Exercise of the Week: Half Kneeling Single Arm Cable Press w/Lockout

Another longwinded name for an exercise but that is the best I can come up since that's what the exercise is....a half kneeling single arm cable chest press with a lockout.  It's an exercise that will challenge hip stability, core stability and shoulder stability.  A lot of stabilizing going on in addition to getting in your horizontal pressing.

A couple things:

1. The pressing arm is going to be on the side of the down knee and the locked out arm is going to be on the side of the up knee.
2. Really tighten up the glute on the side of the down knee in order to stabilize the hips.
3. Do not forget to switch up the downside knees when you switch up the pressing and locked out arms.
4. Do not get all macho and try to load this up just because it's a pressing exercise.  Control the weight and maintain your position throughout the set.

Exercise of the Week: Kettlebell Complex

Here's a four exercise kettlebell complex performed with 12 reps of each exercise:

• Two handed swings
• Goblet reverse lunges
• Single arm rows
• Goblet squats

Exercise of the Week: Push Ups w/Feet on Wall

Yep, another push up variation.  In order to keep your feet against the wall you are going to have to push your heels back into the wall.  Pushing the heels back is going to create tension from head to toe and increase the demand on your core stabilizers.

25 Random Fat Loss Tips

1. Start your day off with a glass of water.  Then continue to drink water throughout the day aiming for a total amount of ounces that is equal to half your body weight.  For example if you weigh 180 lbs, aim for 90 oz. of water.
2. Eliminate calorie containing beverages.  Yep, that means more water and no alcohol.
3. Aim to get in at least three strength training sessions a week.
4. Strength training training sessions should be full-body routines.  
5. Stop wasting your time with crunches.  It takes about 22,000 crunches to burn one pound of body fat.  Make better use of your time.
6. Walk or run.  Don't jog.
7. Include a source of protein at every feeding opportunity.  
8. Your total protein intake should be close to 1gram of protein per pound of body weight.  You weigh 150lbs?  Get in 150g of protein a day.
9. Don't fear fat.  Eating fat is not going to make you fat.  Eating excess calories and carbohydrates will.
10. Speaking of carbs, "carbs must be earned".  The leaner you are, the more carbs you can have.
11. Foam roll, stretch and do a dynamic warm up.   You can't train if you're hurt.  You can't lose fat if you can't train.
12. Supplement with fish oil.  Aim to ingest at least 2-3 grams of EPA / DHA per day.
13. Get more sleep.  Aim to get in 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
14. Increase the intensity of your workouts, not the duration.
15. Eliminate grains.  Yes, you do not need bread.
16. Drink 2-3 cups of green tea per day.
17. Stop using the elliptical.  Walk into any commercial gym and look at the people who are using the ellipticals.  You will know what I mean.
18. Switch from plastic to glass.  Stop drinking from plastic water bottles and microwaving your foods in plastic containers.
19. Eat more vegetables.  Shocker, I know.
20. Supplement with at least 2,000 IU vitamin D per day.
21. Plan your meals and workouts in advance.  "You fail to plan, you plan to fail."
22. Forget about the scale.  Weight loss and fat loss are not the same thing.
23. When strength training keep your rest periods in the 30-60 second range.
24. Don't set a goal of running a 5k.  Set a goal of doing more chin ups or single leg squats.  Can't do a chin up or single leg squat?  Then that is your goal.
25. Pretend you never heard about: low weight / high rep strength training, doing "cardio" and low fat diets.

Exercise of the Week: Dropback / Lateral Lunge Combo

This week's exercise is a hip mobility exercise to get at the hip adductors and abductors.

Picked Up Bits and Pieces....

.....from the Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification (HKC) workshop I attended a couple weekends weekend out at Skill of Strength in Chelmsford, MA.

I have been using kettlebells over the last five years or so as part of my own training and my clients training.  I think I have a fairly good understanding of when and how they should be used.  But I wanted to get a better understanding of three of the most common kettlebell exercises: the swing, the get-up and the goblet squat.  So I went to an eight hour workshop on a beautiful sunny day to learn about three exercises?  And my certification was going to revolve around three exercises?  You are correct.  Yeah, you can probably find some sort of instructional video on YouTube about these exercises, but you could also find crap like this on YouTube:



Without going into a rant about everything that is wrong with that video here's a breakdown of what I learned about the swing, the get up and the goblet squat.

The Swing 

• It is called a swing because it is a swing.  It is not a squat and a front raise which is what you will see being performed a good majority of the time, especially if you're doing Kettleworx.
• Before you are cleared to do the swing, you should be able to a pretty good looking kettlebell deadlift.  Before you are cleared to do the kettlebell deadlift, you should be able to do a pretty good looking hip hinge.
• When deadlifting or swinging focus your eyes on a spot on the floor about 10-15 feet away.  Keep your eyes on that spot throughout the entire movement.
• The swing is an exercise to produce horizontal force, not vertical force.  If you were to release the kettlebell at the end range the kettlebell should project forward, not up.  Please don't start throwing kettlebells around.  Just take my word for it.
• There is no need for the kettlebell to travel higher than shoulder height unless you're doing Crossfit or unless you are looking to jam up your shoulders.  If you want to get a kettlebell overhead work on kettlebell snatches.
• The top of the swing should basically resemble a standing plank.  There should be tension in the glutes, upper back and core area.  You should be in complete extension, not hyperextension.
• On the descent the kettlebll should pass through the "triangle" which is at knee height or above.
• Once you feel comfortable doing the two handed swing try working on some one arm swings and hand to hand swings.
• Swings can be used a number of ways in your training program.  They can be used as a power development exercise.  They can be programmed as a hip dominant movement.  They can be used as a metabolic exercise by themselves or as part of a metabolic circuit.

