Riverside Kettlebells

Stop the Fuzz!

2010-09-06T10:20:00.016-04:00

Do you want to SEE
what your stiffness looks like?

It's an actual fuzz in the muscles!

And once I saw it, I was even more committed to regular mobility work.
Maybe it will inspire you, too.

"Fascia and stretching: The Fuzz Speech"

Using human cadavers, this video shows a type of 'fuzz' between the sliding muscles. If we don't keep up our mobility, the fuzz grows thicker and stiffer, hampering our movement. Many call this 'aging.'

The top trainers always emphasize 'mobility first.' Suddenly, it makes even more sense. All it took was a few entertaining minutes with this video of Gil Hedley, noted teacher of anatomy. He gives a lesson on the importance of movement and stretching to maintain the sliding properties of tissues in the body.

He certainly makes the point that we should not let things in our bodies get fuzzy and when they do we need to "melt" the fuzz.

Isn't it interesting that animals stretch out every time they get up from a nap? Is this why?

Remove the Fuzz Resources

Currently, I am using more of the ideas and movements from Intu-Flow and Ageless Mobility by Scott Sonnon. The beginners routine of Intu-flow is freely available on YouTube.

Superjoints and Relax Into Stretch by Pavel are also well-worn companions in my training.

Any systems or ideas you'd like to share?

Please use the comment section below.

Related Posts
Even My Girlfriend Is Doing It
Especially For The Older Trainee
What's Wrong Here?

Are You Guilty of These?

2010-08-25T09:24:00.010-04:00

10 Fallacies of Logic when it Comes to Training Programs

This outstanding piece appears on the blog of Faizal Enu, from Tampa, FL. He's an insightful participant in the DragonDoor forum.

Read his full account of these fallacies here.

I've been guilty of almost all of them as some point or another.

Here are a few teasers.

1) "I did my current program for 1 month and lost 6 lbs. Now I am not getting results, why do I suck so bad".

The fact of the matter is that the body changes to adapt to the changing demands placed upon it. In the first month, you made a change. Now you lost weight (or gained weight, whatever) to adapt. If you do the same thing, nothing needs to change. That is why your program HAS TO change. . . . . read more

2) If I want to pass a test, I should train by taking the test over and over. That is the SAID Principle.

This principle is probably the most misunderstood in training. Lets take for example the RKC snatch test. There are a lot of ways to prepare for it, but what SAID is saying is that you get better at what you practice. . . . . . The mistake a lot of people make is that they practice the 100 snatches before they are ready to do 100 snatches. . . .
. . . . I had two people schedule sessions with me to get them to their snatch test numbers. They wanted workout. First thing I did is watch them snatch. I gave them corrective exercises. Both passed with flying colors in two weeks. read more

3) If I combine these programs, I will get the results for both.

This one is partly right, you will usually get the results of the program, but the bad ones. . . . . read more

4) What is the goal of your training?

I will be honest with you, if you have under 18 months of training under your belt, you probably don't need to ask this question. In most cases, a generic program like ETK/RoP or Westside Barbell will work best for you. The reason I am not all type-A on goal setting for newbies is that . . . . . read more

5) I saw this program on TV, I want results like that.

On Biggest Loser and the like, remember these are TV shows that entertain first, and education falls by the wayside. . . . . .read more

6) I did the first day of the program, and I felt great - should I do more.

When you are looking at a program, you are looking for the results of the program, you are not looking for "tough workouts." you not only have to take into account intensity and volume, you also have to take into account . . . . . read more

7) If I want the results of this program, but don't like/can't do this exercise, I will just substitute this one.

Usually the exercises asked for in this program are heavy, full-body like like deadlifts or squats. And the fact of the matter is that some people just don't have the stones to do those lifts. Well listen guys, . . . . read more

8) Being surprised that an increase in one lift does not lead to an increase in the main lift.

For example, a lot of people are surprised that a increase in the leg press does not lead to an increase in the squat. Or that an increased bottoms up press may not lead to an increase in pressing. . . . read more

9) If a program calls for this exercise, and I pick a harder variation for this exercise, the program will be better right?

Wrong Kimosabe. I hear this a lot with stuff like RoP and VWC. . . . . read more

10) Asking "Which program is better?"

Look people, any program that has any type of long-term clout works for something, IF you do it. There is something hidden when poeple ask this question. . . . .read more

Any questions about this?
Ask me -- I'm glad to help.

Related Posts
What's Wrong Here?
How Well Is Your Instructor Trained?
Stop Running

If You're Bored with the Kettlebell Swing

2010-08-18T12:47:00.026-04:00

Most people have not explored the Swing and Get-Up enough to discover it is probably all they need.
---- Dr. Mark Cheng

RKC principle: Quality over quantity
RKC principle: Strength is a skill

If you really want to work smarter, instead of harder -- for more results -- with your Swing and Get-Up, then take some time with the teaching points of Dr. Mark Cheng.

You should have learned some of this in your visits to my garage studio. Even so, the better you understand and apply what Dr. Cheng is teaching below, the more satisfied you will be with your kettlebell training.

#1 -- Hardstyle Lock
Most of the time, when people think they're contracting their muscles as strongly as possible, it's nowhere near their potential. It's the same as in other facets of life, too.
The Hard Style Lock at the top of your KB Swing teaches you not only to generate an maximal volitional contraction, but to do it in several muscle groups with a high degree of coordination.
There are 5 points of this Lock:

#2 -- The 3 Prys
While squatting down or bending, think of prying 3 parts of your body open simultaneously.
We did this with the guy who was certain that his knee wouldn't hold up during the kettlebell workshop, and he excitedly told us after a 7 hour day of training that his knee no longer bothered him.

#3 -- an audio podcast with Dr. Mark Cheng
Earn the Right to Train
► It's not about the kettlebell; it's about the movement
► Are you driving with your brakes on?
► History of Pavel's Program Minimum
► Earning the Preparedness to practice kettlebells

#4 -- The Turkish Get-Up
The Turkish Get-Up is one of the premier movement patterning exercises in the US today. Its slow, precise movement trains the body to use its musculoskeletal system in the most linked fashion possible, giving you strength and control while developing grace and coordination.
After you hear the Doc talk about the Get-Up -- you'll want to see the DVD and read his manual.
See Dr. Mark Cheng in action here -- then if you've got the guts, try it.

Related Posts
Especially for the Older Exerciser

Don't Miss These FREE Audios

2010-08-13T21:03:00.024-04:00

Never stop learning.

These HIGHLY RECOMMENDED audio podcasts provide vital information to guide your training -- especially if you choose kettlebells.

In the Trenches
with Pavel Tsatsouline

► The Swing and Turkish Get-Up

► How to balance tension and relaxation
► "Strength is a skill"

Earn the Right to Train
-- with Dr. Mark Cheng
► It's not about the kettlebell; it's about the movement
► Are you driving with your brakes on?
► History of the Pavel's Program Minimum
► Earning the Preparedness to practice kettlebells

The Joint-by-Joint Approach
--- with Gray Cook

Kettlebells From the Ground Up
The Turkish Get-Up
--- with Gray Cook and Brett Jones

Old-Time Strength Secrets
Dave "The Iron Tamer" Whitley
Master RKC

► Principles vs. methods
► What 'beautiful strength' is
► How his clients 'practice,' instead of workout

Related Posts
Highly Recommended Videos to See
Highly Recommended Reading

Interesting Podcasts.
Practical Defense

Even My Girlfriend Is Doing It

2010-07-30T14:23:00.009-04:00

See the complete video here.

