Are you swinging right or wrong?

Funny question I know...could mean several things I suppose. Here though, I'm talking about Kettlebell training. A while back I made a statement that I didn't think certain people had good enough kettlebell training skills to be teaching people how to do them.

Later on I come to find that same person has a DVD for kettlebell training. I assume she's gotten some instruction, I assume she doesn't fly from the hip with kettlebell exercises that aren't performed properly. I also assume her form and teaching cues have gotten better.

I assumed wrong, sorry Dad, sometimes I still don't remember what happens when you assume.

Rather than get in to all the things that are wrong about this person's kettlebell training, I'd rather address the proper way to perform some of these kettlebell exercises.

Watch the video below...



There is a lot more I can hit on going forward, but these are the basics.

-Kettlebell swings are not based off of a squat.
-The kettlebell should become an extension of your arms.
-The Kettlebell swing focuses on your posterior chain, the lower back, the glutes, the hamstrings.
-The Kettlebell swing does not focus on our anterior delts, this is not a front raise.
-You can and should practice Good Morning Stretches and Romanian Deadlifts to understand the idea of hip hinging if it's new to you.
-Hike the kettlebell behind your hips, as you stand make sure your hips and knees come to full extension, think athletic and explosive, the kettlebell should be weightless for a brief second and the top of your swing.
-Allow gravity to assist the kettlebell back down behind your hips.
-Always start and stop in the same safe 'short stop' position.

I believe in being an expert at what you do. Although I love barbell training, and I believe I do it well, I don't specialize in teaching it, so I won't try to sell my coaching skills with the barbell to anyone.

When you step into an industry such as fitness, where everyone has a different opinion on fat loss, strength training, cardio, and the like; I believe you should be sound with your movements and understand the mechanics of what you are doing before you decide to teach it to someone (or demonstrate it on national television, or create an information product based around that type of training, without really having the knowledge.)

If you've never kettlebell trained before, I suggest you give a try, you'll love it for many reasons, but I also suggest you train with someone who's been coaching it and training it themselves for several years. (I know that doesn't weed out all the bad seeds, but it hits most.) I suggest you ask around and get some opinions from people who train and coach regularly. And if there isn't someone close to you, I suggest finding someone who does online coaching.

If you're going to invest the time and the money into a fitness program, shouldn't you be sure that you're getting what you want, not just what you paid for?

Kettlebell Training with Zach Even-Esh

Before I get into this guest post from Zach, I've got to tell you that I have something really big to start announcing. I already have all the video segments filmed...so keep your eyes open for this really important multi-part message I'm about to send your way.

Back to the training...

A few weeks ago, as I've already mentioned, I got spend some time training with Zach Even-Esh after one of our mastermind meetings. We got a lot of info on video, and this is what Zach wanted to share with you.



Let me know if you have questions below, I'll some answers to you right away.

Also stay tuned for some Sick Strong Girls training at the Underground in the next few weeks!

Flu Shots and Danishes

This really is a true story, and for that I'm shocked. (I just couldn't use real names.)

I have a friend who works in health care, at a relatively high profile hospital. He emailed me the other day to tell me that he HAD to get a flu shot for work. I was surprised by his emphasis on HAD, so I called him up to verify. As it turns out his high profile employer was mandating that all employees with face-to-face interaction with patients HAD to get a flu shot within a certain period of time or their employment would be terminated.



Is that even legal? I couldn't believe it.

Then...

I get another email from the same friend. He's at an all day meeting with his employer. Within the email is a photo of danishes, bagels, and muffins being served for breakfast during the meeting. No fruit to be seen, no protein anywhere, just sugar and flour. Later I get the lunch update, mayo based salads served as sandwiches, chips, and cookies. Not even an apple or a simple vegetable tray.



Seriously?

I think message is twisted. Mandate flu shots but serve crap for meals. This employer, and I'm sure many more, have a lot of evaluating to do.

Let's at least try a little bit of this the next time you host an employee meeting (which like the flu shot is also mandatory!)

Kettlebell Training Safe vs Unsafe

The contraversey: Is kettlebell training safe?