The Get Up

• I remember doing the get up for the first time about ten years ago.  I basically laid down on the floor with a dumbbell in one arm and then kept that arm vertical as I found a way to get up to a standing position.  I thought it was as simple as that.  Little did I know know that there was a way to doing a get up correctly.
• Before you attempt to do a get-up with any weight you should be able to a naked get-up correctly.  Let me clarify.  A naked get-up is not you stripping down to nothing and then doing a get-up.  A naked get-up is doing a get-up with no weight.
• After you've done a naked get-up work on doing a get-up by placing a shoe on your fist with the  bottom of the shoe resting on your fist.  For the entire duration of the get-up that shoe should stay planted on your fist.
• The shoulder of the loaded arm should stay packed down the entire time.
• During the first half of the get-up your eyes should be focused on the weight.  Once you get to the half kneeling position your eyes should look straight ahead.  The same goes for returning to the starting position.
• When getting back down from the top position one of the most important parts of the descent is taking a big step back to set you up for a nice leg sweep to get your hips back to the floor.
• Don't rush through your get-up. Break it down into small parts.  
• The get-up is a great exercise to identify asymmetries, a great core exercise a great shoulder stability exercise and a great exercise to use as part of a warm up.
• I think the mistake I made with get-ups in the past was using too high of a rep range so that I was completely gassed and my technique fell flat on it's face.  And that was even before doing the other side.  At least for the time being I plan on loading my get-ups a bit more and keeping them in the 1-3 rep range.

The Goblet Squat

• The goblet squat is an exercise that was popularized by strength coach Dan John a few years ago and for good reason.  When someone has a poor looking squat pattern have them goblet squat and almost immediately the squat pattern cleans up.
• Before I'm going to have anyone do any type of barbell front or back squats I'm going to have them work on goblet squats for awhile. In fact, I may never get past a goblet squat with some people and that's quite alright.  
• Just because you are not using a barbell doesn't mean you can't load the goblet squat up.  You can go have heavy as you want with this bad boy as long as your form doesn't fall apart.
• There is no arguing about what is proper depth with the goblet squat.  When you are doing goblet squats you are going to lower to the point to where your elbows touch just inside your knees.  
• If you can't get to that depth work on some goblet squat static holds.  Stand a couple feet away from a doorway or post and lightly hold onto to that doorway or post as you drop your butt towards the floor.  Hang out in that bottom position for a bit while you shift your weight from side to side trying to "pry" your hips open.
• Two things to think about on the descent.  One, push your knees out in order to engage your glutes a bit more.  Second, pull you yourself down into the squat by actively using your hip flexors.
• From a programming standpoint, the goblet squat can be used as a main lower body lift, as an accessory lower body lift or as part of your warm up.

Now you're probably wondering if me having a kettlbell certification is going to turn me into a "kettlebell guy".  Or maybe you're not.  Whatever.  The answer is no.  I've never latched onto one piece of equipment or form of strength training as the end all be all.  I look at something like the kettlebell as another tool to put into my toolbox along with dumbbells, along with the TRX, along with battling ropes, etc.  I feel it's not a tool I can or will get everything done with, but a tool that can be used in the right situations.

Lastly,  a big thanks goes out to RKC  instructors Doug and Laura Nepodal for a terrific job of leading the HKC workshop.  And another thanks goes out to RKC trainers Mike and Amanda Perry for hosting the HKC at their wonderful new facility, Skill of Strength.  You can never go wrong with a great day of learning with some of the best in the business.

Exercise of the Week: Trap Bar Squat Jump

I know what I don't have....some serious hops.

Accelerated Transformation Tip #11: Putting It All Together

Over the last couple of months you have been given some nutrition and lifestyle tips to help your with your body transformation process.  If we put some of the more important tips together with the hope that you are following each of these tips, here is what a typical day should look like for you:

•        Protein with every meal or snack.  Each time you eat you should be including some source of protein.
•        At least one fruit or vegetable with every meal or snack.  You should be aiming to get in 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, preferably more vegetables.
•        Eliminate calorie-containing beverages.  Drink a boatload of water and up to 2-3 cups of green tea each day. 
•        Watch your carbs.  Starchy carbs are allowed only at breakfast or in the post-workout window.  All other carbs should come from fruits or vegetables.
•        Take your supplements.  Suggested supplements to take are fish oil, a multivitamin and vitamin D.  If you are not getting in enough vegetables or protein add a greens supplement and protein powder to your list.
•    Get Compliant.  Adhere to each of these strategies 80-90% of the time in order to achieve your best results