the next 2 days off to allow my body to recover because I know I will be doing something in some capacity at this weekend's cert. 

Workout 010609:
8 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 5rpm

Then:
4 Min. Jerks @ 2 20kg and 9rpm
______________________________________

Workout 010709:
6 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 6rpm

Then:
4 Min. Jerks @ 2 20kg and 8rpm

Then:
Guerrilla Sprints

I'm gonna eat well this evening and sleep well too.  Tomorrow and Friday will be a nice break to have back to back as I haven't had one of those in a long time.  If you haven't checked out the IKFF I would highly, highly advise it.  I have plans to host one if I can in AZ sometime this year.  I just need people with interest so that I can solidify it with Steve and Ken.  The location is already set as I have 14 possible locations in the state inside one of my Anytime Fitness facilities.  Let me know if you want to get certified as a Kettlebell Coach.  We'll make it happen. :)

Inverting My Way To Better Spine Health

Yesterday I picked up an almost brand new Inversion Table off of Craigslist for a smokin deal.  Normally they go for around $200-350 depending on the brand and I wanted a good one.  I was able to snag it for $100 and it works perfectly.  This is exactly what my back needs.  I have maintenance chiropractor visits about twice a month and use his whenever I'm there.  I've been patiently waiting and trying to get one of these for a good price for about 6 months now.  Finally my time came.

I went on it for about 10 minutes last night a couple times and then again today as well.  I did it right after my workout today and I tell you I don't have any of my normal stiffness in my lumbar spine.  This thing is great and I really hope it continues to help me regain full spinal health.  That really is the only thing holding me up from being able to progress more quickly with various movements and lifting tasks.

I want to briefly mention something that I don't really spend a lot of time blogging about, but is crucial to overall fitness.  I want to make sure that my readers know that I do perform very regular warm-ups and cool-downs with all my workouts.  I always perform a 10 min. movement based warm-up with some yoga type moves and stretches along with maybe some squats and/or lunges.  Then I always complete my workout with about a 20-30 minute (depending on my timing) yoga type cool-down with much more challenging moves and stretches.  This has really helped me in my overall flexibility and spine health.  I can now do Chinese style splits and have never been able to do that before.  I'm working on touching my chest to the floor in that position and am almost there.  Flexibility is something that if you don't continually work on it and use it you will lose it.  So I always recommend doing something with stretching after every workout even if it's simply 5 minutes.

Workout 010509:
7 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 5rpm


Then:
4 Min. Jerks @ 2 20kg and 9rpm


Then:
20 Min. Run

Dat Tis It!

Do You Twitter?

Technology has grown to allow us to keep in constant contact with each other at any given moment.  I have MySpaced for years; although have grown real bored with that and only go on about once a month if that. I have FaceBooked for some time now and absolutely love it and am admittingly addicted to it.  I want to be the top "Poker".  You have to be on FaceBook to know what that means. :)

Today I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon.  It's like a Reader's Digest or Cliff-Notes version of people's blogs, Myspace, Facebook, emails, and texts scaled down into 140 word max profile updates.  As Twitter says:  "Real life happens between the emails, texts, and blog posts." So now we can know what is going on with our contacts, friends, and loved ones during those times- during real life. :) 

You can even sync your Twitter with Facebook so that every time you update your status on Twitter it does it on Facebook as well. Know exactly what is going on in the life of your friends whenever you want to.  I do all of this right from my phone.  If you want to know more here is a neat video about exactly what Twitter is and then after you watch it go sign up for free at www.twitter.com.  My Twitter username is: bobgaron

Rants and Raves About The Kettlebell Craze

Today I did a quick Kettlebell Practice session.  By "quick" I definitley don't imply easy.  It was only quick because I omitted the running to give my back and leg joints a rest from the pavement pounding.  The most important aspect of the workout was certainly there.  I'll mention what that was real quick and then I want to get into something else on the topic of kettlebells as well as switch modes briefly to little talk about nutrition and eating habits.

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Workout 010309:
6 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 5rpm


Then:
4 Min. Jerks @ 2 20kg and 8rpm
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Ok now I just have to rant a bit about something that is just not agreeable with me.  There are some things that should be done and then some things that just should not be done where Kettlebell Practice/Training is concerned.  Over the past 10 years kettlebells have made their way over to the U.S., but have been used in some variation or another for the past 400 years in Europe.  Kettlebell Lifting is actually the national sport in Russia same as baseball is to the United States.  So the art of kettlebell lifting has since been studied, evolved, and pretty close to perfected by prodigy lifters and exercise scientists for a while now.  Somewhere along the line someone got the not so bright idea that the kettlebell is a great marketing tool and tossed it in the mix among some of the best gym or home based exercise tools.  It is even marketed as the "Palm-sized Gym", or "A Gym That Fits In Your Palm", and the list goes on.  Not only has it been marketed in this way, but in the past couple years more and more traditional dumbbell isolation exercises have crossed into the protocol of the kettlebell.  Recently certain folks have even gone as far to introduce some very nifty named "new kettlebell exercises" in order to promote their fitness dvd's and programs.

Ok now these exercises are all good for overall fitness and most likely will give you a workout if performed properly in a well designed program; however every single one of these so called "kettlebell exercises" can very easily be interchanged with a dumbbell, medicine ball, soup can, big rock, small tv set, or any other odd object the trainee so desired.  The kettlebells used in these exercises have all been downsized and the shape changed to allow for more of a flashy product.  Keep in mind these companies and these trainers have to make money and they seem to be doing a very good job about it, but in the end what is the fruits of their labor have to do with getting true genuine results of increased strength, greater overall endurance in both cardio as well as strength, fat reduction, increased energy, joint stability, and the list goes on and on and on.  Essentially these trainers have simply taken what has been going on in gyms via "Functional Training" up until a couple years ago and turned it around into what is now labelled as a "Workout With A Kettlebell".  What they don't tell you is the truth.

