KettlebellPlanet.com

AM

• Mobility Work
• Dynamic Warm-Up (reverse lunge with twist, side lunge, inch worm, Russian twist, t-push-up)
• Glute work with a set of push-ups between each drill (bridge, bird dog, single leg bridge, clam shell)
• Kettlebell Swings x 200 total in under 10 minutes

PM

• Barbell or Kettlebell Complex, 4 sets of 6-8 reps per drill
• High Pull
• Push Press
• Reverse Lunge
• Good Morning
• Row
• Stiff Legged Deadlift
• Barbell Compound Movement, do 1 rep of each drill then move to next one, do as many rounds as possible per set
• Barbell Roll Out
• Deadlift
• Row
• So, do kneel down and do one barbell roll out, roll the bar back in, stand up still holding on to the bar, straighten your back and then stand up straight (deadlift), now push your butt back and do one strict row, then put the bar on the ground, kneel down and start over
• do this circuit as many times as possible, when you stop, that is one set!

I did 3 or 4 sets of the that funny Barbell Roll Out into Deadlift into Row drill that I made up today. It gassed me out fast and the reps were surprisingly low.

Here is the workout I put my wife through today, don't get excited, it was just a kettlebell session!

• Mobility Work
• Dynamic Warm-Up (same as above)
• Glute Work (same but without the push-ups)
• Kettlebell Clean and Press paired with Bent Over Row, 2 x 6-8
• Kettlebell Sumo Squat paired with One Leg Deadlifts, 2 x 20 and 10+10
• Kettlebell Over Head Lunge paired with Rack Twist, 2 x 10+10 and 10
• Kettlebell Horn Curl paired with Triceps Extension, 2 x 10

She is a hard worker but I had to take out the extra push-ups in the warm-up as she doesn't have the same work capacity or upper body strength that I do. Basically she would be done before the kettlebells came out.

The Barbell Roll Out is an exercise you will see me list quite often on this blog. I just love these as it creates some serious tension in the abs and works the lats at the same time, add in some other movements without letting go of the bar and you have some great training efficiency!

Saturday, Max Effort Bench Press Workout:

• 3 Board Press, working up to a max single
• Incline DB Bench Press 4 x 10-12 paired with Pull-Ups x 50 total reps
• Cable Triceps Extensions 2 x 20 paired with Cable Rows 2 x 10-12

Sunday, Max Effort Squat/Deadlift Workout

• Reverse Band Squat, working up to a max single
• GHR 4 x 6-8 paired with Cable Rows 4 x 6-8
• Reverse Hypers 1 x 20 paired with Roman Chair 1 x 20

As you can see I did Cable Rows twice this weekend for some strange reason. The truth is I was just doing them to keep my work density high and the cable row is right beside the high cable and GHR. So basically I would hop on the cable row as soon as I finished a set of extensions or GHR to sneak in some extra back work. Slipping in extra work when I would normally be resting between sets is something I am doing to create a greater metabolic and hypertrophy effect. Hopefully it helps!

Yesterday's workout was fast paced, lower weight and higher volume day meant to help me burn some fat and put on some muscle. Here is what I did:

AM

• Joint Mobility Drills
• Dynamic Body Weight Warm-Up (reverse lunge with twist, side lunge, inch worm, Russian twist, t-push-up)
• Glute Work with a set of push-ups between each drill (bridges, bird dog, single leg bridge, clam shell)
• Kettlebell Swings x 200 total in under 10 minutes

PM

• Barbell Complex with 135 lbs (you can use kettlebells instead), 4 sets of 6-10 reps per drill
• High Pull
• Push Press
• Reverse Lunge
• Good Morning
• Row paired with Stiff Legged Deadlift (row the bar, then stand up straight, bend over and repeat)
• Cable Rows (substitute a kettlebell back exercise if you wish) paired with Triceps Extensions
• some rear delt and biceps work

I just love complexes because they keep your whole body under tension for a long period of time (hypertrophy) and they cause systemic fatigue (fat loss)! Plus, they are super time efficient!

I have been reading a lot of Elliott Hulse's stuff these days and found a good little ab video of his for you to check out.

I have been receiving the Power By Pavel Newsletter for years and every issue I learn something new. If you are not singed up for ower this free resource I recommend you do.

