Fundamental Strength, LLC

WE HAVE MOVED

2013-03-29T15:52:00.002-06:00

Please check our NEW website

www.fundamentalstrengthllc.com

Josh Hillis' Stubborn Fat Loss Workshop

2013-01-21T16:29:00.001-07:00

Northern Colorado Kettlebell

Presents

Josh Hillis' Stubborn Fat Loss Workshop

Saturday February 16, 2013 at 12:30 PM

In this fun and interactive workshop, Josh will help you co-create a plan to have fat loss nutrition WORK IN YOUR LIFE!

Josh will cover all of the foundational stuff like what's effective and how it works. The focus is really going to be on getting past the roadblocks in your day to day life that makes fat loss harder than it should be. We're going to set you up to win at fat loss and get awesome results every week.

This workshop is 90 minutes of fun, awesomeness, and effective fat loss tricks. Similar workshops are priced at $99 and more, but Josh is bringing this to NCK for a special introductory price of $25!

In this Level 1 workshop you will learn:

What to eat
How to make healthy eating work in real life
How to make adjustments based on your results
How to create a plan for next month
How to navigate through busy times

What is NCK?

2012-12-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

I am often asked about the type of training we do at NCK. My answer is quite simple. Our goal is to get you stronger and move better. Based on the title of this web page you can probably guess what our primary tool for accomplishing this goal is. Hopefully you said the kettlebell. But...this is not the only tool we use. At NCK we primarily use the kettlebell but we also spend a lot of time with barbells, pull-ups and other body weight exercises.

At NCK you can expect to focus on 4 basic movement patterns to improve strength.

The Hip Hinge. The hip hinge is typically the first movement pattern taught. A hinging pattern includes skills such as the kettlebell deadlift, kettlebell swing and barbell deadlift. In order to move on to more advanced skills such as the snatch and clean a student must become proficient with the hinge.
The Squat. The squat is exactly what it sounds like. We start by teaching a very simple goblet squat using the kettlebell. Once the squat pattern is efficient students move up to single arm front squats and double front squats.
The Press (or Push). The press includes skills such as the floor press, bench press, push-up and overhead press. Each student begins with a kettlebell floor press and progresses into an overhead press when ready.
The Pull. At NCK we LOVE the pull-up. Our goal is for every student to be able to perform a solid dead hang pull up. With a series of simple progressions many of our students have found this to be a reality.

     Each student gets a very simple Functional Movement Screen (FMS) once they become a full time member. The FMS screen is one of many tools out there to find movement dysfunction. Once an individual has been screened they are issued a full corrective package. These correctives are often used on a daily basis from home. They have also become a very individualized warm up prior to each workout. The goal of the FMS is to determine a good baseline for each student to determine movement progress.

     Our program is designed to meet the needs of the individual as well as a group. The goal of NCK is to improve a person and NEVER get them hurt. With that in mind students will progress through skills at different rates. Often times an individuals FMS score will determine how far they will progress through certain movement patterns. For example an individual with a poor squat pattern will not move past the goblet squat (or sometimes a simpler variation) until they improve their score. The same would apply to an individual hoping to work overhead pressing but does not have the shoulder mobility to do so.

    The results at NCK seem to speak for themselves....

Holiday Special Offer!

2012-11-19T14:27:00.002-07:00

From ALL of us at Northern Colorado Kettlebell

Now is the perfect time to get a jump on your New Years Resolution!

First 3 months for only $150 with a 1 year commitment
First month for $60 with a 3 month commitment

You will work hard here....

So you look great here!

*** Offers not valid with any other deals

Holy Stuborn Fat Loss!!!

2012-11-08T15:04:00.006-07:00

ATTENTION: You are about to be given full control of your fat loss!

November 24, 2012 -

Fat Loss Specialist Josh Hillis will be presenting his one of kind workshop.

Find out what key elements you are missing in your diet and why you could be struggling to succeed!
Learn what you need to lose bodyfat and get lean!
Learn why fad diets don't work.
How quality of food can make a major difference in your success.

Understand how combining a solid eating program with a good fitness routine can finally lead you to the beach body you have been waiting for!

Sign Up Here!!

This is a 1 time deal of only $25

It's time to make a commitment!

2012-10-24T09:47:00.001-06:00

Are you ready to make a commitment to yourself?

Over the past month I have held many conversations with a lot of people about training. I found that many of them had very similar comments.

"I was doing so well earlier in the year but have let my strength and fitness go over the past few months."

When I ask what happened the answers are still the same...

"Life has simply gotten to busy with kids, family and work. I just can't seem to find time to workout."