Recently, my girlfriend asked me to teach
her some of that "rolling on the ground stuff."

I was surprised.

Even though she's active and walks alot, up to this point she has not been 'into' fitness, per se. She explained that she was attracted somehow to what she saw in my "rolling around on the ground." Intuitively she knew that it would feel good, while making her stronger and more fit. And be fun.

My Body Likes It

I've been experimenting with alot of ground-based movement drills -- as found in Scott Sonnon's TACFIT program -- to supplement my kettlebell training.

I do it because my body is really liking it. After 15 minutes of what looks like rolling around on the ground like a crazy man from one contortion to another, I stand up well wiped out. Yet my body feels loose and long and resilient; I effortlessly slip over (bend over) to touch my toes.

In contrast, an intense kettlebell session leaves my body a little stiff -- I can't touch my toes. Not a big deal, but I have to purposely employ compensation drills to release any tension build up. Expected with this type of training. Still, the biofeedback here is a stronger posture, better alignment -- my body likes kettlebell moves also. Keeps my low back pain-free, too.

Rolling On The Ground

So, I had that gal out on the garage floor 'rolling around on the floor.' And she was still smiling at the end -- a good sign! :-)

No specific drills were taught at this point. I just encouraged her own creativity to move in all directions. From standing to the floor, and then back to standing. While on the floor, roll from back to belly, then belly to back. Move forward, then backward. She discovered a variety of ways to mix it up -- and in the process used almost every muscle and range of motion available.

Basically, it boiled down to 3 questions:
1. how can I move up and down?
2. how can I move back and forth?
3. how can I move side to side?

And always:
4. how can I move more smoothly, more gracefully, with more control, i.e. better.

I think this kind of training is vital. It is making me more mobile -- and mobility is the key word as we age. But better than just stretching, the 'rolling around on the ground' puts improved mobility to work, orchestrating all the muscles in the body to move. And the blood pumps fiercely -- enough intensity for heart health. It's really good stuff -- and both my girlfriend and I feel much better afterwards. Maybe you will too.

The following excerpt is from an interview of Scott Sonnon, the creator of the TACFIT program among many other things. His description of mobility in training (like my 'rolling on the ground') impressed me.

Excerpt from:

10 Questions with One of the World's Top Special Forces Trainers

Rusty:
Can you explain why your techniques are so much better than traditional stretching for flexibility?

Scott:Understanding why mobility exercise produces superior results over static stretching requires a quick primer from the leading edge of anatomical theory.

The structure of the body resembles two bags connected to each other. The inner bag contains the hard stuff: bones and cartilage. The outer bag holds the muscle, and it’s tacked down to the inner bag at the points we refer to as “insertions.” If you want to restore the resting length of a muscle, you must first release the inner bag at the points where it connects two or more bones – the “joint capsules.”

Releasing the inner bag not only gives you the ability to load and absorb resistance in exercise, but since the body’s balance, coordination, agility and reactive strength all lies there, it also improves your sports performance and the contractability of your muscles, allowing you to grow bigger and stronger.

Both static flexibility training and regular resistance training cause the outer bag to become glued down to other bags, forming attachments or “adhesions.” If you don’t use mobility exercise to restore the resting length of these tissues, the tightly knotted muscles become thick and leathery, and they shorten. Short, tight muscles have less ability to contract, which means you’ll plateau fast in your training, and you’ll stop growing.

Mobility keeps your outer bags fluid and prevents them from being glued down. It also releases the inner bag, so you’re always growing. . . . .

* * * * *

Please, read the entire article here.

And be sure mobility is a part of your training!

Stop the Fuzz!

More Reasons for The Get-Up

Moving Better Instead of Moving More

Bruce Lee and Physical Perfection

Especially for the Older Trainee

2010-07-29T21:20:00.022-04:00

“If you can’t fly, run.
If you can’t run, walk.
If you can’t walk, crawl.
But by all means, keep moving.”
---- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Of course the youngster can jump, stretch and lift. Of course he or she is slender and beautiful. That’s the nature of young bodies. When you’re twenty or thirty years old, you look great and you can do almost anything.

But what can you do at 40. Or better yet, 50 (that's my age) or more.

Below is important knowledge and inspiration. I wouldn't have put it here if I didn't HIGHLY recommend it for you.

Interview with
Frank Forencich,
author of
Exuberant Animal

• The importance of PLAY in physical fitness
• Anywhere, anytime ways to get or stay fit.
• Key points for the us older folks

Older Folks -- Start Here:

Frank has a great fitness routine called the "Exuberant Animal Short Form" that I love -- it can be a workout in itself. Do each movement for 1 minute. Nine movements makes a total of 9 minutes. And there's plenty of creativity and fun -- and you will feel great!

I believe a movement program, such as the Exuberant Animal program, is necessary before kettlebell training. If you can do those nine moves well -- and with gusto -- then you're ready to add kettlebells.

Simple, Back-To-Basics

The video below of Jay Armstrong from the Kettlebell Club gives a a highly effective and extremely simple exercise routine for any age. Bear with his drawn out explanations. Yes, it starts too simply -- but see how he sophisticates the movements by the end. Can you keep up with him? If not, you better start practicing. Find out how much better you feel and look!

Interview with
Erwan Le Corre
creator of MovNat

Natural movements accessible to everyone.
"We can't brush aside millions of years of evolution. Simply put, natural movement is about being strong, healthy, happy and free."

Whether you're in the city or the wilderness, young or old, developing the natural movements of the body brings a deep feeling of satisfaction. Cranking out reps with a dumbbell is no comparison -- and no fun. Kettlebell training should enhance your natural movements -- and it does if you learn the RKC way. Get going -- just get moving.

Why not do more of this? The Workout the World Forgot

The Worst Thing for Your Low Back

2010-07-20T12:30:00.000-04:00

This is fascinating.

The greatest strain
on the low back is . . .
sitting down and lifting weights.

And what do
most people
do in the gym?

Sit on a machine
and lift weights!

This is the complete chart below.

This chart is from a Gray Cook lecture on the Functional Movement Screen. Apologies, I don't have the source.

The Surprising Results

Sometime ago, a research study implanted little sensors into the spinal discs of the subjects. The actual pressure inside the spinal joints was measured.

Look at the chart and see that:

1. sitting down with a load was much worse than bending over with a load! And the bending over was even done with improper mechanics

2. flexing the spine is worse than extending the spine

Does anything here surprise you?

Just another reason to learn to use your kettlebell.

Related Posts
How I Cured My Bad Back with Kettlebells
What's Wrong Here?
Your Brain Can Make You Stronger

If You Are Stiff -- Read This

2010-07-18T11:11:00.022-04:00

That's me with
Gray Cook
at the May 2010
CK-FMS training
(Certified Kettlebell
Functional Movement Specialist)

You are stiff for a reason!

A few quotes from Gray Cook's new book, Movement.

If the body doesn’t stabilize correctly, it will figure out another way to get stability: it’s called stiffness. . . .

If you find tight hamstrings or a tight T-spine and you just hit the foam roller, you may change mobility, but you will see the stiffness return the following day. Mobility efforts without reinstalling stability somewhere else simply don’t last. Those hamstrings were tight for a reason. That T-spine is stiff for a reason. . . .

What would be a reason for the T-spine to become stiff? . . . Often if you don’t have the necessary core stability, the T-spine will get stiff and this also works in reverse. If the T-spine is too stiff, the core stability will be compromised. It can work either way. . . .

