The Gym is Dead to Me

It’s not really, and it never will be, but the point here is that the gym reminds me of a jail cell.

When I first started training, it was very traditional. Barbells, cable machines, stationary bikes and treadmills were the ticket. It was how people stayed “fit”, strong and athletic.

Again, these tools still work, but the deeper you go into the rabbit hole, the more you question why building high functioning bodies has to be such a cookie cutter process.

Barbells will never go away. Why? Because a barbell’s design is perfect for lifting heavy things off of the ground, loading up the squat pattern and building explosive power through exercises like the clean, snatch and push press. We need tools like barbells. Barbells are safe. A quality barbell isn’t going to break mid-rep, and there are a series of checks that a person can run through to make sure that replicate their technique every single time.

But what I am beginning to question- and the better term might be “explore”- is why movement should be so cookie cutter.

Because that is how I am seeing it these days. It’s cookie cutter. We preach posture, we preach exercise technique, we preach moving within manageable ranges of motion. But how about this… let’s get out of the gym and move. Forget about all of the in-depth information, get off of the couch and out of the house. It’s sunny and 80 degrees outside and it’s a prime opportunity to use your god-given right to move yourself around.

If you’re a newer to training , and you cannot handle your bodyweight… the load that you carry around with you 24/7/365… forget about barbells, cable machines and kettlebells. You have bigger fish to fry than worrying about the next great exercise.

When I left the gym I started to LOVE training again. When you’re done with organized athletics, working out just for the sake of working out is a sure-fire way to burn out. Boredom sets in and you start to wonder what all of the effort is for? A six-pack? Honestly, who cares.

Six packs are nothing without function.

You can have a rippled six-pack and blow out your back in a heart beat, tear a rotator cuff, etc.

It’s like, “Congratulations, you can see your stomach muscles through your skin, but you can’t run a mile or pull yourself up to a bar or pull yourself out of Quasimodo posture”.

In fact, these days, I think that dedicating your training to achieving a six-pack is comical.

Once you get in this “I’m training for a six-pack” mindset, you’ll go insane trying to get it or attempting to maintain. It will elude most people not because their workout program sucks, but because their eating habits suck. You wouldn’t believe how hard that is for people to swallow (no pun intended). If you want a six-pack and don’t have it despite insane physical efforts, it’s most likely because your eating is not conducive to having a six pack. Ok?

It would be like if you started a business only with the goal of getting uber-rich and but ignored your customer service.

It’s short-sighted.

Get yourself out of the gym and start moving more. What do parents tell their kids when they are inside for way too long?… “Go play outside”. Adults should take their own advice.

Once you’re outside bodyweight training is an amazing method to leverage when you use the correct formula. Climb some stairs, hills or jog flat ground. Get your heart rate up and get the blood circulating rapidly. Mix in some squats. If you cannot squat, grab onto a pole, hinge your hips down and back, keep your chest tall without folding at the lower back and feel the movement. Use the pole to help groove that squat pattern, and what it should feel like. Gradually let go of the pole and continue to “feel” the movement.

“Face the Wall” squats are great for learning technique.

If you cannot perform a certain movement- and I use the squat as a common example because it seems to give people the most trouble- you have got to practice it. Occasionally, you’re going to find that your internal wiring is all mixed up. In this case, you need to implement corrective exercises, which I why I promote The Functional Movement Screen so much.

Everyone should be able to squat, among other things. This isn’t a circus move that is exclusive to fitness buffs, this is exclusive to all humans. If you cannot squat, you need to figure out why and restore your ability to squat.

Gym memberships. We seem to think that just because we buy a gym membership we have just bought ourselves a fit body. But you haven’t. What you did is you bought yourself a gym membership, a contract that says you can walk into a brick and mortar structure where a bunch of fitness equipment resides, waiting for the next person to pick it up, push it, pull it or run on it.

But most people who purchase memberships never go. Buying the membership is the easiest part of the process. Anyone can hand over a credit card, swipe it and feel great about their decision. Especially credit cards, because when you don’t physically see the money being handed over, the impact of the purchase is dampened.

The real work begins when you make it a priority to go that gym over and over again. Daily. Every other day. Or at least on some kind of consistent schedule.

But most people burn out or never commit from the beginning. Out of the gates hard and fizzle, or they purchase the membership and never go in the first place. But they have the membership, so they will go “someday”. The membership is comforting because they always have it in their back pocket, never to be used… but it’s “there”.

In the back of my mind, I have long thought movement should be explored. We should be able to execute movements that require power and strength, yet exhibit a stable full range of motion and gracefulness regardless of the environment or the obstacle. And let me tell you something flat-out, one brief glimpse at how life happens in real-time when you are actively engaged in movement (outside of the confines of the gym) will reveal that you need to be able to adapt to the unknown.

However, I also believe that exploring movement should be done unloaded. External loading in really awkward positions can cause injury, and that erases any ground that you’ve made. Move with your body, and your body only.

Unknown stress, unknown range of motion, etc.

You’ll never be running on a trail and find a barbell neatly loaded with a chalk container sitting next to it. You’ll find a rock with shitty hand holes for gripping that is weighted heavier on one side than it is on the other, and wet. Or maybe that rock isn’t on the running trail, but it’s a part of the magnificent landscaping in your yard. Maybe you’re gripping 40lb bags of mulch carrying for 30 yards up an incline, shoveling gravel or raking a 2 acre yard.

