CHICKEN LEGS GOT YOU DOWN ?

 I have been saying for years that boys have the same self image issues that are just as damaging as girls. A girls will manifest itself as eating disorders (starvation diets) while the boys manifest itself as eating disorders (gorging food). Yes, Taking in 4000 cal a day is not good for you or needed for the growth they want. Isn't it odd that weight gain for guys is required. Athletic boys in high school don't want to look like athletes. They want to look like bodybuilders. A collection of parts. Big bi's, tri's, lat's and legs. It is improper to add the size without adding the proportionate strength. Skinny legs? A mans worst nightmare. Forget the fact that it gives springy strength. Less mass to move when delivering a kick therefore quicker and delivers more force. Requires less nutrition for performance and you can buy your clothes off the rack. Ron Morris RKC made a comment to me when I first started training with kettlebells. After about 5-6 months I was buying one of his shirts. I grabbed the Xtra Large size and held it up just for sizing. He looked at me and said, "No more xtra larges for you."  He was right. I have been wearing large ever since. How can I lose muscle size and yet be stronger than in the past. Muscle recruitment is one answer. Using my body more efficiently is another. Strength is a skill.  Forms follows function. It always will. Today, I want my legs and glutes strong. They will be whatever shape that requires. I look at my body as a whole these days. I haven't done a curl or tri-cep extension in 3 years. Pistols, pull-ups, swings, TGU and snatches. Done. These simple but sinister movements will make you road worthy. Period.

Speaking of which...todays training.

Pistols 3L+3R (x 3) with 24kg bell

Pull-ups with 32kg  1 x 10 (slow, 3-4 minutes rest between each)

That's it. Felt good. Didn't break a sweat. See ya' tonight!!

IN THE END...IT'S ALL ABOUT HANDS.

  One complaint you will neeeever hear from a body builder is that their hands are getting ripped up. Olympic lifts? Maybe. Kettlebells? Please. It is the number one topic after a full day of high volume work. I tended to a gal who blew out her palm. I have never had a rip so low in my hand. Not sure what she was doing but I watched her afterwards and her technique was very good. I had brought some of my thin brown gloves  and NuSkin so I worked her up. She was still a mess in the hands department. But at least she didn't tear anymore. So what is the answer to hand preservation. That is up to the individual. You can select all or none of the following.

~Remove any build-up or 'tenting' of calluses. 

~Keep hands soft with lotion (Corn Huskers)

~Use barriers (thin socks or gloves) 

~Vary your technique to share the load over your entire hand

~Soak hands in ice water and lotion with a glove over them at night (not sure about this one)

  You just need to figure it out. In the above photo I was busy taping up hands each day as if they were going into battle. Believe me, they were. This was Lena as she was preparing for the VO2Max sequence. It was brutal. Everyone did great.

  I have been asked to post some of my training that I do daily or otherwise. Remember, I pick up the bells at different intervals throughout the day just to stay loose. I won't count that stuff in the training blog. Also, I have a tendency to subscribe to Brett Jones approach to training. Low reps/Heavy weights. I keep it simple. I am always 'working' on something (open the hips, sink the hips back, sink the shoulders back, pack the shoulders). I use the drills that promote these items.

Todays training:

Turkish Get-Up  5L+5R  32KG

                              4L+4R 32KG

                              3L+3R 40KG  <(this was work)

                              2L+2R 40KG

                              1L+1R  Beast

DARC Swings (alt. hand every swing)

                              20 reps/3 sets

Mow the lawn....not really training but what the hell.

~See you tonight!!!

COMPRESSION, ROOTING AND BREATHE BEHIND THE SHIELD

   Master RKC Andrea Du Cane gave a demo on how the arm should be positioned for a press. The beginning and the end position should be the same. Very stable. Controlling your breathing so the effort becomes effortless. Your breathing should match the force generated. Quick, explosive movements...quick explosive breaths. Long enduring efforts should have long compressed breaths for maximal gain. Compressed as if bracing for a punch but breathing behind the shield. I was instructed to get into a press position while she started pulling down on the top of my hand. Soon her feet were off the ground. Very cool demo'. It punctuates the point nicely. Glutes, abbys, quads all tight.

TEAM Du PAIN !!!!

  Another great certification this weekend. Everyone on Team Du Cane had tremendous success and improvement. Even though not everyone passed they should be proud of their efforts and the transformation that took place in their techniques. The kettlebell does not favor one type of person over another. It will punish us all equally. Brett Jones made it very clear some time ago..."it's called a challenge for a reason". 

  Two Team Leaders from Minnesota were promoted to Senior Instructor. Brad Nelson (Woodbury) and Jon Engum (Brainerd). Big congrats to the both of them. 

  I was able to extract some fun and information from this cert' that will be folded into our class. Working with Andrea Du Cane was educational and a pleasure. Fellow Asst. Bob Ross is certifiable in his own right. I had a great time working with him. I look forward to meeting up with these people again someday in the future.

