We’ve finally found a good use for those tiny little “mini kettlebells” sold in some of the local stores. Turns out my 7 year-old is a budding kettlebell enthusiast! Here she is this past weekend, taking some basic instruction from my RKC instructor on how to deadlift and swing. (She’s asked for her own 10lb kettlebell so she can train like mommy.).. Read More
Archive for the ‘Kettlebells’ Category
Wordless Wednesday – Kids can do Kettlebells
On June - 9 - 2010
My HKC Experience
On May - 19 - 2010
I had the most amazing experience this past weekend at the Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification (HKC)! After a year of training with kettlebells under the watchful eye of a Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) instructor, I decided I wanted to take a bigger step. Instead of just working out with kettlebells, I wanted to prove I had what it takes to be certified in their use and instruction. For me, that meant attempting the HKC, a one-day course that provides in-depth instruction on kettlebells, and certifies attendees to instruct others in the kettlebell swing, squat, and Turkish get-up... Read More
Make Every Rep Count!
On April - 11 - 2010
Sometimes, when you’ve been doing a particular fitness routine for a while, it becomes so familiar that you start to lose your intensity. The problem is, you don’t realize it at the time. You go through the motions, sweat a little, and feel generally good about your workout. But then something happens that makes you realize that you’re not bringing your best form and intensity to your workout. Maybe it’s helping a friend through their workout. Maybe you decide to work with a trainer. Or maybe someone offers some constructive criticism of your workout.
In my case, it was a little different. Every Saturday, I participate in group kettlebell training with a trainer certified as having passed the RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge). Our workouts are generally 30-45 minutes of solid kettlebell training – lots of swings, squats, and dynamic movements. It’s generally not only a great strength workout, but also gets my heart pumping!
A few weeks back, instead of our normal group class, myself and two other students went to another gym to help our trainer out with a kettlebell demonstration. We were supposed to be showing people unfamiliar with kettlebell training how to properly do some of the basic kettlebell moves. Since I only train under my trainer’s supervision once a week (I train on my own 2-3 other times a week), I considered myself the least experienced of her students there. So I was really determined to be “on my game,” and give a proper demonstration of swings, squats, and any other moves we were asked to do.
Due to the nature of the demonstration, while we’d be doing kettlebell exercises, our “workout” wasn’t going to have the volume or cardio effect of our normal training sessions. We had far too many breaks, and weren’t doing more than about 10 reps at a time. I fully expected it to be a total write-off, as far as workouts go, and planned to make up my “missed” workout the following day.
As it turned out, the additional scrutiny of my trainer, her RKC certified spouse, and at least a dozen kettlebell neophytes caused me to put the pressure on myself, and I really worked hard to ensure I was keeping my core tight, folding at the hips on the backswing, popping my hips forward, and pulling my kneecaps up and tightening my glutes at the finish of each swing. Although I can swing a 20kg kettlebell, I was using my mid-range size that day – 16kg.
Even with low reps, long rest times, and a kettlebell that was not the heaviest I can swing, I still felt my hamstrings and glutes start to get fatigued near the end of the demonstration. And the next day, I could feel soreness and tightness creeping into my muscles as well, particularly while I was doing my “make-up” workout. I was very surprised that such a light workout had created such a reaction. And that’s when I realized…sometimes it’s not the length of the workout, the weight you lift, or the number of reps you do. Sometimes it’s about making each rep count, and giving every rep your all.
So while it’s exciting to move up in weight quickly, or add more reps than you did last week, I think I’m going to take it a little slower, and try to make my workouts more focused and intense. I’ll work on doing each and every rep with absolutely perfect form. That means my volume might be a little less, but I would wager that I’ll be a lot stronger (and have lower risk of injury) than I would have otherwise.
Do you worry about perfect form when you work out?
Sometimes, when you’ve been doing a particular fitness routine for a while, it becomes so familiar that you start to lose your intensity. The problem is, you don’t realize it at the time. You go through the motions, sweat a little, and feel generally good about your workout. But then something happens that makes you realize that you’re not bringing your best form and intensity to your workout. Maybe it’s helping a friend through their workout. Maybe you decide to work with a trainer. Or maybe someone offers some constructive criticism of your workout... Read More
3 Reasons I Love Kettlebell Swings
On February - 5 - 2010
Today’s post is from a personal friend and fellow fitness blogger, Anna Dornier of Path to Fat Loss. Anna and I first met on the Turbulence Training forums, and she was the one who first got me interested in kettlebells. Now, Anna is a Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor (RKC) and Certified Personal Trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). She teaches bootcamps and kettlebell class in Northern California under her company ATD Fitness... Read More
How to get a jeans-worthy butt
On December - 17 - 2009
I love jeans. Absolutely love them. A good pair of designer jeans just makes me happy. Why? Well, it’s the butt. A great pair of jeans really makes a woman’s butt look fantastic. And I know I’m not the only one who appreciates this! Every time I slip on a great pair of jeans I just feel sexy. But even after I lost my first 20 pounds, I still had some extra fat in my rear view. How did I deal with that?.. Read More
Weekend Roundup: Excess candy, breakfast cereals, kettlebells, more
On November - 1 - 2009
I don’t do round-up posts as often as I’d like, but as we’ve reached the end of another month, I thought it was about time I put another one together. So here are some of my favorite (and timely) posts of the past few weeks:.. Read More
Weekend Round-Up: Kettlebells, Loving your body
On October - 4 - 2009
It’s been a while since I shared some of my favorite posts from around the web, so I’ve accumulated quite a few. I’ve retweeted a few of them, so if you follow me on tweeter, you may have seen a few already. I love getting inspiration from others, and I hope you do too!.. Read More
What is the best form of exercise?
On September - 14 - 2009
People spend an amazing amount of time trying to find the best exercise. A google search on the words retrieves millions of articles on the subject, and there are nearly 20,000 books on exercise! People search through dozens of these resources looking for answers. They’ll look for the best exercise for weight loss, muscle growth, whittling their waist, or whatever their current goal is at the time. Then they’ll spend hours each week sweating away at whatever exercise is the recommended one of the era, even if they hate it the entire time. It’s a recipe for failure. If you’re going to stick with an exercise program for the long-term, it has to be fun and something you enjoy... Read More
Evolution of a fitness plan
On June - 22 - 2009
In the final post in my one-year look-back series, I wanted to walk my readers through how my fitness plan has evolved over the past year – as well as how my physical fitness has improved. I didn’t start out doing 30 push-ups in a row, cranking out chin-ups, or running a mile without getting winded. Not even close!.. Read More
Training with Kettlebells. Is it for you?
On May - 24 - 2009
I know I’ve mentioned before that I train with kettlebells. When I mention this to people, most people say, “kettle what?” So while kettlebells have been catching on lately, they are still unknown to many people. Let me tell you a little about kettlebells so that you can decide if you might benefit from training with them... Read More
