Hardcore Powerlifting Workouts

This weekend I trained with the Independent Powerlifting Association in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. These guys, and girls, are group of competitive lifters who take powerlifting very seriously but still like to have a good time in the gym. Training with them is a little humbling but it is making powerlifting fun again, which is good because I retired from powerlifting after the 2006 Canadian Powerlifting Union Nationals after I realized I wasn't having fun anymore.
Here was our workouts this weekend:
Saturday, Max Effort Bench Day:

• 1 Board Press, 45 x 5, 95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 275 x 3, 315 x 3
• Squishy Board Press (soft board) 315 x 3, 275 x 3, 275 x 5
• Dumbbell Floor Press 50 x 10, 75 x 8,6,6,6
• Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs 4 x 10
• Face Pulls 4 x 15

Squishy board presses are new to me and I love them. Simply find a 6 inch thick material that squishes but quickly fills back up whenever you stop pressing on it. Benching with the squishy board between your chest and the bar simulates the feeling of bench shirt. The deeper you bench, the more the squishy board accommodates resistance, making the bar heavier become heavier as you press it off your chest. See the video below for a demonstration:



On Sunday we did Max Effort Squats in a mono-lift:

• Raw Wide Stance Squats, work up to a max triple (I just did moderate triples because these are new to me and my currently weak hips)
• Dimmel Deadlifts 135 x 5, 225 x 5,
• Rack Pulls 315 x 3, 405 x 3, 425 x 2,2,3
• Leg Extensions 4 x 10
• Leg Curls 4 x 10

Here is a great video to demonstrate the Dimmel Deadlift, named after the late great Matt Dimmel:

Want results, well who is on your team?

If you want results in any endeavor you need to have a team there to help you. Entrepreneurs always have a team around them of skilled adviser's, professional athletes also, to help them reach their goals. So who is on your team? If you have goals, and I hope you do, then you need to find or build a team for yourself.

If competing in a kettlebell competition is your goal, then find a group of athletes who are also interested in competiting. Training with like minded people focused on the same goal as you will accelerate your training to the next level. If your goal is to get crazy lean find some people who want it too!

I have been lifting weights since 1995, and I made pretty good results on my own. When I finished University my rugby strength coach, whom I had to hire myself, introduced me to powerlifting. Even though I knew a lot about training by University, I still saw the value in hiring a professional to create my programs.

When I decided to start powerlifting, the first thing he made me do was join the Ottawa Strong. Training with this group of crazy powerlifters made turned me into a different person. My squat, bench and deadlift all increased by over 100 lbs in a matter of months! By training with a team who worked together for the greater good, all of us progressed at a faster rate. The sum was greater than the parts.

These days I live in Calgary, but when I found a kettlebell coach who runs classes, I knew I had to be there. Sure I have been training with kettlebells since 2002, but having a team to meet and train with regularly will make me work harder and do the drills I suck at! Training with these kettlebellers has kept me learning and progressing nicely.

As for getting stronger, I have been noticing the detriments of training alone. Like I said I used to train in Ottawa with a powerlifting club. For four years I trained and competed VERY seriously. Because of this I got results.

Since moving to Calgary and getting serious about strength training again, I have not been progressing at the rate I expected. Why? Because I train alone! I should have realized how ineffective this can be. Upon returning from India I took a hard look at my results for the last six months and realized I needed to get with a powerliftng team again. Nothing makes you strong like training with powerlifters and committing to compete in an upcoming meet!

I had my first session with them on Saturday and my triceps are still sore. It's not the differences in exercises we did, the fact is there are no real secrets in powerlifting training. It is the competitive nature of training with a group of "hard core" people who are serious about results. By finding and joining this team, my results will be much faster than training alone.

So if you want to achieve your goals, and maybe even win some meets, then find or build a team and get serious about results! Don't believe me, hear what champion powerlifter Donnie Thompson has to say about the importance of training with a team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk-QwhZOYHU

Back to Kettlebell Class

Monday was my first workout back in the kettlebell classes run by Marty Hansen since leaving for India. Luckily I had spent last week "breaking in" my body with light workouts, getting back in the groove. It felt great to be training with a group again even though my conditioning isn't 100% at this point. Here is the workout we did:

• Mobility Drills


• Dynamic Warm-up (jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups)


• 2 Kettlebell Clean paired with 2 Kettlebell Military Press 3 x 10


• 2 Kettlebell Split Squat paired with Sumo Deadlift 3 x 10


• 2 Kettlebell In One Hand static hold 3 x max time


• Kettlebell Seated Russian Twist paired with Kettlebell On Belly Crunches 3 x 10


• Crush Curls 3 x 10


• Kettlebell Swings, extra deep and high 1 x 30


• Stretching

Now that the weather is nice why not drag your kettlebells outside? Workouts are always better in the sun with some fresh air.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjJmf7qyoYQ

Kettlebell Daily Workout

Here is a really simple workout I took from one of Dan John's posts on Dave Draper's website. I used this is a light break-in workout last week I was still recovering from India.