Power by Pavel: The Bottom-Up Kettlebell Carry


Speaks Com. Prof. Stuart McGill:

"Every time I work with top international athletes I learn more about athleticism. We have all heard that having a strong core increases strength elsewhere in the body. Experience tells us this is true but I was incomplete in my explanation of the mechanism. I enhanced my education a couple of years ago following my analysis of "strongman event" competitors. First we measured the athlete's strength capabilities – hip abduction being one of them. Then we quantified the tasks, strength demands and joint mechanics in various events. Curiously they needed more hip abduction strength to succeed in events such as Super Yoke and the Suitcase carry than they could create in their hips. How could they perform a feat of strength that was beyond what a joint could produce?

"Consider the Super Yoke where several hundred pounds are carried across the shoulders. The axial load down the spine traverses across the pelvis to the support leg allowing the other leg to step and swing. Hip abduction is needed to lift the pelvis laterally but clearly the strength required far exceeded what the hip could create. The missing strength came from the core muscles (quadratus lumborum and the abdominal obliques on the swing leg side) which helped lift the pelvis. Now consider the footballer who plants the foot on a quick cut. A strong and stiff core assists the hip power to be transmitted up the body linkage with no energy losses resulting in a faster cut. This is the same performance enhancing mechanism as in the Super Yoke but it is not traditionally trained in the weight room.

"This experience resulted in the search for the best training approach. We quantified asymmetric carries such as the suitcase carry and found that quadratus and the abdominal wall were challenged to create this unique but essential athleticism. However, working with Pavel we tried kettlebell carries (just in one hand). Racked traditionally with the bell carried on the back of the forearm (with the hand position tucked in close to the chest as if the athlete were to begin an overhead press) helps to reduce shoulder impingement should this be an orthopedic issue. However, even better was the bottom up carry. Here the bell is held upside down in the bottom up position with the elbow tucked close to the body and the bell beside the head. The core is stiffened to control the bell and prevent it from rotating in the hand. Now walk briskly. Core stiffness is essential to prevent the loss of the bell position.

"I consider that every general program to enhance athleticism needs a carry task. The bottom up kettlebell carry is a staple. This and other techniques for performance enhancement are found in Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance (http://www.backfitpro.com/)."

AM

• Mobility Work
• Dynamic Warm-Up (reverse lunge with twist, side lunge, inch worm, Russian twist, t-push-up)
• Glute Work (bridge, bird dog, single leg bridge, clam shell)
• Kettlebell Swings x 200

PM

• Speed Squat 8x2 @ 60% max raw weight
• Sumo Deadlift 6x1 working up to 80% max raw weight
• Glute Ham Raises paired with Standing Cable Crunches 4x8-10

Hey guys, last week I posted an article by Elliott Hulse. His ideas and concepts regarding training to be lean and strong at the same time really registered with me. Check out his site to learn more about his training philosophy, I guarantee you will gain something from it.

As for me, I am adapting my training a bit to have a more conditioning approach during my weight lifting sessions. As a powerlifter I still obviously need to lift very heavy on my primary exercises (squats, bench press, deadlift, good morning, etc) but for my assistance work I am going to take the Hybird approach.

Hybird exercises are something that Alwyn Cosgrove has been writing about for years, basically take two drills and combine them into one for maximum training density. This will elicit a fat burning response and create more muscle growth due to increased time under tension. The complexes I write about are an extreme example of these, but even drills like the clean and press, or doing a row into stiff leg deadlift will work.

For example, here was yesterdays speed bench workout:

Speed Bench 9 x 3 @ 65% max raw weight, very short rest between sets (20 seconds)
Pull-ups paired with blast strap push-ups 10 x 6-12
Rear Delt Flys paired with Triceps Cable Push-Downs

This was done at a very fast pace with little rest between sets.

A Max effort Squat/Deadlift workout might look like this:

Max Effort Drill (Squat, Deadlift or Good Morning), work up to a max single
Hybird: Stiff Leg Deadlifts with Shrugs (do one rep of deads, then shrug the weight, then repeat)
Hybird: Barbell Roll Out with Bent Over Rows (roll the barbell out like a torso wheel then roll it back in, once in stand up with the bar still in hand and do a bent over row, repeat)

As you can see the heavy work is still completed with full attention and energy, but then the assistance work is done with more density.