. . . .because if the hips and T-spine aren’t mobile, the lumbar stability we create is synthetic. It is not real. We develop enough stability and strength to do a side plank, but we don’t authentically stabilize in natural environments. . . .

Read more here -- Expanding on the Joint-by-Joint Approach by Gray Cook.

Don't worry. These are the things you will be learning in your kettlebell training. That is, if you learn from an RKC instructor.

Geoff Neupert has had great results with the FMS approach -- How to Stay Strong and Healthy While Traveling.

What's Wrong Here?

Your Brain Can Make You Stronger

Better Than Stretching

WARNING: 17 Reasons to Avoid Kettlebells

2010-07-08T12:17:00.002-04:00

CAUTION
Use at your own risk.

1. Too Dangerous
As of yet, there are no kettlebells rigged up to a machine that will save you from hurting yourself. You've got to support the kettlebell's weight all by yourself -- without a chair to sit on. You could drop the kettlebell on your foot -- or worse, your head. And if you hurt yourself, who are you going to blame?

2. It's Just a Fad
Don't worry, next year there will be some other trendy gadget to replace kettlebells. It's all advertising hype. All the results people are getting is just the placebo effect.

3. Too Much Concentration
Can't watch TV while doing it. Can't read a book. Can't talk on your cell phone, either, while training with kettlebells. These things are important to help you disengage from your body so that you can endure the boredom of meaningless exercise.

4. Too Ugly
Usually just black cast iron. Dull, not shiny. There are no 'designer-style' kettlebells that look really good sitting around your house. To make them interesting, you have to go to the trouble to paint them yourself.

5. Too Old-Fashioned
Kettlebells are several hundred years old, and still, no one has made improvements to them. With all the modern technology available, why would you want to miss out on all that science and late night infomercials can offer?

6. Will Hurt Your Low Back
Don't believe all the lies from the many, many people who claim that learning to swing a kettlebell cured their low back pain. Have you seen these guys & gals swinging those heavy things? Common sense says that's got to hurt your back.

7. Everybody's Not Doing It
If they were so good, the government would have told us they were important and put them in all the schools. The elite athletes and special military forces that used them wouldn't be so secretive, or so afraid of losing their reputations by admitting they use kettlebells.

8. Too Much Learning
You can't just pick one up and start slinging it around -- that is, unless you like orthopedic surgery. You have to actually learn many things about how to use your body to be stronger, more athletic, and more resilient. Public schools would have made us learn all this if it was really important.

9. Too Embarrassing
What if someone saw you? Can you imagine what you would look like swinging that cast iron ball between your legs? Thrusting your hips like that? Grunting with 'power breathing'? Over and over again? It's just not something for polite company.

10. Too Challenging
Think about this a minute -- kettlebells are claimed to work strength, cardio, AND flexibility at the same time. Aren't we already stressed out enough multi-tasking so much? Every move with the kettlebell requires whole body integration. Don't you think that's overdoing it? Asking way too much?

11. Too Intense
Your heart rate will soar in only a few minutes. You won't last but 10 or 15 minutes. Getting your workout done in so short a time may make it hard for you to get out of finally getting around to cleaning up that cluttered garage.

12. Hand Damage
There is no rubber padding on the kettlebell handle, so you might get a callus . . . or worse, a blister. You are forced to learn to handle the kettlebell properly to avoid bleeding hands and that rough, gravelly handshake.

13. Reduces Your Credibility
Kettlebells are so convenient, portable, space-saving and time-savng, it's just too hard to convince someone else that you have good reasons for being out of shape.

14. Too Hard
Kettlebells make you sweat. They are heavy. They make you sweat -- alot. Your hair might get mussed up. Might have to breathe hard. Did I mention they make you sweat? Why put up with that?

15. Too Much Like Bruce
You may hear that kettlebells forge a body that's more like Bruce Lee, rather than Arnold Schwarzenegger. I'm not sure why they think all of us would want to be so short or have slanty eyes.

17. They Came from Russia
Why some people admire the Russians I have no idea. The only reason their athletes used to whoop our tails is because of steroids and compulsory training from an early age. The only reason Russia's soldiers were so tough is because they were born and raised in the hardships of a backward, communism-ruined country. Because they used kettlebells had nothing to do with it.

When Americans went into space, the astronauts realized that they couldn’t write upside-down with a pen in no-gravity outer space. NASA spent a million dollars to develop a pen that would write upside down, without gravity. Isn't that great?
What did the Russians do? They used a pencil!

NOTE: With all due respect, what the Russian's forget is that when you write with a pencil in zero gravity you inhale carbon. They corrected this eventually. The point remains: the simple, practical, back-to-basics approach is valued.

Why do YOU avoid kettlebells?
Leave your reasons below.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is meant to be facetious, a back-handed compliment in some sense. The kettlebell is just a tool -- it's how you move with it that makes the difference between getting better in every way or creating dysfunction leading to injury.

Related
The Most 'Fun' I've Ever Had with Kettlebells
Stop Running
How I Cured My Bad Back with Kettlebells
1924 -- the Kettlebell Swing was King

Learn to Squat from Dan John

2010-06-29T14:20:00.000-04:00

A 50 min. video of a true master at work.

Taking the complex and making it simple.

"Squatting isn't bad for your knees ---
the way YOU squat is bad for your knees!"

Two Rules:
1. Heels
2. Break a finger

Deeper by:
1. Beach body chest
2. Buddha belly

Learn it the easy way:
1. Potato Sack Squat
2. Overhead squat in 5 seconds

Great T-spine drill (if you're tall and hunch over alot):
1. Push the sky away

The Biggest Secret of Olympic Lifts
1. ( You gotta see it for yourself & then try it)

And much more . . .

Do You Have the Right to Eat Foods of Your Choice?

2010-06-25T11:05:00.001-04:00

Not according to the FDA!

Shocking claim: The American people "do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish," according to the FDA's response to a lawsuit that is trying to defend our right to healthy, nutrient-dense foods.

You and I, we are taking responsibility for our own health.
Thank goodness, we still have that freedom.

What if they outlawed kettlebells one day -- of course, they are too dangerous, right? Everyone ought to be forced to join a gym and sit on machines (as if we don't sit enough all day) to exercise.

Or what if they outlawed going barefoot! God must have really screwed up, but finally after 50,000 years we've got high-tech shoes to save us.

Okay -- these freedoms aren't at risk. Not yet.
But please don't take your right to healthy food for granted. THAT freedom is slowly eroding. It's mostly our children I worry about.

A recipe for chronic disease
-- The Proposed 1020 USDA Dietary Guidelines

"A recipe for infertility, learning problems in children and increased chronic disease in all age groups," according to Sally Fallon Morell, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

“The 2010 proposed Guidelines represent a national scandal, the triumph of industry clout over good science and common sense,” says Fallon Morell. “It must be emphasized that the Guidelines are not based on science but are designed to promote the products of commodity agriculture and—through the back door—encourage the consumption of processed foods."

From an email: "Since, as the Committee admits, no one follows earlier versions of the Guidelines, it is recommending a focus on "Actions needed to successfully implement" key recommendations -- in other words, how to force people to eat in this highly deficient and grossly unsatisfying way.

From Dr. Mercola: The Despicable Reason Behind Raw Milk Bans!

Related Posts:
They're Happy Because They Eat Butter
Your Shoes Are Your Problem

What's Wrong Here?

2010-06-18T12:34:00.001-04:00

Compare these two guys. The first guy cannot get much depth in an overhead squat.

Guy on LEFT
He can't get lower.
He says he's too tight.
Not much bend in the hip
and knee.

