'Train like a man"....LOVE IT!

Below is a link to a great article on the Dragondoor Website. It talks about women and their "hesitancy" to lift heavy for fear of "getting big". I can relate to the author and what she is talking about. I'm 5'2", have been lifting heavy and using heavy Kettlebells for years. I have not bulkedup and I do not look big.....I look healthy and strong. As a testament to this, I was finishing up my owrkout the other day (MVO2 snatches followed by 10 minutes of TGU's and pullups) when someone at the gym said to me "you must kick you husbands Ass!" Said he was amazed by my strength...check it out at http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/567/?c=pbp-205&utm_nooverride=1

Oldie but Goodie...AOS Essentials Test

Pulled out an oldie but goodie today...AOS Essentials Test

1 TGU to standing, right
30 sec high pull/snatch, right
30 sec clean, right
30 sec squat, right (rack)
30 sec press, right
30 sec swing, right
30 sec figure 8 and end on left

repeat all on the left to the TGU to the floor. Nice flow, 6 minutes of fun! Think I might unleash this one on the girls in the AM!

New Express Classes Added

I've added a new express class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9am to 9:30am. We're in our second week and we have a nice following so far. I think people are liking the 1/2 hour, but don't be fooled...it's jam packed with swings, get-ups, squats. I'm waiting on my TRX door mount and I'll be adding that in as well. Thanks to every one that's been coming....

Getting Back to Z Health

I've gotten away from my ZHealth practice and I think it's time to get back at it. I'm going to approach it a little differently this time, I'm going to break it down into a few excercises a day...I think part of the reason I got away was the amount of time it was taking. Going to do some ankle work tomorrow, I will post the specifics in the afternoon...Looking forward to it again...

Back at it..

After a long week with 4 kids home from school and splurging on the "treats" I was back at it this morning. Here's what I did for my training:

12 minutes of MVO2 snatches with a 12kg
5 minutes of jump rope, 20 seconds on, 20 seconds rest
10 minutes jogging at 5.5 and 6.5 (alternating speeds 4 times)
5 minutes of TGU alternating sides with a 4kg

It felt great! Thank you to Lady Gaga for getting me through it.

Chris' Success

I saw Chris Avery this morning and she told me she has lost a pound and 1/2...she's done a little over 700 swings. This isn't that hard folks...you willl be amazed at the results. By the way, she is aiming for 10,000 after reading the article I sent you all.

Swing Competition at Gold's in full "swing"

check out my new blog for my swing competition at Gold Gym, Ashland, MA. We started on Saturday, 2/6 and we have some people over 700 already. Check it out at www.kettlebellswingsatgolds.blogspot.com

Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade

I started my Convict Conditioning workout this morning. I am working on 5 progressions..Pullup, Squat, Leg Raise, Pushup, Bridges. For most excercises I started on the 2nd level, at either the beginner or intermediate series. I can't believe how challenging this is. Paul Wade has done an amazing job at explaining the "big six" body weight excercises, and has broken them down to perfection. I can't wait to make my way through all the progressions of the excercises and mastering each. This is by far the best book on body weight training..EVER! Take a look at it on dragondoor.com or click on the icon to the left. I am recommending this training to all my clients...

BODIES by Kettlebell

My husband Rob and I in South Beach Miami last week.. We are both 40+ years old and have been using kettlebells for 6 years. The proof is in the picture, Kettlebells work!

Looking for Kettlebells in Miami

Heading to Maimi next weekend and would love to sneak in a workout. Anyone know of any good Kettlebell Gyms in that area...close to South Beach preferably. Let me know asap at kettlebellfab@aol.com

9000 Swing Challenge

I found a great swing challenge on facebook the other day. Dale Buchanon, HKC, has put together a 300 per day swing challenge for the month of January. I think it's a great way to get people excited and motivated. I started with 1000 16kg swings on Saturday the 2nd. This is something I'm going to try to go for once a week. Today I did 100 24kg swings. I'm going to try to keep the weight minimum at 16kg, but I may throw a few 12kgs in there now and then....keep track of my progress in the swing log to the left....

A Different Kind of Tabata

I got my weekly "Minute of Strength" yesterday where Anthony DeLuglio reviewed some cool Tabata type routines. I warmed up today with his snatch Tabata. 4 minutes of 12kg snatches. Here's the breakdown: 20 seconds of snatches on the right. On the last one, hold it overhead in a perfect lockout for 10 seconds...this is your rest folks! Next, snatch for 20 seconds on the left, with a 10 seond rest in a perfect overhead lockout. And so it goes for 4 minutes total. I thought it was a great warm-up which lead me into DOUBLES, DOUBLES and more DOUBLES! Double cleans, double clean and presses, double squats, double squat to overhead press. It's amazing how effective doubles can be especially if you don't do them frequently. My butt was thoroughly kicked!