• Mobility Work (dynamic stretches to loosen up and warm-up)


• Warm-up (jumping jacks, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups)


• Two Handed Swings x 12 minutes, resting after each set of 30 reps, moving around to keep the blood flowing


• Turkish Get-ups x 5 minutes, alternating hands each rep, no rest period


• 1 Kettlebell Military Press paired with Hand 2 Hand lunges 3 x 10


• 1 Kettlebell Clean paired with 2 Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift


• Stretching

As you can see this was not the most challenging kettlebell workout I have posted, but it was a good one to get back in the game. Today I return to M-2sport.ca kettlebell classes so the intensity will increase whether I like it or not!

If you are already in good gyra shape, then check out this workout I found on Youtube. Each round lasts about 1 minute so try to do 10 rounds with a short rest between each one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql3526PxexE

Women Have it All Wrong! By Rachel Cosgrove

Women have it all wrong!
By Rachel Cosgrove

Women have it all wrong when it comes to weight loss. The average woman when she joins a gym looks at how many treadmills there are and the aerobics schedule to see if there are classes that fit in her schedule. When women want to lose weight they torture themselves with repetitive movement for hours on end spinning their wheels or running to nowhere like a hamster in a habitrail! If you take a look at all of the women walking on the treadmills you'll notice none of them have the body most women want. The problem is that most personal trainers haven't figured it out yet either. They get a female client who hires them to change their body and they think, "Oh man...another one of those stupid toning programs in the ladies only section with the pink dumbbells doing lots of reps..." Most trainers don't realize that they need to challenge women to get their bodies to change and to stop being afraid of pushing her to gain muscle to boost her metabolism to change the way her body looks, permanently. Weight Loss

Program the average woman does:
Endless hours of cardio or aerobics classes
Avoids strength training because she doesn't want to get "big and bulky" or maybe she uses some rinky dink pink dumbbells to "tone" for lots of reps
Cuts back her diet to practically starve herself
Focuses on the scale weight and a number she wants it to say

What works about this plan: NOTHING!

What is wrong with this plan: EVERYTHING!

She will lose weight but it will be a mixture of muscle, water and maybe some fat so she'll end up looking like a smaller version of her same self but in the process she will have dropped her metabolism so there will be no way she can keep the weight off and will gain it back guaranteed. This is the cycle most women have been through many times throughout their lifetime. Yet, when they want to lose weight they do the same thing again. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

Weight Loss Program the average Women SHOULD do:
Metabolically demanding full body strength training program lifting challenging weights. This should be their priority workouts 2-4 days a week.
Boost their intensity and drop the duration on their cardio sessions performing interval style workouts for no more than 30 minutes at a time.
Fuel their body with healthy food every couple hours getting their metabolism revving.
Focus on how her clothes fit and how she looks and feels and not on a number on the scale. Focus in Fat Loss, not Weight Loss. What works about this plan: It will boost her metabolism, it will change her body, it will make her feel confident about herself, she can eat and she will be able to maintain her new body!

What is wrong with this plan: NOTHING! To really change their bodies permanently women need to start checking out the strength training floor. They need to get out of their comfort zone and push their bodies beyond what it is used to. No more walking to nowhere on the treadmill! I am not talking about bodybuilding routines where you split up each body part and bomb and blitz the pecs or pump up the biceps. It is not necessary for a woman to isolate any muscle group to get the defined look she wants. Instead a woman should do a full body, metabolically demanding program in which she alternates between an upper body compound movement such as a push up or chin up with a lower body compound movement such as a squat or lunge.

Keep the rest periods short and use a weight that is challenging. Use 3-4 pairs of exercises working out for no more than an hour at a time. The woman with toned arms and defined legs looks that way because she has the very thing most women are terrified of, muscle. They are so afraid to lift weights in fear of bulking up that they never get their bodies to look the way they want them to. They have it deeply seeded in their subconscious that as soon as they touch anything over 10 pounds, they will sprout humongous muscles! Even if they do use weights, they probably still aren't lifting heavy enough and pushing themselves hard enough to get the look they want.

Most women don't know what their bodies are capable of and tend to not push themselves hard enough. There was actually a research study done on this where they showed that women when left to train on their own, lifted loads below what they were capable of. Maybe it is because women have been conditioned our whole lives to exercise from the point of view of what we "can't" do, rather than what we can do. Women grew up doing "girl" push ups, because we were told we "can't" do actual push ups or hanging from the bar instead of a chin up because girls "can't" do chin ups. The first woman to run the marathon had to sneak in dressed as a man because women "can't" run a marathon, and that was only in the 70's, not that long ago. Women "can't" lift too heavy, they will hurt themselves. We still subconsciously hold ourselves back when it comes to training whether we realize it or not.