Why can't he get
his butt down lower?

It's a mobility problem, right?
Is it tight hips?
Or tight lats?
Maybe an ankle restriction?

What happens when we put these two guys on their backs? (taking away the load)

Now he can easily get his butt below his knees. The mobility differences have disappeared (almost).

►►► If his knees and hips can bend enough -- why can't he squat any deeper?

To Move Well
= Mobility + Stability
Now we see the difference in squat form and depth is not a mobility issue -- therefore, it must be a stability issue. He's lost the necessary motor control to bend in that way without falling over. Essentially the body is shutting down the range of motion -- not because of tightness or a restriction -- but because it perceives a threat due to the lack of core control (stability). Even if he's got six-pack abs, they just aren't firing like they're supposed to.

Imagine the frustrations of the first guy wasting his time stretching -- or even worse, all that time struggling on the golf course with his golf swing. And he's even more prone to injury! When instead, all he needed was the right core re-activation. Easily re-learned with the appropriate corrective exercise.

This same kind of problem can show up in other movement patterns, such as stepping, reaching. and lunging. This can impact your running . . . your weightlifting . . . your exercising . . . your sport.

How can we reveal these movement deficits?

Functional Movement Screen
by Gray Cook
In my case, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) revealed issues that were causing me pain, and holding me back in my kettlebell training. I was amazed that so many of my struggles were resolved so quickly -- after months and years of work, after so much money spent on various therapies.

If I would squat in any volume, my knees would hurt. It had nothing to do with my knees -- it was an ankle mobility issue. I struggled to have an effortless overhead lockout. No wonder all that shoulder rotator cuff stretching didn't help -- it was a thoracic spine mobility issue. And I thought my dead lift and kettlebell swing was powerful enough -- but I had no idea my left hip was so unstable. With that improved, I'm in another league. I hope you can see why I fell in love with the FMS.

I attended an intensive 4-day CK-FMS workshop to learn the FMS, it's corrective exercise protocols, and applications to kettlebell training. Now I'm glad I can help my kettlebell clients avoid the struggles and injuries I had to endure.

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) tests your 7 basic movement patterns. The squat being one of them. Deficiencies are either a mobility or stability problem that are easily corrected with the appropriate exercise. This is proven to dramatically reduce risk of injury, while increasing performance.

Most interesting: addressing the weakest ‘link in your chain’ often improves ALL your movement patterns.

What about
YOUR movement deficits?
When you know what’s holding you back, you can fix it. You can get back your squat or whatever movement pattern is deficient – often in a few days or few weeks – with corrective exercises. Then you can move better in everything you do.

Best of all, you will no longer be adding strength onto dysfunction.

The FMS test just takes 10 minutes.
It applies to all ages, and any level of fitness.

Come on over and see if you're missing anything

Related Links
Gray Cook's Athletic Body in Balance Webinar
Interview with Gray Cook -- A New Challenge
Sweat The Small Stuff - Article by Tim Anderson
Corrective Strategies and Movement Screening

Recommeded to Read

2010-06-05T22:41:00.003-04:00

My Articles
How I Cured My Bad Back with Kettlebells
What's Wrong Here?
More Reasons for the Get-Up
1924 -- the Kettlebell Swing was King
Martial Artists -- Get This Article
Why RKC?
Learning by Feel
Your Brain Can Make You Stronger
Learn to Squat from Dan John
You Can Already Lift a Car!
What Is Hardstyle?
Myth: Weights Make Women Bulky
Too Hard for You?
What an Indianapolis Colts S&C Coach Says
What If Your Shoulder Hurts?
Mobility Instead of Stretching
Better Than Stretching
Moving Better, Instead of Moving More
Success at the Russian Kettlebell Challenge
How Well Is Your Instructor Trained?
What a Shoe Can Do
Your Shoes Are Your Problem
Why You Walk Wrong -- Your Shoes!
What Happened to Nike Free 5.0?
What Is A Kettlebell?
What Size Kettlebell is Right for Me?
Why Soviet Scientists Gave Kettlebells Two Thumbs Up
Top 10 Benefits of Kettlebell Training -- plus 39 more
Equipment You May Need
They Are Happy Because They Eat Butter
Why I Need a Coach
Bruce Lee and Physical Perfection

Inspiration
Dan John Quotes -- and Others
Inspirational Quotes
Warning -- 17 Reason to Avoid Kettlebells

Reviews
Squats & Tactical Pull-Up Workshop
Introducing the World's Strongest Librarian
Best Book for Starters
Z-Health

Guest Articles
The Most 'Fun' I Ever Had With Kettlebells
Stop Running!

Books -- Most Highly Recommended
Kettlebell Articles at DragonDoor
Kettlebell Articles at Begin2dig
FAQ Megathread at DragonDoor forum
A Spiritual Side of RKC

What Shoes to Get -- by mc

More Reasons for the Get-Up

2010-03-11T10:09:00.001-05:00

Eric Cressey caught my eye in a recent article. He's a highly sought-after strength coach who is always learning and thinking -- I like that.
(No, that's not Cressey. It's a picture from a 1940's weightlifting manual.)

Cressey's article is What I Learned in 2009. His fourth point is:

Do more grounded-to-standing transitions

He mentions attending a seminar with Dr. Pavel Kolar, a prominent rehabilitation specialist in the Czech Republic. Kolar discussed developmental movement from the perspective that essential neuro-muscular pathways need to be established for proper function. These specific movement patterns are established as babies learn to roll over, get up to all-fours, crawl, stand up and walk.

The idea is that getting back to our developmental roots can help people move better in every respect and prevent injuries.

And Mr. Cressey expressed a new found appreciation for the Turkish Get Up -- a comprehensive ground-to-standing drill that dates far back into history. Something which the RKC School of Strength has emphasized for years -- not because of the research that is now validating the drill, but because of the obvious practical results people have gained.

Read Cressey's article -- he usually has worthwhile things to say.

And do your Turkish Get-Ups.

Excellent video explanation:

Squats & Tactical Pull-up Workshop

2010-03-04T08:26:00.000-05:00

Will Williams
Senior RKC Instructor
in Virginia Beach

Standing next to me is one powerful dude!

It's Will Williams, a senior RKC instructor, an ex-marine, and an outstanding example of the far-reaching expertise embodied in the high-level RKC instructors.

If you're wondering how anyone could spend all day on just squats and pull-ups, then you haven't yet experienced the depths of skill brought to every movement in the RKC school of strength. I find it inspiring and challenging.

Mr. Williams coached a small group of 7 kettlebell fanatics through movement patterning, skill progressions, and corrective exercises for both the squat and pull-up. Along the way, we learned even more about practical applications and the awesome functioning of our body. To move better. To live better.

The tactical pull-up, in contrast to the typical bodybuilder pull-up, is the strength you need to climb over a wall or hoist yourself out of an overturned vehicle. The kind of pull-up strength necessary in the military or police force. For the tactical pull-up, you can't use your thumbs and you need full body tension to get over the bar -- just like in gymnastics moves.

We went from 10 am to 4 pm with a 20 minute lunch break. Will packed in the training, as much as we could stand. I hadn't done so many pull-up in one day -- I was very sore the next day, especially my abs. Proof that squats and pull-ups done well are whole body exercises.

And of the 3 women and 3 men who joined me that day, I continue to be amazed at the remarkable individuals attracted to this kind of physical development.

I loved every minute of the workshop. And I wish you could have been there.

