IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD...

I thought about mindset a lot over the last month. Over, the weekend I completed the Tough Mudder. If you asked me if I would do the race a year ago, I would have laughed and said not in this lifetime. I am not a runner, as most of you know I HATE running. But, so many people from all fitness levels complete this race. So I figured, if they can do it, than I can do it too.

I am always training with kettlebells and body weight exercises, but I didn't start running until about 6 weeks out. I hated it every second of it, but with good motivation and coaching I was able to keep practicing. During my runs, I tried to follow the tips below. I also applied these tips (which I mention) into my lifestyle. I adopted the same mentalities into my RKC training and my diet. I am not perfect. There was some kvetching (complaining) along the way. But it all paid off.

During the Tough Mudder, which I completed with my team in under 3 hours, I pushed through. I hated a lot of it. I even hurt myself a bit. But, the less I thought about how I felt and followed my tips I succeeded!

I am really believing in the power of the mind more and more each day. I see it with some of my clients and other trainers. People do the impossible things every day! Is what you are trying to achieve impossible? Then follow these tips and go get it....

Tip #1 GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD!!
Mind over matter is the mantra for most people when it comes to feats of strength or challenges. The mind is a very powerful thing. Once you let it control your body and allow it to dictate how you feel, that's when you fail. In order to get better, faster, bigger, stronger, etc. you need to break the barrier.


Tip #2 DON'T THINK ABOUT IT, JUST DO IT!
I know, this is much easier said then done. I am guilty of this all the time, specifically with running. I hate running, it doesn't feel good. I am miserable and complain the whole time. However, I have to do it because I know how accomplished I feel after. I try not to let myself think about what a great task I have at hand, but rather just tell myself to get through it.

Tip#3 JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE
Remember, little things count to. If you can do one more swing or 1/10 more of a mile, and you do this in all of your practices, imagine what you can accomplish in a week. Did you get that snatch test? Or maybe you got to your 5k point. Don't discount yourself on ANY accomplishment 

Tip #4 CREATE A LIFESTYLE CHANGE
You can apply this to any aspect of your life. Don't just use these tips when  you are working out. Apply it to your personal or professional life. For example, if you want that bonus, make it happen. You want to lose 10 lbs, then you better put that cookie down.  Don't think about all the work or struggles. Focus on what you want and get it. Constant application of these tips is more important than doing it only during a workout.


Hope to hear about all your successes!

Good luck..

Guest Post from Sue Defeo

“I could never do that”…how many times have you said those words to yourself?  If you’ve ever watched someone experienced with kettlebells working out you might have had that exact thought.  It can be pretty intimidating to watch them swing, snatch and press heavy kettlebells.  Maybe you’re watching them thinking “That looks like a great workout but I could never do that because _________ (I’m too old, have a bad back, have a shoulder issue…); you fill in the blank.  While it’s true that all workouts are not suited for everyone, trust me when I tell you that training with kettlebells can benefit almost anyone.  As one of the older trainers on the staff I can relate to how you might be feeling.  Over the years I’ve had a myriad of issue myself but I can honestly say I feel stronger and healthier at forty-nine than I did ten years ago thanks to kettlebell training. When taught properly kettlebell training can actually help improve many common issues making you strong and fit in the process.  Incorporating just a few kettlebell exercises into your workouts can have dramatic results so don’t let age or intimidation hold you back, find out what kettlebell training can do for you.

Sue Defeo HKC

The Hip Hinge Family

Deadlift.  Swing.  Clean.  Three fundamental moves.  All nearly identical mechanically.  To take a deadlift to a swing or clean, add speed.  To clean the bell to a press position, attach your elbow to your hip after your backswing, and pull it neatly into position.  One thing they all have in common is hip hinge.  If you find yourself getting hung up on the clean with tired forearms and biceps, remember its roots.  Hip hinge.  One more time.  Hip hinge.  Okay, this might be getting a little creepy now.  Before this gets weird, let's take one thing and put it into perspective.  The harder to drive your hips, the less work you have to do (probably doesn't make sense, but you know what I mean).  If you're still having trouble, take a step back and re-visit your bridges.  Remember to drive upward until you achieve full hip extension, then reverse back to the floor.  Stand up, and try your swings or cleans right away.  And unless you have flat-soled barefoot or minimus shoes, kick 'em off.  Happy hinging!

