The KettleBell!

by admin on July 14, 2010 in Equipment, Fitness with 11 Comments Tweet

Last week, Nick and I took a trip up to New York City for the KettleBell Concepts Level 1 Instructor Certification and the Kettlebell Concepts Galvanized Conference. We had such a fantastic experience, it is really worth sharing.

The Level 1 Instructor Certification spanned two days (Thursday and Friday) where we had both classroom and practical from 9am - 5pm. I used to think “oh a kettlebell, just another tool / specific skill to master” or “anything I can do with a kettlebell, I can do with a dumbbell.” Boy was I wrong and I’ll get into that further down.

Our instructor for the course, Adam Cronin, is a Master Instructor in Kettlebells and based out of South Beach Miami. It was very refreshing to meet a new face in the industry who proved to be so passionate and knowledgable in all areas of fitness and performance. Adam is definitely a great contributor to the fitness industry and Kettlebell Concepts.

It was also a pleasure to meet Lorna Kleidman, a two time world champion in Kettlebells. Lorna is as fit-looking as they come and what’s more impressive is her performance in Kettlebells. To watch her with the Kettlbells looks like pure power movements done with such grace and rhythm. You can check out Lorna’s blog here. She is getting ready to compete again in August - so good luck Lorna!

So Why Learn and Integrate the Kettlebell??

Alongside the classic Olympic type of weightlifting, Kettlebell (KB) training is recognized by the Russians and other Eastern Block countries as an important method for strength-athletic development. Among the obvious Power Movements that are traditional in using the KB (ie: the clean & jerk and snatch) the KB is responsible for training coordination, balance, timing, functional movements, aerobic conditioning, strength and injury prevention. All foundational criteria for making one a better athlete regardless of their particular sport.

In fact, injury prevent is huge in training today. The KB technique “enhances injury prevention mechanisms through 1. Trunk stability and hip dominant movement under dynamic inertial constraints and 2. Rapid, smooth deceleration by distributing forces through entire system” (p.23 KettleBell Concepts, Inc Course Manual) I found this to be very true as we were taught to cushion the bell like we were catching an egg.

The design of the Kettlebell is also unique to the training. Because of the “U” shaped handle, there is a great amount of rotational inertia which is a result of the KB’s center of mass changing in the swing. In other words, “not only does the KB require greater strength, it also demands a refined coordination of musculature to control it.” (p.37 KettleBell Concepts, Inc Course Manual)

I found that there was a large crossover in everyday activity as well as all athletic performance that we can get from becoming skilled and efficient with the Kettlebells. There is a tremendous amount of other valuable and usable information that Nick and I took away from this course, but I encourage you to find out for yourself!

Saturday, we took classes at the KBC Galvanized Conference - again, very interesting and valuable content. I had the pleasure of listening to David Sandler, of StrengthPro and International Physique Professionals Association, speak a few times. One lecture on “Sports Supplement Strategies to Enhance Performance and Body Composition” and his other lecture on “The Art & Science Behind Looking Great.” I was also able to see Jim Stoppani, head fitness editor for Flex Magazine and Muscle & Fitness. Jim’s presentation was on Workout Nutrition. All presentations were captivating and full of great information. The biggest take away I got from these presentations was the IMPORTANCE of your PRE and POST workout nutrition.

Lastly, a big THANK YOU to David Bluman and David Ganulin for taking such great care of Nick and I. We certainly left NYC and the KBC crowd with a remarkable experience!! I am also very excited to continue mastering my Kettlebell training. It’s such a fun way to train and full of power endurance and grace.

Perhaps one day, I’ll be able to move with the KettleBell like Adam Cronin :) (video to come)

Farmer’s Walk Complex for Conditioning

by admin on June 28, 2010 in Conditioning, Fat Loss, Strength Training, Videos, Workouts with 15 Comments Tweet

In the last post, “Training Day: High Rep Pulling”, I mentioned the Farmer’s Walk Complex as a metabolic finisher at the end of my training session. We have resorted to the Farmer’s Walk Complex to accompany some of my upper body workouts because of it’s friendly nature on my back. Not to mention it’s effectivness when it comes to a strength oriented, conditioning finisher.

The Farmer’s Walks have been a long time event in many of the Strongmen competitions. They usually entail a tremendous amount of weight and various distances traveled. For more about the traditional Farmer’s Walks, check out this post on Bodybuilding.com titled, Farmer’s Walk by Corey St. Clair.

In today’s version, you’ll notice the weight is significantly lighter than a traditional Farmer’s Walk and a moderate rep range is completed for the exercises. The reason behind is that we’re not trying to gain strength from it, but rather complete a longer duration of activity. I chose a weight that is challenging, but also ensures I can get through the entire complex… several rounds over. ;) This Farmer’s Walk Complex is completed for a metabolic response.

As you will see in the video below, the end points are about 25 yards apart. I complete my exercises at one end, carry the dumbbells up and back (either in a shoulder or hip carry) for a total of 50 yards and continue all the way through the exercises before stopping.