The Athletic Body -- Free Webinar

2010-01-30T13:19:00.000-05:00

This guy explains things you just don't hear anywhere else.

If you watch this on-line lecture, I bet you'll have an even better understanding of what it means to have optimal movement skills for greater performance and better health. I sure did!

Eye-opening visuals. This is a valuable one hour webinar by Gary Cook, renowned strength coach and physical therapist. Once you get to his web page, click on 'View Webinar' or download it to watch another time.

This webinar gives a foundation for the skills and methods I teach with Kettlebells. Someone may be able to get by with poor body mechanics or bad technique for a time -- but in the end it will surely catch up to you. I'm talking about the way we walk and sit and bend.

More on Strength Coach Podcasts

If you like what you can learn from Gray Cook, the Strength Coach Podcasts always include a question and answer segment with Gray Cook. These are free and well worth your listening time.

From 1942 . . . Sound Familiar?

Sadly, our populace has lost many movement capabilities that were widespread just 50 years ago. But you can restore your movement and restore your health.

Below is an article from 1942 that's been floating around the web. I'm not sure of it's source, however, you may find it's message just as true today-- if not more so. I'm not a doomsday kind of thinker -- but I do like a little 'wake-up' call every now and then. The remainder of this post quotes the article from 1942:

We Must Work to Be Fit
--- G.T Stafford, 1942

For years too many of us Americans have neglected to engage in regular systematic exercise. Our life in a peaceful democracy has been pleasant and our main objective has been to enjoy life. Hedonism must be replaced by a work-duty philosophy.

Few people, except the young men training for varsity teams and the professional athletes preparing for a sport , have made a determined effort to reach and maintain a top physical condition. Many are satisfied to be “tolerably well…”

One of our greatest obstacles to physical fitness has been our desire to secure health with a minimum of effort. We are too prone to seek “short cuts” to health. We read advertisements of “one-shot heath vitamins” and think that we have found the panacea for our self diagnosed ills. We go on freak diets and too frequently do not consult a physician until all else has failed..

The young men of our country are soft!

We have been training our youth for the joys of living in a peaceful democracy. We do not have today the same type of rugged individuals who opened our prairies and conquered our wildernesses.

The men and women who pushed their way westward to the Pacific were strong , virile individuals. Up to a period shortly after the turn of the century, we had people with strong back muscles, stamina and courage.

We are now reaping the benefits of our forefathers’ enterprises in the form of steam heat, electricity, automobiles, air conditioned houses, inner-spring mattresses and other comforts of civilized living…We lead the world in conveniences and labor-saving devices. While this has been very pleasant, these products of the machine age have caused a biological softening of our people…

The majority of the people of the United States, except for a small group of trained athletes, lack the essential qualities of robustness, strength, physical and emotional stamina, endurance , and the general ability to use their bodies skillfully in sustained effort for a long period of time…”

- G.T Stafford, 1942

Related Articles

Gray Cook on each Strength Coach Podcast

Learning By Feel

2010-01-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

How does the RKC teach the kettlebell drills?

It's all about learning by feel. A big part of it goes by the fancy name, reactive neuromuscular training.

Instead of relying on telling you what to do or showing you what to do -- we put you into a situation so that you can feel the correct movement or feel the mistake. That's really the only way anyone can learn a movement pattern.

The response I'm seeking is "A-ha! -- now I get it!" That's the highest compliment I can get.

We have forgotten how to move well

This is also why it is very difficult to learn movement skills from a DVD or book. First, you cannot see yourself. Therefore, you cannot critique your own movement.

Secondly, you have no frame of reference to feel what's right or wrong. Furthermore, I dare say, all of us are dysfunctional in most of the basic movement patterns from disuse, or sitting too much. What feels right really isn't right. We've forgotten how we naturally moved as a child.

That's why kettlebell training is getting all the hype -- because when people start to move better, everything gets better. Aches and pains fade away, your sport improves, and on and on. But these great benefits don't happen when you move incorrectly with the kettlebell (or any other weight) -- instead you just build strength onto your dysfunction. Either hastening an injury or making no significant difference in your sport or daily life.

Restore hip movement

For instance, the kettlebell swing is a hip dominant exercise. Most newcomers to training -- even many athletes -- don't use their hips well. Yet, the hips are the source of power for most athletics from golf swings to punching. Since the hips don't move well, the low back (which should move very little) moves instead -- and voila! --low back aches and pains.

Without guidance, most people are squatting with their kettlebell swing. Which is okay if they just want to get fatigued. But it's a poor squat -- so they aren't improving that movement pattern, and it's a poor hip movement, so they aren't improving that movement pattern. Therefore, they really aren't getting better in any way -- just exhausting themselves in the name of 'no pain; no gain.' They wonder why the 'magic' of kettlebell training eludes them.

The RKC way

How will you learn the Kettlebell Swing quickly and confidently from an RKC?

First, we'll improve your toe touch. In less than 3 minutes. It's not about stretching. Typically I can help you get your finger tips 6 inches or more closer to your toes by a simple neuromuscular re-patterning. We need to take the brakes off your hips so that you can more easily learn the hip action.

Next, we'll use a broom handle, a wall, and maybe a piece of rubber tubing or towel. These will help you (force you) to move properly, and thus feel the correct movement. Then after you've got it, we just make it harder by adding a kettlebell.

Once you can feel what optimal movement is, then you can work on adding strength to the move. That will take focus and determination -- you can't watch TV while kettlebell training.

Almost foolproof. And you've developed no bad habits to conquer along the way.

Moving better, by itself, will make you stronger and more capable. In that way, you can lift a heavier weight. Thus, more quickly come your results, whether it is weight loss or increased strength.

You can't see what you're missing

If you're looking at the kettlebell, you're probably missing the point of the exercise. As you learned above, people quickly find out that just swinging a weight between their legs is nowhere near the same as a Kettlebell Swing.

Similar confusion among the uninformed exists for all the kettlebell drills, such as pressing the KB overhead. To the observer, it might look like a bodybuilder trying to beef up his shoulders by hoisting a dumbbell up with his arms. On the contrary, the strength skills taught by RKC's start with the feet and involve the entire body to get the weight overhead. In fact, it doesn't feel like lifting up at all, rather it feels like pushing your body down into the ground. You'll feel the difference.

That's why these small female RKC's with dainty shoulders can press big wieghts overhead. It's not a shoulder exercise -- you can be deceived if your eye is on the kettlebell.

That's why the 'magic' isn't in the kettlebell. It's how you use the kettlebell. And that's why any athletics, in general, are improved. Same reason for why low back pain and shoulder pains can disappear.

Three things you will feel

Even though you may not realize it, an RKC instructor will be emphasizing three important principles in each drill you learn.

First, spread the load. Another way of saying use your whole body in every move you make. No single muscle or joint has to handle the entire weight. This unity of action is safer, stronger, and a key part of the definition of athletic ability. I think it's fun to experience what happens when the feet, glutes, lats, etc. contribute to every move. The sum truly is greater than the parts.

Second, use your strength. A similar, but different, way of feeling the use of your whole body. This refers to the difference between passively letting gravity bring the weight down (lazy muscles) versus actively pulling the weight down with control. It's pulling yourself down into a squat with your hip flexors, instead of just letting go and putting on the brakes with your knees at the bottom. Which version do you think is easier on your knees (safer)? Which allows you to use a heavier weight (you're stronger)?