We need to start training from the standpoint of- What CAN you do? How much CAN you lift? How strong CAN you get? And stop letting "can't" enter our vocabulary. As women start to push themselves in the gym, lifting weights and building lean muscle tissue, their metabolisms will be revving and they will be the toned, defined body they have always wanted. So how do you get your body to change? You have to lift enough weight to build muscle to increase your metabolism, fuel your body with healthy food and turn your body into a fat burning machine. Stop pounding your body with hours of cardio and stop starving yourself!

If you are a gym owner or work in a gym start looking around at what the women in your gym are doing to lose weight and change their bodies. Do you have members who have been walking on your treadmills for the last three years and still look exactly the same? Educating your trainers and your female members you can help them to make permanent changes that will last a lifetime which also means their memberships will last a lifetime. Your gym will be packed with toned, strong women doing squats, chin ups and push ups showing off their new found six pack or their defined delts, feeling confident and good about themselves and I don't think the men in your gym will complain...
---
For more information...

In this live seminar with Rachel Cosgrove, filmed at the Perform Better Rhode Island Summit - she shares her tips for getting great results from the female training population:

*Convincing female clients to embrace heavy strength training

*How to explain the importance of correct metabolic training and implement smart protocols

*Increase motivation through the power of social support

*Key differences in the psychology and physiology of training males and females

*Increase results by using an Athletic approach to program design*The "Crab Theory" and other insights into the female mind.

Pick up the DVD here: Training Jill Not Jack!
====
AC AlwynCosgrove.com

24420 Walnut streetNewhall,

CA 91321

US

Dragon Door Newsletter. 4/14/09

I don't usually post the Power by Pavel Newsletter but this one has some good information in it so I thought you readers would appreciate it.

Power by Pavel Newsletter
Issue 175, 04/14/09

Comrade, the long awaited book by Master RKC Com. Kenneth Jay, Viking Warrior Conditioning: The Scientific Approach to Forging a Heart of Elastic Steel: An Application of The Theory Behind Proper VO2max Training, is finally here.
Based on painstaking, original research on subjects ranging from untrained folks to members of the Danish Olympic team, Viking Warrior Conditioning is a foolproof blueprint for achieving Olympian conditioning in record time—while simultaneously improving one's body composition dramatically. Master RKC, Kenneth Jay, the warrior sage equally at ease with a heavy kettlebell and with a force plate, shows you the way.
Order your copy of Viking Warrior Conditioning today and become a better man or woman
Cancer survivor and strength expert Com.

Alwyn Cosgrove is raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This organization receives all the proceeds from the sales of Lift Strong, a CD with 800 pages of training articles by well-known authors.
www.liftstrong.com

Power by Pavel: The Viking Push Press for Viking Muscles
The push press is an excellent quad and triceps builder and a great shortcut to jerk mastery. Traditionally, you would take a knee dip with a kettlebell on your chest, then quickly kick it up with your legs and punch it up with your arm. I find the variation developed by our Master RKC instructor Kenneth Jay more effective, while being safer and easier to learn.
A beginner runs into two problems with the traditional push press. First is the timing of the knee dip and the leg drive. Second is the tendency to lose the abdominal tightness essential for back health. It is easy to let your upper body collapse, which would up your numbers but could also do a number on your spine.
The "Viking push press" solves both problems with brilliant simplicity. Instead of resting between the reps with the kettlebell on the chest, the Dane of Pain pauses in the lockout. He lets the kettlebell fall to the chest, dips his knees, and immediately rebounds into the push press. Starting from the top encourages the abdominal brace and naturally sets up the proper leg rhythm. The girevik will no longer have the tendency to dip too deep or to hesitate on the bottom because the movement will feel as natural as a jump.

Workshops by Pavel

Comrade, watch interviews with several RKC students:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIM-4WrtuJg

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK RKC kettlebell instructor certification course. May 15-17, 2009.

FLORENCE, ITALY Beyond Bodybuilding seminar (taught in English). May 23-24. http://www.olympian.it/seminario_23052009.cfm

ST. PAUL, MN RKC kettlebell instructor certification course. June 12-14, 2009.

ST. PAUL, MN RKC Level II kettlebell instructor certification course. June 26-28, 2009.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY RKC kettlebell instructor certification course. Aug 14-16, 2009.