It's time to change all that. At NCK we have recognized that many of you are unable to join us for evening class. For that reason alone we will be adding morning conditioning class starting November 5. Class will be offered every Monday and Wednesday morning from 6am to 7am.

I am challenging each of you right now! Make a change. Give us 3 months of solid commitment. If after that time you can honestly tell me you are not stronger and your fitness has not improved...I will set you free of any contract obligations.

Call today and receive your first 3 months for only $120. After 3 months you will be given the option to walk away or continue your 1 year contract at only $65 per month.

NEW MORNING KETTLEBELL CONDITIONING CLASS

2012-10-06T08:59:00.003-06:00

Are you looking to kick start your day with high energy conditioning class?
Are your days and evenings so busy you can't find time to workout?
Do you need a change from your daily routine?

Starting in November we will be offering a new 6 am kettlebell conditioning class! Join us for this 1 hour group class that includes kettlebells, mobility drills, battle ropes and more. Perfect for all fitness levels.

Times: Mon / Wed at 6am

Rates: $49 monthly membership (Includes ALL evening and weekends)

For more information and to register please call Aaron at

(970)219-2011

Hydration

2012-10-05T14:07:00.001-06:00

I am not about to tell you now much water or fluids you should be drinking in a day. Mostly because that's not what I do! I know that drinkning is important, the same as eating healthly. I know that most of us don't drink enough...myself included.
With 5 weeks out from my powerlifting meet I have begun to focus on my diet. This includes getting enough fluid in my system. Part of my problem is I love coffee. In fact I could spend majority of the day drinking nothing but coffee. That said, I need to change that. So...I am going to attempt to do better. I have a plan to fill a gallon jug of water each morning. Hopefully by the end of the day that jug is nearly gone.

Warm up:

FMS Correctives

Deadlifts

135 x 5
225 x 5
335 x 3
405 x 5 singles
355 x 5

Seeking Balance

2012-10-04T13:55:00.000-06:00

With all the heavy strength training I have done I find myself neglecting other areas. In order for maximum stength gains I almost have to neglect the conditioning aspect of training. The part I have always neglected, no matter the program, is flexibility. I have made considerable gains in mobility through FMS correctives but still find my flexibility lacking in areas.
Last week I spoke with the Yoga instructor at one of the gyms I train out of. I gave it a try last week and then invited my clients back for this week. This is the first time I personally have ever tried Yoga. After taking a full 1 hour class today I feel this could be a very good addition to my training. So at least for a while I will attempt attempt to make that class each thursday morning.

Workout:

FMS Correctives
1 hour Yoga class

Take care Ol' Friend

2012-10-03T14:46:00.002-06:00

One of my longest running clients is moving a few hours away. Today was the last session we expect to have in a very long time. I drove away today a little sad...
If your reading this you know who you are. I just wanted to say THANK YOU! I have enjoyed every session watching you grow. Working with you over the last couple years has taught me a lot. Believe it or not you have inspired me with your story. Life is often a tough and cruel place yet you never gave up. Your desire to improve your life and not allow the world to bring you down makes me proud to know you.
I make this offer to you now. If at any point you need assistance...call me. If you need a workout, motivation or just a talk you can call anytime. Keep things simple and fun. You are much better than you often give yourself credit for. Take care Buddy!

Warm up:

FMS Correctives
TGU Complex
Press from deep squat

Deadlifts

135 x 5
225 x 5
315 x 3
395 x 5

Double outside the leg swings

2012-10-01T14:23:00.000-06:00

Today is set to be my lightest deadlift day of the week. I decided to add some double swings at the end as some assistance work. It's been a while since I have played with the double swings outside of the legs. I was introduced to them in June while attending Dr. Hartles workshop.

Warm up:

T-spine rotations
Swings
Goblet Squats
Arm bars

Deadlifts

135 x 5
225 x 5
315 x 3
375 x 5
340 x 5

Kettlebells with 2 x 24kg

5 sets of 10 double outside the leg swings / 5 double squats

Rare Sunday Workout.

2012-09-30T15:40:00.003-06:00

Woke up this morning with a need to get some work in. After Friday's deadlifting I was a little tight and felt some solid swings and get-ups would be just the cure. So I opted to get in a quick 20 minute session. One of my favorite workouts has always been David Whitley's Furnace Drill. In fact I posted this workout on the Daily Workout page. One of the reasons I love this workout so much is because it's quick and simple...yet still not easy.

