It’s that time again.

I want you to dust off your trainers, tighten up your laces, and dig up that jump rope one more time.

It’s time for another challenge.

The last jump rope challenge was a smashing success. We had nearly 250 participants from all over the world come together to achieve over one million jump rope revolutions in 30 days.

I’m still rubbing my eyes in disbelief.

And now we’re going to do it again.

But this time we’re going to do things a little differently.

This won’t be just a simple challenge. No way. This is going to be one incredible learning experience.

Over the next 30 days, we’re going to help you master one of the most powerful and intense jump rope variations on the planet.

A variation that every jump rope ninja needs to have in his arsenal.

The double under.

Let’s begin.

30 Day Jump Rope Double Under Mastery Challenge

Introducing the 30 day jump rope double under mastery challenge created by yours truly, Bloom to Fit, and jump rope specialist Dave Hunt from CrossRope.

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Over the course of the next 30 days, you’re going to get really close with your jump rope as you become proficient at one of the most challenging and versatile jump rope variations that exist.

The objective of this challenge is simple: to help you improve your double under technique and take your training to the next level.

Both Dave and I have been getting endless requests to teach how to do a double under and this mastery challenge is a way for us to give you guys the instruction you need to master this variation.

We know how powerful the double under can be. Learning how to do it well can help you add a new level of intensity to your workouts and training routines. Knowing how to do it effectively and efficiently can do wonders for your speed, coordination, mental toughness, and body composition.

And over the next 30 days we’re going to turn you into a double under specialist. It won’t be easy. But, it will be more than worth it!

We’re going to challenge you with unique drills and specific challenges. We’re going to test your abilities and help you track your progress along the way.

This challenge is going to push you mentally and physically.

It’s going to show you what it takes to become a jump rope ninja.

This challenge is going to be unlike any of the previous challenges we’ve done.

The structure has been completely revamped.

Instead of doing the same thing over and over again every single day for 30 days (like we’ve done in the previous challenge), we’re going to mix things up all the way through.

This challenge is going to be dynamic.

Progressive.

Every day will be different.

Every week will be a little more challenging than the previous, with interesting challenges, dynamic content, progressive instructional demos, and new concepts presented to you.

Who can join this challenge?

Absolutely anyone who is looking to get better at doing double unders.

It doesn’t matter whether you can’t do a single double under yet or you can string together 50+ in a row, this challenge will help you solidify your technique and improve your ability to do this unique jump rope variation.

And yes, this challenge is completely free to join!

How is it going to work?

Here are some finer details:

• The official start date of the challenge is Monday June 03, 2013 and will run until July 02, 2013 (a full 30 days);
• You can use any rope you wish, but a plastic speed rope or cable rope will make it easier for you master this variation. Both Dave and I will be using the Speed CrossRope for this challenge;
• All instructions for each day will be emailed to you first thing in the morning (I’ll talk about this in a second). Follow the instructions provided to you as best as you can. And don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of places to ask your questions;
• The challenge is designed to be done every day of the week with the option of taking weekends off to rest your legs (more details will be provided inside);
• You can jump rope on any surface you wish, but I highly recommend you stay off of concrete and asphalt. This is particularly important for this challenge due to the high impact nature of double unders;
• You’re free to perform your daily routine at any time, whether it be in the morning, before, during, or after a workout, or late at night. It doesn’t matter as long as you get it done.

Again, more details will be presented to you when you join.

How to Join the Challenge

We’re going to make it very simple for you to join.

To become an official participant of the 30 day jump rope double under mastery challenge, fill in your name and email address in the form below and we’ll send you all the participation details.

Also, leave a comment at the end of this post introducing yourself and letting everyone know you’re taking part!

When you join, you’ll gain access to the insider’s area where you’ll get more information on how to add yourself to the jump rope tracker, how to track your progress, how to get your free stuff, how to join our private Facebook group (optional), and more.

Remember that it’s all completely free.

The email address you give us will be the one we’re going to use to send you all the daily challenge instructions, drills, tricks, and other useful content to help you master the double under technique. This is why it’s important that you fill out an email address you actually use.

What You’ll Get

During the last challenge, we gave away prizes to the top three participants based on performance, improvement, and overall engagement throughout.

Honestly, I would have loved to have been able to give every participant (who gave an honest effort) some sort of prize. So this time we’re going to do things a little bit differently.

We’re going to give ALL participants discounts on our jump rope products. By joining, you’ll get:

• 10% off the Jump Rope Ninja Program;
• 5% off any CrossRope Jump Rope.

AND…

You’ll get a chance to get an even BIGGER discount when you join.

Note: you’ll get all the coupons emailed to you when you sign up.

Spread the Word

We’d like this challenge to be even more successful than the last one. We want as many people to participate and master the essential double under as possible.

We would really appreciate it if you would share this post for us!

So here’s the deal: if you join the challenge and help us spread the word, we’ll hook you up with even bigger discounts!

Here are some very simple ways you can help us spread the word:

On Twitter

If you use Twitter, click here to spread the news on twitter!

On Facebook

If you use Facebook, please copy and paste this message to your timeline or to the members of your Facebook group (if you think they might be interested):

Join me in the 30 Day Jump Rope Double Under Mastery Challenge presented by @Bloomtofit and @CrossRope Jump Ropes and master one the most intense jump rope variations on the planet: the double under. All the details are here: http://www.bloomtofit.com/30-day-jump-rope-double-under-mastery-challenge!

Of course, you can always make your own messages and share those!

Share the Video!

Share our promo video on any social media platform you use!

Here’s the link to the video. Underneath the video you will find a Share button!

Thank you again for your support!

Final Notes

That’s it!

More details will be sent to you when you sign up for the challenge!

Remember that the starting date of the challenge is Monday June 03, 2013. I’ll be sending out reminders over the next few days to all participants.

You have 10 days to get yourself a good rope and help us spread the word!

Hope to see you on board!

You could feel the excitement building with each day that passed. You could feel the hairs on your skin rising with sheer anticipation and nervousness.

If you listened hard enough you could almost hear the chants echoing from the distance.

Hoo-rah! Hoo-rah!

Tough Mudder Toronto 2013 was calling.

We thought last year’s experience was enough to prepare us for what was to come. We thought we had it all figured out. We changed our training tactics. We put in our work. We did it all.

But there was one element none of us could foresee.

One element none of us could control.

And it changed everything.

Here’s the (short) story…

Tough Mudder Toronto 2013

The alarm shook me awake at 5:15am.

Even with the curtains drawn back, the darkness swallowed the room.

I prepared myself a quick breakfast. Four organic eggs. Dash of coconut oil. A chunk red pepper. And a couple of apples for the road.

I was good to go.

As I stepped outside, the darkness faded. But what remained in its absence only confirmed my worries. The clouds overwhelmed the sky and came together to create a thick, cool blanket over the city.

The weatherman was right: there was to be no sunshine or warmth on this day.

Meeting up with my teammates woke me up better than any espresso shot ever could.

These were the guys that I was going to run with. The guys that were going to stand by me at every obstacle. The guys that were going to go stride for stride with me up black diamonds and through fields of live wire. The guys that were going to push me when I needed to be pushed. And I would do the same for them.

These were my teammates.

The early morning greet was nice and quick. A long drive up to Barrie, ON awaited us.

The high was 8 degrees when we left, but as we kept driving further up North the temperature continued to drop slowly. Every change in reading made us grimace a little bit.

It set at a cool 3 degrees Celsius when we arrived.

Not what we expected.

We layered up, dropped our bags off, and tightened up our laces before joining a massive herd of runners all squeezed together in a small area just by the starting line.

I took a quick look around.

I was surrounded by warriors.

Moms, dads, brothers, sisters, athletes, soldiers, cancer survivors, and weekend warriors all stood side by side with passion and excitement oozing out of them.

These were some bad-ass folks!

A man with a mic pounced on the stage and got our engines revving.

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With our adrenaline rushing, we no longer felt the cold. We were like pack of wild dogs, caged up and ready to pounce as soon as those gates opened.

And just like that we exploded off the blocks.

This is what we’ve been training for.

This year’s Tough Mudder event was once again held at Mount St. Louis. We’re talking about a 16km run with nearly 20 obstacles of varying degrees of difficulty sprinkled throughout the course. Designed by British Special Forces, this course is meant to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie

It claims to be the toughest event on the planet.

And this year, partly thanks to mother nature, they really brought it.

The beginning of the course was all hills.

A steep trek up a double black diamond got the legs fired up. I guess all that hill training we did this year really paid off.

After jumping over some walls with ease we made our way down the mountain before reaching the obstacle we all dreaded.

The Arctic Enema.

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This obstacle has mental grit written all over it.

First you must bravely jump into Big Mudder’s floating iceberg abyss. Once submerged, find the mental and physical strength to swim through the ice, under a wooden plank and pull yourself out on the other end before you become hypothermic. [ref]

We stripped down to just our shorts and took the plunge.

Before hypothermia had time to set in, we grabbed our clothes and took off.

That was surprisingly refreshing.

With each step we took, we could see our breath condensing and creating soft vapors as it left our mouth and nostrils. We could feel the freezing wind beating against our soaking bodies.

But we just kept going.

As we kept running we faced all sorts of crazy obstacles.

We jumped over fire pits, climbed ropes, swam across lakes, crawled through tunnels, ran through mud and snow, climbed over high walls, jumped through small openings, sprinted through fields of live wire, swung across monkey bars, carried logs, and crawled under barbed wire fences.

And we kept climbing those hills.

One. Step. At. A. Time.

I tried to forget the cold. Even though I was dripping wet with no sensation left in my fingertips, I kept blocking it out of my mind.

Even though people around me were shivering so violently that I could hear their teeth clinking and clanking from a mile away, I tried not to let it affect me.

“It’s all in your head” I kept telling myself.

It’s all mental.

And it worked.

There’s no doubt that the mind is a very powerful being. When you know how to master it you can do some incredible things in life.

And just as soon as we started, we were done.

2 hours, 38 minutes.

Although we didn’t meet our goal of finishing the course in under two hours, we were happy with what we accomplished considering the unexpected elements we faced.

As we crossed the finish line, grabbed our headbands and t-shirts, we watched as hundreds of runners reached for free thermal blankets before they reached for free beer.

You know it’s cold when, right?

Why do it?

As I write this post a day after the race, I’m pretty sore and banged up.

