Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Upcoming Long Army Drill Weekend
Next week I have a long Army Training Weekend, which somehow starts on Wednesday and extends through to Sunday. Training will cease starting at 4pm weds. through sunday. After that we should not experience another interruption like this.
Monday, August 13, 2007
New video and the depths of the kettlebell sea.
I've been doing a lot of reading and studying lately, and part of that involves sifting through the piles of info on the internet. I've been reading about more than just kettlebells, but since kettlebells are my primary training tool, they receive the most attention. I consider myself to have a good grasp of training knowledge (for my client's sake, I should hope so) but every time I feel I have mastered a certain level, I pop my head up and discover I know nothing. :)
Especially with the emergence of American Kettlebell Club there is so much new information coming out, much of which is actually old information, but that's to be expected.
I'm trying to tighten up my personal training schedule as I've been so all over the place lately, and I'm primarily working on feats of strength. A couple of those are my one arm push ups and one legged squats. The squats have been suffering, but I'm able to knock out a fair number of true, chest to the floor one arm push ups now, so I can't complain too much.
The below video is a compilation of cuts from previous videos, and some new stuff.
Especially with the emergence of American Kettlebell Club there is so much new information coming out, much of which is actually old information, but that's to be expected.
I'm trying to tighten up my personal training schedule as I've been so all over the place lately, and I'm primarily working on feats of strength. A couple of those are my one arm push ups and one legged squats. The squats have been suffering, but I'm able to knock out a fair number of true, chest to the floor one arm push ups now, so I can't complain too much.
The below video is a compilation of cuts from previous videos, and some new stuff.
How to have a google account without having a gmail account
One of my clients (Todd) brought this to my attention, and it is something many of you may find useful. The client calendar system that is online now requires you to have a google account if you want to make changes to your own calendar for a more interactive experience. For many of you this is cumbersome as you primarily use your work e-mail. Using this link you can create a google account using your own e-mail. So you will have a google account set up using your e-mail address joeschmoe@corporatemegalith.com
Once you notify me that you have linked your e-mail to a google account I can authorize you to make changes to your calendar, and privatize it if you like.
Once you notify me that you have linked your e-mail to a google account I can authorize you to make changes to your calendar, and privatize it if you like.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Ramping intensity with burpees
By far the most hated exercise I have my clients do is burpees. Burpees are essentially dropping to a push up position, and then springing up into a jump. I have seen it done where you only hop up to your feet, no real jump.
Yeah.
Anyway.
Burpees are very useful when you have been doing a routine with kettlebells or other bodyweight exercises, and you want to ramp up your intensity.
We will take this very simple drill as an example.
3 sets of 10 two handed kettlebell swings with 5 seconds rest between sets. I normally start off with a lighter kettlebell to get going, and work my way up. If I want to increase intensity, what do I do? That's right. subsitute the 5 second rest with 5 burpees, no rest.
Do not dismiss burpees simply because they may not look to you like they should be that hard. They are the great equalizer.
Later we'll get into kettlebell burpees.
Yeah.
Anyway.
Burpees are very useful when you have been doing a routine with kettlebells or other bodyweight exercises, and you want to ramp up your intensity.
We will take this very simple drill as an example.
3 sets of 10 two handed kettlebell swings with 5 seconds rest between sets. I normally start off with a lighter kettlebell to get going, and work my way up. If I want to increase intensity, what do I do? That's right. subsitute the 5 second rest with 5 burpees, no rest.
Do not dismiss burpees simply because they may not look to you like they should be that hard. They are the great equalizer.
Later we'll get into kettlebell burpees.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
The Glass Effect- Consistency based progression
Cindy has been training with me for nearly a year now. When we began she had virtually no weight training experience, and was a casual road biker. We began weight training, then moved to Russian Kettlebells, and then began utilizing the A2E training protocol, which is essentially a mish mash of storngman training, kettlebells, and crossfit.
In about a month Cindy is off to the RKC where she will be taught a very valuable lesson. :)
The key to Cindy's success has been simple: Consistency and Hard Work. 3-4 times a week of training with me and working hard for nearly a year brought her to where she is. She is insanely strong. She is stronger than most men I work with, and I don't mean proportionately. Her endurance is off the charts. She eats 16 kilo kettlebells for breakfast. With syrup.
Many people wrongly assume she is just naturally athletic, or a mutant. What she is, is an example of what anyone can accomplish if they just put in the time and effort, and of course have some qualified instruction. :)
When Cindy returns from the RKC, she will be a qualified kettlebell instructor, and has an open invitation to train clients at the SF A2E facility. Sign up early!
In about a month Cindy is off to the RKC where she will be taught a very valuable lesson. :)
The key to Cindy's success has been simple: Consistency and Hard Work. 3-4 times a week of training with me and working hard for nearly a year brought her to where she is. She is insanely strong. She is stronger than most men I work with, and I don't mean proportionately. Her endurance is off the charts. She eats 16 kilo kettlebells for breakfast. With syrup.
