Synergy Kettlebell Kamp- Fun Abdominal Movements

Here are a few of our favorite abdominal movements at Synergy Kettlebell Kamp. We often do these as finishers to workouts or right in the middle. Either way have fun and practice at your own risk.

Bob Garon's Organic Soups, Beans & Organic "Spice Hunter" Spices Lineup

This is one of the absolute best and most tasteful ways to cook and eat vegetarian very conveniently. It takes about 15 min. to prepare.  I usually choose 2 of the same low sodium soups, add 1 of the Eden beans, and then add in the spices you like. I like garlic and onion to flavor my soups. Always keep it low sodium.

Lastly, if I did not choose one of the Rice & Bean combos, I will need to complete the amino acid chain to make a complete protein between the beans and either a grain or a nut/seed combo. If I am eating on my high fat days I choose only the nuts and eat several handfuls alongside my soup. If it is not a high fat day I crush up Organic Nature's Stoneground Wheats in my soup bowl, line the top of it with organic raw mild cheddar cheese and then pour the hot soup over. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to cool and melt the cheese as well as soften the crackers.
Stir and enjoy! :)

Synergy Kettlebell Training Gung-Ho Tangents

One of my regular Synergy Kettlebell Training blog readers/subscribers emailed me, in regards to MY RECENT POST HERE, with a question that I have been getting lately and thought it appropriate to post both the question as well as my comments.

Bob,

Where do you get the Greek God's yogurt?  That dessert seems to be pretty high carb for a high fat day, I guess I'm surprised that you would eat carbs like that on a high fat day.  This gives me hope : )  Also, that is clearly a high carb day.  Do you have the smoothie on high fat days as well, or do you cut that out?  I may have been cutting out too many carbs on high fat days.  If you could, please post a typical high fat day as well .... I'd like to see how your's differ.

Thanks A LOT and keep the info coming!

Chris

I get it at Sprout's or Whole Foods.
I eat the yogurt pretty much every day. I don't worry about those carbs- only grains and starches on a "high carb day".
The smoothie is something that I do to get some extra veggies and fruit in, but sometimes I just toss them in a bowl and eat them. Either way I still have them.

Here is a typical "High Fat" day for me. Most of my eating days are considered high fat(healthy fats) where I still have carbs, but not starches or grains. Those are what make the difference in your body composition.

1. Big Salad- Watch the below video and see the super yummy contents of one of my regular salads that I have EVERY night. Since I intermediate fast during the day, drinking only water, the greens and other veggies bring out vital digestive enzymes that have been storing up in the liver all day long. That way when I begin eating more aggressive foods, such as proteins and fats, later in the evening they all get digested and absorbed much more efficiently.

2. Wild Caught Scallops, sliced zuccini, onions, mushrooms, spices.  I had about as much of this as I did my salad.

 

3.  Half of a Beet(of course organic) and 4 oz of organic raw mild cheddar cheese.

4. 24oz of Greek God's and Mountain High organic yogurt with 1 diced organic apple, 4 organic strawberries, and a handful of organic flame raisins mixed in.

The Rules of Healthy Eating To Be Healthy are actually very, very simple. You have one balanced main meal a day. That is an evening staggered meal. You don't just need to eat a meal and be done inside a typical 30 minutes as most folks do because you have a 2-4 hour eating window where you stagger your eating over that time. When you eat focus on consuming more whole, organic, and natural food. That's what you're body really craves. Advocate an Intermediate Daily Water Fast alongside the evening balanced and staggered meal protocol for optimal health and full-body leanness.  If you are low on energy that will instantly change once you begin this regimen.  It's no easier than this.

Keep in mind that food is only used for two things, fat or fuel. If you are not regularly being very active, then the food that you consume will be stored mostly as fat.

A really big misconception is that animal protein should be the main source of protein in our diet. This is not necessarily true. Plant based foods offers an ample amount as long as you properly combine them. 

Being someone who does not advocate practicing the inflexible and very unpractical "6 meal a day" protocol; essentially you need to eat according to your daily activities. If you are sitting on your behind for half the day, at work, at home, or in the car, then you really need to be mindful of how much and when you eat.

Why this works is that you are utilizing the 2 main fat burning and fat storage hormones in your favor. That would be Insulin and Glucagon. When your insulin is spiked, let's say after a meal (keep in mind that even protein meals spike it almost as much as carb meals do and for the same length of time), then you are potentially storing fat. When you are not eating(fasting and/or exercising) glucagon rises and you will be in the burning environment.