You cannot train for this stuff. You can prepare, and barbell training and other more traditional forms of gym work can aid in your completing of these tasks, but we have to develop succeed in raw movement. It’s life. Movement is part of life. So I have embarked on my dabbling of increasing my ability to move, mixing in Ido Portal-like methodology (logo seen above, great logo).

I believe that there is something to be learned here. Getting out of the cookie cutter mindset and into the movement mindset. Exploring the bear crawl, moving into a lateral lunge flowing into a crab crawl, gorilla hops and then into single leg pistol followed by a pull up to a bar where you pike out and lower yourself with a graceful strength.

Got that? 🙂

I value the building of systematic strength. I value programs that are geared toward making damn sure that strength progress and conditioning progress can be measured and evaluated. We call this “periodization”. We move through 3-4 week phases where focus is placed on building a certain quality, such as strength or hypertrophy. But all of this work needs to transfer over into the unknown, into life.

Systematic strength building and conditioning will always have a place for every human, and I will never stop promoting that to athletes, Mom’s and Dad’s and the elderly. We should place some focus on this method of building physical fitness.

But once we leave the gym, we have to realize that movement is more than bending over to pick up a piece of iron, grunting, standing up with it, then dropping it back on the floor.

Fitness is a blip on the movement map.

Fitness doesn’t mean that you can move.

In fact, I really don’t know what fitness means? Who’s considered fit? The powerlifter who can pick up 1,000lbs in a deadlift? The marathon runner who can win the Boston marathon? The UFC fighter? Usain Bolt? The kettlebell guru? The Crossfit Games champ?

I know this might not make sense right now, but fitness does not mean that you can move.

Ah, the gym. It’s really dead to me at this point. I value the tools found in the gym, particularly cable machines that can be used for movements that cross the midline, such as chops and lifts, but not the gym itself. I think there are better places to train. Places that inject an energy into your sessions.

With the evolution of training equipment that is capable for training outdoors, I’ve never been more motivated to explore movement in different environments, using different tools and lately with others who value the same approach. It’s a great bonding experience to train outside with someone else and finish the workout together, just as it is to climb a 14,000 foot mountain, bike 100 miles or complete a marathon.

With the popularity of unique outdoor activities like stand up paddleboards on the rise, I’ve never felt more justified about my decision to leave the gym in my rearview.

Come join me out here.

Cheers to movement and your ability to do it anywhere!

Workout Finishers

Quick Tips

I’ve wanted to write a piece about workout finishers for a long, long, long time.

Workout finishers are the equivalent of seasoning your steak after you’ve grilled it or applying that final coat of wax your car after you’ve washed it.

You’ve done the bulk of the work and now it is time for the final splash of effort.

Workout finishers are micro-workouts (located within the bigger workout) placed at the end of the workout which typically involve a variety of exercises (resistance based or otherwise) performed in a work capacity-like fashion.

I have to say, I am a fan of workout finishers.

But I think they are mis-understood sometimes.

Workout finishers aren’t meant to be the workout. The workout is still the workout. Workout finishers are an adjunct that most commonly comes at the end of a full training session. This isn’t law by any means, just my interpretation of how the workout finisher fits into the grand scheme of things.

Workout finishers seem to fit best at the end of a workout after all power, strength and stability exercises have been completed using organized rest. The workout finisher serves as a low-load, highly metabolic “icing on the cake” adjunct to the rest of the workout. The incomplete (or no rest) rest combined with various groupings of muscular taxing movements will elevate your heart rate rapidly, burn out your lungs and leave you wondering why you decided to add a finisher in the first place.

I’ve measured my heart rate to be near its peak BPM (beats per minute) at the end of a finisher or shortly thereafter.

Workout finishers are a healthy alternative to more traditional forms of cardiovascular conditioning, which can inject a major breath of fresh air back into your workout.

There’s nothing wrong with shuttle runs, stationary bike sprints or incline treadmill intervals, but let’s face it… those activities can get monotonous after a while.

Part of establishing sustainable workout habits is making it interesting and fun. If you begin to dread the same old conditioning session at the end of the workout, you may end up avoiding it altogether.

So, workout finishers can serve a purpose.

I always think of Dumb and Dumber when I say that…

The key to workout finishers is finding a flowing combination of manageable exercises, with a rep schedule, tempo and pace that will allow you to maintain (and own) your exercise technique while fatiguing your body beyond your comfort zone for the last time that time.

In my experience, lower body movements always work great.

In particular, squat and lunge variations work wonderfully. Total body oriented movements like burpees and squat-to-press work great also.

Finding upper body exercises that work well inside of a workout finisher can be a bit more challenging. Battling ropes, push ups and inverted rows (using a suspension trainer, rings or Smith Machine) are examples of exercises that have worked well for me.

Battling ropes, something that most people won’t have at their house or their gym, might just be the best choice for upper body work capacity. The stimulus received from battling rope drills is unique to the tool, since the variation in wave patterns is so wide.

Check them out here to understand what I mean…

In a pinch, you could use resistance bands, although I still struggle with resistance bands because of the inconsistent loading throughout the range of motion. In other words, the bands provide little resistance at the beginning of the movement while the load is increased at the band is stretched further. The maximum loading occurs at the end range of the exercise. If you’re just using bands for an added stimulus, they definitely do work. I just wish the loading was consistent the entire way is all.