AM

• Mobility Drills
• Dynamic Warm-Up (reverse lunge, side lunge, inch worm, Russian twist, t-push-up)
• Glute Work (bridge, bird dog, single leg bridge, clam shell)
• Kettlebell Swings x 200

PM

• Kettlebell Complex, 4 rounds, 5-10 reps per drill
• High Pull
• Military Press
• Rack Lunge
• Stiff Legged Deadlift
• Row
• Clean and Push Press

Alwyn Cosgrove newsletter with a guest article by Eric Cressey


I love interval training, but one of the problems we commonly run into—particularly if someone isn’t prepared physically to sprint or doesn’t have a place to do it because of weather restrictions—is that repetitive, low amplitude motions are our only options. In other words, it has to just be cycling, the elliptical, or the stair climber. While slide board work, medicine ball medleys, barbell complexes, and sled pushing definitely help to work around these problems, when it comes down to it, many of them still don’t give certain folks the variety they need in their exercise programming.

In our “Building the Efficient Athlete” seminar, Mike Robertson and I spoke about the law of repetitive motion: I = NF/AR.

In this equation, injury (I) equals the number of repetitions multiplied by the frequency of those repetitions (NF) divided by the amplitude of each repetition times the rest interval (AR). While you can attack each of these five factors differently, the take home point with respect to today’s discussion is that simply increasing the amplitude—or range of motion—in one’s daily life can reduce (or eliminate) the presence or severity of overuse conditions. For that reason, I often substitute one or both of two different training modalities for my clients’ interval training.

The first is dynamic flexibility circuits with little to no rest between sets. In this scenario, we program 2–3 different mobility/activation drills for each inefficiency the athlete displays and then combine them in a series of drills. Ideally, we do as many of these drills as possible in the standing position.

As an example, let’s say a client has poor thoracic spine mobility, a horrific Thomas test (restrictions in one or more of the hip flexors), bad glute function, and a lack of hip external rotation. Here’s what his circuit might look like:

A) One-leg supine bridge
B) Wall hip flexor mobilizations
C) Three-point extension rotations
D) Cradle walks
E) Overhead lunge walks
F) Walking Spiderman with overhead reach
G) Yoga push-ups
H) One-leg SLDL walks

(You can find videos of many of these exercises in the Assess and Correct Program )

Is this circuit going to completely “gas” an athlete? Absolutely not. However, it is going to make him/her better in light of the inefficiencies I outlined above. And you don’t have to leave the gym exhausted to have improved. It’s a great option for powerlifters as well because going too crazy with supplemental conditioning work can really sap strength.

The second option is to simply take a series of resistance training exercises with a corrective emphasis (sometimes integrate with the drills outlined above) and put them in a series of supersets. For these exercises, the load utilized should only be about 30 percent of one rep max.

I outlined this option a while back in my article, “Cardio Confusion.” Here’s an example I used with an online consulting client recently.

A1) Overhead broomstick walking lunges (3 X 10/side)
A2) Push-ups (3 X 12)
B1) Face pulls (3 X 15)
B2) Body weight only reverse lunges (3 X 10/side)
C1) One-leg SLDL walk (2 X 6/side)
C2) Band external rotations, arm adducted (2 X 15/side)
D1) Behind the neck band pull aparts (2 X 15)
D2) Bowler squats (2 X 10/side)

This series is preceded by foam rolling and a dynamic flexibility warm up and can be followed by more “traditional” interval training.

Like I said earlier, I’m still all for both traditional and non-traditional interval training. Initiatives like I outlined above though can serve as a nice change of pace and work in corrective exercises while keeping the heart rate up. Be as creative as you’d like and you’ll see great results. The sky is the limit in terms of the combinations you can use.

To check out a new product that Eric, Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman have put together - that shows you exactly how to create a "corrective exercise program" as an addition to your current program, and can set up the "corrective work as a VERY metabolically demanding circuit or interval program such as above - check out the "Assess and Correct Program".
--
AC
PS - With 27 self-assessments and 78 corresponding exercises, you’ll cover virtually everything you or your clients will need to feel and perform well - check it out HERE

AlwynCosgrove.com
24420 Walnut street
Newhall, CA
91321
US

In this weeks newsletter from Alywn Cosgrove we have a Guest newsletter from Elliot Hulse
Build Muscle and Burn Fat At The Same Time?

The most common strategy most people employ for packing on muscle mass, and then leaning out, is through “bulking and cutting.” The problem though is that it doesn’t always work. The most common scenario is that you put on more weight than you want so you get “fat,” and then jump into endless cardio only to lose a lot of the hard-earned muscle that you built. So, for a lot of guys the choice seems to be between being strong and fat or weak and lean.

I’m here to tell you with absolute certainty that this doesn’t have to be the case. You don’t have to choose between being really strong and a bit plump or being really lean and kind of weak with little muscle definition.