Warm up:

T-spine rotations

Workout:

Furnace Drill by David Whitley

Mix of swings and TGU break down (45 sec work / 15 sec rest)

Right side reverse lunge
Swings
Left side reverse lunge
Swings
Right side half windmill
Swings
Left side half windmill
Swings
Right Side sit through
Swings
Left side sit through
Swings
Right side half get-up
Swings
Left side half get-up
Swings
Right side full get-up
Swings
Left side full get-up
Swings

I Love HEAVY Days!!!

2012-09-28T11:55:00.001-06:00

I always seem to feel my worst on my light days. Maybe that's why I love heavy days so much. That and it just feels great! This week was the first week of cutting 2 days out of my deadlift program. With the weight increasing to around 400 pounds I decided I needed more rest throughout the week. Wednesday, I have to admit felt extremely heavy! I was excited and nervous about coming to pull the 395 x 5 but once again the heaviest day of the week also felt the best.
I have also decided to add some leg press again, as assistance work, after my heavy lifts. Today I followed my deadlifts with super sets of leg press and Kroc Rows. I had hoped to get more work in overall but was cut short by a phone call from school saying I had a sick kid....

Deadlifts

135 x 5
225 x 3
315 x 2
395 x 5
350 x 5

Leg Press (does not account for sled weight) / Kroc Rows

225 x 10 / 10 per arm
315 x 10 / 10 per arm
405 x 5 / 10 per arm
405 x 5 / 10 per arm

Am I now a liar?

2012-09-27T20:38:00.001-06:00

I feel like I just gave into peer pressure. Maybe I did...maybe I didn't. Either way I actually used a machine today. Ok...feel free to send me nasty texts and call me a liar since I have repeatedly stated I never use them.
For the record I thought I would give them a shot as a supplemental exercise. I want to experiment over the next 6 weeks to see if it helps boost my lifts. Today was bench press day. So after I completed my bench press I moved on to the chest press and dip machine.

Bench Press:

135 x 5
155 x 5
(165 x 5) x 4
(115 x 3) x 5

Machines:

Chest press
Decline press
Dip Machine

Rainy Days!

2012-09-26T16:43:00.001-06:00

It's finally raining in Fort Collins. It seems like months since I have seen the ground get wet. Kinda makes me want to lay in bed and sleep the morning away. Instead I was up early and meeting a client at 6 am...

Deadlifts

135 x 5
225 x 5
375 x 5
340 x 5

Back Squats:

135 x 10
(185 x 5) x 3

Gaining Confidence!

2012-09-25T16:13:00.001-06:00

I had a nice talk on the phone with a trainer from Denver yesterday. We started talking about the upcoming NASA meet in November. He was telling me his plans to compete in the full meet in bench, squat and deadlift. I told him at this time I still hadn't decided what I was doing. It is a toss up between push-pull and deadlift only. Well it got me thinking...

So today I decided I had to find out where I was. I told myself I would do the push-pull IF I could get a semi respectable bench press. The problem is figuring out what a respectable bench press is.

Warm up:

T-spine rotations
Goblet squats
Windmills
Arm bars

Bench Press

135 x 10
155 x 5
185 x 3
195 x 5 singles
205 x 1
210 x 1
155 x 3
135 x 5

~ 7 weeks out....

2012-09-24T12:52:00.000-06:00

Make that 48 days to be exact until the NASA Colorado Regional Powerlifting meet. After taking the remainder of last week off from deadlifting I got back on it today. I sat down the other day to write out my projected workouts over the next 6 weeks. It may not be possible to hit the 500 mark I was hoping for but I believe 475 is well within reach. Only time will tell....
Today will be the lightest pull for the next 5 weeks. If everything works out as planned I hope to be at or above 425 for 5 reps and pull an easy 450 by Oct. 31. I wouldn't mind having my opening pull set around 202 kg (445 Ibs)

Warm up:

Thoracic Rotations
Swings
Goblet Squats

Deadlifts:

135 x 5
205 x 5
355 x 5
315 x 5

Just gettin started!

2012-09-20T12:58:00.001-06:00

Man I tell ya...I feel like a million bucks right now. Yes I am a bit tired but I couldn't be happier with my training progress. Tuesday I was able to hit a fairly easy 435 pound deadlift. Last night I was at the studio before I had to teach and began playing around again. This time I had double bells out just messing with my press. I hit a few easy double 28kg presses and decided to see how a 32/36 combo would feel. Now it was last November when I last pressed it (and then it was only with the 36kg on my right side). Well...it went up with no problem. In the past I had never been able to work that combo with the 36 kg on my left side. Yesterday...went up easy!
Then maybe not the smartest thing but the deadlift bar was still loaded. I know I said I was taking a week off...To make a long story short I worked up to a quick 425 pound pull.