Dave Schmitz has some great stuff on resistance band training. The more articles and videos I view from Dave, the more I find myself dabbling with band training. I’m toes deep in that pool.

So I bet you’re ready for the workouts already?

Ok, here you go!

I’ll warn you that the “Swings and Burpees” workout finisher is tough. Even if you didn’t set a time target for completion, it’s a challenging task. I have breached the 6 minute mark a few times, and 5:30min would be a really great time. Don’t cheat your swings and full burpees.

The AMAP of burpees just sucks. It’s tiring to go from a lying position to a standing position over and over again. Very tiring.

The bodyweight leg complex is a variation of a workout that I used to use. The reps used to be 24 for each exercise, but my form went to hell all too quick, so I dialed it back. Good form and manageable fatigue make this a great workout finisher. If you finish all of the exercises in say, 90 seconds, then you have just earned yourself 90 seconds of rest before starting the next cycle through. The time it takes to finish the work, is the time that you earn for your rest.

Intergrate workout finishers into your regularly scheduled program. You’ll love it.

Cheers to finishing the workout!

A Kettlebell Swing Workout (Part 2): Singles and Doubles

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An entire workout can be centered around the kettlebell swing.

There are very few exercises other exercises I would feel comfortable saying that about. But the kettlebell swing is definitely a movement that be an all-in-one solution. One stop shopping if you will.

Based on the popularity of my previous post, It’s Just a Kettlebell Swing Workout, I decided to go ahead and continue posting samplings of other kettlebell swing based workouts.

But I must be clear about one thing: I am in no way endorsing that the kettlebell swing be the only exercise that you leverage in your movement training programs.

While the kettlebell swing is certainly a world-class movement, it is important to develop strength and power through other exercises as well. Remember, the human body pushes, pulls, jumps, twists, carries, etc.

Humans have to be able to execute a wide range physical tasks if you stop and think about it. Especially when you consider that you never really know what the demands of the workday or weekend are going to bring.

It really pays to be physically prepared.

Workouts are scheduled bouts of physical exertion. You know exactly what is going to happen during a workout and how it is going to happen. So much of our daily lives are unscheduled, random and out of our control. The workout is one aspect of our lives that we can control. We control the amount of effort, intensity, exercise selection and duration of the workout. We have complete control of what happens during this brief period of time.

It’s a real turn on for some people who feel like they have little control over anything else in their schedule.

Anyways, back to the point of this blog post.

Kettlebell swings, and how we can organize and rearrange kettlebell swings into highly effective training sessions.

When I sense boredom creeping up on my training habits (as many of you have also experienced) I know that it is time to shuffle a few things around. I value the impact that 2-handed kettlebell swings- especially heavier swings for longer duration work sets- can have on maintaining my body composition, but I also know that too much of anything can be a bad thing.

Boredom is part of being human, so it’s important to inject energy into your training sessions.

In this case, single arm swings added an element to my training session that reinvigorated the entire session.

Here is what the workout looked like.

If you get serious about adopting kettlebell swings into your workouts, you’re quickly find that your body will enter a different realm of lean. I have to admit that I thought kettlebells were gimmicky in the beginning, but after submerging myself into kettlebells exclusively one Summer, I prove my own opinions incorrect.

I got really lean, really quick. From just swinging the damn thing between my legs, back and forth like a pendulum. The concept seemed too good to be true initially.

Interestingly enough, I didn’t have the greatest technique at the time, but I had established a great foundation of all around strength, stability and resilience to fatigue which allowed me to continue advancing my workouts.

This is an important point. I would strongly advise that anyone reading this post go and seek out a professional who has the credentials of a high level swinger. RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) or StrongFirst certified individuals would be a great place to start. Most of these folks were trained under Pavel Psatsouline, who is the godfather of kettlebells in the Western World. You would get fantastic tips, tricks and technique adjustment from these individuals.

But, if you have a willingness to learn and a decent bodily awareness, I also personally believe that you can teach yourself how to swing at home. Set up a smart phone and shoot short clips of yourself swinging. Compare it to other videos like the following:

Neghar has great technique… check out her blog…

Pay attention to the difference in your technique and Neghar’s swing technique. Critique yourself bit by bit. Make the small adjustments. Most people will notice that they are “lifting” the bell versus swinging it, or squatting versus hinging the hips.

We have the ability to teach ourselves things- not just mental education but physical education also- which I sometimes think that we forget. We can be self-sustaining.

If you find that you have little time, and want a workout that is bare bones simple, try this little diddy…

Recently, I jumped into this exact workout prior to my evening plans. I didn’t have much time to train but needed to get some amount of work done to feel good about myself, so this 10 minute workout fit the bill. Using a 28kg KB, I recorded 215 swings. Not a world record but also not too bad in my mind.

Kettlebell swings are a highly productive exercise. Add them to your training, and with an ounce of consistency I know that you’ll see some significant return on your investment. Just do it.

Cheers to swing workouts!

Kettlebell Training Research Studies

Quick Tips

Kettlebells are probably one of the most effective workout tools on the planet.

They are also one of the most under-researched on the planet.

So, this post was sparked by my own interest.

Kettlebells have proven time and time again to blow fat off of people’s bodies, most notably without losing much muscle in the process since all of the movements are loaded, both strength and ballistic exercises.