  We have a new addition to Five Point Kettlebells. Another Beast has wandered it's way into the trailer. Looks like Bear Crawls, Farmers Walk/Carry and Sumo Dead Lifts just got put on the menu for tomorrow (yah, your welcome). See you in class tomorrow night!!

~nuf said. 

IT'S ON !!!

  The RKC kicked off today with one hell of a bang. I am pleased to report that our training is not only current, it ranks high on national standards. So far our program needs no altering...'cuz THAT'S how we roll!!! I love it. Andrea Du Cane is a treat to work for/with. Her ability to spot, ferret out, and correct poor movement patterns is impressive. She is very decisive. I like that. It makes my job easier. Here's the path. This is the one we're on. This will get you certified. Find your own path on your own time. 

  I have one page of goodies to fold into our training starting on Tuesday. Rest well my friends. Remember Sunday! Be the Victim!!! 

THE 10 PRINCIPLES OF THE RKC SYSTEM

1.  The emphasis on technique over routines, exercises, and workloads. The latter are marginal until the technique is perfect.

2.  An internal focus.  (rooting, tension, pressurization, and compression~Michael)

3.  Use of "a-ha drills" to enforce perfect technique.

4.  Safety is viewed as a part of, not the opposite of, performance.

5.  Reverse engineering of what the strongest and most coordinated people do naturally.

6.  The emphasis on strength differentiates.

7.  Creative use of exercise variations to build strength.

8.  Incidental cardio. (note:it is a part of, not trained separately~Michael) 

9. Incidental flexibility. (again, not trained separately~Michael)

10.  Simple and safe explosive lifting.

AGAIN, NO CLASS ON FRIDAY !!!  I look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday. I will have lots to share.

MORE TRAINING IS BETTER????

 What kind of training are we talkin'. Is it more of the same? Are you adding variety? Changing up the load? Working outside your comfort zone? Staying strict to form and the movement pattern. The key is to train smarter . Not harder. You have heard this a thousand times (blah, blah, blah...) Smarter does not mean less effort. Eighty percent of a real  one hundred percent is needed. Know your real limits/strengths and work from there. But remember, is your real strength keeping the proper form. Showboating just injured you. You may not have walked out with a limp that day but it will catch up with you down the road-I promise. 

  IS HOLDING A WEIGHT HELPFUL? SEEM STUPID? It is only silly to the person that has never trained this way or to the person that can't hold the weight. The rest of us know the training works. Life is static holds. Period. Rarely do any of us snatch, grab and run the distance. No, we hold the position. Carrying a couch is a walking static hold. Groceries, the kids, boxes, brief case, hunting, fishing,....I could go on but you get the picture. I don't train static 'leans' . This would be helpful at a bar but the training is disproportionate and awkward. A simple static hold is the plank. This is simple and sinister. Forget the shiny things as Brett Jones calls them. Stick to the basics. Here's a news flash- If you can't do the basics, you haven't earned the right to train using the 'shiny' skills. IT TAKES DISCIPLINE. THE COMPULSORY IS NOT SEXY !!! BUT IT WILL SAVE YOUR BUTT. I say this with love.  

~'nuf said.

~Michael

P.S. The picture has nothing to do with KB training. I just love the poster. Uncle Sam is hard-core!!

SEPTEMBER 11, 2008 A Day of Remembrance...

  It has been seven short years since the attacks on this great nation occurred. While we are building and dedicating memorials today and remembering the sacrifices made, parts of the Middle East are celebrating today as a National Holiday and building Theme Parks (using Mickey Mouses image) to promote terrorism. What a stark contrast of humanity. The best line I heard today was by Todd Beamer's (Todd made the famous statement "Let's Roll" on FLT 93) father. He said, "We've had many September 11's since 2001, but not one 9/11.  There's a father with perspective.

  Last night I had a Demo' at The GYM in Coon Rapids. Linnea and Roxanne showed to say 'hey' and swing some bells. I appreciate them sitting through items in my discussion they have clearly heard before. It went well, overall. Like anything, KB's require a certain amount of digestive juices to get through the training. Dudes and Dudettes alike need some grit.....the tough stuff just is not for everyone. I will need to give another demo' sometime soon in order to get a feel for the likelihood of having classes at this location. Good news is....those attending got a very good taste of KB training. No doubt they are cussing this morning....since 'sitting' probably isn't an option. There's love.

  Word in the herd is some are gathering at the community center tonight for extra training. My guess is 5PM like always. It may be cloudy but not raining. I will be thinking of everyone tonight at work. Probably around 3 AM when I usually get on the internet and check out the world KB scene. See you Friday!!!

WINTER BREAK? NOT LIKELY...