The answer: Yes, unless you're doing it all wrong.

There was a video awhile ago, with Jillian Michaels of The Biggest Loser demonstrating kettlebell exercises with bad form, in my opinion really bad form. And now, she's got her very own product endorsing kettlebells and their effectiveness.

Whoa! I'm concerned.

I can't say I've watched the DVD, and I probably never will unless someone sends it to me for free. What I can say is I've watched that demo and if the DVD is anything like the demo well then there's a lot of work to do, and a lot of concern to be had.

You see, I could look at this in two ways. One is I'll have plenty of people to instruct and re-train since they've probably been taught poor form, so I could benefit financially. On the flip side I've got worry about the potential loss of sales based on this DVD and if people are hurting themselves by not doing the exercises properly. People talk much more about bad experiences than they do positive ones, and they talk about it a lot faster.

It could either way. But here's my big question...

Didn't NordicTrack (the company promoting the DVD) recognize the ridicule Jillian Michaels received from her poor display? And if they did, what are they thinking? And if they didn't, again what are they thinking. I guess her name is big enough and recognized enough that it's not going to matter. Well it should. Integrity should matter.

Does it? Apparently not.

Bodyweight and Kettlebell Training

Each day when I'm coaching clients in a group setting I'm faced with having to modify exercises. Sometimes I've got to make things easier for someone who has just started a program. Sometimes I've got to make something more difficult for someone who is an athlete or who has been training for awhile. There are tons of variations of almost any exercise.

Below I go over a simple three exercise lower body complex, using kettlebells and bodyweight. (You'll see a more advanced one in a few days.)



Again, depending on fitness levels this is either going to be someone's workout for the day, or this will be a portion of someone's workout.

Let me know what you think!

Your Fitness Story

We all have our stories, and they're all really different. At some point we've all had a big road block, where we've had to dig really deep to get to the next step.

I'd love to hear yours...

I'll share mine with you as well.

As a kid, we played outside. Never were we allowed to sit a watch TV for hours on end. We also had chores that needed to be done. From about 11 to 17 I played sports. My favorite sport was swimming, I would swim lap after lap after lap until I had to get out of the pool. I was awesome at the backstroke, then one meet didn't go so well, I counted the flags wrong I crashed head first into the wall, practically knocked myself out in the water, and well mentally couldn't get over it, and never swam quite so well again.

I also played soccer, but we didn't always have a girls team, a group of us got to play on the boys team for a year, but in terms of degrading us, they made a special period for us (that didn't really count toward the game) That didn't go over too well, and didn't last more than a season. We finally got a girls team my senior year, we weren't great but we were good enough for a first year team. That was a memorable experience, a charter member. After college I was a bartender for a bit, it was always strange mixing up a drink for my high school soccer coach.

Lastly, I was on the track and field team all through high school. I threw discus and ran 110 hurdles, that's a combination of two events for sure. I wasn't awesome but I was good enough.

When I got to college, swimming was always on my mind, but I never went after it, looking back I probably should have. Instead, I got a little lazy, and the most exercise I ever did was the 3 whole classes I had to take to fulfill my PE requirements. Reassuring I know, coming from someone who wants every woman to feel confident and empowered by their fitness capabilities.

After college, I battled with myself for about a year over some minor eating disorders, and my new addiction to running (perhaps this is why I dislike it so much now.) At my 5'10" frame I was a whopping 155, anorexic and almost frail. I encountered some other problems along the way, but slowly and thankfully shifted out of that mindset and into a much healthier lifestyle. There were a lot of ups and downs to overcome and conquer, but once I realized the importance I knew I had to stick with it, that and I wanted to.

Enter real strength training for the first time in my life. (Because all the strength training I did in high school was bogus at best, with no program to follow and no goals in mind, I wasn't educated at the time.)

I love this stuff, I would give up strength training for anything at this point in my life. When I finally started training the right way, I saw amazing transformations. I was strong, I was lean, I was realizing what it was really like to be fit as an adult. It wasn't about crazy fad diets and long cardio.