This makes kettlebell great for ditching fat without sacrificing any valuable lean muscle tissue.

And that my friends, is a win-win situation.

So what studies exist?

Let’s take a look at a few:

1) Kettlebell Swings, Snatch and Bottoms Up Carry Impact on Back and Hip Muscle Activation

Excerpt: “Some unique loading patterns discovered during the kettlebell swing included the posterior shear of the L4 vertebra on L5, which is opposite in polarity to a traditional lift. Thus, quantitative analysis provides an insight into why many individuals credit kettlebell swings with restoring and enhancing back health and function, although a few find that they irritate tissues.”

This is mostly good. Stuart McGill is a world leader in spine research as it relates to exercise. His work is cited and quoted in a lot of publications. Kettlebell training, like any style of training, can be detrimental to your body if you choose to ignore technique. Skip the learning the basics and you make yourself susceptible to injury.

Chalk one up for kettlebell swings, snatches and bottoms up holds.

Here is a video clip of the bottoms up kettlebell hold:

Your mid-section will light up like the Fourth of July while stabilizing the kettlebell in this inverted fashion. Very challenging move. Stay tight, tall and braced.

Protecting the spine while training is of utmost importance, and the most important role of the abdominal musculature. Despite what mainstream projects the abs to be important for. Protect your spine people.

2) Oxygen Cost of Kettlebells

This little study looked at the oxygen cost of kettlebells, more specifically the two-handed kettlebell swing.

The metabolic challenge delivered during a kettlebell workout is large. Part of the maximizing this challenge is selecting the proper weight bell. It should be heavy, but not so heavy that you cannot finish the workout. Swinging light bells encourages poor technique and decreases the impact of the overall workout.

I’ve talked about leveraging kettlebell swings on this blog over and over again. I cannot say enough about a properly performed swing, and what it can do for you body, performance and posture. Preserving muscle while eliminating fat is such a desirable route when you’re seeking body transformations.

Simple workouts can achieve big results. Here is a recent post where I diagram some classic kettlebell workouts.

3) Kettlebell Swing Training Improve Maximal and Explosive Strength

The kettlebell swing is an explosive deadlift. The extension of the hips out of the hinge is aggressive as you drive the hips forward, standing yourself up vertically.

This hip snap is the same hip snap that athletes use for putting large amounts of force into the ground as they accelerate across the field, court or ice.

This hip snap is not just for athletes, its beneficial for the working male or female, Mom and Dad and even physically able elderly populations. The hips are designed to be the power source of the human body. We spend most of our time on our feet, so having powerful hips is a great thing.

Will you be able to dunk a basketball? I can’t promise you that, but it will get you closer to the rim according to this study.

Will you boost your strength and explosive strength when you call upon it? This little study thinks so.

*** Again, choose to swing heavy kettlebells over light kettlebells to reap the full benefits, but not so heavy that you cannot fully extend the hips or move the bell quickly.

Cheers to the kettlebell and the emerging research behind its use…

Some of the Greatest Workout Habits of Effective Fat Loss and Athletic Performance

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I transferred this post away from the static page tabs above and into a post.

1) Resistance/Ground Based/Closed Chain

Train with some kind of load or resistance as much as possible. Push, pull, pick up, drag, carry, swing, squat, throw, slam… All with resistance and all with your feet on the ground whenever possible. Lean muscle tissue from resistance training.
Women… (sigh) You are not going to get “bulky” from picking up some weight. Don’t be afraid of it. If you knew what it takes to look like a bodybuilder you would laugh. You’ll never get there. If you want the “toning” effect… pick up some weight and get after it. Nothing is sexier than a woman who is confident in the gym. Ease into it with some effective bodyweight movements and progress from there… you’ll quickly realize what I am talking about.

2) Aerobic/Anaerobic (Cardiovascular improvement)

Aerobic training isn’t the devil… it just isn’t the most effective way to drop fat and look better. If time is a factor, and it often is, choose other methods. Stress your cardiovascular system using as many different methods as possible. Run, bike, paddle, swing kettlebells, use battling ropes, row, etc. Train yourself to be effective for short distances, up inclined hills and stairs, flat surfaces, etc. Run for distances that develop endurance-like qualities. Do it all. Tweak the variables: distance, work periods, rest periods, direction, speed, heart rate recovery etc.
Grandma was right, “All things in moderation”. Too much of anything can be bad. Too little can be bad too. Find the balance.

3) Multi-joint (movements not muscles)

Unless you are rehabilitating an injury or training for a bodybuilding competition, avoid training your body in isolation. The body is a single unit made up of many moving parts. Train your body to push, pull, squat, hip hinge, lunge, carry, sprint, etc… and your body composition will change and performance will improve. Muscles and joints love working together (synergistically) to accomplish physical tasks.

4) Joint-by-Joint Approach

The body is a vertical Jinga tower of joints. Some joints need stability and some need mobility. Improve your joint stability where you need it and improve your joint mobility where you need it. Failure to obey this simple rule puts you at risk for injury and decreased performance. Generalized approach, but simple and crazy effective. Freedom to move effortlessly in all 3 planes will keep you functional in the game of life, and most of all, injury free.

5) Progression

In simple terms, every movement/exercise has an easier or more difficult variation. You just have to know where to start based on your abilities. Beginners must spend time mastering the basics before they earn the right to step up to a more difficult variations. Proper progression means leaving your ego at the door. Do what YOU can do, not what you WANT to do or what you saw someone else do. This is a hard lesson to learn and implement (even for myself a long time ago), but in the long run, you’ll thank me on this one. All in good time.