Here is a video clip of a recent Early Show news segment featuring one of these trainers I speak of and him demonstrating the exercises I mention.

KettleBells on The CBS Early Show
Video link(CBS has a little commercial prior to the segment):

I do have to say that he has a very good TV presence and is definitely doing a great job in promoting himself as well as his concept; however I don't believe the ancients, as well as the Russians, were the "dominators" as they were because of the "Pass, Pass, Shoot" and others in his training programs.

The true movements they used and still use are the 3 main Kettlebell Lifts (that we teach using the AKC methods): Snatch, Jerk, and Long Cycle(clean and jerk). Then you have progressions and variations of that such as the Swing(not to be squatting while swinging as in the TV demonstration), Clean, Press, Push Press, and so on.

Practicing these movements, their variations, and then supporting exercises which are complimentary to the main 3 is what's absolutely ideal. Sticking to the basics, mastering the basics, and then working the basics consistently will be what returns the best rewards.

I thank God every day for my opportunity to be mentored by Valery Fedorenko, Steve Cotter, Ken Blackburn, Marty Ferrell, Andrew Durnait, Catherine Imes, Scott Helsley and the list goes on. These folks are continually studying and teaching the best and true kettlebell training methods and every single one of them will produce the best results in anything fitness related as well as overall strength endurance.  There's a reason why most of the top athletes have been, and still are, Kettlebell practicioners who focus on the 3 main lifts.  Looking at these athletes they are in very impressive shape and very functional in their body movements.  Kettlebells can do this for anyone who puts in the time and effort.  Remember it is not easy to be healthy and in great shape.  If it was then a whole lot more people would be there.

It takes daily dedication and commitment to yourself and your lifestyle.  That's exactly what it is- a lifestyle.  It is part of your daily life to wake up and get dressed to go about your day.  Make it part of your day to pick up a Kettlebell and practice the 3 main lifts in some capacity.  I will be blogging soon about the essentials of basic program design in the near future.  If you cannot perform the 3 main lifts then practice the foundations that lead up to them such as the Two Arm Swing, One Arm Swing, High Pull, Standing Press, Push Press, etc.  Eventually you will be able to master the basics and in the mean time achieve a high level of fitness and strength.  Then apply good eating habits which are also a lifestyle daily choice and you will be well on your way to the best health you can get.  Decide every day when you wake up that you will do everything possible to be the absolute best 'you' that you can be.  It will not come easy and that is why you must consciouly and routinely decide this.  Once you do no one and nothing will stand in your way.  Get and stay determined.  There is no better gift you can give yourself and your loved ones than good health and longevity because of the choices and decisions you continually make.

Everything you do matters- no matter how big or small.  If you're going to eat or drink something think thoroughly what it is that you're about to put in your mouth.  You have two options.  It will either bring you closer to your goals or it will take you further away from them.  Yes that one cookie matters.  Fine!  Make the excuse that you just want to enjoy living your life and that is why you have the cheat meal or late night ice cream treat.  I am not saying there is anything wrong with that.  There is definitely a time and place for those treats, but when you are on your way to getting healthy and losing fat the time is not until you actually get where you want to be.  The goal is a plan you must strictly adhere to and in order to achieve it you must stay focused.  Once you get to your goal then it's a lot easier to stay there.  Have that snack and treat, but continue to eat healthy all the rest of the time.  Continue your Kettlebell practice and you will stay where you worked so hard to get to, but until you're actually there sacrifice nothing.

I Graduated To True Long Cycle!

So I just completed my sets for today. It went very, very well and I felt good throughout the whole thing. I am moving to my primary sets being doubles now that I can.  It's a totally different animal and I LOVE it!!!  Just the fact that I can perform true Long Cycle sets now with 2 bells is huge progress for me in regards to my back health.

I do hang from a pull up bar from time to time, but not as consistently as I would like because the one I have at home is a doorway one and my legs touch the ground if straightened. When I'm at the gym (Anytime Fitness is where I work) I'll hang here and there. I'm looking to purchase a traction bed like a Teeter's Hangups. I've been looking on Craigslist and waiting for the right price. My chiropractor has one and I use it whenever I'm there, but that's only twice a month so I want to have one at home for daily use.

I do not regularly use a belt when I train so that I get the most self- core stabilization. I want my spine to be supported by my TVA('transverse abdominis' which is our built in belt) and the rest of my core rather than have an external support. The only time I use a belt is when I go heavy. I don't want to injure myself at the sake of one workout. I've been there before and it's not pleasant or worth it at all.



Workout 010209:
10 Min. Long Cycle @ 2 20kg and 4rpm


Then:
4 Min. OAJ @ 20kg and 12rpm

Then:
Run


The only thing that really got me on the LC set was my forearms and my left foot. My forearms are usually very good on enduring and they weren't completely shot by any means. I could have gone longer if I wanted or needed to, but they were just quite noticeable.
My foot began cramping a bit in the big toe and sole which was odd because its never done that before as well. I guess Eric Liford's (editor for the World & American Kettlebell Clubs) crampy feet bled through the fiber optics of the internet and caught a hold of my own. LOL!

All in all everything went well and I will stay with the two 20's until I am extremely comfortable at a pace of at least 10 reps per minute for 10 minutes on the LC.