 " Do I look like the mother of the future!? " -Linda Hamilton

 When Cher saw Terminator 2, She told her publicist to find out who trained Linda. She wanted to look like her. Well, Cher never got her body to look like Linda's. Cher is soft. Very soft. At the time, she would have been lucky to look like Sonny. When pushed about the specifics to Linda's training she talked about the heavy weights she was using. She was power lifting and , of course, dieting like crazy. Not restricting calories. Restricting the type of foods she put in her mouth. I love fall/winter. It allows you to pile on the clothes and then there is an unveiling in the spring. At the unveiling we get to see who has been doing the work all winter long and who has been 'storing' for the long winter. Last week I went shopping for some trousers. I have a 33 inch waist. I am a little thicker these days but my clothes actually fit better. So I grabbed some 34's figuring I will wear a belt with them (I am still in love with my double width bridal leather belt...things a weapon and I can set a drink on it). Anyway, the 34's were much larger than I thought. I grabbed the 32's. Same problem. I could pinch about 3-4 inches of fabric at the waist line. So I went home. Grabbed the tape measure. Sure enough, 33 inches. Actually closer to 34. So now I know. The industry is lying about their sizes. In a big way. Then I got on line and Googled womens dress sizes. Well, back the truck up. A mass of articles popped up about the way the industry is resizing and has been resizing the dress sizes to attract women to their line and make everyone feel better. The joke is, if they didn't have extra petite, the dress size would need to be 'minus one'. So now your a size six and have 35% body fat at a height of 6' 1".  What is that? Crap. Can we say it again? Crapola.  My point? Get a tape measure. This is how we measure success and failure. Yes, failure. Measure yourself today and every 2 weeks through the fall and winter. Are you getting the results you desire? If not, what are we going to do about it? You tell me. There are only two ways to change your body. 1) Eat less/more  2) Train less/more.  That's it. Secrets out. Lock the doors. Pull the shades. Linnea P. told me recently she has lost well over 20 inches from her body. It was a total off her arms, waist, chest, hips, thighs. It illustrates the point that size comes off in layers. "Sheets" we like to say. You cannot target an area. Your arm may feel firmer because you are training arms more but we don't observe what you feel. The fat that constitutes 50% of the width of your arm is hiding what your feeling good about. Everyone has a six pack. It is just hidden by the extra layers on top of it.   Time to get the look you want and watch the progress. This is going to be a looooong winter if you believe the Farmers Almanac and the fact that the acorns have dropped. No need to endurance diet for spring break if we start now. 

  Tomorrow. Heavy. Low reps. Bring your Grit!!

~nuf said.

TO 'ALL MY FRIENDS'...CHEERS !!!!

   This picture has everything: Babes, Beer and Brawn.  When you work hard you earn the right to play hard and juggle a few staples...beer and pizza. The good news, everyone that stayed late that night made it to training the next day. No excuses. What a treat.

  Tuesday we will hit some of the basics for the benefit of the newly initiated and return to the high tension/low rep training that is the cornerstone to Hard-Style lean muscle development. Bring your grit.

  By the way, we are planning another get together Oct. 16th (it's a Thursday). Keep it in mind as your October calendar begins to fill.

FIRST- WEAK BACK

  When I am having a conversation with a long time 'gym rat', the first real topic of concern is the back pain. They all have it. Not so much the power lifter community. More so, the body building community or casual gym goer. Of course, nobody likes to be called a casual gym goer. But, if you can miss 2-3 months of training (because your life got busy and pulled you from the gym) and then return  and hit your previous level of conditioning within a few short weeks...well, your not one of those people that gains quickly. No Sir. The reality is you were never very strong or conditioned. Not that you didn't have success, it was just on a 'gym machine' scale. Conventional wisdom states- when your back hurts, go light with the back work out. Better yet, go to a 'back' machine and use light weights. That is the conventional wisdom. Problem is it will keep you in a cycle of discomfort. As you age the normal age related degenerative changes kick in and your pain and discomfort continues to increase. Why is this? Why isn't the high-rep back machine training fixing the problem? The reality is your routine is aggravating your condition. Your wearing out your parts at a pace faster than normal due to this high rep training. STOP! STOPPITY STOP, STOP, STOP!! Enter "Slow Strength". Pavel writes of it in his book 'Enter the Kettlebell' (ETK Chapter 3). I will highlight the principle here. Slow strength is the guts to grind it through. The grind of strength training. It builds real strength. Slow strength is the ability to exert the greatest force regardless to the time it takes. The grind (...as a matter of fact, I do love that word. Thanks for asking.) 'Strength  endurance' is the opposite side of the same coin. Most people over train strength endurance and under play slow strength. Power is strength times speed. But before you can endure strength, you must develop it. Quick, explosive, high rep lifts are the corner stone of endurance strength training. This is your conditioning. But do you have strength to condition? Where is your lean, powerful slow strength muscle? If the muscle isn't there your breaking down what little muscle is there. Now you better hope your body can repair itself before you attack it again. Otherwise you are in a cycle of deconditioning. Chew on this as we do todays training.

  For those who made it (about 11-12 of us) we had a fun night of trash talk at Psycho Suzi's. I appreciate everyone coming out for a little  summer capper. I look forward to doing it again. See you tonight!