6) Rest—Recovery—Regeneration

Train hard… Recover harder. If you train hard enough, you can elicit a training effect worthy of fat loss, injury prevention and performance. If you recover hard enough, you will give yourself the opportunity to continue to train hard week in and week out. Recovery is also where the magic happens. Nutrition, sleep, hydration and soft tissue maintenance allows for a life-time of physical success.
Foam roll, roll a lacrosse ball on your feet, iron out your muscles with Tiger Tail. Keep your tissue healthy and circulation flowing. Stretch and elongate. Soft tissue restrictions are uncomfortable and breed dysfunctional movement.
Think of it this way: You have a full glass of water prior to a workout (water= energy levels/fatigue, etc). After completing your workout, you have now poured out have of the glass of water (fatigue, hormones, muscular health, etc). It is important to put more water back in your glass before the next training session (rest, recovery, regeneration). If you pour all of the water out of your glass before you replenish what you have poured out from your workout, you increase the likelihood of injury, over-training and increased fatigue, sub-optimal hormone balance, decreased performance, etc. Keep your glass full and your body will be happy. Keep the balance.

8) System

Just like movements over muscles… choose systems over workouts. Following a system will always get you further in the long-term than “winging” it. A system is a road map to body re-design. It’s a plan. A system allows a person to experience continued improvement in a scheduled, intelligent, measurable and safe method. A system is sustainable and built for the long-term.

* There are a TON of variables to consider when designing a training program. Getting yourself adjusted to healthy habits takes repetition/practice and body re-design takes time. Be patient but don’t get complacent. Attack the hell out of it. You have to be all in on this. Focus on doing the simple things really well and be patient as your body begins to experience positive aesthetic change and performance.

Cheers to the full integration of these habits…

A 1000 Words of Movement

Quick Tips

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so a video of free-flowing movement ( what it can and should be) may be worth 10,000 words.

That could be truth or extrapolated mathematics.

I won’t have much commentary on the video below from Diewey Nielson.

All that I will add is that this is what my warm-ups have evolved into. Sure, I still recommend activating known weak areas and also mobilizing known restricted areas, but ground based movement like this may do more for re-educating our bodies on what baby-like movement feels like.

I look at ground based movements like this almost as a dynamic yoga, with far more transfer into your everyday movement.

Some years back, I was blown away by how challenging these movements really are. 5-10 minutes of this and you’re sore in weird places in the days following. After viewing myself on video playback, I also realized that what my mind thought I was doing, was not what my body was doing. I looked stiff, out of sequence and in some instances, un-athletic.

For any of you that thinks this type of training is “soft” or “un-extreme”, I would tell you that I used to feel the same way. I used to think that workouts meant big weights, iron, chalk and balls to the wall effort.

I still believe that it is important to pick up heavy things, but I have a distaste in my mouth for the extreme these days. A lot of us should be starting from ground zero with moves shown in the video shown below, not huffing and puffing over a loaded barbell or swinging like a chimp from a pull up bar.

I suggest that all of you learn a few of these moves and find a way to work them into your warm-ups and your workouts.

Cheers to the ground based flow…

Kyle

Example of 3 Simple Kettlebell Workouts

Quick Tips

Kettlebells are a great tool for the home gym.

If you’re scared of making the monetary investment in a decent pair of kettlebells, don’t sweat it.

Kettlebells will out live you. Spread $100-$200 over a lifetime and you’re looking at pennies per month to own a nice selection of kettlebells. Besides, nothing is more refreshing than eliminating that boring commute to and from the stuffy ass gym that you’re training in, where you have to fight for equipment or discuss politics with the guy next to you (who is resting on the equipment that you need to finish your training session).

Ugh, I don’t regret leaving the gym atmosphere, not for one second.

I’ll always pump the tires of companies that I personally support and believe in. If you’re interested in purchasing some kettlebells, head on over to LifeLine Fitness (a Madison, WI based company) and get yourself some.

Read up on the good starting weights for males and females, but I’ll go ahead and make the suggestion that you purchase the next size bell. You’ll grow out of your suggested starting weight rather quickly. Adaptations happen quickly with kettlebells and most people are swinging bells that are far too light to have any significant impact. Especially swings are designed to load the hips explosively, and the hip musculature are the most powerful in the human body. Swings require a decent load, so load up people.

I started with a 20kg kettlebell and almost immediately moved to the Russian Special Forces standard weight of 24kg. I hovered there for a while before adding a second 24 kg kettlebell. Double kettlebell movement opens doors to whole other world of training, one that is perfect for complexes and other work capacity based sessions.

Training sessions that incorporate high amounts of work in a condensed time frame will blow fat off your body quickly.

Here are examples of 3 simple kettlebell workouts that I commonly use in my own personal workout regimen…

1) Kettlebell Flow

2) Kettlebell Swings on the Minute (aka: swing-stop-swing-stop)

I tend to use a much heavier kettlebell for this workout than I do for workout #3 (listed below). Grip strength is tested toward the middle/end of the workout, but having two hands on the bell during swings helps to distribute the stress to both hands, versus snatches, where the load of the bell is directed at one hand.