VENTURA, CA Hardstyle: How to Dramatically Increase Your Bodyweight and Kettlebell Strength. Oct 24. http://hardstyleventura.com/. Contact Com. Sean Schniederjan, RKC, SchniederjanRKC@aol.com

Articles for the Party, from the Party

Why training barefoot is beneficial
By Sara Cheatham M.S., Sr RKC
Proprioception can be thought of as the brain's ability to know where the body is in space and time without keeping constant conscious awareness of it and the world around it. This constant feedback and feed forward system is possible because of the influence of mechanoreceptors and nociceptors housed throughout the body, with highest concentration in joint abundant areas such as the feet, hands, and spine. Proprioception is for an individual what an actor wearing a motion sensory suit is to generating 3-D computer images for a movie; it provides a map of the individual's body.
Proprioception is a survival based concept that can be enhanced or inhibited by shoes and training surface. Because the feet have large numbers of receptors, they significantly influence proprioception. When stiff, thick-soled, highly cushioned, tightly laced shoes are worn, even for a short period of time, the proprioceptive map becomes blurred making the individual vulnerable and unstable. Footwear is a highly underestimated in its influence upon pain and injury… Read the complete article

Using Kettlebells To Attack Stubborn Fat
by Al-Sabah Suleiman RKC (Al-Uk from the DD forum)
One of the most common questions on the Dragondoor forum (this is probably true on all fitness forums) is something along the lines of "Any tips to help me lose some weight" or "How can I get rid of this gut?" Usually the answer is "eat less, move more" or "push-aways". The fact is that a sensible training program (e.g. ETK ROP or Program Minimum) and diet (sufficient protein and essential fatty acids, 10-20% calorie deficit) will work so as long as you stick to it. What I want to cover in this article is how to use kettlebell training to lose the "last few pounds' that often appear immune to training and diet despite the trainee's best intentions… Read the complete article

Clean up Your Kettlebell Clean in 5 minutes or Less
By Terrence Thomas, RKC
When teaching beginners, there are 3 technical aspects of the clean that must be considered… Read the complete article

Russian Kettlebell Invasion
Washington Times
LA Times.
San Francisco Chronicle.
Read the results of the Apr 4 International Tactical Strength Challenge.
LA JOLLA, CA RKC Team Leaders Coms. Franz & Yonna Snideman have moved Revolution Fitness to a new bigger facility. franzsnideman@earthlink.net
BEVERLY HILLS, CA Senior RKC Com. Doug Nepodal is now offering private KB training in Beverly Hills. classicironkb@gmail.com
NEWPORT BEACH, CA KB basics/RKC prep workshop. Apr 18. Coms. Mark Reifkind, Master RKC & Jordan Vezina, RKC. jordan@averagetoelite.com
NEWPORT BEACH, CA Advanced KB/RKC2 prep workshop. Apr 19. Coms. Mark Reifkind, Master RKC & Jordan Vezina, RKC. jordan@averagetoelite.com
SANTA MONICA, CA Sunday morning KB classes. Com. Dr. Mark Cheng, RKC Team Leader. kettlebells.losangeles@yahoo.com
TWENTY NINE PALMS, CA RKC prep workshop. May 2. Com. Paul Daniels, RKC Team Leader. pad@thebodywarehouse.com
RIDGEWOOD, NJ KB Military Press and Snatch workshop. Apr 26. Com. Steve Freides, RKC 2, steve@kbnj.com
HUNTINGTON, NY Long Island Kettlebell Club workouts. Apr 18 and 25. Com. Christian Lombardo, RKC2. christian@fortitudefitness.com
BRYN MAWR, PA Fundamentals of KB exercise workshop. May 3. Com. Gary Berenbroick, RKC. gary@kettlebells4u.com
VIRGINA BEACH, VA Grand opening of a kettlebell studio. Apr 18. Com. Karen Smith, RKC, karenskettlebells@yahoo.com
Power to you!
Comrade Pavel www.PowerbyPavel.com

Kettlebell Complex as a break in workout

My last post explained my plan for physical perfection, or at least to not be embarrassed at the beach, today's post lists some simple "break in" workouts to get you back in the fitness game with killing yourself.
The first one is a simple kettlebell workout to get your conditioning and fatness (no spelling mistake here) level acceptable.
Before the workout:

• Mobility work, 15 minutes of good solid movements here


• Dynamic warm-up (lunges in ALL planes, push-ups, jumping jacks, sit-ups, 3x10 no rest)

Once you are warm and nimble as a little kettlefairy do a 2 kettlebell complex, 3 sets of 5 reps per drill, no rest between drills:

• Swing


• Squat


• Press


• Hang Clean


• Lunge


• 1/2 Turkish Get-up (the twist and up but don't stand up)
  

Once your complexes are done, and you realize how out of shape you are, dig that metabolic hole a little deeper with some swings and planks:

• Swings 3 x 30


• Planks 3 x max hold

Finish off with about 10 minutes of stretching, focusing on your stiff spots not your favourite stretches. For example most men have tight hip, hamstring and chest muscles so guys target those areas if you are unsure. My favourite post-workout stretch is the old squat sit, just squat down and sit there on your feet. Hold a pole or something in front of you if you can't stay upright (I can't). I learned this stretch from Mark's Daily Apple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWiE0CNpoEk

Hitting the reset button, how to get back on track

I have just returned from a month long journey that took me from Calgary, to India, to Vancouver Island and now finally back to cowtown as we call here it. What a trip! It was fun but like all time spent away from home base my daily routine was torn apart. During this month away I gained some fat, and lost some muscle despite squeezing in workouts whenever I could. I don't let this sort of thing stress me out though, as I always say sometimes life gets in the way. The key is to get back on the saddle as soon as you are able to. Besides, time away gives you a chance to view your goals and training from a distance and gain some objectivity.

The first step after hitting the reset button is to determine your new goals. My long term goals are:

1. To see my long lost abs


2. Get my strength back up to acceptable levels (bench press 1.7x body weight, squat 2x body weight, and deadlift 2.5x body weight)


3. Develop healthy mobility

Obviously you will have different goals, although I imagine most of my readers want to be stronger, fitter or leaner, if not all of the above.

The plan is pretty simple:

1. Clean up my diet (I eat way too many carbs simply out of laziness) with a diet of meat, leaves, berries, nuts, and some fruit. If my fiance's dinner does not fit, keep the portion small instead of telling her "this macro nutrient profile is messed up, I am going to pound a shake instead". That tends to cause other issues.


2. Train six days a week, 4 days dedicated to strength, 2 solely to metabolism plus some small metabolic work at the end of strength sessions.


3. Mobility work for 20 minutes a day, every day! A little over the long haul will go a long way. Never be too lazy to do your mobility work, you will miss it when it is gone.

So that is the general plan, but plans need to be implemented or they are just ideas on paper.

The first step is to do some testing:

1. Measure my waist at the fattest point, my chest, upper arms and then the wrist for control as there is no muscle there. I want to see the waist shrink! The chest and upper arms may or may not shrink depending on muscle gain vs fat loss, so an improved chest to wait ratio is the ultimate goal.


2. Measure my lifts. Do a test of 1RM squat, bench and deadlift.


3. This is a tough one for me, I am not sure how best to test my mobility. I just know it sucks! If any of you guys have an idea let me know.

Once I have my numbers laid out, it is time to create the actual action plan or weekly habits:

1. Every Sunday do my grocery shopping. Purchase enough eggs, berries, lean meats, nuts, veggies and northern hemisphere fruits to last me the week. I should have enough food to keep me too full to cheat. Prepare eggs and lean meats so I can eat them at work. Pre-chop up veggies so they are easy to throw into salads or meals. Make it easy for me to eat right! These are habits I learned from Dr. John Berardi.


2. Create the workout schedule, it will be something like this, Monday-kettlebells, Tuesday-upper body max, Wednesday-lower body max, Thursday-kettlebells, Friday-upper body reps, Saturday-lower body reps. Each weight lifting day will end with a snappy barbell complex to kick start my metabolism.


3. Mobility work on my lunch break. Every day! I need to be strict with this one to really hammer the habit into my brain. Mobility work isn't sexy I know, believe me, but it is so important to physical performance and a healthy life that it cannot be ignored.

So there you have it, that is the plan and it looks good on paper but the proof is in the pudding when you eat it, although too much pudding is why I am making this plan. Now the real challenge is to follow the plan and allow the developing habits take care of my results. Have any of you guys made new fitness plans recently? If you are not making progress, here is a great T-Nation article that will give you some Advice You Don't Want To Hear.

Mike Robertson hates the squats?!?!

Hey guys, I found a cool article on Mike Robertson's website, for those of you who don't him he has been writing for t-nation for years, banged out some great DVD's, Magnificent Mobility being my favourite.

Check it out:
Robertson Training Systems Newsletter 5.08

Alwyn Cosgrove, Lift Strong!

Hey guys, here is another newsletter from Alwyn Cosgrove. I purchased the Live Strong CD almost a year ago and found it full of great information, plus you help fight cancer! It's win/win, but don't take my word for it, see what Alwyn has to say below.


It has now been over 1000 days since my bone marrow and stem cell transplant - a procedure that saved my life. For new readers - I was diagnosed with stage IV cancer in 2004 - underwent chemotherapy and went into remission. Unfortunately I relapsed in early 2006 and had to have a transplant in June of that year.

The day you have the transplant is considered day ZERO. The day you are literally reborn from the stem cells and up.