Many people wrongly assume she is just naturally athletic, or a mutant. What she is, is an example of what anyone can accomplish if they just put in the time and effort, and of course have some qualified instruction. :)
When Cindy returns from the RKC, she will be a qualified kettlebell instructor, and has an open invitation to train clients at the SF A2E facility. Sign up early!
Early Success
I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of my hard working clients for showing up every week and always maximizing work output. That means working hard. :)
All of you know there will never be a point where I'll suddenly lighten up and sacrifice your fitness progression to the gods of economic success. Meaning I'll never make things easier in order to try and get more clients. At the end of the day if I only have three clients that's just fine with me, as long as I know I'm doing right by you by making the workouts as efficient as possible. Normally that entails some sweat, some determination, and yes that familiar soreness.
I was talking to a client today about the impending opening of my space on 26th ave and Geary in SF on the 20th. We were talking about the equipment I needed to get and some upgrades to the space itself. He mentioned that it sounded like I was going to have to put out a lot of money, but that doesn't matter to me. The first client who does pull ups on the new A2E breakdown pull up bar justifies it. The first client who sets a deadlift PR with the new barbell and bumper plates justifies it.
The goal of this endeavor is not to make a ton of money so Jordan can go to Hawaii (although that will be happening. :) ) but so that each time you return for training it gets better. A new kettlebell. Some more bumper plates. A concept 2 rower. Some more knowledge inserted into my old noggin that you reap the benefits from.
I prefer to call this an 'endeavor', rather than a 'business'. I see this as the first step on a journey that will ultimately take us all someplace we've never been, someplace better. Someplace where we perform feats of strength that we think of as run of the mill, but others are in awe of. Someplace where our back doesn't hurt anymore, and that pain in our knees goes away. A place where we no longer accept this absurd notion that as we grow older our bodies break down, and that's just the way it is.
All of you know there will never be a point where I'll suddenly lighten up and sacrifice your fitness progression to the gods of economic success. Meaning I'll never make things easier in order to try and get more clients. At the end of the day if I only have three clients that's just fine with me, as long as I know I'm doing right by you by making the workouts as efficient as possible. Normally that entails some sweat, some determination, and yes that familiar soreness.
I was talking to a client today about the impending opening of my space on 26th ave and Geary in SF on the 20th. We were talking about the equipment I needed to get and some upgrades to the space itself. He mentioned that it sounded like I was going to have to put out a lot of money, but that doesn't matter to me. The first client who does pull ups on the new A2E breakdown pull up bar justifies it. The first client who sets a deadlift PR with the new barbell and bumper plates justifies it.
The goal of this endeavor is not to make a ton of money so Jordan can go to Hawaii (although that will be happening. :) ) but so that each time you return for training it gets better. A new kettlebell. Some more bumper plates. A concept 2 rower. Some more knowledge inserted into my old noggin that you reap the benefits from.
I prefer to call this an 'endeavor', rather than a 'business'. I see this as the first step on a journey that will ultimately take us all someplace we've never been, someplace better. Someplace where we perform feats of strength that we think of as run of the mill, but others are in awe of. Someplace where our back doesn't hurt anymore, and that pain in our knees goes away. A place where we no longer accept this absurd notion that as we grow older our bodies break down, and that's just the way it is.
Monday, August 6, 2007
A handy trick for better posture
The other day my girl mentioned a man in her neighborhood who is most likely in his eighties, who is in very good shape, and has excellent posture. She also mentioned that he walks everywhere with his hands clasped behind his back.
Cause and effect?
Often I use body mechanics to re-enforce certain movements, stretches, etc. A good example is a standing hamstring stretch. I always instruct clients to keep their eyes forward and arms up and back as they bend forward. This causes the spine to stay straight. If you look down, your back will curve, as your body normally follows where your head goes.
So we do an experiment. Stand up in your normally slightly shoulder rounded and slumped position. Now clasp your hands behind your back. What I have found in myself is that this pulls my shoulders back, and by default correct my posture to a certain degree.
So do not be surprised if you find me walking around with my hands clasped behind my back.
Cause and effect?
Often I use body mechanics to re-enforce certain movements, stretches, etc. A good example is a standing hamstring stretch. I always instruct clients to keep their eyes forward and arms up and back as they bend forward. This causes the spine to stay straight. If you look down, your back will curve, as your body normally follows where your head goes.
So we do an experiment. Stand up in your normally slightly shoulder rounded and slumped position. Now clasp your hands behind your back. What I have found in myself is that this pulls my shoulders back, and by default correct my posture to a certain degree.
So do not be surprised if you find me walking around with my hands clasped behind my back.
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