My muscles are aching, my joints are sore, and I got some pretty bad-ass scrapes and bruises.

So the question then becomes: why do it?

Why pay all that money, train your ass off, and put your body through such bewildering conditions only to have some cuts, bruises, and a headband to show for it?

Well, for a number of reasons.

But mainly because I can.

I’ve put the work into building a body that allows me to do something so extreme.

I train hard and I train smart not just to be ready for an event like this, but to be ready for anything. I want to be able to run this same race in a week again if I wanted to. And I feel that I can.

That’s what drives me to keep going on this journey.

To be able to say “I can”.

And that’s exactly the message I’m always trying to spread through this blog: to build a better body so we can have the ability to do anything we want in life.

But it was also about the challenge.

It was about putting yourself in a position where the only way out is through sheer courage and perseverance.  It was about stepping way outside of your comfort zones and pushing your limits just to prove to yourself that you have unlimited room for growth.

It was about testing your mental grit and seeing what you’re really made of.

And feeling that sense of euphoria and accomplishment when you do something so incredible.

That’s why I did it.

And that’s why I’ll keep doing it for as long as I possibly can.

What motivates you?

What is the one thing that really keeps you going?

After some serious pondering and maybe a shot or two of espresso, the answer should hit you like a sack of potatoes:

Progress.

Results (or progress of any kind) is in an incredible motivator. It’s what drives each and every one of us. It’s what makes us stick to our goals, our workout plans, our diets, our careers and our hobbies.

Results spark a fire inside of us. Progress assures us that everything we’ve been doing so far is right. That all the time we’ve invested to get to that point has been completely worth it.

And so we keep going.

Because, like I’ve said before, results drive results.

Its a beautiful, self-perpetuating cycle.

But to enter this cycle, you need to set up some sort of feedback system that will allow you to see and analyze changes over time. Changes in your body. Changes in your workouts. Changes in your habits.

You need to record some simple data points along your journey.

And it’s much easier than you think.

Let me show you how to set up your very own tracking system.

Track Changes in your Body

As you adopt new training programs and experiment with lifestyle and nutrition modifications, your body is going to change.

It’s going to change in size, shape, and weight over time.

We’re interested in tracking these changes because they can not only give us good insight into our health, but they can help motivate us to keep going.

There are a few strategies you can use. I recommend you use all of them.

Take Pictures

Pictures are worth a thousand words.

They really are.

Every ‘transformation’ story you’ve ever seen has been accompanied by before and after pictures to showcase the incredible results one has achieved.

Pictures can be incredibly motivating (that’s why I use them as part of my motivational tool box). But you’ll want to use them strategically to track changes in your progress.

You’ll want to take some photos of yourself before you start your journey and as you progress through your journey so you can keep track of visual changes.

Here are some tips:

• It’s best if you can get someone else to take the pictures for you;
• Make sure there is a lot of light in the room;
• You want to show as much skin as possible in your pictures. Guys are fine with shorts or boxers, while girls are OK with shorts and a sports bra. If you do wear clothes, make sure they are formfitting and light in color. Just remember that you’re taking these pictures for yourself, not your Facebook friends;
• You’ll want to take five pictures: front of body, profile of body, back of body, close-up of front of face, and close-up of profile of face (your face is the first place to start showing changes in body composition);
• Make sure to note the date the picture was taken;
• You’ll want to take the pictures once a week at the same time of day in the same outfit.

Here’s an example of the photos I took during my Visual Impact Challenge:

Photos can give us a lot useful information, but they can’t tell us everything.

What we’re going to do next is take some physical measurements.

Use a Measuring Tape

The next thing you want to track is changes in your waist-to-hip ratio.

And we’re going to do it using a simple measuring tape.

Note: Keeping tabs on how the circumference of your abdominal area is changing over time can provide you with more insight into your metabolic health than a panel of blood work.

This is really, really important feedback and it’s very simple to do.

To measure your waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), first use the measuring tape to figure out what the circumference of the narrowest part of your waist is. The narrowest part of your waist is typically just above the belly button.

Next, use the tape measure to figure out the circumference of the widest portion of your hips. This one shouldn’t be that hard to find.

Finally, you’ll want to perform the following calculation:

WHR = waist measurement / hip measurement

If you need a visual on how this is done, here’s a quick video to show you what I’m talking about.

From a health, wellness, and attractiveness perspective, a measurement of 0.9 is considered healthy for men and a measurement of 0.7 is considered healthy (and attractive) for women.

As the number approaches 1 (increasing abdominal circumference), there is a greater potential for insulin resistance and obesity related diseases.

Here are some tips for tracking your wasit-to-hip ratio:

• Take the measurement three times and use the average to account for human error;
• Don’t pull the measuring tape too much. You don’t want it digging into your stomach or hips. Just pull it enough so it fits snugly over your waistline;
• Take your measurements at the same time of the day to minimize variables such as fluid retention (note that women will experience a bit of variation in their numbers due to their menstrual cycle);
• Track your waist and hip measurements once every two weeks.

Note: what’s really important here is that your waist circumference is dropping (or staying the same if it’s already in a healthy zone) over time. This alone is a sign of significant health improvement.

Measure your Body Composition

This is one of the trickier elements to track, but if you can find an accurate means of measuring your body composition, you’ll have very valuable feedback at your fingertips.

Your body composition simply refers to the amounts of fat, water, and lean mass that make up your total body weight.

What you want to know is how much of your body is composed of fat and how much of it is composed of lean mass. More importantly, you want to know how this composition is changing over time.

There is a safe level of body fat that you must maintain (and it’s different for guys and girls), but generally the lower your body fat composition is, the lower your risk is for obesity related diseases.

Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to get accurate body composition measurements.

If you have a gym membership, ask the trainers or staff around to see what options they provide for measuring body composition. If you have access to a knowledgeable trainer, he or she can definitely help you out.

If you’re on your own, there are a few options you have.

The cheaper options – like a bio-impedance scale – offer very poor accuracy and, in my opinion, are only good for tracking changes (not actual body composition). I don’t recommend this route, but it’s an option.

The more expensive options – like the DEXA scan, underwater weighing, or the bod pod – are expensive and, in my opinion, not really necessary unless you’re a high level athlete.

The easiest way to track changes in body composition is to use a skinfold caliper. This is a reasonably accurate and commonly used method of measuring body fat composition that requires you to take a series of skinfold measurements on your body. You’ll need a pair of calipers and someone who knows how to use them. If you want to learn how to do this, this article and this video will help.

Your last option for tracking changes in body composition is simply to use reference images.

You can use the pictures you take of yourself every week to compare to images of other people’s bodies (at certain body fat percentages). The idea is to use the reference images to get a decent estimate of where your body composition stands. This is not the most accurate method, but it’s a place to start.

Here’s a good set of references images you can use.

I recommend tracking your body fat composition at least once a month, if possible.

Use the Scale

The scale should be your last resort because it doesn’t provide us with very useful feedback.

Sure, it tells us our total body weight and how it’s changing, but it doesn’t tell us what that body weight is composed of and, more importantly, how that composition is changing.

That’s why tracking body composition is so much more effective.

You can use a scale just to get a general sense of your weight, but I would take every reading with a grain of salt because the number that you read is not a great indication of actual progress.

If you’re going to use a scale, measure once a week or once every two weeks and do it first thing in the morning (naked if possible).

Just make sure you don’t get addicted to the scale.

Track your Training and Nutrition

Now that we’ve set up a system to to track how our body changes over time, we need to set up a similar system for making sure that our nutrition and training habits are actually helping us progress.

Here’s how we’re going to do that:

Nutrition Journal

A nutrition journal can be very revealing and can provide some essential feedback on the most critical component of a healthy lifestyle – your food choices.

This tool isn’t something you would use on a regular basis, but instead something you would incorporate into your routine every month or so just to keep yourself on track with your food choices.

The idea is simple: for two to three days straight (two weekdays and one weekend day is ideal), track everything that you eat and drink and what time you eat/drink it at. Don’t change your eating habits just because you’re keeping track of them. Be honest with yourself and then analyze your food choices over those days.

The feedback you obtain from this little exercise can help you become more aware of your food choices and help you make the necessary changes to get your eating habits back in line.

If you want more details on how to keep a nutrition journal, all the details are outlined here.

Training Journal

A training journal will help you track the progress of your workouts.

It will allow you to see if your lifts are improving, if you’re getting stronger, and if your intensity is increasing progressively.

You can get some really great feedback from your training journal that can help make your future workouts more effective.

Here are some important things to track in your training journal:

• What time you’re training at;
• What your energy levels are like going into the workout;
• The exercises you’re doing;
• The weights you’re lifting;
• Your reps, sets, and rest periods;
• How you feel after the workout.

But keeping a training journal is only effective if you use it regularly and, more importantly, take time to analyze it at least weekly or bi-weekly to ensure you are taking advantage of the information you’re collecting.

Your goal is to make sure that every workout is a little bit more intense than the previous one. A training journal is the only way to make sure you’re doing that.

Summary

Results can be very motivating.

When you see your body composition changing, your lifts improving, your waistline shrinking, and your habits falling in line with the lifestyle you want to lead, you’re much more likely to keep going with your journey to a better body.

Using simple measuring tools and strategies that I’ve outlined in this article takes only a little bit of effort from your part, but doing it consistently can really boost your confidence and motivation while also giving you valuable insight into your health.

When you have everything in place, you’ll see the beauty of the results-drive-results cycle.

Now on to you:

What strategies are you currently using to keep tabs on your progress? Which ones are you going to implement from this post? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

As we know, time (or lack of it) is an issue for many.

We work long hours, face congested schedules, and have a million and one things to do before we find time for ourselves.

Understood.

But, I don’t think lack of time should hold anyone back from building a better body.

We just have to be a little creative with how we spend our time.

If we do some out-of-the-box thinking, it’s actually fairly easy to find ways to incorporate healthy habits and activities into our already busy schedules.

So let’s think…

Where and how is most of our time spent?

Simple: at work, sitting at a desk behind a computer and dealing with emails, spreadsheets, models, and attending more meetings than our bodies and minds can handle.

So why not kill two birds with one stone?

If we’re already spending 8-9 hours a day at work, why not incorporate simple strategies that will help us build a better body while we’re there?

It’s easier than you think.

Today I’m going to show you how you can hack your schedule. I’m going to show you 20 simple ways you can build a better body at work.

Let’s dig in…

1. Set up your workstation properly

This is incredibly important.