I’m going to let you in on a secret—it’s an unconventional approach that runs contrary to ordinary training philosophies. To build the body you want, you need to build muscle and burn fat at the same time in order
to achieve that goal of having a ripped, muscular physique.

The way to build muscle and burn fat at the same time is through incorporating both aerobic and anaerobic activity not just in the same training session but in the same exercise.

By combining resistance weight training with cardio training in the same set, we force the thicker stronger Type-II (fast twitch) muscle fibers to behave more like Type-I (slow twitch) fibers.

By utilizing both types of muscle fibers in the same exercise we can actually build a “HYBRID” Type-IIC muscle fiber that has been nicknamed a Type-III.

Now why would you want a Type-III hybrid muscle fiber? This reconfigured super muscle has more mitochondrial density which means more nutrients can be processed giving these Type-III muscle fibers a greater capacity to grow bigger and resist fatigue for longer periods.

This style of training mimics the way that our ancestors used to live. They didn’t train with weights one day and run laps the next. No. The kinds of activities they did every day would have been very much like the hybrid training we’re talking about.

Our ancestors were both muscular and lean and it didn’t result from things they set out intentionally to do but rather, it was a natural byproduct of the way they lived their lives. They were able to both build muscle and burn fat at the same time without even having to consciously think about. By adopting some of
the very same training principles that they employed, modern man can achieve the same results.

To discover how you can tap into your hybrid muscle fibers in order to build muscle and burn fat simultaneously go here:

Lean Hybrid Muscle
-----
I checked out their new program myself. Similar to how we do things at  Results Fitness - Mike and Elliot have integrated bodyweight training, strongman training, kettlebell training, Olympic lifting, powerlifting, and bodybuilding. It truly is a hybrid system
Check it out for yourself HERE - for a very limited time they are offering their entire program and nutrition support system for 50% off.
--
AC
AlwynCosgrove.com
24420 Walnut street
Newhall, CA
91321
US

I have an article I want to share with you that I think is extremely important not only to your possible weight loss goals, but also to your health.


This article is about Omega 6 fatty acids. (Oh, the essential fats that are good for you. That's great!)

WRONG!!!

I wrote this article last week and on Sunday I was cooking pancakes with my 2.5 year old daughter. It is a weekly Sunday morning breakfast for us and we add Prograde Vanilla Protein powder to the pancake batter to increase our protein intake and decrease our blood sugar spikes and insulin response.

Anyways back to Omega 6 fatty acids.
I opened our cabinet to grab the spray Pam so I could coat the frying pan and noticed I have 3 bottles of extra Virgin Olive Oil and this old looking bottle with a small amount of oil in it behind them.

This bottle was vegetable oil and you could tell that we have had this bottle sitting up there for a long time which meant we hardly ever use it.
It got me thinking about what types of oils are in your cabinet and how often you use them. If you use the wrong oils too frequently you are actually increasing your risk of inflammatory diseases according to some studies that have been released. The oils in question are oils many individuals use every day not only in their cooking, but those oils are also used in numerous processed foods that we eat.
Make sure you read this very important article and then look in your cabinet to see if you have any of these oils sitting there. Also, look at your most common eaten foods and see if they contain any of the oils listed in this article.

http://tinyurl.com/yjgh8rs
Yours in good health,
Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS

America's Trusted Weight Loss Expert

Today is a rest day for me so instead of posting another awesome workout of mine (kidding), I thought I would post some thoughts and a motivational video for you.

A lot of people talk about functional strength, they are almost invariably skinny and small of course. They proudly state how many push-ups they can do, or pull-ups, or pistol squats like any body cares. They are speaking about their relative strength, and I get that. But if you are an athlete, or if you just want to be able to kick some ass when you have to, then you still need to be STRONG. You need to be able to put some real weight on the bar and move it around in good form. Do not rely on funky bosu ball or stability crap to get "functional". You want to teach your body about stability? Clean and press 200 lbs over your head. That crazy sensation running through your body is your nervous system trying to "stabilize" your body. Start with some body weight drills, keep them in your aresenal as a base, but then learn to handle a fully loaded bar.

On the other hand, really big guys who can't do shit with their own body weight are not much better. Just because you weigh over 200 lbs doesn't mean you are too jacked to do push-ups, pull-ups or unilateral leg drills. In fact, the heavier you are the more you will get out of body weight drills. Adding these drills into your routine will improve your health, mobility and dare I say, "functional" strength.