Bottom line is that it works! Intermediate fasting works and is none the simpler to practice every day for the rest of your life.  You will live longer, feel more energized and stronger as well as be much more alert and hormonally balanced. Anyone who says it doesn't work simply does not do it right or have tried it. If anyone says “this” or says “that” is the reason are simply providing excuses why or why not they have personally failed and were to mentally weak to continue it ongoing. That is truly the bottom line.

Anyone who begins a new diet, lifestyle change, exercise regimen are always Gung-ho about it.  You might be Gung-ho now, but it fades. Trust me. I have done this for a long time. I see it every day--- UNFORTUNATELY. People are too lazy. As you can read I don't hold anything back. I'm honest and tell it like it is. I won't sugar coat anything for anyone and my posts and life prove that. I am extreme and people need extreme. Being nice and gentle apparently is not working for them so the opposite must be true.  Be true too and stop lying to yourself as to why you are the way you are.  You are either healthy because you decide every day to work very hard at the eating part and the activity part OR you are unhealthy because you decide to be lazy every day.  There is NO middle ground.  Wake up and decide one, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE stop the lying and self-betrayal.  You CAN do this. No one else, but you can decide so.  If you need help I will help. Just let me know and it will be done.

Elliptical Machines Are Not THAT Great

Elliptical machines are designed to limit the impact on the body so you can get a workout without having to stress your joints and muscles. In reality that's an oxymoron on how to achieve great physical conditioning. Elliptical machines force you to run in sometimes an unorthodox way because the machine is typically measured for individuals of a certain height, stride length, etc. While performing the elliptical trainer your feet are essentially locked in place while the rest of the body is simulating a running pattern which in turn can strain the joints at certain points throughout the abnormal range of motion. The hip flexor/rotator is connected to your hamstrings which also pulls on the knees and right down to your achillies tendon. That being said, if you hip is out of wack- or it soon will be by continued elliptical use- it could be causing real problems for all the muscles in the legs as well as the knees.

1. Cardio machines with swinging handles offer very little to no benefit than if you swung your hands naturally at your sides. You'll get a better workout by working your stabilizing core muscles.

2. Keep in mind the elliptical will make you better at 'elliptical' and burn some calories, improve general cardio- which is way better than being sedentary- BUT will most likely not translate to anything else that you do. ie. walking, running, stair climbing etc. It is very common that people can do an hour on elliptical, but have trouble running for 20 minutes.

In summation the elliptical trainer will help with burning some needed calories, but doesn't make you better at anything except itself. Personally I believe it is harder to get a good workout on the elliptical machine. It takes a lot more concentration to work hard enough to work up a sweat and it's very easy to make the elliptical an easy workout.

An observation I have made at the gym is that when you look at the people who regularly use elliptical machines compared to those on treadmills, stairs, or who interval train the people using the ellipticals are on average at least 20lbs. heavier and don't look nearly as fit.

The Rules Of Eating Healthy To Be Healthy

A weak immune system leads to a sick body- plain and simple. There are many reasons why I eat the way I do and live the way I live by the daily activities I practice and encourage others to do as well. Some may view me as extreme. That's great and couldn't be more of a compliment because if I am "an extreme", due to my lifestyle practices in contrast to the Western eating and sedentary culture, than so be it. The latter is VERY unhealthy and OBVIOUSLY not working with all the cases of obesity(in reality and honestly too many people we know are part of that group), high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, hormonal imbalances, heart conditions, and the list goes on.

I'll take my meatless, except fish, eggs, dairy, lifestyle any day over all that or even the CHANCE of any of it. Health is VERY important and we only have one life to be healthy and live. It's more like pro-actively living and surviving instead of passively allowing ourselves to die simply because food must be convenient and cheap for us.

It's pretty simple- don't count calories. Don't ever count calories. Your ancestors never did. In fact I did one day just to find out how many I was consuming and it was almost 4,000 and ALL of them were at night. I'm 5'6", 152lbs. and 8% body fat.

According to my recommended Intermediate Daily Water Fast you don't eat anything during the day except a minimum gallon of water. Then you will be eating your balanced and staggered meal in the evening. Eat for a duration of, but not continuously, 2-4 hours staggering each stage of your eating.

