Archives for June 2017

How to Replace Expensive Equipment with Kettlebells

June 21, 2017 By Laurel Blackburn 4 Comments

Laurel Blackburn and Adrienne Harvey Diy Fitness

I started my boot camp business in 2005 on a little patch of grass in front of a gymnastics gym. I didn’t have much money and spent what little I had on a few bands. Our workouts were mostly bodyweight with a few exercises done on the picnic table in front of the gym.

I had to be creative and think outside of the box. Before the TRX came out, I was already doing many of the exercises with beach towels wrapped around trees. I also bought PVC pipes and filled them with sand to use for presses, squats and deadlifts.

As my business grew, I spent almost all of my money on purchasing more equipment. I bought some kettlebells, I picked up logs on the street, and used whatever else I could find as exercise equipment.

Slowly as I earned more money, I bought more equipment. Once we moved from the patch of grass into an 800sqft space, I bought a few more kettlebells, some medicine balls, and I had a friend build a pull up bar.

After a year, we outgrew that space and I moved to a 2,100sqft building—then we moved up to my current 5,000sqft location. Now, I was able to buy a lot of equipment and I spent a fortune on stocking my gym. Every cent I made went back into the gym as I bought more equipment.

As a fitness professional and gym owner, I constantly receive tons of catalogs in the mail full of equipment to buy. I started looking at how I could use what I had to replicate new exercises but at a fraction of the cost. Soon, I became a regular at Home Depot and Lowes!

I found that I could replace everything from sleds to the popular earthquake bars dirt cheap.

A couple of months ago, I went to Orlando and met up with Adrienne Harvey. I packed my car with name brand portable sleds, my earthquake bar, kettlebells and my homemade equipment.

Adrienne and I filmed exercises using my expensive equipment and then filmed the same exercises with better options using my homemade equipment and kettlebells.

I wanted to show gym owners and exercise enthusiasts how they can get creative on the cheap by using kettlebells and a few items from a hardware store.

Here is what I used to make the equipment I used for part 1 of this series.

For sleds:

Lowes SmartStraps 2-in x 20-ft Tie Down ($19.98)

Watch the video, go to the hardware store, grab some kettlebells and get creative.

I’d love to hear how you’ve improvised, created new exercises and workouts with your kettlebells.

Stay tuned for part 2. I will show you how to make your own earthquake bars at 1/8^th of the cost.

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Senior RKC, Laurel Blackburn owns Boot Camp Fitness and Training and Tallahassee Kettlebells. Look for Laurel at www.bootcampstogo.com or www.tallahasseekettlebells.com.

In her early fifties, Laurel is out to prove that age is just a number. Her goal is to motivate and inspire people everywhere, both young and old that strength, flexibility and mobility can get better with age. Follow her adventures on her blog: www.SuperStrongNana.com.

Why I Like Hardstyle Kettlebell Training

June 14, 2017 By Florian Kiendl 1 Comment

Florian Kiendl RKC Kettlebell Pistol

Whenever I use the phrase “Hardstyle kettlebell”, I find it funny that it is very descriptive if you know the style of training, but at the same time it’s very confusing for someone new to kettlebell training.

An outsider might infer that Hardstyle is a very harsh and intense style of kettlebell training. But, this is not the case. Obviously, any kettlebell work is relatively intense—and the only limit to that intensity is your own physical ability. But, that’s not the point of Hardstyle.

Hardstyle doesn’t defined how hard we train, instead it describes how hard we move. How hard a given workout seems will depend on the volume (total reps), density (time) and intensity (weight or variation) you choose. On the other hand, how hard you execute every single movement does not describe the overall intensity of your training session. A single Hardstyle swing feels more intense than its competition style counterpart, but that still does not depict the whole training session. In the Hardstyle community, we frequently joke about “being lazy” since we do fewer reps harder instead of more reps with lower intensity.

There Are No Hardstyle Kettlebell Competitions…

With Hardstyle technique, it is difficult to compare one athlete with another. For example, performing 100 true Hardstyle swings is a challenging workout, while doing the same number of 90% less than Hardstyle swings will feel much easier. An athlete using competition style technique might choose the same 100 swings as warm-up because his movements are intended to conserve energy.