As Dan John often says, he rarely meets an athlete that wouldn't improve in their sport by doing more pull-ups and front squats.

Think you are functionaly strong, or too big to do body weight drills? Check out this amazing video from the late, great Jesse Marunde.

T-Nation is my home away from, here is a great article I read today, In The Trenches, Volume 2.

AM

• Joint Mobility
• Dynamic Warm-UP (reverse lunges with twist, side lunge, inch worm, Russian twist, t-push-up)
• Glute Work (bridge, bird dog, single leg bridge, clam shell)
• Kettlebell Swings x 200 total in under 10 minutes

PM

• Pull-ups, 10 sets of as many reps as possible
• Cleans 4 x max
• Flex Band Pull-Aparts (grab a band in each hand and pull it apart by contracting your rear delts)

I really can't say enough good things about pull-ups. They will make you functionally strong, improve your physique, and keep your shoulders very healthy. If they aren't a staple in your training then I would have to question why that is. And don't tell me you do lat pull-downs instead, I weight 225 lbs with big heavy legs. Pull-ups are not easy for me but they do great things so I work hard at them!

Pull-ups don't have to be boring either, check out what these Bartendaz guys are doing!

• Joint Mobility Work
• Dynamic Warm-Up (reverse lunge with twist, side lunge, inch worm, Russian twist, t-push-up)
• Glute Work (bridges, bird dog, single leg bridge, clam shell)
• Kettlebell Swings x 200
• Kettlebell Complex
• High Pull
• Press
• Clean
• Rack Squat
• Rack or Suitcase Lunge
• Row
• Stiff Leg Deadlift
• Pull-Ups (optional)

Hey guys, here is another great little newsletter from Alwyn Cosgrove that I wanted to share.

Check out this study that Craig Ballantyne forwarded to me:

Recreational soccer is an effective health-promoting activity for untrained men

Krustrup et al.

British Journal of Sports Medicine 2009;43:825-831

36 healthy untrained men were randomised into a soccer group, a running group and a control group.

Training was performed for 1 hour two or three times per week for 12 weeks; at an average heart rate of 82% of HRmax for both training groups.
During the 12 week program, the soccer group improved maximal oxygen uptake (a measure of aerobic fitness) 62% more than the running group. The soccer group also lost an average of 50% more fat than the running group (6lbs vs 4lbs).
The soccer group had an increase in lean body mass of 3.75lbs, an increase in lower extremity bone mass, a greater decrease in LDL-cholesterol and an increase in fat oxidation during running at 9.5 km/h. The running group saw none of these changes.

The number of capillaries per muscle fibre was also almost 50% higher in the soccer training group than in
running. Both groups reduced blood pressure equally.

The researchers concluded that participation in recreational soccer training, has significant beneficial effects on health profile and physical capacity and in some aspects it is superior

to frequent moderate-intensity running.

What does this tell us?

Well, think about soccer. The difference is more than adding a ball while running.

Soccer (I mean FOOTBALL) is essentially a form of interval training (although the work and recovery periods are randomized - CHAOS training as my friend Robert Dos Remedios calls it).

It's also multi-directional, multi-movement (jumping, heading, running, sprinting, kicking, tackling, with contact) and multi-planar.

Basically this study shows that open interval training, using multiple movements and directions is superior for conditioning, muscle building and fat loss when compared to the same intensity of running.

I just wish they'd discovered that watching soccer was just as good.....
--
AC
PS - I hate calling the game "soccer".... it's FOOT-ball. Played with your feet....

AlwynCosgrove.com
24420 Walnut street
Newhall, CA
91321
US

• Floor Press, work up to a max single, then drop it down for a heavy triple
• Weighted Dips paired with Weighted Pull-ups, total of 50 pull-ups
• Kettlebell Swings x 200 (part of the November Challenge)

Only do the kettlebell swings if you are doing the November Challenge, otherwise you can do a bit of rear delts or some bi's and tri's to finish off.

I am always looking for new and challenging exercises to do with a kettlebell. Surfing youtube I found a cool compound exercise of burpees and snatches. In this video they use a barbell, but you could just as easily use a kettlebell, or ever dumbbells.




Or you could try a different variation with a kettlebell.



Here is an older video of me doing kettlebell pukers (burpee into clean and press).



Compound exercises will get your heart rate up and are great for improving your conditioning or burning fat. You will get tired really fast though so be sure to take care of anything else you need to do first, then use this as a finisher or as the only exercise in the workout.