3) 15:15 Kettlebell Snatch Intervals (20 minutes total)

I use a sub-maximal weight kettlebell for this type of workout. Speed of movement from top to bottom, without sacrificing technique are my focus. I could probably go for a 24kg kettlebell for this type of training session, but the 20kg has been my go to.

This is hight repetition snatch work. Make sure you’re resting between sessions like this. Overdoing snatches will tear up your hands, mess with your nervous system and potentially cause some overuse response in your shoulder/back musculature. Just be aware of these things, don’t dwell on them.

Fire up one of these workouts today or tonight. If you don’t own a kettlebell, go buy one.

You won’t regret it.

Oh one more things… if you want shorter tidbits on movement and health, head over to my Facebook Page and give it a like 🙂

Cheers to the simplicity of effective workouts,

Assess Yourself Often, Decide What’s Next

Quick Tips

Assessment is an essential element of physical improvement.

Ideally, frequent assessments are made not only to your body aesthetics (weight, fat, muscle, etc) but also to your ability to move freely with stability and strength (mobility, stability, strength, etc).

After all, it is completely possible to look great and move like shit.

It’s also possible to move great and look like shit.

*** I should clarify what I mean when I say “look great”… it’s in the eye of the beholder. Our perception of what a great body looks like is grossly skewed by mainstream models, magazines and media. Obviously, carrying higher levels of body fat can raise health concerns, but “looking great” doesn’t have to mean visible muscle striations and the almighty six-pack. If you’re body type allows you to feel confident in your own skin in any situation, good for you, you’re there.***

Besides, most magazine models, movie actors, and testimonials from famous workout programs like P90X and Insanity are manipulated and photo shopped to amplify their physiques. Did you know that?

Check out this great article recently published in the Huffington Post describing how fake testimonials for workout programs really are…

Having looks without movement or movement without looks both carry their negatives.

The best approach might be to meet in the middle. It’s more than possible to improve both at the same time without sacrificing one or the other.

If you look great but you cannot move without encountering restriction or pain, life’s activities become a hassle and certain movement patterns might be avoided altogether. No one enjoys feeling pain, so we tend to avoid moving in ways that cause it. I’m not referring to that burning sensation felt in your arms and legs when executing push-ups or squats, but rather the debilitating lower back pain experienced while you attempt to pull up a pair a socks. Or maybe it’s the pinch in your shoulder when you reach overhead for a clean glass in the cupboard.

Looking great isn’t the only qualifying element to health.

The advances in made in assessing (and correcting) movement over the last 10 years or so have been tremendous. The physical therapy world and fitness world are beginning to bridge gaps to one another, with ancient practices like indian clubs, yoga and martial arts adding value to the mix.

We have a much clearer understanding of joint function, breathing and soft tissue health and how it all ties together to create a highly functioning body.

We understand that six-pack abs, bulging biceps and a set of trapezious muscles big enough to scratch your ear lobes may not mean a damn thing if movement dysfunction is present.

On the other hand, maybe you move really well but you pay little attention to your body composition. I know a lot of people who are extremely athletic but don’t pay much attention to what they put in their mouths food-wise. Ironically, poor eating can case inflammation and pain in and around your joints also. Here are some common foods that are worth re-considering. Eliminating most of these foods, or at the very least reducing and substituting with more nutrient dense options can work wonders.

In the operating room, it is obvious that a lack of attention to body composition will eventually restrict joint range of motion. Many of the patients in need total joint replacements are also overweight/obese. The increase in body fat literally prohibits the patient from achieving a healthy range of motion in the knee joint. The additional weight combined with the lack of range of motion earns them a trip to the operating room where a surgeon hacks, cuts and pounds his way to an artificial knee.

This is an extreme end of the spectrum, but it’s worth mentioning none the less.

Both scenarios described have solutions. But it requires that you take a step back and assess what your next move is. Just like a chess match, there is a next move, unless you’ve waited too long. Then it’s checkmate.

If you desire the lean body, assess your training habits while simultaneously assessing your eating habits. I’ve tried to out train my diet before, and it’s a pain in the ass. Once my eating was in check, my body appearance improved but ironically so did my performance, skin and quality of sleep.

If you want to improve the quality of your movement, learn a few simple assessment tests give you feedback as to what’s going on. If you cannot squat with arms extended overhead or perform a push up without breaking at the midsection, you’ve got some work to do. Film yourself while you test out. You don’t have to show anyone the video, it’s for your reference and education only. Watch yourself, compare it with other folks, preferably a fitness professional that moves effortlessly and do some research on how to fix your hang ups.

I would start with the Functional Movement Screen, and someone who knows how to conduct such as test.

Consistently assessing yourself gives you important information on you where you are, your progress thus far, and allows you to decide on the next course of action. It gives you focused direction. It creates a clear and simple route from point A (where you are now) to point B (where you want to be in the future).

Assess and make the next move.

Cheers to assessing, correcting and building non-photo shopped bodies!

The Devil’s Ass Crack is Sitting on Wisconsin and There’s Nothing Wrong with Working Out Indoors

Quick Tips

Blog post title is inspired by this viral “It’s Hot As Hell” YouTube video

(you can find the link to the video at the end of the post)

All of my Apple devices say that it’s 89 degrees in the EC (Eau Claire, WI), but there is no way in hell it is 89 degrees. I could cook an egg on the sidewalk and I nearly lost skin to the seat of my Volkswagen Jetta (TDI I might add). Just for clarification, TDI means diesel:) It’s got to be closer to 94-95 degrees at least.