Here is the follow rules:

1. Salad ALWAYS first EVERY DAY. This releases vital enzymes stored in your liver from not eating during the day that will help efficiently break down proteins, carbs and fats in your evening meal. In the salad you want to have at least the 3 colors of the stoplight(red, green, and yellow/orange) by way of veggies.

2. Proteins

3. Fats OR Grains and Starches, but not fats and grains/starches on the same day or your glycemic index will be disrupted thus storing fat.

4. Optional: nuts, seeds, yogurt, keifer, 85% or higher dark chocolate treat, etc.

Have about 20 or so minutes between each stage to allow for digestion. Eat 5 days of high fat and 2 days of high carb(grains and starch) each week, but never have the 2 high carb days consecutively.

Here is an example of one of my own typical High Carb Day menus:

1. Big salad that has about 5-10 different veggies in it alongside some raw mild cheddar cheese and a couple scoops of black eyed peas mixed in. I always look forward to this and it is always very good. :)

2. Wild caught baked salmon with some garlic and paprika.

3. Big helping of Amaranth(an Egyptian grain) made just like you would rice. I'll cut and mix the salmon and amaranth together and add some more beans too.

4. Medium Smoothie of an apple, a few baby carrots, and a banana.

5. Dessert every night: Big bowl of Greek God's Organic Whole Milk Plain Yogurt with organic flame raisins, organic dried cranberries, and pineapple mixed in to flavor and nutrient pack it.

Each stage has about 20 min. in between give or take.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Ten Reasons not to Use Your Microwave Oven

Ten Reasons not to Use Your Microwave Oven

Based on Swiss, Russian and German clinical studies

1. Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term, permanent, brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].
2. The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in micro-waved food.
3. Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating micro-waved foods.
4. The effects of micro-waved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.
5. Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all micro-waved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.
6. The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in a microwave oven.
7. Micro-waved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumors]. This has been a primary contributor to the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in the United States.
8. The prolonged eating of micro-waved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.
9. Continual ingestion of micro-waved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.
10. Eating micro-waved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

For more info and the full article go HERE.

I just threw out my microwave. :)
P.S. I just thought the pic looked cute and appropriate. LOL!

My CrossRoads

Over the past couple weeks I have been through a mixture of a few kettlebell workouts, quite a few yoga practices, a couple running/walking hikes, and some high intensity interval training. I took a 10 day recovery week from the bells and performed solely yoga and interval cardio. It was actually the best I've felt in a very, very LONG time.

10 days later I performed my first Long Cycle workout and it went well. It was a simple 6 minute set with 2 20kg and 6rpm. Then I performed a 4 minute set with 1 28kg bell and 6rpm focusing on a double long lockout. Lastly I ran on the boring treadmill for 20 minutes at 7mph and 2% incline.

The day after I took it off from the bells, but on with yoga. I felt great.

The day after that I performed another Long Cycle set. It was a 12 minute set with 2 20kg bells at a pace of 4rpm. After the set I just felt all tight and my neck/traps were super tight beyond comfort. I seemed to have tweaked something in my lower back as well so that forced me to compensate elsewhere- thus the neck issue. My strength and endurance felt better than ever, but regarding the issues mentioned above- I am beyond withstanding.

So this leaves me at a crossroads.

I love Long Cycle and really wanted to progress my kettlebell practice into Master of Sport numbers, but never at the sake of injury. That's just foolish. When I began this quest 3 and a half months ago I mentioned that overall strength would never be a factor as that would certainly come with time, but the strength and condition of my lumbar spine would be the only hang up from me making good progression.

This is my new plan. I will not give up Long Cycle, but will be performing one arm instead of two for a while. This really stinks because the ONLY thing holding me back is my stinkin lower back. My body is strong enough muscularly and this is quite frustrating.

So with that said Long Cycle will continue, but mostly with one bell. I can handle the 32kg no problem with one so I can still continue to get stronger.
I will be performing regular One Arm Long Cycle 1-3x per week.
2-3x per week I will be performing Turkish Getups alongside other supportive and strength stability work, yoga, and hiking or any cardio of my choice such as rowing, interval sprinting and straight running.

This will continue my strength and stability focus and hopefully one day I can progress into the Master of Sport training full-on once again, but overall my health is my ultimate goal and that will be my continued conquest.