Finally, finding space. We must make room for our joints to move freely. Always using our full range of motion. Heavy weights can be a compressive force, squeezing or crunching the body. We must counter that in each move. Always getting longer, more open with each move. That means, full hip extension in your swings. Full t-spine extension in overhead lifts. Instead of scrunching down into a squat, everything should get longer -- hips open, spine extends, knees spread -- and just fold into position. Part of the problem is the startle reflex stimulated by any stress, whether it's a rock thrown at you or lifting a heavy kettlebell. Your body wants to involuntarily crunch into a fetal-like posture. All the muscles flex inward for protection. Therefore, we must modulate that threat response to get stronger, to get better movement. Furthermore, there is the arthrokinetic reflex, a fancy way of saying that jammed joints make you weaker. All that detail doesn't matter one bit -- it simply is more effective to move when you are finding more space.

It's not about the sweat

The foregoing are skills of strength. They probably came natural to Tarzan. You and I, however, are going to rediscover them as we practice the RKC methods. And it all can be fulfilling . .. and fun.

Just like playing the piano: a beginner's two-finger rendition of 'Chop Sticks' can be a joy to play. There is a load of delight and benefit (and sweat!) applying the rudimentary basics of kettlebell training. That's enough for many. That's plenty. But there is more.

The more I learn, the more I discover there is to learn. I find the challenge and the rewards make the journey a fulfilling one. If there is an end to it, I'll let you know when I get there.

P.S. Regarding the "Chop Sticks' analogy above. I was married to a Juilliard trained concert pianist. When she played Chop Sticks -- with just two fingers, like I have been able to do since I was a small child -- it was so beautiful, and so amazing in a way I could never accomplish.
It's like that with kettlebells for me. Yeah, squatting is simple; swinging a kettlebell is simple (like Chop Sticks, simple). Anyone can do it. But to do it like those accomplished instructors of the RKC -- that's my aspiration. They make it look 'beautiful,' for lack of a better word. "Easy' and 'natural' are not encompassing enough. What I believe I'm seeing is a pure kind of athleticism shining through, from which all the skills and principles derive.
So, I keep practicing.

Related Articles:
What is the RKC System?
How Well is Your Instructor Trained?
Equipment and Supplies That May Help You

1924 -- The KB Swing Was King

2010-01-09T11:41:00.002-05:00

Fundamental for Super Strength

Long ago, what was considered to be a 'fundamental of super-strength'?

Was it bigger shoulders?
Others might say that it’s all in the legs.

Actually, the most important part of the body, the part that is the basis of all your strength and ultimately all your power is...your back.

And what was a key exercise of old time strong men to accomplish that?

Super-Strength by Alan Calvert (1924)

Below is an interesting quote from “Super-Strength” by the great Alan Calvert, the original editor of Strength magazine and inventor of Milo Bar Bells. Originally written and published in 1924, among the strength community it is considered to be one of the best books of all time and, in its day, the proverbial "barbell bible".

This chapter explains the vital importance of a strong back. As well, Alan Calvert claimed the kettlebell swing was THE best exercise to accomplish that. And was "one of the fundamentals of super strength."

Begin quote:

". . . .must get firmly fixed in your mind; and that is, when a man is standing on his feet he positively cannot exert the full strength of his arms unless the strength of his back and legs is in proportion to the strength of his arms. I do not mean that the back must be just as strong as the arms, but that is must be many times stronger.

"In this chapter, when I refer to the back, I particularly mean the muscles in the back which control the action of the spine. On either side of the spine there are long muscles which run all the way from the base of the skull to the hips; and these muscles are called the "erector-spinae"; that is, the muscles which straighten or erect the spine. In the lower half of the back, these muscles are plainly visible, and when fully developed they appear like two ships'-cables. If you wish to gauge the strength of a man's back don't look at his shoulders, but at the small of his back - his loins, his haunches and the back of his thighs.

"If you wish to get super-strength it is absolutely necessary for you to teach your back to work in concert with the legs.

"About the best exercise for strengthening the back and legs, and for teaching them to work together, is the one shown in Figs. 12 and 13 [picture above]. It takes considerable practice to master I; but it is worth all the trouble, because it is one of the fundamentals of super strength. . . .( and then he goes on to describe the kettlebell swing technique.).

" . . . . This exercise has so many beneficial effects that it should be included in the training of everyone who aspires to super-strength. . .

The Benefits According to Calvert

Here are a few of the things you will gain from this exercise: You will learn to instinctively keep your back flat when making a great exertion; you will get a much firmer grip on the ground with your feet; you will learn how to "time" a heavy moving object; you will increase the gripping power of the hands and increase the development of the front part of the shoulder muscles; you will become able to jump further and higher. It is because "Strong Men" practice such exercises as this, that they are able to make such remarkable records in the standing broad-jump and standing high-jump. I know a lifter 40 years old and weighing 220 lbs. who can clear almost eleven feet in a standing broad-jump. At the age of twenty-five, when he was lifting professionally, he could jump even further than that; and, what is more, he could sprint 100 yards in 10 seconds flat. Incidentally, he holds one or two records in lifting heavy weights from the ground.

End of quote.

Among the RKC community, the kettlebell swing is king as well. Strong men have recognized this for a long time.

Related Articles:

MUST SEE VIDEO: This link to Coach Mike Boyle's very insightful 3 minute video graphically explains the nebulous approach towards human aches & pains.

What If Something Hurts -- Do You have Pain?

Your Brain Can Make You Stronger

2009-12-26T10:42:00.017-05:00

“Training is no longer simply an act of getting the muscles used to lactate or teaching the lungs how to breathe harder. It’s also about getting your brain to accept new limits . . . .
-- Ross Tucker, researcher, Sports Science Institute of South Africa

Key Point:
If you're only focusing on your muscles --- you are missing alot.
With all the focus on the gas pedal,
you may not realize you are driving with the brakes on.

“Once your brain recognizes that you’re not going to damage yourself, it’ll be happy to let you go.”
-- Carl Foster, professor, exercise and sports science, University of Wisconsin

This NY Times article with the above quotes explains another tidbit about the role of the brain in strength and fatigue. Physiologists are realizing that exhaustion isn’t just in the muscles but also involves the brain.

“We know that people speed up at the end of exercise,” says Ross Tucker, the researcher mentioned in the article. “If calcium or other biochemical changes in the muscles caused muscle failure, this would be impossible at the end, when these changes are at their greatest levels.”

How do I get my brain to accept new limits?

Or 'Take the Brakes Off

First, realize strength is a skill. The RKC system reduces the threat response (the brakes) in the body with special high tension methods and power breathing techniques. You are stronger immediately -- and thus, safer. And there are a number of RKC training principles, such as our focus on quality over quantity (the perfect rep principle).

Other ways to take the brakes off involve your proprioception, visual and vestibular (inner ear) systems. Amazing, but true:

Poor mobility in your feet, for instance, can limit how heavy you can lift (proprioception)
Where your eyes are looking makes a difference (visual)

A RKC kettlebell instructor (like me) is trained in these aspects of the nervous system to compliment your movements and muscles.

For many people, increasing performance levels simply means getting out of pain, stiffness, or weakness. In other words, so you can get out of bed in the morning without stiffness. Or your low back or knees don't hurt anymore.

MUST SEE VIDEO: This link to Coach Mike Boyle's very insightful 3 minute video graphically explains the nebulous approach towards human aches & pains.

Don't Get Threatened!

More importantly, if you ignore your nervous system, and train in such a way that you are constantly invoking "survival" reflexes in your body - your form, posture, joints and health will all suffer.

Signs of 'survival mode':
--- Grimace on your face
--- loss of technique and form
--- ragged breathing

Then what happens? You're fighting survival reflexes.