If you have a poorly designed workstation from an ergonomics perspective, you will drastically accelerate the problems that occur from prolonged sitting and poor posture.

Think about it.

You sit all day in front of your computer. If your chair isn’t aligned properly, you’ll be sitting awkwardly all the time. If your monitor is too low or too high in comparison to your eyes, your neck will constantly be strained. If your mouse, keyboard, or phone aren’t positioned properly, you’ll create excess stress by having to awkwardly reach for those items all the time.

If you set things up properly from the start, you can drastically reduce potential for chronic problems.

Here’s a really good resource from Open Ergonomics explaining how to set your workstation properly: It’s a Setup.

I recommend you print that page and post it somewhere in your cubicle so you’re always reminded of what’s important.

2. Set reminders to move

I already talked about this in my post on Interval Sitting and Micro-Breaks. We all know the debilitating effects sitting can have on our body. And we need to do whatever we can to counteract these effects.

Moving is essential. We need to regularly get up off our chairs and move around. Movement will re-engage the muscles in your posterior chain. The best strategy is to use interval sitting with 50 minute periods of sitting alternated with 10 minutes of moving.

But the problem many of us face is we forget to move.

Sometimes we get so bogged down with our work that we forget to get up. This is why I recommend you use software tools to set up reminders to move. Here’s a snippet from a previous article that outlines some useful tools:

If you work at a computer, you can use simple (and free) reminder tools such asWorkRave, Breaker, and EyeLeo (for Windows), or TimeOut and Coffee Break (for Macs). These tools will allow you to set up reminders for yourself to get up and move. Some more (free) options are listed here.

3. Change up your posture regularly.

The best posture is the one that constantly changes.

Trying to force yourself to sit with “good posture” all day can be counter-intuitive  Any position you maintain for a prolonged period of time will place excessive stress on a certain area of your body.

What you want to do instead is constantly change the way you sit. Change your posture and, by doing so, you will shift where that stress is imposed.

Over the course of the 50 minutes you spend sitting down, you should be shifting your sitting position every 10 minutes or so. The stress is going to be placed somewhere so you might as well ensure that it is being shifted around the body so it doesn’t do as much damage to one specific area.

Sit with your back up and straight for a bit. Move over to one butt cheek. Then the other. Get down on your knees for a while (you know what I mean lol). Move to a swiss ball. Get back on only one knee. Then the other. Keep switching things up constantly.

4. Bring in a balance ball

A balance ball (or Swiss ball) is an excellent tool to have at work.

The instability of the balance ball engages your core while you sit on it.

Once again, sitting on a balance ball the entire day is counter-intuitive  Instead, use it as an intermittent chair that you sit on for 10-20 minutes of every hour. Remember to constantly be changing things up.

5. Bring a water bottle and fill it regularly

Water is life.

It’s essential for keeping all parts of your body lubricated, particularly the joints which are at risk of losing mobility from tight, weakened muscles.

Have a water bottle by your desk and drink as much water as you see fit throughout the day.

‘Nuff said about that.

6. Ease up on the coffee

As good as a cup of coffee can feel in the morning, remember why it’s so good.

It’s a stimulant.

And a stimulant triggers neuromuscular activity and resulting tension through the body. Coffee will also make you dehydrated meaning you will have to take in more water to ensure your discs are well lubricated.

Enjoy it, but don’t overdo it.

7. Use micro-breaks

I already mentioned the effectiveness of getting off your chair and moving around regularly throughout the day.

A micro-break is just a break you take away from your desk.

It’s very effective because it not only helps bring life and energy back into the body, but it also helps your mind calm down and relax. It helps improve your focus when you get back to your desk.

There are certain exercises that I like to use during my micro-breaks. Feel free to use these as often as you like throughout the day. The more the better!

I’ve outlined them all here for you: Interval Sitting, Micro-Breaks, and the Myth of the Perfect Posture

8. Prepare your lunch the night before.

Many of us complain that we don’t have enough time in the morning to prepare lunch for the day.

So we end up settling for quick, highly-processed, nutrient-lacking foods that play with our emotions.

The solution is simple: prepare your lunch the night before.

Turn off the TV, put your kids to sleep, shut off the computer, and find 20 minutes to prepare yourself a healthy meal. If you’re strapped for time some nights, plan ahead and prepare lunch for the next two or three days!

If you want to build a better body, this is by far the healthiest habit you can build for yourself.

9. Ask for a standing desk

Standing desks have been around for a while now and I’ve seen more and more companies starting to implement them.

They’re becoming popular because companies are starting to realize the damaging effects prolonged sitting has on the body. By giving employees the ability to stand while working, they promote movement which helps improve blood circulation and decreases mental fatigue. This all helps boost productivity.

But the idea isn’t to spend your entire day standing. This can have its own implications. What you want to do is create an environment that allows you to constantly mix things up. Remember that best posture is one that is constantly changing and so an adjustable desk is the best way to approach this. Being able to spend some time standing and some time sitting will give you ability to continue shifting the stress across your body.

I’ve yet to try a standing desk myself, but I’m fortunate enough to work at a company that is willing to install one for me and my colleagues. I’ll be posting my experience with this sometime in the future.

10. Take advantage of walk-and-talk meetings

I’ve always been a big fan of Steve Jobs. Sure, he wasn’t the kindest soul and his diet was worse than that of a college freshman, but he was a genius and he left a big impact on the world.

One of the interesting things I noticed when reading his biography was that Steve loved to hold walking meetings.

All of his meetings were held outdoors while strolling through the neighborhood. I thought it was pretty cool but I didn’t think much of it until I read an interesting article on Forbes recently titled “How Taking More Meetings Could Save Your Life.”

Talk-and-walks (as they’re called) are a great way to get out of the conference room, stretch your legs, move around, and still get your points across.

The author notes that studies show walking in nature for 30 minutes enables a person to solve problems they might not otherwise be able to.

“Walking meetings are great for brainstorming, giving feedback, and hashing through tough problems.” -Nilofer Merchant, Silicon Valley Executive

If you’re looking for ways how to incorporate walking into your next meeting, some interesting notes are presented here.

So next time you have a meeting, if possible, suggest you go outside instead of the conference room.

The meeting will be more effective and definitely more memorable.

11. Give your eyes a break

Many of us spend a good chunk of the day with our eyes glued to screens of all sizes. Monitors at work. TVs at home. And smartphones in between.

This puts a lot of stress on the eyes and is one of the leading causes of nearsightedness (poor distance vision).

It’s important to give your eyes regular breaks at work and so here’s a simple eye relaxation exercise you can use throughout the day:

Every couple of hours, close your eyes, tense your body (squeeze your fists), and breathe in deeply. Hold it for a few seconds and then slowly release your breath and your muscles at the same time.

By forcefully contracting and releasing major muscle groups, you trick your involuntary muscles (like the ones around your eyes) into relaxing as well.

Neat, isn’t it?

12. Change your environment.

If you’re part of the 9-5 crew, your cubicle is your environment.

You need to set it up so you are both motivated to build a better body and restricted from making poor health choices.

If your drawers are filled with junk food and pop, that’s all you’ll be eating and drinking all day.

The fact is that you can’t resist the food that’s in front of you.

Biologically, we are still very much so in survival mode and our body still thinks that there might be a period of famine looming around the corner. So, as a protection mechanism, it triggers hunger when we see food.

There are also a lot of psychological factors in play here. Highly processed, supernormally-tasting, and nutrient-lacking foods are highly addictive.

So we need to set up our environment just right.

Remove all garbage foods and replace them with fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and all other foods that don’t require a medical dictionary to identify the long list of ingredients.

The next thing you want to do is make your environment efficient.

Unnecessary, repetitive movements can cause excessive strain on the body. Change up your environment so all the things you regularly use are within reach. This all goes back to point number 1. If you have an ergonomics student/employee within the company, get them to help you set things up properly.

Lastly, place positive and motivating pictures and messages within your cubicle. Put up pictures and stories that inspire you. Put up the motivationa tools that you created.

You spend most of your day in your cubicle, so why not set your environment up right.

13. Plan your going out meals

Just because I recommend bringing your own healthy lunch to work doesn’t mean you have to skip out on every single lunch/dinner outing with co-workers.

You just have to do a bit of planning ahead of time.

If you know which place you’ll be going to, check out their menu online. Figure out your meal ahead of time so you’re not stuck at the table trying to find foods that suit your requirements. If you have questions about ingredients, call the place.

If you’re going to a place that doesn’t meet any of your requirements, suggest to your co-workers that you go someplace else because of your dietary guidelines. If they’re unwilling to do so, then you really shouldn’t be hanging out with them in the first place.

14. Skip on the free lunch at meetings

This is a big one.

Back when I worked in the automotive industry, I’ve personally seen what almost-daily free lunch meetings can do to a man’s body. I’ve witnessed grown men gain pounds so quickly that even they were baffled.

Yet when I brought my own lunch I got the funniest looks.

Most companies aren’t really up to par with healthy food choices and their lunch order is often based on cost rather than nutrient value.

This is why I always recommend bringing your own lunch to work.

Again, read number 8.

15. Stop putting sugar in your coffee

I mentioned that your best bet would be to reduce your overall coffee consumption.

But if you do choose to have a cup of joe (I can’t blame you, I love coffee), stop loading it up with sugar.

When I mention to people that I sometimes deliberately choose to not have coffee on random days (I don’t like the idea of being dependent on anything), the look of terror on their face makes me laugh.

So many people claim they’d die without coffee.

But when I see what they put in their coffee, it all makes sense.

They’re not addicted to the coffee itself. They’re addicted to the heaps of sugar they put in their coffee.

If you want to enjoy coffee for what it really is, stop putting sugar in it. It’ll be unusual and bitter at first, but the bitterness grows on you. If you want to take it to the next level, stop putting milk or cream in your coffee too.

A coffee is meant to be enjoyed black.

16. Take 2 min to do nothing

I’ve talked about benefits of mindfulness before.

The idea of doing nothing for a period of time every single day can help improve awareness and focus.

At work, there’s a simple tool that you can use (if you have Internet access) that can help you do just that.

Nothing.

For 2 minutes.

Check it out here.

17. Change up your means of transportation

If you live in a country that allows for alternate means of transportation, take advantage of it!

Up here in Canada, we only have about six months where the weather is nice enough to allow for biking, walking/running, or rollerblading to work.

