Todays workout 5/24

100 strict tactical pull-ups :)

The Gospel according to John

Dan John I mean. I just picked up "Never let go" and started it last night. WOW! I am very late in the game picking this up but what a great read. I am two chapters in and I already have started to rethink the way I teach/train. If you like getting strong, love to learn and have a sense of humor, grab this book. http://www.davedraper.com/fitness_products/product/BDJN.html

Random thoughts on training

Master the push-up before you bench press.

Master the body weight squat before you even think about throwing a bar on your back.

Do pull-ups correctly and strict. This means elbows locked out at the bottom and throat to the bar at the top.

Before you attempt a barbell hang clean make sure you have mastered a proper hip hinge and proper barbell front squat. If you can't do both you cannot hang clean.

Master the overhead squat and hip hinge before you barbell snatch.

Planks are about full body tension, if your glutes are not tight you are doing it wrong.

Prepare your body with a purpose. Butt kicks, A-skips, knee to chest and and a light jog will not help you squat better.

If you teach as a profession then someone must learn. If someone hasn't learned from you, learn how to teach better.

Swing before you snatch.

Swing before you clean.

Practice every day, you will become a better teacher by practicing.

Take care of your body, you only have one.

The deadlift was once called the healthlift for a reason. When executed correctly its an amazing exercise. When done wrong your dead.

Don't complicate your exercise regimen. If you can squat, deadlift push and pull there is no reason not to be fit.

If you sit at a desk all day in a flexed position there is absolutely no reason to perform "crunches." You are making your poor posture worse.

Stop reading a magazine on the cardio equipment. It's worthless. If you want to waste 45 minutes take a nap.

If you have dealt with a lumbar spine injury in the past and you are on the road to rehabilitation, quit while you are ahead. Leave your practice session feeling good not bad.

Throw away your wrist wraps and improve your grip strength. Don't let grip be your weak link.

Drink more water.

Find a healthy way to compete.

Z-health R phase practice day

Today I am going to run through all of the Z-health R phase mobility drills. I will be attending the certification in Boston on June 11-13.

Perfect practice makes perfect

Visit www.zhealth.net for more info

Great Resource

For all of you Strength Coaches looking for a great and free read. Please check out Dan John's ebook on Training and Olympic lifts. This is a guy who gets it and is one of the best teachers out there. I highly recommend this!!

http://danjohn.net/from-the-ground-up-free-ebook/

Having some fun!!

We were filming some videos for work and I decided to have a little fun :)

Triple Clap Push-up



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A80bNdzD04


95lb single arm barbell snatch



http://www.youtube.com/user/skillofstrength#p/a/u/0/19AZQPo-Hmw



Enjoy!

Today's workout 5/10

50 2 handed swings with 24k bell
1/4 mile run

8 rounds of this totaling 400 swings and 2 miles of running


1/4 mile runs were all between 1:45 and 1:55

Length of workout was 29 min and 42 seconds

My polar HR monitor said I burned roughly 411 calories in that time

Memories of my RKC certification, April 09

I just found some pics my from RKC weekend. It's hard to believe it's been one year since that life changing weekend. Here are a few memories that pop into my head from the weekend.

- meet and greet at the holiday, man the room was tough to find.
- Adam Glass at the meet and greet, he was tearing decks of cards like tissue paper
- the Kia rental car was the slowest car in the world, I can run faster than a Kia
- whats up with the stop lights on the exit ramps when entering the highway?
- Buffalo wild wings- beer and wings....the perfect ending to a hard days work
- a terrible sunburn on the backs of my legs, it was almost 80 degrees every day in MN in April, who would have thought!!
- swings, swings, swings, swings, swings, burpees, swings, swings
- Pavel kicking me in the stomach during my plank
- torn up hands, tape and chalk
- my victim was a sweet women who was the oldest "victim" there, she must have been 80. Man was I nervous, I knew I was gonna get her as my victim :)
- hamstrings and glutes were smoked, I couldn't walk right for 5 days
- meeting Mike Robertson, he's a smart man
- the graduation work out
- Brett handing me my certification, there is a man who cares about the RKC family

For those of you who are thinking about the RKC, just do it. You will cherish the memories and be part of something bigger than you.

A couple tips on head/neck position while swinging kettlebells

A couple tips on head/neck position while swinging

One of my new clients has just dove into Kettlebell training, but she has very little experience with KB's so there is a lot to learn. She had done some "swings" at her other gym with her boot camp trainer. She said that her neck was very sore after swings. I took a quick look and this is what I found.

1. She was shrugging at the top of each swing (bell at shoulder height).

2. Her shoulders were disconnected at the top of the swing.

3. Her C-spine was in full extension at the bottom of the swing and her C-spine was in full flexion at the top of the swing. There was way too much movement in the neck while swinging.

Geez, I wonder why her neck hurt.

Here are a few things to consider - they are some of the finer points of the swing that need to be addressed.

If you shrug, your chances of connecting the shoulders via lats is highly unlikely. If your goal is giant traps do shrugs, not crappy swings. The lats basically shut off when you shrug - sure you can still activate them, but it's not very efficient. Spend some time connecting your shoulders properly and reap the benefits. You may even get stronger at your pull-ups.

Ok, try this ( honestly don't really). Slam your chin to your chest, now look up at the ceiling really fast. Now, do this for 40 minutes....(please don't!!)

I have seen this ROM replicated in some people's swings, pay attention to your neck position during all KB lifts. Video yourself from the side and look at your neck position.

If your neck sore when training with KB's, try to use these tips.

Hope this helps!
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Sundays workout 5/2/10 Man Maker-esque

Man maker-esque

My wife and I completed the following yesterday

50 swings
1/4 mile run

repeat 8 times through with no rest

400 swings and 2 miles total

She used a 16k and I used a 24k