Try this on a light/mobility day:

Bridge            10x
Deadlift          10x
Swing             10x

Bridge            10x
Clean             10x
Deadlift          10x

Bridge            10x
Swing             10x
Clean             10x

MONDAY WORKOUT

I'm 23 hours into my fast and waiting patiently for my first meal of the day. Already contemplating my workout tonight, I felt I should post up a little hard hitter to start April off right. This is a double bell workout, if you are not comfortable, switch to the single bell option. As always, be careful with the form, as I am not around to watch you. If you think you need extra supervision, please contact me and i will be more than happy to provide some coaching.

Warm Up
3 double swings
3 double squats
3 double presses
3 double cleans
3 pushups

Park the bells, shake it out

Repeat this complex working up to 5 reps of each, then pyramid back down to 3

With appropriate weight, this will be taxing. If you feel you still need a bit more, go for a 1-2 mile run.

Time to eat,

In Strength & Health,

Trevor

  

Are you ready to hit the links this spring?

Focus Factors to improve your golf game                                                 by Shaun Menner CPT, TRX

 Now that Spring is upon us, it is time to dust off the golf clubs and get ready to hit the fairways. Perhaps one of the biggest changes in the golf world today is the increased emphasis on fitness for golf. To be the absolute best you can be on the course and play your best golf this Spring, you need to implement golf fitness into your practice and training routine. Tour professionals and amateurs alike are practicing regular fitness routines specifically targeted for golf. The results are more powerful and stable golf swings.

Tiger Woods is the golfer who is widely acknowledged with starting the revolution in fitness training, although many players before him like Gary Player are known exercise enthusiasts. While Tiger made it not only acceptable, but preferable, to train for golf, the majority of players are now taking their fitness levels very seriously.

The golf swing is a very complex movement … the demand on the body to swing a club at upwards of 100 mph and stay in your golf posture is huge. Only if the body is flexible and strengthened, can one expect consistent and powerful golf swings. No matter what your current physical condition or your handicap, your golf game can benefit by regular exercise targeted with the golf swing in mind.

All too often golfers do not follow a fitness regimen and yet they expect their game to improve by simply hitting a bucket of balls once a week. They believe that the game IS the exercise…… No! The exercise comes before the game. The strength and endurance it gives you is just another tool for the game. This is especially true the older you get. As we age, we lose muscle mass and flexibility

As you begin to develop a regular golf exercise regimen, you need to concentrate on functional exercise for golf. These exercises include a combination of movements designed to both strengthen the muscles as well as improve coordination - strength training and stretching exercises will go the distance to improve your game! Endurance, stability, strength and flexibility are all improved by exercising for golf:

Endurance

Golfers tend to ignore the cardiovascular component of golf. However, walkers cover an approximate walking distance of 4-5 miles each round. Even cart riders put in their fair share of walking depending on local cart rules, weather conditions and following errant shots. Poor cardiovascular conditioning and endurance can certainly have a negative impact on your game.

Stability

The most important rule in a golf conditioning program is to work and develop core strength. A strong core allows forces to be transferred effectively from the legs to the upper body. It also enables the body to withstand those forces without breakdown. Stabilization comes in many forms for the golfer including postural stabilization, core stabilization and joint stabilization.

Strength

Strength comes in many forms with regard to the golf swing. Strong postural chain muscles (Back, Glutes, Hamstrings) allow the golfer to endure the explosive movements in the swing. Core strength produces stability and helps to generate power. Combined muscle strength produces balance and coordination.

Flexibility

Flexibility is the single most important physical characteristic likely to influence your golf swing. A tight body creates restricted motion in the swing and can result in injuries as the body compensates.

Sequence

The golf swing can be separated into five biomechanical phases that work in sequence.

• Set-up
• Backswing
• Transition
• Downswing
• Follow-through

A true understanding of proper body motion at each sequence will ensure consistency in your swing. Consistency is created through proper sequencing and solid mechanics. Training ensures that when you take your golf swing your body has already been conditioned to perform in the best possible way.