Even in our well known and feared RKC snatch test, we do not ask for 100 true Hardstyle reps. This is not because it’s nearly impossible to work at the required pace with 100 % pure Hardstyle technique, but because it takes a very experienced referee to see the difference between 90 % snatches and 100 % snatches. The test is still hard enough—believe me. You can’t “win” the snatch test, it’s pass or fail only.

Florian Kiendl RKC Kettlebell Windmill

Why I Like Hardstyle Kettlebell Training

As Max Shank regularly says, “We are all unique little snowflakes and therefore everyone is different.” Some people can work with the same three exercises for years and make incredible progress, while others need to switch their program every four weeks to stay on track. Some people will need a clearly defined goal to work towards, while others work like mules day in and day out. Competitions can be a strong motivation for training, but that same motivation can come at a high price. Whenever you compare yourself with others (who naturally may be younger, bigger, faster, etc.) you will need to overcome your own limitations to defeat them. It is one thing to move past your limits through dedicated training as opposed to working past them by sheer will, or guts to win a competition. It all gets easier with practice, but you must pay your dues. Considering that most elite athletes quit competing before age thirty, the physical price must be high.

Florian Kiendl RKC Kettlebell Clean In my opinion, it is wiser to train in a way that gradually builds you up over time. Work for your health while prepare yourself for whatever might come.

Are You Against All Competitions?

No. If you are motivated by competition, then you should definitely make that personality trait work for you. And even if you don’t like competing, it is still a good idea to try it now and then to gain a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. But don’t compete in your training. Hardstyle kettlebell training can provide you with the physical and mental fortitude to succeed in almost any athletic discipline. Use it to prepare yourself for competing in your chosen sport. Obviously, you will also need to train the skills of your sport, but be careful not to mix skill training and physical preparedness. To improve your skills, you should always try to train when you are relatively fresh. When physical preparedness is the goal, you will need more load to force your body to adapt.

Have fun, train safely, and compete wisely!

***

RKC Team Leader Florian Kiendl is a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and runs a Martial Arts Gym in a small town close to Munich (Germany). He made it his mission to help his students to improve their movement and overall health. In his search for ways to overcome the movement restrictions of his students (and his own) he found the RKC and now works together with Master RKC Robert Rimoczi and others to help as many people as possible to gain back their Strength and Agility. He writes a regular Blog at blog.kettlebellgermany.de and offers workshops all over Germany teaching the RKC kettlebell exercises: KettlebellGermany.de. If you have questions or comments on the article feel free to email him at florian@kettlebellgermany.de.

Swinging Through Pregnancy, Prenatal Kettlebell Training – Part 2

June 7, 2017 By Kathleen Walters Leave a Comment

Kathleen Walters RKC Kettlebell Snatches

This is the second part of a two-part series about top tips for trainers working with expecting mamas. In part one, we covered the first 3 tips for training pregnant women, and today we take a look at three more important points of advice for coaching women during pregnancy.

While each client’s needs will be individual, know what to look watch out for with exercise choices for pregnant women. Each pregnant woman will have her own limitations, but there are some common issues to watch for with your prenatal clients, such as Diastasis Recti or DR. DR is a separation between the right and left sides of the rectus abdominis muscle that affects approximately two-thirds of pregnant women. Unfortunately, most will not know that they have this problem, and most trainers do not know what to do about it.

Early in my pregnancy, I noticed that my belly was “coning” when I performed exercises like push-ups and planks—even though those are commonly recommended moves for pregnant women. After doing my own research, I realized that this was a sign of DR. When I mentioned this to my doctor, he told me not to worry about it since there was nothing I could do to fix it until after I had the baby. While my research confirmed I could not fix the problem during pregnancy, it also revealed that I could prevent making the problem worse by avoiding certain exercises.

When working with an expecting mom, assess her for DR several times as her pregnancy progresses. Avoid incorporating exercises in your programming that strain or twist the abdominals which can worsen the abdominal separation. Examples of exercises to avoid are: the get-up, windmill, push-ups, and traditional core exercises such as standard planks, sit-ups, crunches, Russian twists, v-ups, leg raises, etc. Additionally, clients should steer clear of exercises that create a risk of falling, such as box jumps. They may also not feel comfortable doing other “jumping” exercises like jumping jacks or jump rope, since these movements can cause increased pressure on the bladder.