With the nice weather approaching, I just recently got my speed bike polished and tuned up for the season. I plan to do a lot more biking to work than driving.

Changing your means of transportation will not only boost your health, but it will help you cut down on gas spending.

Do a quick search of cool routes you can take to work to motivate yourself to get started.

18. Make a smoothie before you leave for work

The average breakfast consists of an English muffin, a bowl of cereal, and an orange juice (or some combination of the three), all immediately followed by a large cup of coffee.

What an absolutely terrible way to get the day started.

If time is a factor, make a smoothie.

You can control exactly what goes in it and you can play around with all sorts of combinations of fruits, vegetables, oils, nut butters, and (since it’s best to get 30g of protein within 30 min of waking up) low-in-ingredients protein powders.

All that’s required is that you wake up 5 minutes earlier and you’ll have enough time to prepare something that will not only energize you, but will provide your body with a high dose of nutrients to start the day off right.

19. Find your place to stretch (and decompress the back)

One unique thing about me that you may or may not know is that I have no shame.

I don’t often care about what others think.

I know the importance of stretching throughout the day and I have no problem getting up and doing a short stretching session right beside my desk.

I’d go to the bathroom at times to do my air squats and I’ve been caught doing it.

And yea I get funny looks sometimes and the bathroom encounters become a little awkward, but who cares?

You need to stretch. You need to keep mobile.

If you’re not comfortable doing it at your desk (or it’s simply not appropriate in your work setting), then you’ll need to find a place where you can do what you need to do in private. Whether it’s a single-person bathroom where you can lock yourself up or a small unoccupied office, it doesn’t matter.

Find your place and use it often.

20. Bring life back to your feet

More than likely, your feet are stuck in shoes all day, unable to move or breathe.

If you sit at a desk, take your shoes off.

Stretch your toes. Flex and rotate your ankles.

When we wear shoes, we lose flexibility and strength in our feet. An easy way to counter this (apart from simply walking barefoot as often as you can), is to bring in some simple SMR tools like golf balls, tennis balls, or baseballs (you’ll want to progress to harder balls as you go) and keep them under your desk.

Every now and then, throw your shoes off and start rolling your foot over the ball from front to back, along the arches and outer edges. Spend a few minutes on each foot a few times throughout the day.

This will feel like a deep massage on your arches and will help bring some life back to your feet by helping them relax.

Summary

Incorporating simple habits and activities into your already-busy workday isn’t as hard as you think.

You just have to be a little creative.

You can use these 20 simple strategies to build a better body even at work.

Now it’s your turn:

What are you doing at work that is helping you build a better body? Which of these strategies are you thinking of trying? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

I can’t believe it’s done. It’s actually complete!

19, 000 words, hours upon hours of video capturing and editing, and numerous series of finger cramps and headeaches later, my first premium training guide is finally finished.

And I couldn’t be more happy with how it turned out.

It’s hard to describe the amount of time, work, and creativity that went into putting this program together. Long nights and longer weekends were the norm for months, but I’ll tell you this…

It was more than worth it.

I’ve learned a lot over the course of this entire creation process and, today, I’m very excited to share with you something I’ve poured my heart into for the past few months.

So, without further ado, I’m happy to announce the release of my very first training program:

Jump Rope Ninja: Build a Better Body with a Jump Rope

Let me tell you what it’s all about.

Why a Jump Rope Training Program

The jump rope is a powerful training tool.

There’s no doubt about that. It’s a tool that has literally stood the test of time and has helped countless athletes and weekend warriors build lean, agile, and highly coordinated bodies.

And, for quite some time now, I’ve been preaching it’s uniqueness and effectiveness on this blog.

I’ve told you about it’s numerous benefits, I’ve shown you some cool skipping exercises, and I’ve created some simple skipping workouts that you can take advantage of.

But what I haven’t done yet is show you the how.

I haven’t taught you how to master the fundamentals. I haven’t shown you how to pull off all those cool jump rope variations. And I haven’t shown you how to create your own jump rope workouts.

I haven’t shown you the intricate ins-and-outs of this powerful training style.

Jumping rope is a very joyous and effective form of training, but learning how to do it effectively can be a frustrating process if you don’t know what you’re doing.

So that’s how the idea of this training program came about.

I wanted to fill that gap for you.

I wanted to teach you how to become a jump rope ninja as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I wanted to give you all the missing pieces (the tips, tricks, and tactics) to help you master all the essentials of jumping rope so you can finally reap the incredible benefits it has to offer.

So let me show you what’s inside the program…

What is Jump Rope Ninja

Jump Rope Ninja is a unique training program designed to turn you into a master of the jump rope. It’s designed to help you master the skill of jumping rope.

And, yes, my young grasshopper, jumping rope is a skill.

This is what makes it so unique.

It’s a self-limiting tool.

It will only help you build a better body if you know how to use it well.

This is unlike the typical cardio equipment you’ll find in the gym that you can just jump on and mindlessly start pedaling away.

This tool requires focus, concentration, and patience.

Mastering the jump rope is a process of skill acquisition.

There’s a learning curve involved.

And it looks something like this:

As the graph shows, the real benefits of jumping rope do not present themselves to you until you’ve put in the time and practice that’s necessary to master the skill.

And this time is different for every ninja.

But when you reach that breakthrough point- the point where things just start to click, your timing is on, your coordination, balance, and synchronization come into play, and things just start to feel comfortable - you’ll start seeing changes you’ve never thought possible.

Jump Rope Ninja is designed to get you to that breakthrough point as quickly as possible.

It will provide you with all sorts of tricks and drills to help you minimize your learning curve and get you to the point where you start seeing all sorts of incredible changes in your body.

You’ll start to feel lighter and quicker on your feet.

You’ll feel more coordinated when playing sports, participating in weekend activities, or simply juggling multiple tasks at the same time.

You’ll be leaner. More energetic. More confident with everything you do.

You’ll be able to focus and concentrate on tasks like never before.

And you’ll be able to do all of this anywhere and at any time.

No more expensive gym memberships.

No more complicated equipment.

No more wasting time.

It’s just you and rope.

So what exactly will you learn inside Jump Rope Ninja?

• How to choose the right rope for your body to maximize your training efficiency;
• The unique physics behind jumping rope and why understanding this can help you master the basics;
• Simple and progressive jump rope drills and tactics to help you quickly master the essentials of jumping rope;
• How to master a number of different jump rope variations (like the criss-cross, double under, and side swings) to add variety, change of pace, and intensity to your training routines;
• How to put everything together and create your own killer jump rope workouts;
• How to modify your nutrition plan to get the most out of your jump rope training;
• And much more!

What exactly will you get?

Within the Jump Rope Ninja insider’s area, you’ll get immediate access to the 75 page training guide, the 70+ minutes of high definition training videos, a 17 page bonus nutrition guide, and lifetime access to all future Jump Rope Ninja updates.

The program is priced at $47.

But, to celebrate Bloom to Fit’s first program launch… 

For a limited time you can grab a copy of the program for only $27.

If you’re interested, you can grab yourself a copy by clicking the Add to Cart button below:

If you’d like to find out more information, please take a look at the Jump Rope Ninja sales page.

How you can help

Well, you can help by purchasing the product

In which case I would be eternally grateful for your wonderful support.

If the program is not for you, or it’s something that might be of interest in the future, you can still help me spread the word of this launch by sharing the following link(s) with your friends and family.

Copy and paste this message onto your Facebook page (or just craft your own):

Want to learn how to build a better body in less time and for less money? Check out Bloom to Fit’s brand new training program Jump Rope Ninja: Build a Better Body with a Jump Rope. All the details are here: http://www.bloomtofit.com/jump-rope-ninja

Click to Tweet:

You can also click here to tweet about this launch.

Or simply send an email telling someone about Jump Rope Ninja!

Anything would be immensely helpful and I thank you all for your incredible support.

Now I’m going to go catch up on some much needed sleep.

I hope to see you guys in the JRN Insider’s area!

Cheers!

And I wanted to make her something special.

Something delicious.

Every year for my birthday she makes me an incredible raw food birthday cake: no refined sugars, no flour, no baking required. Just raw, natural ingredients.

She knows me too well.

So this year I thought I’d return the favor and make her something a little bit extraordinary.

I put my Googling skills to use and dug up an incredible raw food blueberry cheesecake recipe. I grabbed the mighty food processor, put on some good tunes, and got to work.

Let me show you what I created.

Raw Food Blueberry Cheesecake

Searching for a good raw food recipe isn’t always easy. I was fortunate to come across this one over at RawFoodRecipes.com created by Nicole Axworthy. If you wish to see the original recipe, you can find it here.

This cake is made up of three parts: the base crust, the middle filling, and the crumb topping.

Let me hook you up with the ingredient list for each of those.

Ingredients for the Base Crust:

• Raw almonds (2 cups)
• Dates (1/2 cup)
• Shredded coconut (1/4 cup)
• Sea salt (1/4 tsp)

Ingredients for the Middle Filling:

• Cashews, soaked (3 cups)
• Fresh blueberries, rinsed (3 cups)
• Dates, soaked (15-20 dates)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Vanilla extract (or 1 tsp)
• Sea salt (1/4 tsp)
• Raw agave nectar (1/4 cup)
• Coconut oil, melted (1 tbsp)
• Lecithin granules (1 tbsp)

Ingredients for the Crumb Topping:

• Walnuts (1/2 cup)
• Dates (1/4 cup)
• Shredded coconut (1/4 cup)
• Oat groats (1/4 cup)
• Vanilla extract (1/8 tsp)
• Pinch of sea salt

What you’ll Need

Here’s what equipment you’ll need to make this raw food birthday cake:

• A solid food processor. This is an essential tool for making raw food desserts. Use one that has enough power to blast through the nuts and the dried fruits.
• A measuring cup. You’ll definitely need a good measuring cup to ensure you’re getting the right mix of ingredients.
• Spring form pan. You’ll need an either 8″ or 9″ diameter spring form pan to put your different layers in and to keep it intact before serving. If you don’t know what a spring form pan is, it’s this.

Preparation

This cake requires a bit of preparation. There are a few things you’ll need to do ahead of time  (either in the morning or the night before) before you start putting things together.

1 – Soak the cashews

Soaking cashews is necessary because it softens them up and makes them nice and creamy when blended. This is what you want to make the middle part of your cake soft and tasty. There are many different opinions on how long you should soak your cashews for. Some say longer is better while others say keep it short. After doing some investigating, I found that soaking your cashews for four hours is ideal. Anything over seven hours will turn them bitter.