• Joint Mobility Drills
• Dynamic Warm-Up (reverse lunge and twist, side lunge, inch worm, Russian twist, t-push-up)
• Glute Work (bridge, bird dog, single leg bridge, clam shell)
• Kettlebell Swings x 200 total reps
• Barbell or Kettlebell Complex, 4 rounds total, 6-10 reps per drill, 3-4 minute rest between rounds
• High Pull
• Clean
• Jump Squat
• Reverse Lunge
• Good Morning
• Row
• Stiff Legged Deadlift

Ryan Shanahan,
Here are 3 videos demonstrating KettleBell exercises guaranteed to get you Six Pack Abs.
Want to Target the Lower Abs watch :
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=25760170592&oid=4842614532
For some New AB exercises watch :
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=36164435592&oid=4842614532&saved
For a HardCore AB exercise watch :
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=31286850592&oid=4842614532
To your succsess ,
Ryan Shanahan
 
Scott Sonnon
 
http://www.flowcoach.tv/?p=634

Hey guys,


Alwyn Cosgrove is one of my favourite fitness authors. I derive a lot of my training philosophy from his book, The New Rules of Lifting. Below is his latest newsletter. I posted it because it can help all of us achieve our fat loss goals.

I once read that Albert Einstein started from a position of what he knew was impossible and worked backwards from there, with almost a child-like curiosity, before arriving at something that actually worked.

It's actually a fantastic approach as it forces you to avoid any traditional thinking. You create new ways of doing everything.

This is what Mike Roussell and I did when we decided to redesign Warp Speed Fat Loss.

We started with what we knew would be impossible?

Instead of thinking of a long, slow approach to fat loss (i.e months and months of dieting) we took the opposite approach:

What if you could lose all the fat you wanted in one day? Impossible.

One week? Nope.

One month? ......

Check it out: Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0 launches today.
--
AC
==================================

Here's an interview I just did with Mike Roussell:

Mike: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. First so we all have some perspective, how long have you been a trainer?

Alwyn Cosgrove: I started training people in 1989. Actually 1987 if you count teaching martial arts classes.

In 1995 (after college) I went full time. Since day one I've been very particular (i.e. ANAL ) about what I do. I track and tweak everything. When we opened Results Fitness in 2000, we really started to gather a lot of data. We currently have 250 members and we track all their workouts and body comp changes week in and week out.

Mike: So it is like you run your own fat loss studies at your gym?

Alwyn: Exactly. We had read all the studies showing interval training to be superior for fat loss than steady state training. This confirmed what we were seeing with our clients. But I am a big believer in that there is no physiological limit to the amount of weight a person can lose in a week, month, or year so I kept tweaking and tracking the results.

Mike: What has been one of your biggest breakthroughs lately?
Alwyn: One day it hit me -- cardiovascular programming is an ass-backwards concept.
I don't know when I first thought this - but it was confirmed to me when viewing Lance Armstrong's performance in the New York Marathon.
I'd been taught through my college education and countless training certifications and seminars that cardiovascular exercise was necessary to improve the cardiovascular system and subsequently aerobic performance.
But there seemed an inherent flaw in that argument….
Why didn't Lance Armstrong - with perhaps one of the highest recorded VO2 max levels in history - win the New York Marathon? Or beat people with lesser aerobic levels than himself?
The greatest endurance cyclist (and possibly endurance athlete) of all time - the seven time Tour De France winner - finished 868th and described the event as the “hardest physical thing” he had ever done.
Runner's World Magazine actually examined Lance's physiology (and VO2 max which was tested at 83) and compared them to the numbers of Paul Tergat (the World Record holder and defending NYC Marathon Champion at the time).
They concluded:

"This figure wouldn't mean much if it weren't for the pioneering research of famed running coach Jack Daniels, Ph.D., who first published his Oxygen Power tables in 1979-- According to Daniels, who's rarely off by more than a smidgen or two, a max VO2 of 83 is roughly equivalent to a 2:06 marathon"
Based on his other physical qualities the magazine suggested that Lance was capable of running 2:01:11.
The world record at the time was 2:04:55
Lance ran 2:59:36 (and don't misinterpret me - that's still a great time). But it's clear that the physiology didn't transfer the way the running community expected.
The flaw in this thinking was looking solely at aerobic capacity -- VO2 max - the "engine" as it were. And it's fair to say that Lance had a "Formula One" engine.
But he didn't have the structural development for running. Lance was a cyclist - his body had adapted to the demands of cycling. But NOT to the specific demands of running (in fact Lance had only ran 16 miles at once EVER prior to running the marathon). Lance had developed strength, postural endurance and flexibility in the correct "cycling muscles” - but it didn't transfer to running the way his VO2 max did.
From this example we know that cardio training doesn't transfer well from one activity to another - and it only 'kicks' in because of muscular demand - so why don't we program muscular activity first - in order to create a cardiovascular response. Makes total sense.
So how does this relate to fat loss? We have found that our most successful fat loss programs center around stimulating the muscles to burn more calories - not ramping up and down the cardiovascular system. What matters is total caloric burn and how much you can increase the person's metabolism. It is a total shift in thinking.
Mike: Wow. So it is this the death of intervals and cardio? How to you put this into action with clients?
Alwyn: What we have found is so great about this approach is that you burn more calories, lose more weight, while putting a lot less stress on your joints.
Here's how I like to think about it. Let's look at traditional interval training which uses running.
Depending on stride length - walking a mile takes about 2000 repetitions and running takes 1000-1500 and will burn on average 100 calories or so.
So if we use an interval training model of running and walking - we're looking at around 1500 reps to burn 100 calories.

If we take traditional models of caloric burn - this means we'd need to do 35 miles to lose one pound of fat from our interval training efforts (discounting the metabolic afterburn for now).
So we have a problem. It's a very poor "rate of return" on our "rep investment".

Additionally - running applies a vertical force of 2x bodyweight on the joints of the lower body.
So now we have a dilemma.
Let's choose a 180lb deconditioned overweight client.

1500 reps x 360lbs = 540,000lbs of force to burn 100 calories. (The 360lbs is 2x 180lbs)
That's a LOT of stress on the joints. Literally - TONS!

Now no one was getting injured, but it seemed like there had to be a better way. A better "return"...

So -- we started to think of how we could use different interval training methods other than running to get the same metabolic effect without stressing the joints so much.
We used the airdyne bike, other bikes in order to create a training effect with less load. But whenever you take the bodyweight out of the equation in cardio - you have to work harder to burn the same calories. So this usually needs more reps. So that didn't seem like a much better idea.
At this point we started using metabolic training with weight training implements/kettlebells and bodyweight exercises in the same interval format.
So a circuit of five exercises, performed three times round (15 total sets) would actually burn more calories than the same time spent doing traditional cardio. That was a plus.
But we could also do sets of just 10-15 reps. So we're looking at 225 total reps (with a force LESS than your bodyweight) as opposed to 1500+ reps at double bodyweight.

We gave it a try. Clients loved it (which was a huge plus), and actually started to get better results than we were getting with intervals.

So we get more fat loss, less stress on the body, and happier clients. It is a win-win-win. Currently we don't program traditional interval training our regular fat loss clients anymore.

So, yeah...it is the death of traditional intervals.
You can get a sample workout using this kind of training program at:
http://warpspeedfatloss.com/workout.php
--
AC

AlwynCosgrove.com
24420 Walnut street
Newhall, CA
91321
US

Hey guys, check out the link below for some great information on how to keep your back safe during heavy lifting.



In our final installment of this series, I discuss specific coaching cues, thoughts and ideas to help you get the most out of your, or your client's, training.

My Thoughts on the Lumbar Spine and Low Back, Part III

As well, don't forget that there's an entire low back training seminar available for you to download on the Newsletter Archive page, so that should help clarify a lot of the questions you might have.

Good luck and good training!
Stay strong
MR
Robertson Training Systems LLC
9402 Uptown Dr., Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN
46256
US

• Joint Mobility Drills
• Dynamic Warm-up (reverse lunge with twist, side lunge, inchworm, Russian twist, t-push-up)
• Glute Work (glute bridge, bird dog, single leg glute bridge, clam shell)
• Kettlebell Swings x 200 total
• Back Squat 8 x 2 reps
• Deadlifts, work up to a heavy but not max single
• Barbell Hip Thrust 4 x 8
• Barbell Roll Out 4 x 8

I broke this into two workouts, finishing my morning session with the swings. You can do it all in one shot if you want but feel free to decrease the volume.

On November 28th and 29th 2009 Shawn Mozen will be conducting a Kettlebell Instructor Certification Level 1 at Naas Health and Fitness Monread Ave Naas Co Kildare


Early registration is on right now for 400 Euro. Don't miss this chance to register at this price. The Agatsu Kettlebell Instructor Certification mixes joint mobility, bodyweight training and Kettlebells into one of the most exciting and well rounded programs a Kettlebell enthusiast can take.