1000 Swings

On my way to 1000 16kg swings. I set out to do 700 this morning, my previous record was 600. When I hit 700 I still felt pretty good, so I went for 750. When I still felt good, I went for 50 more. It feels great when you set a goal and meet it and even exceed it. I mixed it up by trying my first 200 in sets of 20. This got to be hard so I adjusted to the next 100 at 10 sets of 10. This was easy, so I tried 6 sets of 15 and 1 set of 10. These felt the best so i stuck with this for the duration. Next up....900.

"Enter the Kettlebell" Quotes

I'm re-reading Pavel's "Enter the Kettlebell" for the ?th time. There are so many great quotes in this book, just had to share some.

"The sales cliche' about 80 percent of the business-or more-coming from 20 percent of the clients applies to kettlebell training: these two moves (swings and get-ups) will give you the biggest bang for your kettlebell buck."

"Don't try to get yourself smoked: this will come soon enough." (about the TGU)

"If you don't have good judgment, forget Kettlebells and go take a Pilates class."

"Don't chase ever heavier kettlebells just for the heck of it: keep your goals in mind"

If your new to Kettlebells or have been using them and have never looked at "Enter the Kettlebell" I suggest you get a copy. This book will give you the most useful information you can get your hands on. Buy it directly from this site at the link to the left DragonDoor.com.

New Workshop Started Today

New workshop this am with 4 students. We worked on swings for the majority of the hour. All four students had never even picked up a bell. Most common problem...Hip Snap, or lack of I should say. Worked on wall squats, box squats (but just tapping the bench), and the clipboard behind the butt (hit the board with the bell). Not bad progress for 1/2 hour. Cleans were next, guys did a great job and worked with a some pretty heavy bells. Had to cut class short with a phonecall from the school nurse....sorry guys, hope you can come back next week for more torture!

Success Story and Beyond!

I had to share this page from the folks at Art of Strength. This story really hits home and makes you want to shout out to everyone a simple fact...KETTLEBELLS WORK! Kudos to the folks at Punch gym for giving this woman the tools for success and an even bigger kudos to her for making it work. I love how she describes her "ah hah" moment when she feels her firm torso and abs, just like Brett Jones described it at RKC in April 09...the sudden realization of all the benefits of Kettlebells, like an epiphany. And the before and after pics speak for themselves. Read it and Enjoy...

http://www.artofstrength.com/womens-page/womens-page-54.aspx

TGU Breakthrough Moment

I was working with my client Rownak today and we had a breakthrough moment. She has really struggled with her Turkish Get-up. Last week we tried "naked get-ups" (no weight) and shoe get-ups. She still struggled with these and was barely able to get herself up onto her elbow. She kept insisting that she didn't have the core strength to succeed. This week we stripped it down again....we repositioned her foot to give her better leverage. We looked at her shoulder stability and arm lockout...she came a long way there. Ok, she picked up the 4kg and gave it a shot. She kept collapsing back and insisted the weight was too heavy. One more try for Ro...we looked at her breathing, or lack of I should say. She had been holding her breath in most attempts. Went through the TGU breathing pattern and we gave it one last try.....and there it was, the breakthrough moment, it all came together. She did ten on each side (only up to the elbow, but it's progress). I can't stress enough the importance of breathing for Kettlebell success and it was proven yet again today!

500 SWINGS

I did 500 swings today as follows... 1st 100: 25 x 4, 2nd 100: 20 x 5, 3rd 100: 25 x 4, 4th 100: 20 x 5, last 100: 40, 30, 20, 10. I used a 12 K bell and finished in 30 minutes. Next time I think I'll switch off my sets with a 12 and 16 K. A nice basic and quick workout.

BodyWeight Training

today I tried and completed a fantastic bodyweight workout put together by Sr. RKC Brad Nelson. It's a series of pretty intense bodyweight excercises performed for a total of 300 reps. I did it in 20 minutes. It was a nice change from some of my other routines. Check it out on Brad's Blog as well as tons of other cool stuff....

http://bradrants.com/blog/workouts-training/bodyweight/

Enter the Kettlebell...back to basics

With less time this summer (kids home from school) I decided to revisit "Enter the Kettlebell" and get back to basics. I'm a big fan of keeping it simple. I've been doing C&P ladders with 16kg bell. I'm up to 3 rungs for 4 ladders. Been doing pullups in between each rung. Finishing the workout with 100 snatches (Monday) and Double Squats (Weds). I'm feeling stronger just after two workouts and it's helping me toward my bodyweight pullup goal. For any of you just starting out, I highly recommend one of Pavel's best...."Enter the Kettlebell".