You’ll need to set aside 4-5 hours for soaking, rinsing and letting your cashews dry.

2 – Soak your dates

You’ll need to soak your dates for the same reasons as the cashews – to make them nice and soft for your filling. This recipe calls for a one hour soaking session.

Putting things Together

Now that you have all your ingredients prepared and your equipment set, you’re ready to start putting things together.

We’re going to create one layer at a time, starting with the base crust.

Make the Base Crust:

1. Put your almonds in the food processor and process them until they turn into a fine meal;
2. Add the dates, the sea salt, and the shredded coconut and process everything until the mixture becomes sticky and pliable. It should stick together when pressed between your fingers;
3. Take the mixture out of the processor and put it in the spring form pan. Press it into the bottom of the pan with your hands and use a spoon or roller to smooth out the top;
4. Place the spring form pan into the freezer to firm up while you prepare the filling.

Make the Filling:

1. Throw your already-prepared cashews and dates into the processor and blend them together;
2. Add all your other filling ingredients except the coconut oil and lecithin granules (these will be added last). Process all the ingredients until you have a nice smooth texture;
3. Add the coconut oil and lecithin granules and blend everything again;
4. When your filling is ready, pour the mixture in the spring form pan (over top of the base crust) and use a spoon to even out the surface;
5. Place the spring form pan back into the freezer so the cake can continue to solidify.

Make the Crumb Topping:

1. Add your walnuts and dates into the food processor and pulse lightly to chop them up into tiny bits;
2. Add the rest of your ingredients and continue pulsing lightly to chop the mixture into crumbles;
3. Take the mixture and spread it out evenly over the filling in the spring form pan and press down gently to make sure it sits on top nicely.

Put the spring form pan into the freezer so it can solidify!

And you’re done!

Make sure that you take your raw food cake out of the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving to let it soften a bit; otherwise, it will be really tough to cut.

Voila!

Summary

There you have it!

A simple, yet delicious raw food birthday cake recipe that you can share with your friends and loved ones.

This raw food blueberry cheesecake took me a few hours to make, but it turned out way better than I thought it would. The texture was perfect and the taste was out of this world. (I just patted myself on the back)

Now it’s your turn!

Share any thoughts, suggestions, or comments you have about the ingredient list or the process in the comment section below.

Oh, and one last thing…

Happy birthday baby

What is one thing that’s holding you back from building a better body?

Think about that for a second.

If you’re like the majority of my readers who I presented this question to in my free newsletter, your answer is fairly predictable:

Lack of time.

Lack of time, it seems, is the greatest obstacle people face on their journey to a better body. We all want to make time for exercise and healthy eating. We know it’s important.

But, we still falter.

We’re way too busy, we claim.

We have jobs to go to. Careers to be successful in. Children to take care of. Businesses to run. Tests to study for. Parties to go to. Research papers to write. You name it.

We claim we don’t have the time, but today I want to show you why that’s a bunch of baloney (and baloney sucks!).

I want to show you why lack of time should never hold you back from achieving a better body.

Let’s begin.

It’s all in your head

The reality is that many of us think we don’t have time for exercise. We think we don’t have time to prepare a healthy meal. We think our schedules are way too full for things that would actually benefit our health.

But many of us have never actually tried to make these things fit.

We’ve told ourselves that there’s just no way.

And we believed it. We bought our own lies. We quit before we even started.

The mind is very powerful, my friend. Once we set it to believe something, it will do everything in its power to make sure we follow those beliefs, regardless of the outcome.

So if you’ve told yourself that there’s no time to invest in your health and fitness, then there will never be time. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You lose before you even start playing the game.

And that’s reality.

So change your mindset first. Change your perspective.

Before you can say that you don’t have time for exercise or time to prepare your own meals, try it first. Actually put in the effort and prove to yourself that it is possible to make time for what you know is important.

It’s easier and less time-consuming than you think

Whoever said that you need to spend hours in the kitchen preparing healthy meals or logging long hours in the gym to build a better body needs a firm slap across the side of the head.

Get those thoughts out of your head.

The fact is that you only need a little bit of strategic activity and a few simple changes to your diet to make solid improvements to your health and body.

If time is your limiting factor, get rid of your gym membership. Put together a simple home gym instead. The time you’ll save from not having to drive back and forth will cover the entire workout itself. Plus you’ll save money.

A workout doesn’t have to be long or complicated. Ten to thirty minutes of intense activity is more than enough to stimulate the muscles and the heart. Mix up some days of strength training with some days of stretching. Alternate between short, intense bursts of activity with long walks. Use simple tools to save you time and focus on efficient forms of training. A 10 minute jump rope session or a 20 minute kettlebell workout will give you more bang for your buck than a long, slow run. Even just sprinting for 10 minutes will provide you with a boatload of benefits.

When it comes to making nutrition choices, stay away from highly processed foods, sugary foods, fast foods, and all sugary drinks. Eliminating those from your diet will alone help you make incredible improvements. The best way to do this? Simply eliminate them from your environment. Don’t let them even be an option.

Learn how to cook a few simple, healthy meals and you’ll see how easy and quick it can really be.

You’re already spending your time doing something less important

Whether you want to admit it to yourself or not, it’s true.

If you don’t believe me, do a little analysis of how you spend your time. For the next two or three days, carry around a pen and paper (or use your smartphone) and track exactly – to the minute detail – how you spend your time. Write everything down from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed.

This will show you exactly what I’m talking about.

You’ll find things like the TV and computer sucking away huge chunks of time. You’ll find small things like reading the newspapers, playing around on your phone, playing video games or tinkering around the house really add up in time.

This will help you figure out where exactly you’re able to spare 10-30 minutes in the day.

A bit of investment for a huge return

Here’s the thing.

When you make your health and fitness a priority, your energy levels go up. Your body gets stronger. Your heart and lungs begin to work more efficiently. Your hormones return to their normal, balanced state. You begin to think more clearly. You can focus better. You can work without pain. Your immune system gets stronger and helps you fight off colds.

The list of benefits is endless and, collectively, they enable you to make better use of your time.

You suddenly become more productive at work. You can do your groceries with ease. All your tasks and errands become easy. And probably much more enjoyable.

By investing a little bit of time in your health and fitness, you end up saving an enormous amount of time in other areas of your life.

By making time for your health, you boost your longevity. You live longer.

You live better.

A strong, healthy, and fit body improves the quality of your life. It ensures you don’t lead a life plagued with sickness, pain, and constant bouts of stuffy noses, deep coughs, and achy joints.

A life that you’ll actually enjoy living.

Quick Summary

Listen.

I’m not trying to tell you that you’re not busy.

I know you are. We all are. We all have things to do, people to care for, and responsibilities to take care of. We’re all on the same boat.

All I’m trying to do is show you that there are always different ways to look at a situation. If you tell yourself you don’t have time, then you’ll never have time. If, however, you do some analysis of how you spend your time and put some effort into shifting around your schedule, you’ll quickly discover that there’s always a bit of a time slot to fit in the things that matter.

It all comes down to your perspective.

Don’t wait until your health is in jeopardy before you start making time for yourself. By then it might be too late.

Start today.

Because investing a little bit of time in your health and well being will go a long way in improving both the duration and quality of your life.

Your Task:

If you enjoyed this post or think others would benefit from reading it, please do me a small favor and share it with your networks. Help me spread my message. I would greatly appreciate it!

Now for your question…

What strategies are you using to conquer the lack of time obstacle? What has helped you find more time for exercise and meal preparation? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

I’m still rubbing my eyes in disbelief.

In 150 minutes of jumping rope spread across 30 days, we have collectively completed over one million jump rope revolutions!

One. Point. Three. Million. Jumps. (to be exact)

Deep breath taken.

As I allow everything to sink in, I can finally begin to not only comprehend, but also appreciate everything that has happened during the 30 day jump rope challenge.

I really couldn’t have expected the level of participation, camaraderie, and undying effort that people have put into these last 30 days.

This post is dedicated to the 246 participants that joined me in this challenge.

You guys are absolutely incredible.

Let’s look back.

The 30 Day Jump Rope Challenge

The 30 day jump rope challenge started on February 20, 2013.

The objective was simple: jump rope for 5 minutes every single day for 30 days straight and track your progress along the way. All the rules were outlined here.

As word got around, people started flocking to the challenge.

Soon enough, there were 246 participants from all across the world signed up and ready to get jumping.

The following graphs and numbers are a bit of a summary of what was accomplished over the last 30 days.

Total Jump Rope Revolutions by Day

The following graph outlines the total jump rope revolutions for every day of the challenge (according to the jump rope tracker).

Even though the goal of the challenge was to improve on our numbers, I think the downward slope was kind of expected. This is true for a number of reasons:

The excitement factor: Many joined the challenge out of sheer excitement to do something different. Something new and challenging. But as that excitement started to wear off, so did the motivation to continue on with the challenge. It’s the exact same thing that happens to most people’s new year’s resolutions.

Difficulty of counting: What most people quickly discovered during the challenge was that counting your jumps while jumping isn’t so easy. Some even questioned the entire point of it and decided to stop counting completely and just enjoy their jump rope sessions (meaning they weren’t accounted for on the tracker). And that’s perfectly fine! But I would like to explain my reasoning behind the counting:

There are three main reasons I decided to incorporate counting into this routine: 1) Counting equals intensity. There is a big difference between doing 100 jump rope revolutions in 5 minutes and doing 800 jump rope revolutions in 5 minutes. I wanted you to understand the difference and the only way to do that was to have you see for yourself. 2) Counting encourages improvement. As stated, my goal with this challenge was to have you improve your jump rope ability over the course of the 30 days. Counting would help you see your improvement. Remember that results drive results. 3) Improves focus and concentration. I wanted to make this challenge more than just a simple 5 minute jump session. What counting does is it forces you to develop the ability to focus and concentrate even during stressful moments. This, as I’m sure you’d agree, is something that can be useful in many areas of life.

Sickness, injury, and rest: Jumping rope can be very stressful on the feet, shins, calves, and legs in general (especially if you’re a beginner). Even though the objective was to perform your jump rope sessions daily, I wanted people to learn how to listen to their bodies. And many did. They took a day off when they needed to. They let their bodies recuperate when they needed to. Remember that I wanted you to fight through those days that you didn’t want to jump rope, not the days you physically couldn’t. 