Lift Strong is a product that I masterminded with the help of Mike Roussell, to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. With the the help of some great friends in this profession we turned our little project into an 800 page manual (that we produce on CD to keep costs down). Everyone volunteered their time and their information. No one makes any money from this product - it's all going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The government is currently giving billions of dollars in economic aid to banks that basically messed up - yet cancer research is funded primarily by individual donations - not government help.

When you actually stop and think how messed up it is that we have to put up a website to get public donations to help fight cancer treat while the government is bailing out financial institutions left and right it just boggles the mind. I mean, shouldn't that be one of the first things we as a society are taking care of?

Anyway - rant over.

I'm a cancer survivor. But the fight hasn't stopped. People have to fight cancer every single day.

All the proceeds from the sale of this product go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

I urge you to support this cause and purchase this CD. Your purchase WILL make a difference.

You are reading this today because I am alive after facing cancer twice. If I've ever made you stop and think, laugh, made you mad or taught you something - it's because I beat cancer due to medical research due to donations from people like you funding projects like this.

Again - I am alive today because of advanced medical treatment.
Medical treatment discovered by research.
Research funded by money.
Money sourced from donations.

Donations from people just like you.

Please help.

www.liftstrong.com

--
AC

AlwynCosgrove.com

24420 Walnut street
Newhall, CA
91321
US

Reader Mail: How often should the "300 kettlebell melt down" be performed

Hi Nathan,
My name is A.C., my question is how often should the "300 kettlebell melt down" be performed for best results?

Hi A.C.,
Thanks for writing me. For those of you who don't know the 300 kettlebell melt down workout, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRpbM9nzDcM

This is a pretty damn intense session that is sure to elevate your metabolism through the roof for probably 24 hours afterwards. I don't see it putting much stress on your joints, so physically you could do this kettlebell workout pretty frequently. It is tough though, and would be hard to "get up" for on a daily basis. I think the greatest frequency you do a workout like this with solid intensity is 3 times a week, and that would only last for a few weeks. After that you would have to shake things up a bit to keep your body adjusting and your mind fresh. You don't have to reivent the wheel, just change the reps, weight, order of exercises or some of the drills altogether.
I just returned from India where I did not have access to kettlebells, so I used dumbbells, cables and my burgeoning body weight to make challenging circuits and complexes. In three weeks I trained every day of the week, resting only three days. The point I am making is not to brag about my discipline, but to demonstrate that you can do complexes or circuits daily if fat loss is your primary goal. You will not fall apart or fail to adapt with tough daily exercise, you just have to be intelligent about it.
For example, someone looking to build muscle and keep fat at bay might have a weekly schedule like this

1. kettlebell complexes
   
2. heavy weights, upper body
3. kettlebell and body weight circuit
4. heavy weights, lower body
5. kettlebell complexes, extra ab work
6. lighter weights, higher reps, full body
7. rest, eat, and be merry

Someone trying to really lose fat would do something closer to this:

1. kettlebell complexes
2. kettlebell and body weight circuit
3. outdoor activity or sport (soccer, hill sprints, bike sprints, park circuit training)
4. kettlebell complexes
5. circuit training
6. outdoor activity
7. light outdoor activity

You can exercise hard every day if the weight (stress) is not too much for you to handle. So regular high intensity interval training such as the Kettlebell 300 melt down or the other examples above are fine to do daily, just keep it fresh so you stay challenged!

Roberston Training Systems

Hey guys, this is another newsletter I always look forward to. Mike Robertson really knows his stuff!
Posture and Performance
A question I get absolutely all the time is, “Why am I not seeing results in my posture/performance/whatever?” Does my training program totally suck? The answer? Come on, you already know what it is…IT DEPENDS! In all honesty, without seeing your training program, it’s hard to say whether it’s the problem. With in-person clients at IFAST, it’s pretty easy to root out issues as we control their programming, training, etc. If they aren’t getting results, most of the time it’s due to things they are doing outside of the gym versus what they’re doing inside it.Imagine the typical computer programmer who would walk into your gym – their hips are constantly in flexion, their upper back and shoulders are slouched over, etc. Even if you gave this person the absolute perfect program and they executed it to perfection, they may not get results.
Why? Eric talked about this at length in our Building the Efficient Athlete Series, and it’s due to the law of repetitive motion. Quite simply, we often think of only the big-bang things that influence our posture; as lifters we think squats, deadlifts, bench presses, etc. We analyze and review our programs with a fine tooth comb, making sure that our quad dominant and hip dominant lifts are balanced, our horizontal pulls match our horizontal presses, etc.But far too often, we forget to account for what we do all day everyday!This is one of the many reasons I’m such a huge advocate for more soft-tissue, activation and flexibility/mobility work – even the best program is going to have a hard time overcoming repeated postures that you assume throughout the day. In this day and age, we have to use a lot of different tools to maintain good movement capacity, and it only makes sense to take advantage of all of them.Think about it for a second – do you really expect 3 hours in the gym every week to counteract the fact that you sit at a desk or in your car for 40, 50 or even 60 hours every week?Really?Because I hate to break it to you, it’s not going to happen. Those low level stimuli absolutely manifest and develop into something much bigger than you give them credit for. Adaptive shortening of muscles can occur in as little as 20 minutes; that means if you’re sitting at a desk for 8 hours every day, your hips are adapting to that position by getting shorter! This is epitomizes the say “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”If you are really serious about getting yourself healthy, mobile and resilient, you absolutely must take into account the positions you’re in throughout the day and try to optimize them.If you sit at a desk, get your hips in extension by performing lunge stretches. Or better yet, get a stand-up desk and cue yourself to tighten up your stomach and glutes while standing.If you drive all day long, set a timer on your phone to go off every 15 minutes that will cue you to sit-up straight and move around a bit. Fidgeting is not a bad thing!In essence, everything we do influences our posture and our performance. The question, then, is what you’re doing right now positively or negatively affecting it?
Make the conscious decision throughout the day to optimize your posture and alignment. Doing so will not only help you outside of the gym, but it will improve your performance in the gym as well.
Stay strong
MR