Kathleen Walters double kettlebell Front Squat Beginning in the second trimester, it is also important to avoid exercises that require your client to lie flat on her back. This precaution can prevent the weight of the uterus from compressing the vena cava—a major blood vessel—potentially disrupting blood flow to the baby and leaving mom dizzy and short of breath. An easy way to work around this issue is to instruct your client to do these prone exercises, such as floor presses, on an incline instead.

Some of the best exercises to incorporate into a prenatal client’s programming include: goblet squats (which help prepare for labor), seated one-arm military presses, kettlebell deadlifts, suitcase deadlifts or sumo deadlifts, kettlebell swings (as the belly grows, single arm kettlebell swings may be more comfortable), single arm bent-over rows, and alternating reverse lunges. Single-leg deadlifts may also be appropriate earlier in a pregnancy, but it is best to avoid exercises that require great balance as the pregnancy progresses since balance will become compromised as the belly grows.

Remind your client that pregnancy is not the time to pursue personal records, instead she can work on improving her skills or beginning her journey with kettlebells. Prior to my pregnancy, I had never done a kettlebell snatch, but I spent a lot of time studying and practicing the movement while I was pregnant. My training focused on perfecting the movement’s form, and I never used a weight heavier than 8 kg. I also kept my training lower in volume.

Pregnancy is simply not a time to try to pursue a weight or endurance PR. While there are lots of photos and videos online of women who are nine months pregnant squatting and deadlifting very heavy weights, I discourage clients from doing these types of feats. Very heavy lifting can put unnecessary pressure on their pelvic floor, which can cause complications both during and after pregnancy. Pregnancy is also not a time to try to beat your previous times in high endurance sweat sessions. I remind clients that when it comes to strength and conditioning, the goal during pregnancy should be “to maintain and not gain”. Focus on skill development and form.

Kathleen Walters Kettlebell Hike

You might have a new client who is expecting but who was not physically active prior to pregnancy. It is still possible for this client to begin a training regimen, as long as she consults with her doctor, and you avoid programming strenuous and complex exercises. Instead, focus on foundational movements such as bodyweight squats, bodyweight stationary lunges, kettlebell deadlifts, seated military presses and bent-over rows.

Walking is also an excellent exercise to add to an expecting mom’s program, whether she is new to exercise or an advanced athlete. Walking is a full-body exercise that is generally safe to do throughout pregnancy. The intensity can be adjusted based on the client’s fitness level. Additionally, walking has been shown to lower the risk of certain complications such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia. Walking can also help to relieve stress, elevate your client’s mood and give her some much-needed “me time.”

Encourage your client to listen to her own body. Training while pregnant requires a woman to be more in tune with her own body than ever before. When I was expecting, I avoided any movements that felt uncomfortable or strained, and I never allowed myself to become overheated or dehydrated. Prior to getting pregnant, I was always eager to push myself to exhaustion. After learning I was having a baby, I prided myself on taking it “low and slow”. Ultimately, this change allowed me to train consistently 4-5 days a week up until the day before I gave birth. I kept my weight gain within a healthy level, which helped me return to my pre-pregnancy weight less than a month after giving birth. Additionally, although I had never formally trained with kettlebells prior to pregnancy, my focus on skill and form prepared me earn my RKC certification just 7 ½ months after giving birth.

I look forward to sharing the knowledge I gained through this experience to help other expecting moms swing through pregnancy and beyond.

Be healthy, happy and strong,

Kathleen Walters

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Written in collaboration with Master RKC Michael Krivka

Kathleen Walters, RKC is known as the “Kettlebell Mama”. She is a lifelong athlete based in Washington, DC, who specializes in coaching busy moms and moms-to-be in-person and remotely, helping them incorporate healthy fitness and nutrition habits into their chaotic “mom life.” To learn more about Kathleen and her coaching services, email her at kathleen@bellsandpeppers.com, or visit her website and popular blog at http://www.bellsandpeppers.com.