In a nutshell, it is stupid hot in Wisconsin at the present moment. It’s down right suffocating outside.

*** Please grant me this moment to bitch about the weather… I am well aware that it is hotter elsewhere.

I preach about how refreshing it is to get take your workouts outside, but not in this kind of heat and humidity. You’ll bury yourself in the first ten minutes. Plus, if you’re a sweater like I am, any movements that require grip become annoyingly unsafe. When I say sweater, I mean wet. Not damp or slight lower back sweat stain, I’m talking about ring out my t-shirt wet. Squeaky sneakers wet.

Swinging a kettlebell with sweat sliding between the palms of your hands and a heavy cast iron cannonball is nerve-racking. It’s not fun to re-grip at the apex of your swing. Also, if the bell slips, it’s going to slip on the backswing, where gravity is re-introduced and the hands are taxed to maintain grip. Smashing the bones in your feet would not be fun. I’ve been swinging for a while, and I’ll still grind through a few extra swings with wet hands despite knowing better. It’s not good practice, but I’ll commonly pull the plug on any ballistic kettlebell movements (snatches, cleans, swings, etc) when the sweat is really pouring out of me.

So, the game plan today is an indoor workout. No question about it.

My sacrifice for training indoors is that my ceilings are not of the ideal height for a select few kettlebell exercises. If I was working in max effort squat jumps (which I never do) or snatches (which I love to do but can’t), I would have to find alternatives or take my workout outside. But not today.

Today is going to be totally improvised.

Continuous movement for 15 Minutes
No rest between movements, reset back to squat jumps after finishing the Schwinn Airdyne ride.
Monitor heart rate for effort.
Monitor exercise technique for muscular fatigue/breaking of form.

* I don’t claim to have invented this, and I don’t typically mix multiple movements together that take a great deal of thinking, but this seemed like a nice combination. I wanted a total body movement combination, and this seems to serve that purpose.

First, I put this workout together using my same general template that I use for all of my program/workout design. All movement patterns are represented in the workout, including a cardio effort with the 60 second Schwinn Airdyne ride (in honor of the Tour de France). Nothing is maximal effort. That would ruin the point of the workout. Burning out in the first round does little for you. By monitoring my heart rate, I can verify that I am in fact working as hard as I think I am. It’s not a perfect gauge effort, it has it’s flaws, but it works extremely well for me and a lot of other people.

Second (and to my last point), I chose sub-maximal reps and sub-maximal loading on all exercises. This decision was influenced by the duration of time that I targeted for the session (15 minutes). Again, the point is to move a pace that allows for:

1) Quality technique in each rep of every exercise.

2) The accumulation of an afterburn-like effect that will lend itself to staying lean, maintaining strength, improving work capacity through various exercise variations and while leveraging my body’s reaction to the training stimulus (calories expended post-workout).

Third, all movements are bodyweight based the entire way through. I have fallen back in love with bodyweight training. Bodyweight training goes wherever you go, has simple progressions and leverages the most effective movement patterns in a brutally effective manner. Bodyweight training is the foundation of all other modes of training, so it’s probably best be capable of executing sound technique using just bodyweight against gravity’s pull.

Also, I enjoy having and building strength as much as the next person, but at the present time, the strength that I have developed and maintained through bodyweight based exercise progressions is more than enough to meet my daily needs. If I ever want to develop higher levels of strength, I will have to move heavier loads and adjust other training variables. Simple as that.

Fourth, the entire workout takes 15 minutes. Now, I won’t con you (yes con you) into thinking that the whole ordeal takes 15 minutes only, because it doesn’t. I typically spend 10-15 minutes before the actual effort driven portion of the training session hammering home joint mobility, soft tissue restrictions and activation of weaker muscles. I also whip through a series of staple dynamic flexibility drills that prepare my body for what’s ahead.

You can argue that warming up doesn’t prevent injuries, but in reality, why risk it? Do you really want to find out through experience? It’s just not worth it.

Lastly, take a look at the final two bullet points above. Here is a snapshot so that you don’t have to scroll up (the things I do for my readers):

What’s going to burn out first? Lungs or muscles. It will vary from person to person depending on what your past training regimen was and current fitness status is. In other words, will your cardio or your ability to successfully and repeatedly execute each rep of each exercise (muscular contraction) give way first?

For me, it’s a combination. Muscles seem to go first, especially when I am toying around with higher volume training sessions. Some of you may find that you haven’t open up your lungs aggressively for quite some time, so the feeling of not getting enough air may cause you to tap out first. In this case, focus on relaxing your neck. Push your oxygen through your neck and chest down to the lowest part of your stomach.

Breathe deep.

So there you have it, a simple yet effective training session for all the land to enjoy. Feel free to substitute your favorite or most accessible cardio alternative for the Schwinn Airdyne sprint. Some days, low impact/high reward conditioning tools are the ticket. High impact all of the time may mean high risk for some of you who have not yet adapted. Jumping rope would fit the bill nicely, so would a treadmill sprint set to an incline. Your choice.

Cheers to training inside when it’s outside!

(As promised: “It’s Hot As Hell”)

Be A Perfectly Golden Marshmallow: Toying w/ BJ Gaddour’s Fat Loss Workout

Quick Tips

BJ Gaddour

BJ Gaddour is the new Craig Ballantyne.