Lack of tracking. Unfortunately, the tracking system I created wasn’t the greatest (but it was the best solution I could find at the time) and it discouraged some people from adding their numbers to the tracker.

Note: if you know of a better system for tracking a challenge like this, please drop a line in the comment section below and let me know. Or feel free to contact me. Thanks!

With all that being said, together we still managed to complete 1,317,889 jump rope revolutions.

Which, I might add,  is mighty impressive.

The thing, however, that impressed me most about this challenge was the level of support that went around. People were constantly cheering each other on and leaving very kind and supportive comments on the tracker. We were all pushing each other to hit new personal bests and helping each other get through tough days.

This was really cool to be a part of!

Words from the Participants

The following are some of the stories shared by participants throughout the challenge across multiple platforms.

Note: thank you so much for sharing your stories!

First off I would like to say, I loved this challenge! The benefits I have received were countless. I have increased my stamina, endurance, strength and overall technique. At the beginning of this challenge I didn’t know how to skip and I know I have came such a long way.

The hardest part had to be not knowing how to skip. It was hard to develop right technique to allow myself to skip continuously. It wasn’t until halfway through the challenge I could continuously skip with barely any mistakes. I am in school and have a part-time job and learning is my passion. It was fantastic to learn something from skipping. The main thing I could take from this challenge is that I am stronger than I ever will believe I am. Each day I tried to improve from the previous days and it was difficult at times. It sometimes felt like I was only skipping for a minute even though I actually had 10 seconds left to reach the final amount of reps.

Skipping was one thing I looked forward to everyday and the days I couldn’t complete the challenge were huge disappointments on my part. It felt like I was giving up even though I knew I couldn’t complete the challenge. Since I loved skipping 5 minutes everyday I’m going to continue the challenge until New Year.

~Erna

I have never had much muscle definition in my calves because I’ve never been consistent with developing it through exercise, but now it is unmistakably there.  “Tone your calves in just 5 minutes a day” sounds too good to be true… but that’s what happened to me in the last 30 days. I can feel and see new muscle and I LOVE it.

~Mary

I didn’t have a tracker on my jump rope. So I can’t tell how many times I jumped. I just jumped

The first thing I did on morning was jumping with rope. I put my spotify on and set timer to alarm and started to jump. After jumping I continued with kettlebell excercise about 10 or 15 minutes. After every time I felt being alive. Shower felt so much better than in normal situations on morning. I felt myself really fresh and awaken, when I started my work. And like you know, it didn’t even took much of my time. I developed my jumping. I became quicker and I standed more per each time. It felt like running what I haven’t done regulary for a long time.

I have lost lot of my weight. From 104,5kg to 93,8kg. One big reason was jumprope and kettlebell. During 9 weeks 10 kilos. About 27 pounds

~Pauli

It was so much fun being a part of this challenge with so many people from different countries. And the support we gave to each other was something I didn’t expect. A week into the challenge, I caught a terrible viral fever and had to take a long break from jumping (about a week). But after I recovered, I got back into it and made it to the end.

Some of the daily challenges were not having enough time or energy to do the jump cause some days I have kettlebell training and other strength training that I participate in after a long day at work. But I still manage to do my 5 mins most days and when I just didn’t feel like it, I took rest days.

All in all, it was a great experience and I will definitely continue to incorporate jump rope routines in my weekly workouts. A few sets of 5 mins is better than none!

~Natalie

I enjoyed the jump rope challenge. The hardest part for me was not being able to jump during daylight and having to jump until late at night. It was fun over all. The locals in the bars on the boardwalk did give me funny looks especially when it was real cold. Jumping on those cold nights did warm me up quick. I plan to continue jumping and incorporate it in my interval body weight training when the ocean is flat and no surf. Thanks to the different people that gave me the encouraging words. I really appreciated them

~Bobo

First off, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed this challenge. My jump roping skills have definitely increased over this month. I will do my best to keep jumping five minutes a day as long as I can. What I loved about the challenge was that I knew I needed to jump just five minutes a day, and I had a good attitude about it. I used to jump rope as a kid in school, and now that I do CrossFit jump roping is a big part of it. Your challenge fell at a perfect time. I know that I have gotten better at jump roping. Yesterday, I set three PR’s: 514 singles in a row, 21 double unders, and I jumped the most I have ever done in five minutes. I still have today though! The most difficult part were the double unders. I am slowly getting better, but I know I will get better with time. The best part is getting better at double unders and practicing the different moves while jumping.

~Chris

I was one of the participant in the 30 days skipping rope challenge and it was very nice of you that you started it. I surprised myself as I completed the challenge successfully and without skipping any single day of the challenge. It was fantastic and I have reduced weight by 1 KG at least

~Harshad

First of all I would like to thank for putting up this challenge. It was really a fantastic challenge. I had never been able to follow any physical exercise routine continuously for 30 days.

First it took a lot of motivation for me to get through this. Also it was ages since I had used jump rope (6 years to be precise). I wanted to do this. So started off slowly. First week was full of frustration.. lot of breaks due to rope tangling with the legs.. mind body coordination .. sore legs / calf muscles.. It was one of the most challenging week of my life .. in workout.. Second week was lil more better.. den went down with cold / cough.. Had to start all over again. But this time around wanted to push through… glad that I did.. But had to overcome one more stumble.. I met with an accident.. By god’s grace.. Nothing was too serious..had only hurt my knees..I am very happy now that I took up this challenge. went through with it.. & will continue ..

~Kiran

From the comments:

pheonix1754 says:

This challenge has not only been a good addition to my new years resolution to get/stay in shape, but it is so wonderful to see the number of good words of happiness, help, and inspiration that’s given. Bless you all,and let’s keep up the good work.

Sarah says:

Felt good to have a weekend free of jump rope but now I’m back to looking for opportunities to incorporate this into my daily workouts. I’ve been working out / living healthier since 2006 and this challenge has brought on some of the best results that I’ve seen for conditioning and toning my legs – and in just 30 days!

Plinio says:

Man i just can say that it was amazing how we can evolve in such a short if we commit ourselves to achieve a goal! It’s also amazing to see the number of people around the world who joinned us and helped us along the way we good vibes and thoughts! I can’t wait to join you guys on another challenge!

From Social Media:

The Winners

Alright, let’s get into what most of the participants have been waiting for. It’s time to announce the winners of the 30 day jump rope challenge.

Before I do so, I’d just like to give a big shout out to the participants who managed to complete every single day of the challenge. If you took part in the challenge, you know how difficult this was to do. These guys really put in some extra effort to complete every single day. And I think they deserve some recognition.

Congratulations to the following participants for fully completing the challenge:

• Angela Lao
• Aussie Jadon
• Dave Turnbull
• Ed Thomas
• Erin Dickey
• Filipe Karam
• Harshad Riswadkar
• Jenn Chen
• Jim Cogill
• Kayla Lowber
• Kelly Arsenault
• Kelvin Wong
• Lee Man
• Mark Lietzau
• Mary De Biasio
• Rachel Shaw
• Sarah Cogill
• Simone Van Iderstine
• Steve Lietzau
• Tina Steedman

You guys did an incredible job!

Now, for the winners…

If you recall, I mentioned that there were three things you had to do to qualify for the prizes: 1) you had to participate (obviously), 2) you had to track your progress on the tracker, and 3) you had to keep us posted with your personal challenges.

The winners were selected based on personal improvements (according to the tracker) and level of participation (on the tracker and via social media).

So, without further ado, the winners are as follows:

First Place – Mary De Biasio

Mary consistently hit high numbers every single day and I was happy to see her reach her goal of 1,000 revolutions in 5 minutes. Mary posted a pretty cool video of herself jumping rope on the Bloom to Fit FB page. She was also very supportive on the tracker. Congratulations Mary!

Your prize: CrossRope Complete Set + a free copy of my new jump rope training program.

Again, a huge thank you to Dave Hunt from CrossRope for putting up this incredible prize. 

Second Place – Jenn Chen

Jenn was a warrior. She battled through a week of sickness and still managed to get her jumps in. She showed tremendous improvement in her numbers and was one of the most supportive and encouraging participants on the tracker and on Facebook. She even got her little boy to join in on the challenge . Congratulations Jenn!

Your prize: a free copy of my new jump rope training program.

Third Place - Harshad Riswadkar

Harshad showed the most improvement over the course of the 30 days, managing to more than double his number of revolutions by the end of the challenge. The graph below shows it all. Congratulations Harshad!

Your prize: a free copy of my new jump rope training program.

Winners, please send me an email so I can hook you up with your prizes!

Final Words

Once more, I just want to send a huge thanks to all the people who participated in this challenge. You all did an incredible job and I’m really proud of all of you.

My hope is that you were able to take away something positive from this challenge.

The goal here was to show you that you can do anything you set your mind to.

You’re capable of way more than you think.

This challenge was about more than just jumping rope every day. It was about challenging yourself every single day. It was about pushing yourself to improve every single day. It was about putting you in situations that forced you to fight your demons and find ways to get things done.

I wanted to show you that most challenges you face in life are more mental than physical. Truly, you’re only one mindset shift away from being able to accomplish all your goals and dreams.

I hope that you will use the lessons you’ve learned in this challenge to become the strongest version of yourself possible.

See you all at the next challenge!

Cheers!

Your Task:

I have a quick task for you. If you participated in the challenge, share your experience in the comment section below. If you have ideas for future challenges, let me know what they are! If you have ideas on how I can make these challenges better, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

The kettlebell.

I still remember the day we met.

It was completely by accident. I just happened to find myself in a random corner of the gym where, out of the corner of my eye, I saw you being used by another man.

He knew what he was doing. He was swinging you with such grace and elegance. His movements seemed so natural. Like the flow of water.

And, like always, my curiosity got the best of me.

Since that first day I laid eyes on this unique yet exquisitely designed hunk of metal, it has been my number one weapon in my fitness arsenal. It has completely changed the way I train and the way I approach my journey to a better body.

Maybe you haven’t heard much about.

Perhaps its lack of sex appeal and exposure to the public eye hasn’t made the kettlebell the most popular tool in town. Unfortunately, many are often left stranded in the corner of the gym collecting dust.

Makes me want to shed a tear.

But the kettlebell has stood the test of time. It has been around for centuries. And the problem isn’t in the lack of effectiveness. Nooo way! As you’ll soon discover, this is one of the most effective and efficient training tools on the planet.