One of the hallmark "survival" activities of the body is flexion. In other words, when we're "threatened" we try to get small. You don't want this while lifting a kettlebell.

If you are this way all day, the chronic, low-grade excessive flexion activity in the body will eventually contribute to a whole host of training injuries. It's common sense: stress (threat) causes lousy posture and poor movement skills.

By understanding that reflexive, survival activity governs the functioning of the body, you can factor in the effects of your brain in your kettlebell training.
Your performance levels can increase tremendously.

That's why RKC's repeat and repeat:

Practice, instead of 'workout'

Train, don't strain.

It's not about the kettlebell. The kettlebell is just a tool for better, stronger movement.

Train smarter, not harder.

Take the brakes off.

You Can Already Lift a Car

What If Something Hurts -- Do You have Pain?

What a Shoe Can Do

Better Than Stretching

Praticing for Sports -- Mind Is More Important Than Matter

Inspiration

2009-11-21T12:57:00.003-05:00

'
Are You Worthy?

Kettlebells are not for the faint of heart.

They are not for those who whine about the heat or the cold or dirt or sweat -- or any other thing for that matter.

Kettlebells are best battled outside in the rain or sleet or sun or wind where you can beat them or they can beat you, and the story is told only by the pock marks in the grass and the dirt on your hands.

Though they will do so, they are not meant to make prettier muscles but better muscles. They are meant to temper from the inside out, testing your mettle, strengthening muscle, ligament, tendon, and even a little skin.

Those who fear such a challenge from a small metal ball and do not wish to bear it's mark are not worthy of its gifts. And they should go home.

----"Elitism, June 22, 2008
(I picked this up off the net sometime ago -- sorry, forgot where -- but she says it so well.)

What is Strength?

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.
----Arnold Schwartzenegger

And Pain?

Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take it's place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
----Lance Armstrong

What the world really needs

Do not ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
----Howard Thurman

A little (big) secret

Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal; my strength lies solely in my tenacity."
---Louis Pasteur

I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations and you're not in this world to live up to mine.
--- Bruce Lee

Enduring faith is not blind or obedient, it is keenly attentive and responsible; it is not fed by awe, but by quickening interest; prosperity is not the disappearance of problems, but the continual engagement with the process of finding solutions. Wisdom is not given from on high, but must be painstakingly unraveled from the knots in his own guts.
--- Deane Juhan, Job's Body

In SEAL Team, when things looked the worst, when the mud was up to our ears, when the night was the coldest, when the mountain looked the highest, when the guns felt the hottest, the only way around it all was through it. "Get amongst it," we'd say.
. . . This above all will unleash the warrior inside each of us . . . . don't look for ways to get around life. Grab it, jump in it. do something, anything, but get amongst it!
---Richard Machowicz, Unleash the Warrior Within

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward. But properly learned, the lesson forever changes the man.
-- Bill Hinbern

If you're gonna be stupid, better be tough.
-- Jeff Martone

FAR BETTER to dare mighty things,
to win glorious triumphs,
even though checkered by failure,
than to take rank with those poor spirits
who neither enjoy much nor suffer much,
because they live in the gray twilight that
knows not victory, nor defeat.
-- Theodore Roosevelt

Question: What does it take to have a great company [ . . . person]?
Reply: It takes major setbacks and overcoming those.
-- Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric

The mercenary fights for a buck, the soldier fights because he is ordered to, but the warrior fights for a cause. He doesn't fight for pettiness or mindless bloodshed. The warrior fights because he believes that he is fighting for something good, something positive, something that will improve the quality of the world around him. The warrior never forgets that he is the example and so will always remember to act accordingly. He is a leader, and when there is no one else to lead, the warrior must lead himself forward to a different, higher standard. The warrior knows that he cannot and will not hdie the truth from himself, because to do so would be to breed weakness. The warrior knows if he chooses the weakest path, ultimately the person he truly cheats is himself.
. . . . To choose the path of a warrior means you must develop an inextinguishable passion for life. When you do, the amazing value of it is always in the forefront of your mind and propels your body.
---Richard Machowicz, Unleash the Warrior Within

Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.
--- Bruce Lee

To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.
--- Bruce Lee

Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general.
-- Mark Rippetoe

Don't ask for an easier life.
Ask to be a stronger person.
-- unknown

“If a man hasn't discovered something that he
will die for, he isn't fit to live.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.

"Alright men, they're in front of us, behind us, to our left, and to our right...they can't get away this time!"
-Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller (USMC)

"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson--
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."
--Colin Powell-- (1937 - )

Warriors aren’t born, they’re made. They’re forged in small towns and in garage gyms, and they’re hardly ever what people expect. They’re usually the ones who simply bust ass every day while others blab about the latest reality show or game station. They’re out there . . .
-- Scott Sonnon
It is better to have lived one day as a tiger than a thousand years as a sheep’ - Tibetan Proverb
"Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back."

— Heraclitus

Bruce Lee and Physical Perfection

2009-11-07T11:36:00.007-05:00

Bruce Lee
has been an inspiration for many
people of all walks of life.
I particularly love this article.

"WARM MARBLE"
The Lethal Physique of Bruce Lee

By John Little

Click the title above to read the full article.

A few quotes:

. . . It seems that Clouse's wife had ventured onto the set of the film Enter the Dragon and was mesmerized by Lee's incredible physique . . . In between takes, Ann approached the young superstar and asked if she could "feel his biceps."
"Sure," Lee responded -- it was a request he'd received on numerous occasions -- tensing his arm and inviting her to check it out for herself.
"My God!" she exclaimed, drawing her hand back instantly,
"It's like feeling warm marble!"

". . . On this basis, according to those who worked out with Lee from time to time such as martial arts actor Chuck Norris,
Bruce Lee -- pound for pound-- might well have been one of the most powerful men in the world."

"Lee referred to his approach to training as "the art of expressing the human body." Indeed, perhaps never before has there been such an incredible confluence of physical attributes brought together in the form of one human being -- lightening fast reflexes, supreme flexibility, awesome power, feline grace and muscularity combined in one total -- and very lethal -- package.

"Lee believed that the student of exercise science should aim at nothing less than physical perfection, with all that it implies in its totality; he should want great strength, great speed, great coordination, exuberant health . . . "

"Lee epitomized the athletic ideals of diligence, hard work, bearing up under adversity and refusing to short-change either oneself or one's potential. . . .

Low aim is the biggest crime a man can commit.
--- Bruce Lee

KETTLEBELL NOTE: John ‘Roper’ Saxon, Bruce Lee’s co-star in Enter the Dragon, mentioned in an issue of Hard Style that Bruce Lee showed him the kettlebell swing the day they met.

More Articles
Your Brain Can Make You Stronger
What's Wrong Here?
Inspiration

What If Your Shoulder Hurts?

2009-10-22T12:48:00.005-04:00

Or does something else hurt?

Now you can be grateful. You've found the weak link that will hold you back in the long run unless you do something about it. And the solution is at hand.

Almost all pain is a movement problem. And the right movement correction can fix things -- often quickly.

MUST SEE VIDEO: This link to Coach Mike Boyle's very insightful 3 minute video graphically explains the nebulous approach towards human aches & pains.

The most common knee-jerk reply to a patient's joint pain far-too-often is "It's arthritis" and "Stop doing that movement and take these pills."

If arthritis is defined as an inflammatory condition in the joint, then what's the underlying cause of that inflammation? MOVEMENT! And if there's a defect in the movement, don't we need to address that?

