Thursday, March 24, 2011

Indian Clubs - The Cousin of the Kettlebell

I have been a huge fan of  indian clubs and clubbells for quite a while now.  Indian Clubs are great for shoulder mobility and coordination.  Clubbells are a heavier version of them that incorporates full body movements, and therefore are perfect for systemic mobility and coordinating athleticism and power.  Here is a introductory video using 1 pound indian clubs.  We have them at the office, so if you are local, consider stopping by to learn how to use them in your own training.

Monday, March 21, 2011

This Week's Routine - RKC Minimum Modified

For those of you who have been around kettlebells for a while, you may be familiar with the RKC Minimum routine, which is a 4 week long conditioning program using only a getup and swings to produce a base for future strength training programs. I decided to take that basic idea and turn it into a modified workout.  Don't worry....it's still hard!  Here it is:

10 minutes of getups - no stopping!

 Followed by:

10 minutes of swing intervals:  20 reps per minute
     ( if you chose to do 1 arm swings, that is 10 reps per side)

By the end, you should have gotten you heart rate up to at least 150 bpm.  Good luck!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Mobility Often Determines Strength

I love being strong, and always encourage others to become stronger.  However, I would be remiss if I did not remind you that strength is predicated on mobility and coordination.  You can not SAFELY swing a kettlebell correctly unless your hips and shoulders are flexible enough to do so, and you certainly can't do it if your coordination sucks!  If you were tight around the hips, and tried to explosively swing a heavy kettlebell, you could very well end up on the ground with a lower back injury.  So to prevent this from happening to me, I practice mobility drills on a daily basis. 



As you can see, they are very easy to do.  In fact, those of you who come to kettlebell classes regularly will notice I use some of them as our warmup to kettlebell training.  So, figure out where you have the most tension around your body, and start with a few mobility drills that loosen up those areas.  Perform them everyday.  And like everything else, once things improve, find ways to make those drills more difficult and interesting.



Many of you will need to focus on mobility work around your neck, shoulders, and hips.  This is especially true if you sit at a desk most of the day.  So how about trying some mobility drills to break up the monotony at work.  My guess is, you'll magically feel better!  And then when you get home to do some kettlebell training, throw in some more mobility work as part of your warmup and cooldown.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

This Week's Routine - Up & Down

Just like the name says, you will be using the getup to change levels between exercises.  Start with the snatch.  Perform 5 snatches, then on your last one, get to the ground using your getup, and then get back up, perform 5 more snatches, and go down and up one more time to end with another 5 snatches.  Repeat this on the other side of your body.  Then repeat the pattern, but use a clean and press instead of the snatch.  And then repeat the pattern a third time, but use the 1 arm swing instead of the clean and press.  So the workout would look like this:

5 Snatches
1 Getup
5 Snatches
1 Getup
5 Snatches
Repeat on other side

5 Clean and Presses
1 Getup
5 Clean and Presses
1 Getup
5 Clean and Presses
Repeat on other side


5 Swing

1 Getup
5 Swing
1 Getup
5 Swing
Repeat on other side

Friday, March 11, 2011

Magnesium Oil Decreases Muscle Soreness

 For those of you who are looking for an effective way to decrease the soreness experienced from kettlebell training and speed up your recovery, check this Magnesium Oil out.  Magnesium relaxes muscles and improves sleep quality due to the relaxation of the nervous system.  It is best absorbed through the skin, and NOT the gut.  Most of the oral magnesium supplements on the market are crap, and even if they were good, the mineral is poorly absorbed through the intestines in therapeutic dosages.  An active adult should be supplementing with 300-500mg of magnesium a day, which equates to 24-40 sprays of this magnesium oil.  Don't start there though, as magnesium also has a laxative effect that your body needs to get used to.  Begin around 8-16 sprays a day.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Maryland Kettlebell Class Promotional Video

 Finally, I created a decent promo video for us!  Thanks to all the participants in the video who helped provide the content of this simple video!