My opinion of Wieder's Powerbell

Hey Nathan – just saw an ad for this: http://www.getpowerbell.com/products.html. Have you used it?
Jay

Hey Jay,

Thanks for writing in. No I have not tried it, so my opinion will be somewhat biased but I will try. First off it has Wieder's name on it, which pretty much guarantees that it is crap. His reputation for pumping out junk products like ass busting supplements or magazines that lie blatantly is legendary. Secondly, there is a serious problem with this "powerbell's" design. You see a kettlebell is round like a circle, not a cylindar shape, so when it comes around your hand and bumps your wrist it doesn't hurt too much. This design would dig into the wrist quite a bit more.

Now I do like how it is adjustable, but there are better designs, such as hollow circular kettlebells that you can add weight to the inside. I can't tell what it is made of but if it isn't made of metal then frankly it just isn't cool.

Kettlebells are kettlebells, they are cold, hard, unforgiving man makers. This is santized for the masses, and the masses are weak, soft and lazy.

Has anyone here tried this or other adjustable kettlebells?

Alwyn Cosgrove, Metabolic TRX Training

Hey guys, I am a big fan of Alwyn Cosgroves teachings on fitness and the fitness business. If you are not subscribing to his newsletter you should be. It is one of the few newsletters I actually look forward to reading. Here is todays:

Here are some articles and interviews that you might have missed - all about the training business:
1) So you want to be a Fitness Professional? - (from t-nation.com)
2) Straight Talk about the Fitness Business - (from t-nation.com)
3) An in-depth interview I did with Craig Ballantyne of Online Super Profits -- Four Tips to Beat the Recession
And if you're more interested in training stuff - check out this GREAT article from Fraser Quelch of Fitness Anywhere on Planar Training - it's mandatory reading for my staff and has a place in our staff training manual.

Metabolic Resistance Training and the TRX
I've been traveling a lot recently. In the last seven weeks - I've taught seminars in Orlando, New York City, Washington DC, Boston, and made two trips to Las Vegas. Six seminars - four that required cross-country trips!
Like a lot of you I'm busy and find it hard to get to the gym when I'm on the road. so I have to use bodyweight exercises to maximize my training when I'm short on time and on equipment. Then when I get home, I have so much work that I need to catch up on, so even with short workouts, traveling to the gym and back adds some more time that I really can't afford right now. So I've started to do more home workouts.
Enter the TRX - which was recently voted the "Best Total Body Training tool" by Men's Health magazine. As I stated HERE we recently had the Fitness Anywhere team out at our facility to train our staff and show us some curring edge bodyweight training. After this training I picked up a TRX for my own use and have started doing some Metabolic Resistance Training workouts on the road and at home (actually out in the backyard) in place of some of my metabolic workouts that are traditionally done at the gym.
Here's what I did yesterday (click the link for videos):
Circuit one:TRX single leg squat (each leg)
TRX Inverted RowTRX Chest press
Perform as many sets of 6-8 reps as possible in 15 minutes (I got seven rounds). Circuit two:TRX suspended lungeTRX Atomic Push up -( a push-up prone jacknife combo)
TRX Power pull Perform as many sets of 6-8 reps as possible in 15 minutes (I got six rounds)Trust me - this was tougher than it looks - took 30 mins - and hit a ton of muscle, and burned a ton of calories. It was a fantastic workout and the TRX is a fantastic tool. Take advantage of the good weather that's starting to arrive (at least in California) and get outside for some of your workouts.
--ACPS - For a GREAT article on the TRX and Planar Training - check THIS out. It's mandatory reading for my staff and has a place in our staff training manual.