Craig Ballantyne created Turbulence Training back when it was personal trainers were not publishing material on the internet the way that they are now. Now everyone has a product.

Hey, if you can write and you have the drive to stay motivated after working 9-10 hour days, why the hell not? Everyone is selling something, product or self. Doesn’t matter, it’s how we succeed.

BJ Gaddour currently works with Men’s Health as a consultant. Essentially that means that he made enough noise doing his own thing that Men’s Health contracted him to write workouts, articles and programs for them.

BJ’s claim to fame is fat loss and boot camp style workouts.

A while back he posted a free PDF titled “The Seven Deadly Workout Sins”.

Pretty solid little article.

In it, he describes a general outline on how to design effective fat loss workouts.

When I read the article, it was a wake up call that I should have WAY more confidence in my writing and methods. It was nearly identical to my training philosophy at the present time. It was a great moment for me to realize that what I am cooking up here in Eau Claire (the mecca of the Midwest) is well seasoned (nice play on words) and spot on for what’s current in the training world.

Total body workouts, timed efforts and rest, 3-4 days a week. No cardio. Cardio is obtained as byproduct from the unique blend of incomplete rest periods and resistance based exercises.

Again, this is a STYLE of training. It’s not the law, but this kind of training gets results quickly. If you buttoned up your eating habits, you would shed unwanted layers in very little time.

I enjoy giving other trainer’s workouts a run through, as it can get a little monotonous writing your own programs all of the time. Sometimes, it’s nice to have someone else do the designing for you. I just follow along for once.

BJ’s workout looked something like this:

I talk about movement patterns on this blog all of the time, and a closer look at BJ’s template shows that he thinks along similar lines. Hip hinging, squat, pressing, pulling, total body movements are all represented in this workout. It’s a recipe that has endless variations and keeps your workouts interesting and effective. The systemic effect of a workout like this is fantastic.

Most people will probably find that they are unable to keep moving all of the way through some of the 30 second work bouts with certain exercises. Chin-ups continuous for 30 seconds doesn’t sound that hard, but talk to me about that in round 3 of the workout when your eyeballs are teetering on your orbitals. It’s a different ballgame at that point of the workout. You’re in the eye of the storm in round 3.

What I like about this workout is that is manageable. The movements can be scaled up or down depending on a person’s training level and age. Manageable fatigue is the key to successful fat loss workouts. If you cannot control and OWN every movement in every rep, every round, every workout, you’re putting yourself at risk. Posture collapses in a matter of a rep. I’ve seen it in both my own training and others. That’s all it takes to slip a disc, tear a rotator cuff or and break bones. It’s a long, painful and expensive ride to the emergency room.

Injury during training is a tragedy.

Overall, this is a great workout. The rest periods can be frustrating if you have to adjust your equipment in between exercises. I was using my suspension trainer for a variation of this workout. I found that adjusting the straps was a nightmare. 15 seconds is not a lot of time to gather yourself and set up for the next movement, especially when your hands are shaking like crazy. The nervous system is on full alert.

The 60 second rest periods at the end of each round is also well thought out. One minute gives adequate time to gather yourself, get a drink and towel off before entering into the next round of work. In the later round, one minute feels like a blink of the eyes.

Successful work capacity based fat loss workouts seem to have peaking point with regard to exertion, whether in the middle of the circuit itself or as gradual accumulating fatigue that reaches a high point at the end of a workout. The goal is to manage your output, giving an effort that challenges your body steadily in the early and later rounds. Early burnout makes for sloppy exercise technique in later rounds and a serious lack of enjoyment. The workout should be challenging but fun and engaging. Purposeful.

Lately, I’ve been drawing similarities between the perfect “golden marshmallow” and a fat loss driven workout:

When you cook a marshmallow for a s’more, some people enjoy perfectly cooked golden marshmallows and some people like the torched black marshmallows. Cooking a perfectly golden marshmallow is a campfire art. If the marshmallow gets too close to the fire it will burn. If you don’t get it close enough it’s just a warm white marshmallow.

Peaking after the final rep of a workout (while still being able to own your movement) is an art. We are all at different fitness levels so this is largely a judgment call by YOU, the trainee. You need to make the decision on when to pull the plug on a set, a workout, or when it’s necessary to add more.

This is what a smart personal trainer can monitor for a client, and why good personal trainer add value to person’s fitness endeavors. Personal trainers can take a client close to that edge, that fine line, without pushing them over. The entire workout remains in control, yet impactful in its training effect.

The goal of a great workout is to be a perfectly golden marshmallow at the end.

BJ’s workout accomplishes this.

Cheers to golden marshmallows and better workouts!

M(eaux)tion Fitness

Fuel Your Fitness Journey

Quick Tips

The Gym is Dead to Me

Workout Finishers

A Kettlebell Swing Workout (Part 2): Singles and Doubles

Kettlebell Training Research Studies

Some of the Greatest Workout Habits of Effective Fat Loss and Athletic Performance

A 1000 Words of Movement

Example of 3 Simple Kettlebell Workouts

Assess Yourself Often, Decide What’s Next

The Devil’s Ass Crack is Sitting on Wisconsin and There’s Nothing Wrong with Working Out Indoors

Be A Perfectly Golden Marshmallow: Toying w/ BJ Gaddour’s Fat Loss Workout

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