Register today for for one of North America's top Kettlebell certification courses. Space is limited, register today!!

Click here for more information.

http://www.agatsu.com/8112/Without_FL/IrelandKettlebellCertification.html

Well, it is November again so I doing the November 200 Swings A Day Challenge. Simply put I do 200 kettlebell swings in under 10 minutes every single day for the month. If I miss a day then I double the next days reps.

It is a huge pain in the ass when it is 10 pm and you realize your swings have to get done!

Anyways, here is today's workout:

• Mobility Drills
• Dynamic Warm-up
• Glute Work (optional drills such as the bridge, bird dog, single leg bridge and clam shell)
• Kettlebell Swings x 200 reps in under 10 minutes
• Pressing paired with Pull-Ups (do 50 reps of pull-ups total and between each set do a set of presses any way you like)
• Finish with a dynamic drill such as cleans or snatches to exhastion

This workout was split up between the morning and afternoon but you can do the whole thing in one shot or just decrease the total volume, it's up to you. My morning workout is really just to loosen me up and kick start my metabolism.

AM

• Mobility Work (joint movements)
• Dynamic Warm-Up (reverse lunge with twist, side lunge, inch worm, Russian twist and t-push-up)
• Kettlebell Swings x 400 total, done in sets of 25 reps

PM

Complex, you can use a barbell, dumbbells or a kettlebell for this. Do each exercise in a row for 5-10 reps, then rest 3-4 minutes. Do 4 rounds total.

• High Pull
• Clean
• Push Press/Jerk
• Squat
• Lunge
• Romanian Deadlift
• Row

During the complex, if a certain muscle group is failing, just move right into the next drill. Don't stop the whole complex simply because you can't hit five reps int he push press for example. Keep the weight moving!

As my regular readers know, I like to train the body in 6 main movements during my kettlebell and other conditioning workouts. They are, upper body push, upper body pull, lower body push, lower body pull, twist, and lunge.

When warming up I do all of these movements as well but with body weight drills only. Following this template, it becomes very easy to create your own kettlebell workouts. Simply pick one drill for each plane of movement, then decide on sets and reps. Done.

Here are some ideas:

1. Upper body push - military press, push-ups, jerk, push press, windmill press
2. Upper body pull - clean, row, renegade row, high pull, snatch
3. Lower body push - squat, rack squat, pistol squat, any jumping movement
4. Lower body pull - swing, clean, snatch, deadlift
5. Twist - rack twist, t-push-up, figure 8 to a hold, over head twist, windmill, figure 8 between the legs
6. Lunge - suitcase lunge, lunge with under hand pass, overhead hold and lunge, rack lunge

Obviously I am just scratching the surface with exercise selection here because the possibilities are endless. What I want is to give you a simple template for your workouts.

So here is the template:

1. Pick one drill from each movement
2. Determine sets and reps based on goals, weight of available kettlebell(s), time, and total volume that week or month
3. Determine rest periods based on 2

A typical workout for someone trying to lose with a lighter kettlebell might be something like this:

4 rounds of circuits, resting 3-4 minutes between rounds. 5-10 reps per drill. Keep the kettlebell moving during the circuit.

• Military Press
• High Pull
• Rack Squat
• Swing
• Rack Twist
• Rack Lunge

This would be a quick workout so the trainee could do some volume with whatever dynamic drill they choose afterwards if they are fresh enough.

A typical workout for someone trying to gain strength might look like this:

3-5 sets per drill, keep the reps under 5. Rest as much as needed between sets. Use the heaviest weight possible that can be handled with proper form.

• Push Press
• Snatch
• Pistol Squat
• Two Kettlebell Swing
• Two Kettlebell Windmill
• Overhead Lunge

To be honest the exercises could be the exact same, the only difference between someone trying to lose weight versus someone trying to gain strength is the sets, reps, rest time and total volume. Simply put, train in the six planes of movements, but up the pace and workload to lose weight or slow it down and use more weight to gain strength.

I was doing some surfing today and found some other great kettlebell blogs that can help you reach your fitness goals. Here they are in no particular order:

Taikei's Kettlebell Training Blog
Captain Mike's Kettlebell Fitness Blog
Jersey Kettlebell

I am sure there are a lot of other good one's I am missing so feel free to post them in the comments section!