AlwynCosgrove.com
24420 Walnut street
Newhall, CA
91321
US

Adapt or Perish, teaching what it takes to change your body

Here in Bangalore, India, where I have been working for the last three weeks, there is a increase the popularity of exercise. People are buying home fitness gadgets and joining gyms just like the ones back home. Now you probably thought everyone in India is skinny, I know I did, but the fact is the professional class here is almost as fat as we are. I not seen any of the morbidly obese people we see on the streets of North American cities, but there are a lot of over weight and out of shape people here. The labourers and poor are not fact of course, because they can't afford enough food to be so.

The people the India office know I am into to training, and have started to ask for training advice. Offering fitness advice to total beginners is always tricky for me, on the one hand I want to help them, but I wasted time trying to help far too many people who really didn't care. Why did they ask then? Beats me.

Our subject in this case is a young man trying to lose weight. I first asked him what he is doing now. He replied that he is going to the gym most days and doing a half hour each on the treadmill, bike and rower. The trainer told him that when he has lost all the weight he will be allowed to lift weights! Wow, that sounds like early 90's "fat burning zone" dogma all over again. I asked him if he enjoyed this, he said no, it is boring. No kidding! I told him he will quit in a few weeks.

The I asked him whether he would prefer to look like a marathon runner or a sprinter to which he obviously replied, sprinter. So why are you training like a marathon runner? Of course he didn't know, he is so new he doesn't even know what he doesn't know, I just wanted him to think for a while.

Here was my new plan for him. First off, do a hard half hour of cardio, rotating the machines. Once finished on the cardio, do a half hour of dumbbell circuits, keep moving and try to get into that lactic acid zone (I described this as work until you are a little nauseous or dizzy, but no harder than that). I explained that instead of long slow workouts, he needs to work hard and fast! Finally I described the metabolic effects of intense exercise compared to long slow exercise in layman's terms so he would see my reasoning, I hope.

After our convo I sent him links to my blog and to t-nation.com hopping to have sparked his interest and encourage him to teach himself going forward.

The next he came to me and said he tried the workout, it was brutally hard for him and he had to stop early, much to his disappointment. Perfect, I replied. Always work hard instead of long, force your body to choose to adapt or to perish! I wish him luck.

Have you guys had experiences with newbies asking you for advice?

Damage Control Training, shut up and make due!

Not every workout can be the best training session you ever had. You can't always break personal records or impress yourself. Sometimes life just gets in the way. For example, I am in Bangalore, India right now on a work assignment. It is an amazing place and so different from Calgary, Canada that I never cease to be entertained just looking out the window. Being stationed here is fun, and I love the professional opportunity I have been given, but it is a prime example of life getting in the way.
My goals right now are pretty simple, and probably quite similar to yours. Get stronger and leaner. Period. Although a simple set of goals, this can be a challenge when you are in the comfort of your home and environment. When you are removed from your comfort zone, it becomes a massive challenge.
The first and most obvious challenge to reaching my goals has been training facilities. Although Bangalore is a modern city for the most part, the gyms here are not conducive to strength training. I visited a few and was unimpressed to say the least. If you want to walk on a treadmill then hit the machines it is fine, but if you are into barbell work and heavy lifting, forget it. Gyms here cater to the young professional who wants a light workout to hopefully lose some weight. They are not serious places to get strong and lean.
Not having a proper facility is a set-back, but it does not mean you should forgo training until you have access to your home gym again. Quite whining and make due with what you have. For the last two weeks I have been body weight drills, light dumbbell complexes (the heaviest dumbbells at the gym are 22 lbs!) and cable circuits. Is it ideal? Heck no! But it beats doing nothing. The fact is while I am in India my training is in damage control. I am staying active and making due to prevent weight gain or muscle loss. At least I am forced to spend some time improving my mobility for a change!
Another major challenge here, one that I did not foresee at first is the food. If you want to eat a high fat, high carb and low protein diet, then head straight to India! The food here is delicious to be sure, but for a good reason. Everything is composed of cream or butter, rice and some veggies. Meat is available but most restaurants are Hindu vege-only places. It tastes great, but it won't help your veins pop out of your arms!
All in all I am glad I am here, even if it does set back my quest for physical improvement. By making lemon aid out of lemons my mobility and conditioning are improving, if not my waistline! The lesson here is that yes, sometimes life gets in the way and slows you down, but whatever you do, don't let it stop you! Find ways around these obstacles and continue working towards your goals, regardless of the challenges you face!

http://strengthmill.com/viewvideo/1559/Bodyweight_exercises/