Combination full body movements, paired with other combination full body movements, for effective and quick workouts that not only make me stronger and leaner, but also allow me to skip traditional cardio workouts. Have I mentioned that I love this stuff! (You will too if you don't already, I promise.)

I didn't get in to every detail but I will as time moves along, you'll hear about all of my mistakes, what my workouts are like now, they crazy fad diets I've tried, the success of well balanced nutrition, the confidence that strength training brings to you, and so much more.

Tell me what your fitness story has been like.

What do you struggle with?

What has been the key to your current success?

Where do you want to improve?

Together, we'll get there and stay there.

Have You Ever Done a Turkish Get Up with a Toyota Yaris

Seems silly I know, the thought of doing a Turkish Get Up with a car, but stranger things have happened.



This is the bonus workout on my new DVD.

Not really, just a funny bloopers my videographer, Paul put together!

In all seriousness I'm wrapping things up with the cover design for the DVD and it will be available shortly for purchase. It's a great intro DVD covering the basic how-tos of Kettlebell training. I'll get all the specifics to you very soon!

What's Changing?

I was in Louisville all last week. I made a few posts to the site here, but something happened to them along the way, maybe they got lost in West Virginia. Anyway, just wanted to give you a heads up on some changes that are coming.

While I was in Louisville I got to hang out with my good friend Zach Even-Esh, now Zach really is a good friend, he's not one of those guys I call a good friend just to stand out, he really truly is. Zach and I got to talking about business and before I know it I'm standing in front of my flip on top of a parking garage throwing around kettlebells. Pretty standard for Zach.

We filmed a bunch of videos, I'll start posting them here every few days. You're gonna love what we put together.

In Louisville, I also spent a lot of time with Holly Rigsby, we filmed my second DVD and did a few posts for her FYMs and also for Workout Muse. Good stuff!

My main purpose for being in Louisville though was business. I had a two day mastermind meeting, then a two day seminar on bootcamps, and we ended with a one day Kettlebell Athletics certification.

Crazy busy!

As a result of all that, I'm making some changes to the blog, soon it'll have a whole new look, I'm sure you'll love it.

Lots of training about to come your way.

I hope you leave some comments, and tell me what you want to see. Let me know what I can help you with.

Is This Exercise

The other day I was on the phone with the customer service department for either a utility company or a credit card, I can't remember. I do remember the conversation I had with the woman on the phone.

I was in my kitchen making a cup of coffee. She asked for some information that I had to look up. I asked her to hold on as I quickly walked up the two flights of stairs to my attic office. She said no problem.

Of course after I gave her the info, she then asked me for more info, this time I had to ask her to hold on as I quickly walked down the same two flights to get back to the piece of paper I left in the kitchen. That's when I couldn't believe what she said to me.

"Well at least you're getting your exercise today."

Is that really exercise? No

Does she really think that was good exercise? Sadly, probably.

I walk up and down from my attic office to the kitchen more times than I can count in a day. In between all that I also do an actual real workout, one where I sweat and lift weights.

Have we, as a collective whole, really become so sedentary and inactive, that walking up and down two flights of stairs has been classified as exercise?

I almost forgot to mention that my house is set up off the road, so I also have to walk up and down about 15 steps every time I want to leave my house or come home.

Crazy exercise I get with all those stairs!

Dedication to Success

Not sure if it should be 'Dedicated to Success' or 'Dedication to Success' but I do know this, you need it (some sort of dedication) to reach true success. There are obviously all types of success, and as I've written before, my definition of success could be far different than yours, but in short success has a basic meaning that we all understand.

I was finally able to watch some of the 2009 Track and Field World Championships before they ended today, and if you want to talk about the dedication to success, these athletes train day after day to get to and compete at a world class level. For most of them training is their career, and it's not over when the world championships are over or when the Olympics are over, they get right back to training.