How do you find the real cause of your pain?

When all the Z-Health drills didn't help my knee, an Egoscue drill from the book above cured my chronic knee pain in two days.

No complaint against Z-Health because I love it. However, when you're on your own, it doesn't hurt to get the PAIN FREE book at the library and see if it does the trick for you.

My Mom's Shoulder Story

My mother, 70 years old, had shoulder pain for 4 months. The cortisone shots did nothing. An MRI showed arthritis, torn rotator cuff, bursitis, and inflammation. The pain was so bad at night she often cried.

We found this book at the library. It took my mother 15 minutes to do the movements/exercises in the book. And her pain was 50% improved! Repeating the exercises twice a day — by the end of the second day her pain was completely GONE!

In fact, when you go to the Clinics, you don't have to pay unless you're pain is 90% improved. These are the same kinds of quick, powerful results regularly seen with Z-Health. A little different approach in one sense, very similar in most other ways.

You may need to see it to believe it. I just hope you try it. The libraries around here have the book. If that’s the case where you live, it won’t cost you a dime to give it a try.

My Knee Story

I had a chronic knee problem. Squatting hurt my right knee. I tried sports medicine doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists. But when I tried the Egoscue exercises for knee pain (which had nothing to do with my knee, instead hips and shoulders) the pain was gone in two days. And has not returned.

With Z-Health, I'm I-Phase certified -- in other words, I have a few tools up my sleeve. I worked with Dr. Cobb (of Z-Health) in two sessions for my knee. We could get the pain to move around to different spots, therefore, suggesting that the pain wasn't an actual injury. We realized I just didn't have all the right muscles firing.

The point: if nothing else has worked, what do you have to lose. Try the Egoscue exercises. Believe me, if your knee hurts, that's just a symptom of a movement problem somewhere else. Surgery won't fix the underlying problem.

"He who treats the site of the pain is lost"

-- Levitt

I don't know a single person who's had significant, lasting results from a physical therapist or doctor. I guess it might work for some -- not among the people I know, however.

If your back hurts — it’s not because of your back. And that goes for your knees, shoulders, hips, etc.

Your back (or knee, etc.) is the victim, suffering from poor movement or poor alignment. It can be fixed! It takes a little effort on your part.

If you've read my story about my former back problems, you know that 50% of people with NO back pain have herniated discs. I had a huge herniated disc -- and I no longer have any back pain. So herniated discs are not a good excuse. And, just as many people with NO shoulder problems have torn rotator cuffs. Like my mother's case. So don't let a doctor fool you with that nonsense either.

Surgery won’t fix the underlying problem. If you've tried sports massage, physical therapy , chiropractors, acupuncture, yoga therapy, sports medicine docs, you name it. All these things may help briefly, but likely they are only addressing your symptoms and not the source of the problem. So, your pain can return.

Remember, it's your fault. You have to correct your movement dysfunction.

Egosue's philosophy in this book is: If your posture or bones are not aligned correctly (due to an injury or lack of use) some part of your body is going to suffer for it. The exercises re-program the muscles and bones to get back to their original design.

I think Z-Health is the most powerful -- and I'm a huge fan. However, for someone at a distance, trying to get the Z movements correct, if one thing isn't working, then trying something else might be a good idea. That's why I suggest the PAIN FREE book.

Also, I highly recommend that you watch this video on YouTube about posture with Esther Gokhale. This doesn’t take extra time and can help you immensely as well -- regardless of your discomfort problem.

Gokhale's book is important because it teaches you how to sit, stand, bend, ly down, and walk properly. This doesn't take extra time out of your day.It's not hard to do. This is how you should move throughout your day.

Must See 3 minute video of Coach Mike Boyle

How I Cured My Bad Back With Kettlebells

Short Video: Bare Feet Are Better

Your Shoes Could Be Making Your Shoulder Hurt!

Moving Better, Instead of Moving More

Better Than Stretching

The Most “Fun” I Ever Had With Kettlebells

2009-10-10T10:31:00.001-04:00

By Josh Hanagarne,

World’s Strongest Librarian

When Mike asked me what the most fun I ever had with kettlebells was, I thought: Man, we are a sick bunch.

Who in their right mind would call a session with kettlebells fun?

If you’ve ever used a kettlebell, you know what I’m talking about. When I think of fun, I think of things like sex, the perfect bowl of clam chowder, going to the movies, etc. I don’t think about the grim feeling of approaching a kettlebell knowing you’ve got 10 minutes of snatches coming up.

It’s never easy

But it’s not like you have to be doing 10 minutes of snatches to have a hard time with a kettlebell. In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, I’ve never done a workout—or practice, as well call them in the RKC—with kettlebells that felt easy.

I’ve had practices where I felt very strong. I’ve had practices where I’ve felt weak as a kitten. I’ve had hundreds of in-between days.

I suppose I just found out how I would answer Mike’s question: the most fun I’ve ever had with kettlebells was every single time I picked them up and knew I was stronger than before. There is a satisfaction in increasing your work capacity and strength that I can’t explain better than this: training hard changes you. The days when you realize that you have improved are priceless.

And the wonderful thing is, those days come more often as you go. Then the real fun starts when you get to go buy newer, bigger, scarier, funner (not a word) kettlebells.

“Fun”

Days where you break your own records are lots of fun. The day I did a mile-long farmer’s walk with an 88 lb kettlebell in each hand was fun. Kettlebell practices with friends are fun. The RKC weekend was fun. The Secret Service Snatch Test is fun. Working hard is fun. Getting stronger is fun. Seeing people’s eyes bug out when they realize how hard you work is fun.

I could go on and on and on…but not without sounding like a deranged lunatic to people not “in the know.”

If this has gotten you curious about kettlebells, I’ve done my job as an RKC. If you’re already a veteran and you’re nodding your head and grinning like a maniac, well—that works too.

Seriously, it’s a lot of fun. Fun like Christmas.

In Hell.

Josh Hanagarne

Get Stronger, Get Smarter, Live Better…Every Day

About the Author: Josh Hanagarne, RKC, is the twitchy giant behind World’s Strongest Librarian, a blog about living with Tourette’s Syndrome, kettlebells, book recommendations, buying pants when you’re 6’8”, old-time strongman training, and much more. Please subscribe to Josh’s RSS Updates to stay in touch.

Introducing the World's Strongest Librarian

2009-09-01T10:24:00.000-04:00

Please click the link below and learn more about this guy -- you'll be glad you did. This is some of his thoughts from "Five More Reasons to Love Kettlebells."

By Josh Hanagarne

" . . . It feels cool to do stuff like this. It’s fun. More importantly, a movement like this is impossible if your whole body doesn’t work together. You learn things about yourself because you have to practice. You can’t improve without practice and it’s more fun to practice than to “work out. . . .”

". . . Nearly every movement you do with a kettlebell requires that your whole body do something. If one part breaks down, the movement either fails or puts your body in a compromising position. . . "

". . . I’ve been coaching my wife Janette and she has changed in the last three weeks. Her whole body is gaining strength and it is so fun to see the confidence she’s getting. We’re not working on a dainty tricep here or a shapely calf there. . . . "

"Everything hardens up and gains strength at once. It’s a great feeling."

Read more from the World's Strongest Librarian here.

Best Book for Starters

2009-08-07T15:41:00.000-04:00

I recommend Enter the Kettlebell by Pavel.

I think the World's Strongest Librarian says it well -- so read more about this vital book here.

For more fitness books that I HIGHLY recommend, check out this list here.

And watch this, too.