The problem is in the lack of awareness and understanding of what this tool can do for your body.

Introducing the kettlebell training manifesto: a beginner’s guide to kettlebell training. In this guide, I will show you everything you need to know in order to get started with kettlebell training.

And hopefully, with a better understanding of what this tool is capable of, you’ll jump on board with me.

Let’s get started.

Brief History of the Kettlebell

The history of the kettlebell – or Girya (in Russian) – spans back more than 300 years. It dates all the way back to 1704 when its mention was first recorded in a Russian dictionary.

The kettlebell first made its appearance in Russia where it was used as a counter balance tool to accurately measure rations of food. This is how the standard weights originated (measured in poods).

But the unique tools quickly became a matter of national pride in Russia.

Gireviks – men who handled kettlebells – would display incredible performances of strength, coordination, and endurance during social gatherings as a form of entertainment.

In Russia, kettlebells are a matter of national pride and a symbol of strength. In the olden days, any strongman or weightlifter was referred to as a girevik, or a “kettlebell man.” Steeled by their kettlebells, generation after generation of Russian boys has turned to men. - [Enter the Kettlebell!]

The effectiveness of the tool was undeniable and it quickly made its appearance in the Russian military and law enforcement teams.

The Red Army and the kettlebell are insparable. Every Russian military unit has a gym called “the courage corner.” Every courage corner is equipped with kettlebells. While other countries waste time testing their troopers with push-ups, Russia tests repetition kettlebell snatches with a 53-pound kettlebell. Law enforcement tactical teams – even the Russian federal tax police, who are handier with firearms than with calculators – also make kettlebells their strength training tool of choice. – [Enter the Kettlebell!]

As popular as the kettlebell was in Russia, it never made the same dent in the fitness industry in America.

Its popularity started to rise at the dawn of the 21st century when Pavel Tstatsouline and his team brought their Russian secrets over to America and started spreading word of the kettlebell’s incredible power.

Today, most people know of kettlebells, but have very little understanding of how they work.

They have no clue of the power that lies within that hunk of metal.

Benefits of Kettlebell Training

Unlike many of the come-and-go fitness products of today, there’s a reason kettlebells have stood the test of time. Training with this powerfull fitness tool has long been known to provide a hefty list of benefits.

Here are some of the things kettlebells can do for you:

• Improve your cardiovascular fitness and build great work capacity,
• Stimulate your nervous system with explosive movements,
• Improve functional strength for everyday life and athletic performance,
• Improve your balance, coordination, and mental focus,
• Improve flexibility,
• Teach your body how to work as a unit (not in isolation),
• Develop exceptional mental toughness,
• Develop dense, intelligent muscle,
• Incredible fat loss potential due to high metabolic nature of training,
• Develop incredible grip strength,
• Build a rock-solid posterior chain,
• Improve your overall core strength,
• Effective rehabilitating tool,
• Improve strength of connective tissues,
• Improve workout efficiency (more benefits in less time),
• Allow you train anywhere and everywhere while saving you money.

Kettlebell Safety

The kettlebell is a unique fitness tool.

As you’ll soon discover, your body reacts to the kettlebell very differently than it does with a dumbbell or barbell. The dynamic nature of the tool means there is a lot of momentum involved.

And when you have a heavy piece of metal moving at fast speeds, safety is a concern.

I see a lot of people start using the kettlebell without fully understanding the dynamic nature of the activity. They jump into more advanced exercises instead of first focusing on the basics.

Before you ever pick up your first kettlebell, there are some simple safety rules you need to follow:

1. Start off slowly. The idea is to build up your training load gradually. Don’t start your first day of kettlebell training by attempting a hundred kettlebell swings. Be smart. Progress at your own pace.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. Make sure your workout area is clear and there are no tripping hazards.
3. Never try to save the kettlebell. There will be times when the kettlebell gets away from you. Never try to save it. Always let it go. Let it fall to the ground and move away from it.
4. Wear appropriate shoes. You’ll want to do your kettlebell training in shoes that don’t have an excessive heel raise. Minimal shoes like the Vibrams or simple Chuck Taylors work great.
5. Master the hip hinge first. The hip hinge is the essential movement pattern behind nearly every single explosive kettlebell movement. Check out The Hip Hinge: How to Master this Primal Movement Pattern to learn how to do it properly.
6. Develop and use proper technique. Don’t go full intensity on exercises until you fully master the technique.
7. Focus at all times. Working with kettlebells requires focus from the moment you pick it up off the floor to the moment you set it down. Don’t focus on good technique and then sloppily set it to the ground. This is where you’ll get hurt.
8. Listen to your body. This applies to every form of training. Listen to your body’s signs of pain and progress accordingly.

If you follow these rules, you’ll find the kettlebell to be a very safe and extremely effective training tool.

Important note: beginners should be aware that kettlebell training creates more muscle soreness than one is typically used to with other forms of training. Be prepared to feel soreness in areas like your lower back, hamstrings, adductors, hands, forearms, tendons in the elbow, and traps. As you progress with your kettlebell training, you can expect a bit of forearm bruising as well (wrist sweat bands are recommended). Just make sure the soreness is strictly muscular and that there is no pain in the joints or bones.

Design of the Kettlebell

As you’ve probably noticed, the kettlebell has a unique shape to it. It’s essentially resembles a big cannonball with a handle on the top.

Here are the four parts that make up the kettlebell:

The unique shape of the kettlebell is actually a big part of its effectiveness.

There is a big difference between holding a kettlebell and holding a dumbbell. When you hold a dumbbell, the centre of mass is in the middle of your hand. When you hold a kettlebell, the center of mass falls outside of the hand.

This is a important. It’s what makes the kettlebell so dynamic..

Holding a kettlebell causes the lever/moment arm (your arm and the kettlebell it holds) to extend. This creates a greater moment of force and also a greater moment of inertia. Essentially, this facilitates ballistic and swinging movements that you’ll need to learn how to handle effectively.

What you’ll soon discover is that the movement patterns you learn with kettlebells have a very impactful carry over to not only sports, but to everyday life as well.

Types of Kettlebells

There are different styles and types of kettlebells, but they all fall under two main kettlebell categories:

• Professional Grade Steel Kettlebells
• Standard Grade Cast Iron Kettlebells

It helps to know the difference between the two.

The obvious difference is the raw material used to make the kettlebell. Professional grade kettlebells are made from steel while standard grade ones are made of cast iron.

But there is another more important difference: size and dimension of the kettlebell.

Cast iron kettlebells, for instance, can vary drastically in size as the weight changes. As you would expect, a 16kg kettlebell is much smaller than a 48kg kettlebell.

Professional grade KBs, on the other hand, are always the same size, regardless of the weight. The dimensions of the ball and the handles do not change. So a 16kg kettlebell will look exactly the same as a 24kg (except for the colour).

Which style of kettlebell you choose really comes down to your goals and preferences. If your objective is to participate in girevoy sport (kettlebell competition), then it might be wise to get a steel grade kettlebell because you’ll want to stick to the same weight to be consistent with your technique (just like you’d want to play with the same size of basketball every time you play hoops).

If you’re using the kettlebell to improve your fitness, then a cast iron kettlebell will do you just fine. Most people stick to the same size kettlebell for years before even thinking about switching.

Getting a good quality kettlebell can be a little tricky as it’s not really considered a mainstream tool (yet). General fitness stores might carry them, but most likely at ridiculously marked up prices.

Your best bet is make some calls to sports stores around town and see if they carry any. I’ve had luck with places like Fitness Depot and Play it Again Sports here in Canada.

If you can’t find anything local, then your other option is to order them online. Here are your best options:

If you’re looking for a good cast iron kettlebell, check these out.

If you’re looking for a good professional grade steel kettlebell, check these out.

How do you pick the right kettlebell for yourself?

Generally speaking, most men should begin with a 16kg kettlebell while most women should start off with a 8kg or 12 kg weight.

Your starting weight will mostly depend on your current level of fitness and also the type of kettlebell exercises you will be performing (I’ll explain later).

Here is a simple summary to help you choose the right weight:

Basic Kettlebell Grips

Once you’ve got your kettlebell, it’s important to know how to hold it.

The rather funky shape of the kettlebell offers a variety of grips.

What you’ll discover is that the way you grip the kettlebell will change from exercise to exercise. I recommend getting familiar (and comfortable) with the following kettlebell grips:

Catcher’s Grip

This is a simple grip that you can use for exercises like shoulder presses, push presses, squats, and other variations. Simply form a W with your hands, place your thumbs right in between the horns, and wrap your hands around the ball. Keep your elbows in tight when you hold the kettlebell in catcher’s grip.

Horn (Goblet) Grip

The horn grip, also known as the goblet grip, engages the forearms to a greater degree and is useful for exercises like squats, lunges, and other variations. Grab the kettlebell by the horns and bring it up. Again, keep your elbows tucked in tight and focus on keeping your wrists straight.

Modified Waiter’s Grip

The modified waiter’s grip requires stabilization in the wrist and the shoulder. It is great for exercises like shoulder presses, lunges, and squats. Tuck your thumb in tight around the horn and have the handle face the inside of your body. Again, keep your elbow in tight and make sure the wrist isn’t overly extended.

Bottoms-up Grip

This is a more advanced grip that engages the forearms extensively. You’ll want to grip the kettlebell tightly by the handle and bring it up, balancing the ball above your hand. From here, you can do holds, presses, hammer curls, squats, and other variations.

Thumb side/Pinky side (“OK”) Grip

These are two of the most popular grips you’ll encounter, especially the Thumb Side grip which is used for most of the traditional kettlebell exercises. The Pinky Side grip is is used in exercises that require you to pass the kettlebell quickly from one hand to the other (Around the Body series, for example). Make sure you grab the kettlebell where the horn meets the handle (right on that corner).

The Kettlebell Rack

The rack is one of the most essential components of kettlebell training. Learning how to properly rack a kettlebell will open the doors for a wide array of kettlebell exercises (as you’ll soon see in the video). You’ll want your elbow in tight against your abdominals with the kettlebell resting on the bottom part of your palm. Keep your wrist straight and everything nice and tight.

Kettlebell Exercises

I love kettlebells because they give you freedom to be creative with your exercises and your workouts.

There are two types of kettlebell exercises:

• Traditional kettlebell exercises
• Non-traditional kettlebell exercises

Traditional kettlebell exercises are those that originated from girevoy sport and are still used in competition today. These include the snatch, jerk, and long-cycle clean & jerk.