I was in awe of the events I watched, even of the replays of events I missed, and the still shots wins and losses. The focus, desire, and pride of each of these individuals was so evident, in their posture, in their pre-event mental zone, when they won or didn't win. In the pole vault, the second after the men's gold medalist cleared the bar, he knew he won, and smiled the entire fall. When both the USA's mens and womens 4x400m relay teams not only placed first but created extreme distances from themselves and the second place teams, it was like watching an impossibility, but that's what they set out to do.

On the flip side, when the refs called a foul on the long jump, or when the USA's womens 4x100m relay team fumbled the baton and were disqualified, a look of disbelief instantly came over them, everything they'd been working toward now needed to be worked at again.

When I was a track & field athlete and a swimmer, the pressure to perform seemed far greater than any soccer game I ever played in. Most of the events I did were individual events, a team didn't directly rely on me, so once I was done with a throw, or once I touched the wall in swimming, the results were final and your reaction was real-time. There was no hiding your excitement (who would) but there was also no hiding any disaapointment you might have also experienced (there was tons of that at times.) There were some events you were expected to win, your team was counting on you.

I sometimes wonder what would have happened had one meet, in either sport, gone a little differently.

If I didn't hit my head and nearly knocked myself out in the water...

If I never sprained my ankle at the start of my last season...

Would my definition of success be different than what it is today? Perhaps. I don't know...I never will.

I have no idea where I'd be today if the ifs didn't happen, but I do know where I am today because of the ones that did happen. There's a different type of success in my life now than there was then, but success is still there, and it's still something I work toward every single day. There's not a moment in time, where I'd wish all the challenges would go away. It'd be too easy then, and there'd be nothing to work toward.

We experience success because of the tasks we've accepted. All the things I've done in life may not have resulted in a positive outcome, but the experience has taught me to apply what I've learned in the next scenario that arises.

Build upon what you know, and what you've learned and apply it toward your success.

Who's To Blame?

It's easy for everyone to point the finger at someone else.

It doesn't really matter if we're talking about healthcare, youth obesity, or if it was you or your sibling that broke your mother's favorite vase.

Blame isn't an attraction factor, and is often always someone else's fault.

It's easier to point blame at someone else rather than admit you've made a mistake yourself.

But here's the part we all ought to remember, no one is perfect. I don't care if you think you are, we all have a fault or two, or twenty. We're all bound to make a mistake, or two, or twenty. When it comes down to it, the only time your mistakes are really bad is when you haven't learned from one and it happens again.

So where's the blame lay in the health and fitness world? It's all over the place. infomercials are telling us to buy the new latest and greatest gadget that will change our lives forever, doctors are telling us to do more cardio, mypyramid.gov tells those with an athletic build that they are overweight and possibly obese, and well everyone has a conflicting view point so it's easy to blame everyone else since there are so many options that you don't know what to do.

I'm sure you've also either used the excuse or at least heard, there just isn't enough time, working out costs too much, I'll get back at it next week. Really the only excuse that I'm willing to accept is that you don't know what you're doing. There's too many conflicting view points.

On that topic I will say this, even if you don't know what to do, find someone good who can tell you and show you, but then stick to it, stick to the plan, follow the workout, make good food choices. Some programs are far more effective than others, but the key to most of them is being consistent and compliant. It's really that simple.

There's no blame to be seen if you really give it you're all. You'll see the results for yourself.

What Motivates You?

I've previously talked a lot about motivation. All the way from wanting to be the best that you can be, to being competitive, to just doing it because you can.

There comes a time in all training programs where you might start to doubt what you're doing, whether you'll actually reach you're end goal, or if all the sacrifice is really worth it.

Are you kidding me? So my new friend and awesome Coach, Dos, grouped me into a group of Hot Fit Chicks Today. When you say it outloud, it sounds funny. When you think about it, we're lifting heavy shit, we're really fit, we're still feminine, and it's awesome!

If that isn't motivation to keep at it, make point, and help to change the mentality of women's strength training, well then I don't know what it is.

I do know, that I spoke in great detail with Rachel Cosgrove a few weeks ago, in fact I'm doing a whole skinny jeans transformation challenge over at Urban Athlete because of it. I talk with Holly Rigsby, the Fit Yummy Mummy, on a regular basis. And I get emails and messages on a daily basis from women and men, telling me how great my strength is.