The entire Farmer Walk Complex takes roughly 3 minutes to complete, rest for 1 minute and repeat 3-5 rounds.

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You can get very creative with the Farmer’s Walk Complex. You may include any variation of exercise choices including all upper body movements, all lower body movements, unilateral movements, bilateral movements and so the list goes on. Your only limitation is your imagination. For more ideas on Farmer’s Walk Complexes, check out Nick’s blog post here and for the ins and outs as to why we use Farmer Walks and program design specifics, check out Nick’s Farmer’s Walks for Fat Loss article on T-Nation here.

Training Day: High Rep Pulling

by admin on June 25, 2010 in Strength Training, Videos, Workouts with 2 Comments Tweet

Hello and Happy Friday! It’s been a very full week this week (as every week is a full week these days!), but as promised, here is last Friday’s exact High Rep Pulling Workout that corresponds with the Chin Up Drop Set post posted this past Monday :)

1a. TRX (Wide Elbow) Recline Pulls, 2 sets x 20 - 25
1b. Rear Dealt Flies, 2 sets x 12 - 15

2a. One Arm Row Trio, 1 set x 10 of each move (30 in total, per side) & 1 set x 8 of each move (24 in total, per side)

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3a. CHIN UP DROP SET, x 2 rounds
3b. Medicine Ball Rainbow Lunge, 2 sets x 45 seconds each

4a. Cardio / Conditioning: Jump Rope, (4) 2 minute Rounds with 1 minute rest. (12 minutes total)

5a. Metabolic Finisher: Farmer Walk Complex x 3 Rounds

So there you have it! The training day details for my High Rep Pulling Day. Check back soon as I’ll be sure to post the Farmer Walk Complex. This is a great “total body” but upper body dominant finisher. As you know from my last show prep, we sync upper body lifting days with upper body conditioning and lower body lifting days with lower body conditioning. We’ve started to incorporate this Farmer Walk protocol as we’ve run into a few upper body conditioning limitations due to my back injury. This complex however proves to be safe and effective for me! Check back soon, after a few rounds, it’s killer!

Chin Up Drop Set

by admin on June 21, 2010 in Bodyweight Training, Equipment, Strength Training, Videos with 1 Comment Tweet

The chin up and pull up, much like the push up, are some of the best exercises you can do for pure relative body strength. These require little equipment, minimal technique and get you the most bang for your buck in terms of strength, muscle recruitment and development. Plus, who doesn’t like to feel strong ripping through several repetitions of chin ups and push ups. :)

Some of us are limited in repetitions when it comes to traditional chin ups and or pull ups due to relative body strength (how strong you are relative to how much you weigh). The Chin Up Drop Set is a great way to increase your reps in a set by reducing the difficulty of the chin up as you fatigue.

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I use the Perform Better Superbands for assistance in my Chin Up Drop Set. In case you don’t know where to find Superbands, you can click on the image below to shop for these exact Superbands. These are a fantastic tool for those who need assistance building up to bodyweight chin ups as well.

I am back on a daily undulated training program for my upcoming Figure Competition. Check back later this week as I show you exactly how we incorporated the Chin Up Drop Set into my high rep, Pulling training day!

Today’s Lower Body Training

by admin on June 9, 2010 in Strength Training, Workouts with 6 Comments Tweet

I haven’t dished out a full training day in a while.. so here goes! The following workout was today’s lower body training session. Enjoy!

Dynamic Warm Up

Power Work (fast twitch muscle fibers)

  • A warm up set of lateral bounds x 12 reps (control and stick the landing)
  • Lateral Step Up Jumps (Note: standing to the side of the bench, left foot rests on the bench, right foot on the ground. Explode up with left food (foot on bench), land with right foot on bench, starting foot on floor…repeat)
    5 sets x 12 jumps (6 per side). Rest 30 seconds between sets

Strength Work

1a. Single Leg Squat, 1 warm up set (body weight x 8 per leg) followed by 3 sets x 8-12 reps per leg (Note: weight used - 20lb weight vest for added challenge)
1b. Bulgarian Split Squat, 1 warm up set (20 lb DB in each hand) followed by 3 sets x 8 per leg (Note: weight used - 20lb weight vest plus 30lb DB in each hand for working sets)

2a. Hip Thrust 3 sets x 12 - 15 reps per leg (Note: Arms above head holding on to Perform Better Jungle Gym or TRX, one foot on the bench, the other leg / knee pulled in towards chest). For more on the Hip Thrust check out my colleague, friend and the father of the Hip Thrust, Mr. Bret Contreras.
2b. Backwards Sled Pull 3 sets x 50 yards (Note: Go heavy enough that it’s a challenge but can move smoothly. ie: weight used - 200lbs on the sled)

3a. Super Dog 2 sets x 25 reps per leg (Note: See Super Dog post for this exercise. A different variation we used today: Flex knee 90 degrees so foot is dorsiflexed in the air. Lift foot to sky- this should target glutes a bit more.)
3b. Sled Push 3 sets x 50 yards (weight used 250lbs on the sled)

There you have it… today’s full lower body workout.. Exercises, Sets, Reps and even weights used!

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