But there are a number of other exercises that I think, although not used in competition, still fall under the traditional exercise umbrella because they’re known to be done with a kettlebell only. These include the ever-popular kettlebell swing (and all its progressions and regressions), the clean, and the Turkish get-up.

Non-traditional kettlebell exercises are exercises that are typically done with dumbells and barbells, but can also be done with a kettlebell. Instead of listing them all off, take a second to watch this video I created where I showcase 69 kettlebell exercises:

When getting started…
If you’re just getting started with kettlebell training, your first step should be to develop good grip strength. Without good grip strength, you’re limited with what you can do.

To do this, focus solely on the Around the Body Series and Around the Head Series as shown in the video above. Progress to the Deadlift Series and eventually work your way up to the Swing Series. Progress at your own pace and don’t try to do anything you’re not comfortable with.

Kettlebell Workouts

Kettlebells will not only allow you to be creative with your workouts, but also extremely efficient.

Since I know many of you are often strapped for time, kettlebells can give you the freedom and power to create short yet very intense workouts. Within 20 minutes you can get your heart rate up and muscles firing.

There are a number of ways you can incorporate kettlebells into your workouts:

• Circuit training: kettlebell exercises can be mixed into circuits, or exercise sequences. You can choose 4-5 kettlebell exercises and put them in a circuit. Or you can mix your kettlebell exercises with bodyweight exercises, jump rope exercises, or cardio exercises to build a variety of workouts. The possibilities are endless.
• Reps for time: performing as many repetitions (with good form) as you can in a short, limited time span is the structure that’s used in most competitive kettlebell events. This kind of training is tough but it improves your work capacity like nothing else. Simply choose one exercise and set a short time (like 5-10 minutes) and see how many proper repetitions you can crank out in that time. Keep writing your numbers down and get a puke bucket ready.
• HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training): HIIT is a very popular form of training because of its metabolic effects. Choose a kettlebell exercise (for example, the kettlebell swing) and set up your intervals, say 30 seconds of swings and 30 seconds of rest (a modest 1:1 high-intensity to low-intensity ratio). Now alternate between the two for a set period of time, like 5 minutes and perform this sequence a few times. Again, get that puke bucket ready.
• Ladder format: This is a strength training strategy outlined in Enter the Kettlebell!. You start the ladder with one rep, then take a very short rest. Move to two reps and take another short rest. Three reps; another short rest. Move your way up to whatever number you want. This works great with single-armed exercises like the clean & press, snatch, or jerk, but you can use it for any kettlebell exercise you want. If you want to make it even more challenging, once you reach your final rep, go backwards (down the ladder) until you reach one rep again.
• As a warm-up: This isn’t necessarily a workout structure, but I thought it would be useful to point out that the kettlebell can be used as an effective warm-up tool, particularly on days that involve a lot of pulling movements. Exercises from the Around the Body and Around the Head series work great for this.

The kettlebell training programs below can give you more insight into the kind of workouts and training programs you can take advantage of.

Kettlebell Training Programs

The following kettlebell training programs and resources will help you take your kettlebell training to the next level. Click on the learn more links (affiliate) to get more details on each of the training programs.

Enter the Kettlebell!. Widely considered as the bible of kettlebell training, this guide is a must-have if you truly want to master the art of kettlebells. In over 200 pages of detailed exercises and workouts, the world renowned Pavel Tsatsouline shows you how to build incredible strength, endurance, and power with the kettlebell. [Learn more]

Kettlebell Burn 2.0: The Ultimate Kettlebell Fat Burning Program. This program, designed by RKC instructor Geoff Neupert, is strategically designed to help you achieve maximum fat loss with the kettlebell. If you need a structured program to follow for effective fat loss, you might find this useful. [Learn more]

Kettlebell Training Secrets. If you’re unsure how to structure your workouts or if you’re always looking for unique and effective kettlebell workouts to try, you might find this useful. RKC Geoff Neupert has a special little insider’s club where he regularly shares awesome workouts, nutritional guides, exercise descriptions, and all sorts of other useful information that can help take your kettlebell training to the next level. [Learn more]

Summary

The kettlebell should no longer be a mystery to you.

Now that you have the basic understanding of kettlebells, how they work, and what one can do with them, there’s only one thing left to do.

Take action.

Start playing around with the kettlebells at your gym or get your own. Get a feel for them. Try the basic kettlebell exercises and slowly progress as your strength and conditioning improves and as you feel more comfortable.

Remember your safety rules at all times and, if possible, try to find a qualified kettlebell instructor in your area that can give you instruction and feedback to ensure you’re on the right track.

It’s your turn to take advantage of the most powerful fitness tool on the planet!

Your Task…

I have two things I’d like you to do quickly:

First, if you found this kettlebell training manifesto useful or you think it can be of use to others, please show some love and share it for me. I would be forever grateful!

Second, I want you to leave a comment below telling me about your experience with the kettlebell. If you’ve never used it, tell me what’s been holding you back. Feel free to ask any questions!

We were really flexible, like nature intended us to be.

But things changed over time.

Our flexibility kind of got left behind.

As we grew older, some of us began to lose our natural ability to contort. Partly due to age. Partly due to toxic lifestyle factors.

And our inability to execute these basic – err primal – movement patterns has opened us up to a wide array of potential problems.

Problems we are to avoid if our goal is to build a better body.

So today I want to talk about one specific primal movement pattern.

The hip hinge. 

Let’s first start by understanding what exactly a primal movement pattern is…

A primal movement is one that we are physiologically designed to be able to execute with ease.

It’s a movement that is efficient. Raw in nature. Effortless.

A primal movement requires excellent mobility of the joints and great flexibility of the muscles surrounding those joints.

However…

Due to the toxicity of our environment and the steady stream of sedentary lifestyle factors, we have slowly lost our ability to execute these basic movement patterns. We’ve become tight all over and our bodies have turned from fluid beings into stiff boards.

And this is a pretty big problem. One that, if left unfixed, can lead to all sorts of injuries.

The Hip Hinge

The hip hinge is an essential primal movement pattern.

It’s a movement pattern that is necessary for many popular exercises like the deadlift and goodmornings. It is also the fundamental movement pattern that drives nearly all Olympic lifts and kettlebell exercises.

The hip hinge requires excellent mobility in the hip joint and good flexibility in the muscles that make up your hip flexors and hip extensors.

Unfortunately, many of us have lost both the mobility and flexibility that is required to pull off this primal movement. We’ve lost the flexibility in our hamstrings, our glutes, and our hip flexors that we once had.

If you work a desk job or are a student, you more than likely sit for long periods at a time. Extensive sitting has resulted in shortened hip flexors, weak hamstrings and glutes, and poor postural habits.

To further the problem, poor isolation-style training strategies have helped perpetuate the imbalances in the body and general lack of activity has also played its part.

What I’ve found is that many people like to jump into kettlebell training or deadlifting without first learning how to properly do the hip hinge. If you can’t hinge at the hips properly, then you’ll often compensate by rounding your back, which can set you up for some serious injuries. This is why I always recommend people learn how to perform a proper hip hinge before jumping head first into these dynamic styles of training.

So let’s begin with the movement itself.

How do you execute the hip hinge correctly?

How to Execute a Hip Hinge

The hip hinge is a simple movement.

Begin by standing tall and straight, your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly facing out. Keep your chest up, shoulder blades retracted, and head up and facing forward.

I like to use my hands to initiate the movement.

With your palms facing up, gently press on the crease of your hip flexors and allow your hips to fall back.

All of your weight should be on your heels. 

Your knees will bend very slightly; nothing too excessive. Keep them steady as you focus on moving those hips backwards in a horizontal line. Focus on pushing your butt back as far as you can while maintaining a neutral spine.

Maintain these mechanics throughout the entire movement and bring your chest down as low as it will go (almost horizontal). Avoid rounding your back at any point.

Here’s a little video I created that shows what a proper hip hinge looks like.

As you go through the movement, you’ll quickly realize if you have any inefficiencies or imbalances around the hip area.

For instance, tight hamstrings and glutes will prevent you from sitting back fully. Tight hip flexors will make it difficult to keep your chest up throughout the movement and will force you to round your back.

Improve your Hip Hinge

Being able to identify your problem areas is very important.

Once you do identify them, you can use a number of drills and stretches to reverse these effects and regain your ability to execute this movement pattern.

Hip hinge against the wall

As outlined in the video above, this is an excellent drill to help you progressively increase your range of motion in the hips.

Stand a few inches away from a wall, facing away from it. Initiate the hip hinge with your hands by pressing at the crease of the hip flexors and push your butt back until it touches the wall.

Perform this drill in sets of 15 to 20.

Once you feel comfortable with that range of motion, step a little further away from the wall. Once again, initiate the movement with your hands and push your butt back until it touches the ground.

Ensure you are using proper hip hinge mechanics and continue progressing further away from the wall until you no longer need it.

Hip flexor, hamstring, and glute stretches

If you are unable to bring your chest down low, you more than likely have tight hamstrings or glutes (or a combination of the two). If you find that you are rounding your back a lot, it might be because you have tight hip flexors.

You need to stretch these areas regularly.

Commit yourself to daily stretching routine to improve your flexibility in these areas.

You can find some useful static stretches here.

Fight the effects of sitting

I’ve talked a lot about the debilitating effects of prolonged sitting.

On average, we spend anywhere from nine to 15 hours in a seated position, which wreaks havoc on our posterior chain. It causes our hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes, and lower back to get tight.

And this makes the hip hinge very difficult to execute.

It’s hard to fight these effects with just a single hour of (effective) training.

This is why, if you sit a lot, I recommend you incorporate micro-breaks into your daily routine. Get off your chair often. Move around. Engage your posterior chain as much as you can throughout the day. Incorporate some stretches.

Do whatever it takes to bring some life back into the body after a long period of sitting.

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Your ability (or inability) to perform a hip hinge says a lot about your health and your physiology.

If you are unable to execute this primal movement pattern with ease, use the drills and exercises listed to regain that necessary flexibility and range of motion. Stay away from kettlebells or barbells if you struggle with the basic movement.

Learning how to hinge at the hips properly and efficiently will minimize your potential for injury and will improve your performance both in the gym and in life.

Questions and comments are welcome in the comment section below.

If you think this post might be of value to someone, please do me a favor and share it. It’s important that we all know how to execute the hip hinge properly!