Part of me has wondered...

Then the other quickly stepped in. I've trained really hard (as have my friends and colleagues) this is not joke. It's time for women to step up to the plate, to recognize their potential, to believe in themselves, to know that everything they do with their strength and conditioning program will directly effect their everyday life in a positive way.

I could speak about it, until I'm blue in the face. That's not going to do it. You have to try this. You have to get out there, and you have to challenge yourself. You have to want to be able to get through every day just a little bit easier. You have know that it's all within your potential.

I have my mentors, I have my role models, I have my coaches, yet each day the people that motivate me the most, are the people that I help to realize all this, the people I help to become stronger and notice their potential. Talk about motivation!

Realize your potential.

Be strong.

Put forth the effort.

Recognize the benefits.

Become who you are.

Be motivated to get the job done, challenge yourself to do it, and if you need a little nudge, you know just where to find it.

Kettlebell Training Complexes

I'm a huge advocate of quick and effective workouts. There's nothing worse than having a really hectic schedule and trying to figure out a way to get in a 60 minute workout at the gym. It's just not possible for most of us (or necessary for that matter.)

Kettlebell Complexes are a great way to get a lot of work done in just a little bit of time.

Check out this Kettlebell Complex, Snatch-Windmill-Walking Lunge. Once again full body movements in my workouts. Gets the job done much faster.



I've got a ton more of these coming your way, keep checking back often.

The Dreaded Factor

All nutrition, exercise, fat loss, strength training programs require compliance. It's really quite simple, most things will work if you follow and stick to the plan. There are some options that are far greater than others, but that's not what this post is about.

This one is about Compliance and Sabotage.

I think it's safe to say that we're all in agreement that in order to see results you need to follow the plan.

The part we often overlook is the sabotage part. There are two sides to this one too, which makes it even more dreaded.

The first is yourself. For whatever reason, things are going really well, then all of a sudden you fall of the wagon, start slipping on your nutrition, skip a day at the gym. These are things you can fix. Hold yourself accountable.

The second is those around you. It sounds crazy, but I'm sure you've all been out with friends and they give you crap for ordering a salad when everyone else is ordering a burger, or that you chose water over beer. Worse is when you get a mouthful for wanting to hit up the gym before meeting up. These are people who for whatever reason aren't wanting you to succeed. Perhaps it's because they don't think they can do it themselves. While you're on this mission you might need to limit your interaction.

All of the programs I listed above require a supportive environment. It's tough to do that when those around you give you crap for wanting to make a healthy change in your life.

Stay compliant and you will see results.

Avoid sabotage and you'll see those results faster.

Kettlebell Training on the Beach

I find myself kettlebell training even when I'm the road. Then again that's pretty easy to do when you've established friendships in most the cities you visit on a regular basis.

This past weekend I met up with my friends Ryan, Wil, and Megan out in Hermosa Beach, CA for a nice little kettlebell workout on the beach. (Well we were actually there for the Perform Better Summitt.) Nothing too fancy. This video is more or less the warm-up. The actual workout was a partner workout with a combination of kettlebell snatches in a descending ladder and various animal crawls. The kettlebells we had access to were a little on the light side, so this workout was mostly just to get us moving after being on a plane for 5-6 hours.

It's always great to throw in a little fun time when you're away for work.

Had a blast guys, thanks!

Are You Being Lazy?

Yep, I said it. Sometimes there's a fine line, and to be honest, you should probably get rid of the excuses and get some work done.

What are some obstacles?

Time, Money, You're not sure what to do, Lack of Equipment

Ok, right there we have enough excuses to cover all the other ones. Let's start marking them off the list.

Time. Everyone has enough time to train. This is by far an accurate statement. The days of spending 90-120 minutes at the gym are over. We're looking at fast and efficient, full body, 30 minute workouts. Everyone has 30 minutes a few times a week.

Money. This is a simple too. Not enough money to train with someone all the time, work with someone 1-2 times, have them write a program for you and follow it. Visit them again in 4-6 weeks, get a new program. Now all you need is discipline.