The best way achieve your potential as a golfer is to participate in an exercise and fitness program designed to help you get fit for golf. SGT Golf is a golf specific strength and conditioning program that will improve your strength, power, flexibility, balance, core stability, body awareness, golf posture and endurance that will lead to longer drives and better swings.

SGT Training Workshop Begins April 9th!

Sign up now at the link below:

  http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=6012&stype=-113&sView=day&sTrn=100000287&sDate=4/9/2012

Shaun Menner CPT, TRX

Personal Trainer and Avid Golfer

So remember the prior post about focusing on the finer points of your technique..check out what a little more effort and a determined mind set can do. Prior to taking a video of my attempts I was playing around with my presses. I am comfortable with doing about 5 reps with a 16kg bell (35lbs). I then tried the 40, went up with ease. I then tried a 45lb (which I successfully pressed once before). That went up pretty easily. So I went for a 50lb. That too, went up! So with support from the boys (Dave, Trevor and Shaun) I dared to try the Iron Maiden Bell. The Iron Maiden Bell is a 24kg bell (53lb) that is the standard for men in RKC. It is a big "challenge bell" for woman..dubbed Iron Maiden Bell.

So you've heard us say it and will continue to say it. YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT WHAT YOUR BODY CAN DO. YOU JUST HAVE TO TRY!!

Earn it to Burn it

One thing I'd like to share with the class is an important fitness value.  I'll cut right to the chase.  Strength is not something we are all blessed with, more often than not it is earned.  Strength, my friends, is earned through movement.  Not just any movement- athletic movement.  Ever wonder why the cream of the crop in sports make it look so easy?  Simply put, they have control over their bodies better than the rest of us (along with a superior skill set to match).  Once atheltic movement is achieved, strength can be built.  With that strength, we now have the power to do just about whatever it is that we want at the gym!  And that, ladies and gentleman, is why we earn it to burn it!

Bess @ Kettlebell Strength

tiny tricks = BIG RESULTS

If you have been following the blog you know that Trevor attended a workshop this weekend, as did I. The main message from both workshops we attended; small stuff counts.

Personal records and 100 rep sets are great, obviously. Telling someone to gaze upward in their squat and then see them go from a rounded back to a practically vertical spine and hips 3 inches from the floor is just as cool. Whether you are a novice to kettlebells or a Master RKC, you know that technique is everything. We all try and go over the mental checklist in our head. Hopefully we remember everything. Glutes: check. Abs braced: check.

My goal for you this is week is to see what happens if you start to think about the finer components of your technique. For example, head and eye position, crushing the handle on your presses, pulling more in your down swing (especially on doubles) etc. Do not overwhelm yourself and try to concentrate on all these things. Rather, start at the base and work upwards.

Your first focus for the week will be on feeling rooted into the ground. Each day, work your way up your body to ensure that you are covering all your technical pieces.

You will be amazed at your results by the end of your week...

Good luck!

Bess

Huge shout out for Trevor and his PR on his double press of 32kgs!!!! Wish we would have recorded the moment!

I'll be away this weekend

You can follow my progress at my 'Kettlebell Strength' and 'Becoming Bulletproof'' workshops with Master RKC Geoff Neupert and RKC II Tim Anderson.

Follow me at Twitter:

@TrevorRKC

Enjoy you weekend!

In Strength & Health

Trevor

WOD

This is a quick and efficient workout submitted by Emma Staton.

5 - 10 min mobility work and warmup

 10 hanging straight leg raises (each side)
 10 clean and press followed by 5 squats (goblet or single arm) (each side)
 10 single arm swings (each side)
 10 dead lifts
 20 two handed swings (5 sets)

 about 25 min -- Enjoy!


Thanks Emma, I appreciate the submission. I'll try it out tonight.

 In Strength & Health,

Trevor

A quick response!

 I was asked this question today - "Do you think it's better for me to participate in small group training 5 days a week, or just one or two?".