Warm up:

FMS correctives

Swings:

5 sets of 10 with 40kg

Double Snatch

5 sets of 10 with 2 x 20kg

Double Front Squat:

5 sets of 10 with 2 x 20kg

Just Playin!

2012-09-19T15:39:00.001-06:00

After yesterdays I am taking the rest of this week off from heavy deadlifts. So today was dedicated to just playing around with the bells. It felt pretty good to swing double bells again....

Warm up:

FMS Correctives

Bench Press

135 x 10
155 x 10
175 x 3
135 x 10

Kettlebells

5 x 5 double 24kg
5 sets 10 x double 24kg swings followed by 5 front squats

Eat, Sleep, Improve...

2012-09-18T13:11:00.003-06:00

It's amazing what an added day of rest, eating and a solid night of sleep can do for the body. I woke up a little stiff but that's not uncommon with the beds at the firehouse. After yesterday I still had not made up my mind if I would train the remainder of the week. I took a few hours to move around and loosen up before I made any decisions. By early afternoon I was feeling good and ready to get my lift on. And now I'm happy I did! It looks like the remainder of the week will not include deadlifts however....

I will continue to train throughout the week but will rest on the deadlifts until next monday. At that point I will reset the cycle and move on.

Warm up:

FMS Correctives
Light swings

Deadlift:

135 x 10
365 x 5
405 x 1
425 x 1
435 x 1

REST!!!

2012-09-17T08:54:00.000-06:00

Hmmmmm. Today is one of those days my body is telling me to take more rest. Normally I can take the weekend off and have a nice easy Monday morning workout. Not so much today. I train a lot based on how I feel. If I feel great I may train harder. On days I don't feel so great I may sit back more. I try to stay on a schedule of easy and hard days but sometimes those "hard" days get real hard and the "easy" days simply become rest.
Today I got through the warm up and my first round of deadlifts. Then walk away.....

Warm up:

Goblet Squats
Thoracic Mobility
Light Swings

Deadlifts

355 x 5

Consistency breeds success!

2012-09-14T16:29:00.000-06:00

Let's get one thing straight. I can not guarantee results. Sorry! Results are something I have very little control over. See the fact is I can only give you the tools. You have to do all the work. If you show up and do the work on a consistent basis I have little doubt you will find success. If on the other hand you show up once a month...well...do I need to say more.
So how many days a week should you be training. That too is an individual answer. I find that the majority of my students get the best results with 3-4 days per week. Again this also depends on you goals and outside activities.

Warm up:

Arm bar / TGU / Windmill complex
FMS Correctives

Deadlift:

135 x 5
375 x 5
340 x 5

Missing the Fight!

2012-09-13T15:07:00.000-06:00

People often ask how I got started in training kettlebells. I was introduced to it while training Krav Maga at the studio I current teach our of. My life has gotten so busy over the past year that I no longer have time to train in Krav Maga. I can't tell you the last time I got in a sparring match. In the beginning I started training in kettlebells in order to help me stay conditioned to fight. Now I am beginning to miss it. I miss the feeling of getting punched (as crazy as that might sound). Today I decided to go a few rounds on the heavy bag, another thing I have neglected. It felt good! Hoping in the next week or 2 I can get put the gloves on and get back on the mat.

Deadlift

135 x 5
365 x 5
330 x 5

Bench Press

(145 x 10) x 4 , 145 x 7

Feeling Good About Yourself...

2012-09-12T14:15:00.001-06:00

One of the main reasons I love working with clients, both private and group, is offering the time to escape. So many of my clients walk through the doors after having a rough day, week or even periods in life. It gives me great pleasure to watch these people forget about all the problems of the day for at least on hour. In life there are so many things that we have zero control over. That 1 hour in the gym is sometimes the only thing they have 100 % control over. It's almost like a brief escape from reality. It's a time for many to clear their heads and get back to feeling good about themselves. Maybe it's that "high" you receive from working out. Maybe it's just being in a room full of people who for 1 hour aren't complaining and dragging you down with them. In the end there is something about a sense of accomplishment. It could be as simple as completing the workout or even hitting a new PR. Either way it feels good and I am proud to help others feel successful...even if it's for only a brief moment in time.

Warm up:

FMS Correctives

Deadlift

245 x 5
355 x 5
315 x 5

Circuit x 5 rounds

Kroc Rows x 10 per arm with 60 pound dumbbell
Chin ups x 5
Pull ups x 5

9/11 Tribute Workout

2012-09-12T14:00:00.003-06:00

9/11 Tribute Workout:

3 Teams

RED / WHITE / BLUE

Each team had to total

110 Flights of stairs with a 20# sandbag
2, 977 Kettlebells swings

Thank you!