Not sure what to do? Same as above, work with a professional 1-2 times, have them write the program that you'll follow.

Lack of equipment. This is one of the worst excuses next to time. There are 100s of bodyweight exercises available to you. Just the other day I did 10 different push up variations and I know there are a whole lot more! Lack of or no equipment should not be an issue.

I didn't include discipline in the first list but since it came up. Just be disciplined. Anyone can do anything for a set period of time. Give yourself a 4 week goal, that's one month. By the time you reach a month you'll be used to the schedule of working out, and you won't want to give it up.

Turn the TV off, commit to a plan, and see results.

Why Bother With Strong?

I've done some farily impressive things in my life, well at least they're impressive to me. The one thing I find the most humor in though is the constant question I get in regard to my strength.

People always ask how I got so strong, or they look at me in disbelief until I prove them wrong. It's really quite humorous to me that this is one of the top things that intriques people so much.

So here's how it happened...(and you can do it too)

I've played sports since 6th grade.

I've always been competitive.

I seriously got into working out and strength training about 6 years ago.

I started with traditional weight lifting.

I transitioned into non traditional weight lifting, kettlebell training, underground training, etc.

I kept at it, I increased weight when it felt too easy, I pushed myself, I challenged myself.

Like most things it wasn't easy. In fact at times I found it to be quite discouraging. Then I'd have a great PR, so I pressed on.

I continue to challenge myself, I try new lifts and heavier weights just because. It sets me apart a little bit. It's about dedication. It's about following a plan. It's about success...work at the plan, if the plan doesn't work, re-work the plan.

Train hard. Lift heavy. Challenge yourself. Because You Can.

Kettlebell Fun at the Jersey Shore

Made a trip down to Avon-By-The-Sea to visit my friends at the Training Room, Uncle Mike and the Milkman. Had a great little workout, then we climbed some rope (note: barefoot is not ideal), played around with the 32kg, and hit the beach to see where the Warrior Challenge was going to take place.

It's always good to visit friends.

Here's the video.

Training On The Go

We all know it too well, that moment when you've finally made some headyway in your training program, you've reached a few goals, your nutrition is solid, you feel great about yourself and what you've accomplished!

Then it happens, you go on vacation, you miss one day at the gym that turns into five, and all of sudden you think your body might have forgot how to do a squat. But more importantly you realize that you have no idea what's going on with you because up until now if you missed you workout by a few hours your day was totally off, so how can you have possibly missed an entire week?

It's easy to get out of the groove, so what can you do stay there, even when things go a little helter skelter?

First off, don't beat yourself up, the negative energy will kill any momentum that might lingering in your path.

Second, start back on your plan right away. Don't wait for next week to start, don't wait til the weekend is over, just make a concerted effort to start the moment you realize you've fallen off the wagon.

Once you've gotten back on track be sure that you aren't beating yourself up, give yourself a rest day, reward yourself for working hard (within reason) and get ready to conquer the next obstacle. You've probably faced much worse in life than falling off the wagon, so pick it back up and get ready to stay on track.

Look at it this way, you've devoted a lot time, effort and energy to make it to where you are, so why waste it on simple moment of weakness. Take it back and make it work for you, mostly because you can.

Time's A Wasting...

Here we go again...I've heard a bunch more excuses on why people can't fit a workout into their day.

Now it has to do with the kids being out of school, or it's too hot, or not having enough energy at the end of the day.

I can answer those three for you right now...

Take your kids outside to play, they need the fresh air and exercise just as much if not more than you do.

It's been beautiful lately, but even if you're overly sensitive to the sun and heat, most gyms are still indoors and they have the a/c on. If this isn't enough for you then make your workout revolve around swimming.

If you don't have enough energy at the end of the day, try working out first thing in the morning. For many folks, this is the preferred time of day. You can also make sure you are fueling your body with the appropriate nutrition and a decent amount of sleep.

There's always time for a workout, even if it's a short one, something (to an extent anyway) is always better than nothing.