YEAHHH!!! of course i think it's better. You are getting direction from a trainer 5 days a week. You are working in a group setting 5 days a week. Building relationships each time you come in to train. Group training is a social experience that involves all of the participants. It's fun to work out together, and if it's fun to exercise, you'll want to keep exercising. A healthy, exercise based lifestyle helps prevent the 'secretary spread'. It prevents what my client Sharon refers to as 'Glob' and 'Gloop' that tends to cling to us as we age. Smart training is the best training. If you decide to train 5 days a week, make sure you have proper rest days in between to prevent over training and unwanted stress on your nervous system.

Stress = increased cortisol
Increased cortisol = increased body fat

DO NOT OVER TRAIN!

Be smart and healthy!

In Strength & Health,

Trevor

Sweating in the Sun

Good Afternoon my fellow Gireviks (kettlebell people) and strength training enthusiasts. It's a beautiful day out there today. A great opportunity to get outside and try some swings in the fresh air.
Maybe you can stretch those legs out and try some short sprints? Do you hate sprinting?

If your body is not used to sprinting, it can be hard to build up momentum psychologically.
I have found a way around this.
Just go out for a run. A nice slow run.
When you get to the base of a hill, run as fast as you can to the top.
Go immediately back to your very slow run. don't stop and walk!
Your mind will eventually get used to the exertion it takes to tackle full on sprinting,
and you will quickly develop that core and those tricky sprinting muscles.

The other method you want to incorporate is varied intensity swings.
Grab a moderately weighted bell.
Set your stopwatch for one minute.
Start swinging slow,
then a little faster, and a little faster,
then pull a little harder, and then harder.
Then slow it wayyyyy down for a few seconds, breathing, prepping,
right back into a fast hard swing for the remainder of your minute.
You can vary your intensity as many times as you want.


Stop at one minute. walk around. Get loose.

Repeat this five to ten times.

In a few weeks you will notice your speed and aerobic capacity increase greatly
with out ever sprinting. Along with the hill runs, your body will be tuned and ready
for sprints.

Now I'm excited to get out there and sprint.

In Strength & Health,

Trevor

WOW DOUBLES

This week's WOW (workout of the week) is a 2 for 1!
 Doubles are great in the retail world.
Who doesn't like a two for one?
 Doubles aren't so nice in the kettlebell world.
Doubles suck!
But doubles get you lean... Fast!

Here is part one of two - the "Double Down"

Intermediate workout

Warmup:
RKC mobility drills
Dead Lifts - 10 x 3
Two hand swings - 10 x 3

Double Swings - Light bells x 10
Double Front Squats - Light bells x 10

get loose, do 10 Push Ups

Repeat 3 times

Stretch


Advanced workout! If you do not know the form for these exercises, please refrain from this workout. My advanced level class endured this beast for 55 min today. Mops may have been necessary for clean up.

Warmup:

 - RKC mobility drills
 - 10 swings each side
 - 10 snatches each side
 - 10 swing to snatch each side

Technique:

- Double Snatch - practice for 10 minutes (no more than 5 reps at a time).
-  use a moderate weight that you can snatch easily
- shake it out and get loose in between each set.
- ensure proper bio-mechanical breathing match ant timing
- tame the arc

- Double Push Press - practice for 10 minutes (no more than 5 reps at a time)
- use bells that are difficult to military press
- Practice timing and bio-mechanical breathing match

Metabolic Push:

- Double Push Press x 10 with heavy bells
(at ten, switch to moderate bells)
- Double Snatch x 10

repeat with necessary rest for 10 min
(mop up sweat)

Push Up Test: as many push ups as you can muster in 5 min

Stretch & Decompress

This workout will get you to Cabo San Lucas and back!

In Strength & Health

Trevor

Emerging Strength - An all things strength, fitness, and nutrition related blog to assist in our everyday struggle to shake off the shroud of laziness so we can pursue strength and health in balance with everyday life. We are about truth and consequences of our daily actions concerning health and nutrition information. Each day in our lives begins with a choice, "snooze, or not to snooze" and ends with a similar choice; "finish what I'm doing now or wait until tomorrow?". We are here to help those that need guidance in the choices that affect your health and well being. Magazines and media are for the masses, so filtering through all of that information can become an ominous and confusing task. By keeping your workouts simple, functional, and mechanically sound, you will find results coming faster than you ever thought possible.

In Strength & Health

Trevor