KettlebellPlanet.com

Well today was a great day. I am still a bit beat up from the powerlifting meet on Saturday but decided to get right back into the swing of things albeit at a lower intensity than normal. I started the day with a 6 egg spinach omelet plus a side of lamb patty and then hit the stairs in my condo building for a 20 minute cardio session. Later that day, a two hour nap and several more servings of meat and veggies I played around with my kettlebell for 30 mins or so. Now it is time for dinner and a giant bowl of bison chili!


Here is the training I did today in detail:


AM

• stairs
• 8 times up my 7.5 story building, walking one step at a time

PM

• mobility, 10 mins
• foam roller, 5 mins
• dynamic warm-up
• reverse lunge with twist, side lunge with twist, inch worm, Russian twist, t-push-up
• kettlebell circuit, short break between drills
• swing x 50, 50, 50
• Turkish get-up x 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
• Halo x 5/5, 6/6, 10/10
• kettlebell clean and press
• alternating hands each rep, using a swing to switch hands at the top
• 7/7, 7/7, 7/7

So as you can see I didn't really push it with the kettlebell workout. My nervous system is still a little fried so I found it impossible to push myself. That is fine though, the idea after such a stressful event is just to get back in the habit of training more than anything. If you want to see my lifts just scroll down a few posts.



Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Yesterday I competed in the GPC Nationals powerlifting meet. It was a 15 hour day as I helped people in the morning and then lifted in the afternoon. I am a wreck right now as I hurt everywhere but it was fun.

I am 226lbs so I cut weight and made the 220lbs/100kg weight class. This way I was only competing against guys my size.

Here are my three squats of the meet. All my squats were "good lifts" according the judges. Personally I felt the 700lbs squat was high but I will take it.








Now here are my three bench attempts. The final two bench attempts were not passed by the judges. They said my butt lifted. I need to work on my technique to prevent this as I could have pressed a lot more weight.








Finally, here are my deadlift attempts. I make the first two easily then miss 600lbs because I can't finish the lift. I just need to get stronger for this lift. I am going to make heavy bent over rows a priority going forward.









So that is it. After the meet I ate an entire pizza then passed out. Now I rest for a day or so and then get ready for a strongman contest at the Calgary Salsa Festival. Should be fun!

Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey guys, it is the day after I competed in the GPC Nationals Powerlifting Meet. It was a long, hard and fun day and I am a wreck now. The videos and meet thoughts will be posted soon, but for now I want to talk about one of my favourite foods, Yogurt.

On my honeymoon I spent a month in Greece with my wife. We stayed at smaller hotels and resorts that were privately owned, often by the people living in the home. Every day for breakfast there was yogurt among other things. Now I have eaten a lot yogurt in my day but nothing like this!

The yogurt there was so rich and creamy it was unreal! It was as if they took whipped cream and fermented it into yogurt. It tasted so good I didn't need to sweeten it with fruit or anything. The other thing I noticed is that it kept me full much longer than regular "healthy" North American yogurt.

Obviously the reason for this yogurt being so good is that it is very high in fat compared to what I am used to. Also, there is no sugar or chemicals added which is also great. This higher fat, lower sugar version is what makes Greek yogurt so great. The insulin response is lower and the food is left in a more natural state. Don't believe the low fat hype with yogurt. Most yogurt is skim milk (sugar water) which is then loaded with added sugar. This will make you fatter, not leaner!

Since coming back to the frigid north of Calgary, Canada, I have been looking for Greek Yogurt here. I have only found one product that feels and tastes like the real thing in Greece. It is called Liberte, Mediterranee. Make sure you check the nutritional profile! If the carbs are higher than the fat it is not the good stuff! You want the low carb, high fat, unflavoured yogurt. Then, add some fresh berries, not jam, to the yogurt for an awesome meal!


Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey guys,

I just bought the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and am waiting for it to ship. It follows along the paleo diet philosophy that I am a big believer in but goes deeper into other areas such as exercise and sleep. I learned about it at his sight, Mark's Daily Apple. There is a ton of great information on that site on how to live a paleo lifestyle so check it out if you want to learn more.

Once I have read it I will post a review and let you guys know my thoughts. If you have already read it, by all means post your thoughts below. I would love to hear it.


Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

 I am competing in a powerlifting meet this Saturday and had to cut weight to make it into the 100kg (220lbs) weight class. I walk around at 103.5kg so it wasn't a ton of weight for me to cut. I ended up making weighing in this morning at 98.9kg, so it was more than enough.

I am not an expert but there are some things you should know if you are going to cut weight.

First off, you are cutting water not fat. Unless the contest is months away, forget about body fat and just cut water.

Second, save the water cutting for the last 24 hours before the weigh in. What I like to do is chug a ton of water in the hours leading up to the beginning of the weight cut, the I shut the tap off. By loading water and then stopping suddenly, my body doesn't have time realize that I have stopped feeding it water.

I stop drinking water at lunch time, with the exception of a very small glass with dinner. Then it is no water before bed. When I wake up I skip breakfast and pass on any liquids until the weigh in.

If this is not enough to make weight, it is off to the sauna. If you don't have a sauna, make one in your home! You can either wear garbage bags and sit in a hot shower, or sit in a hot tub for an hour or so. Either method sucks but hey, it works.

As a powerlifting I usually only have about 10lbs of weight to cut for a meet, but wrestlers and mma competitors are the real masters of cutting weight. Check out this video to learn more than I can teach. Oh, and one last point, cutting too much weight can be extremely dangerous due to mineral loss. First off you should be lean enough that you never have to cut too much weight. Secondly, find out just how much water is safe for you to cut.




Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey everyone, since today is my day off as I rest for the GPC Nationals powerlifting meet tomorrow, I decided to post Mike Robertson's newsletter that just arrived in my inbox. Check it out and I hope you enjoy it.


It's been a busy week here at RTS, but I've got a ton of great content for you to check out over the long holiday weekend!
But, first and foremost, a few announcements:

20% off Magnificent Mobility and Building the Efficient Athlete through Monday!
So it’s not secret that Eric and I despise long form sales copy to sell our products.
I don’t care if it supposedly converts more sales – it’s tacky, annoying, and is basically a slap-in-the-face to our customers.
To prove it, we’ve recently revamped both the Magnificent Mobility and Building the Efficient Athlete sites.  To take it a step further, we’re offering 20% off ALL MM and BTEA products through midnight, EST this Monday night!
All you have to do is select the product you want, and the discount will be automatically applied when you follow the link.
As always, thanks for your support, and be sure to check out those shiny new pages!
Magnificent Mobility
Building the Efficient Athlete

2010 Midwest Performance Enhancement Seminar Updates
I just got word this week that our seminar has been approved for .5 NSCA CEU’s.  We had hoped for .6, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.
Regardless, this is going to be a fantastic event and will get you 25% of your CEU’s for the year. 
Don’t delay, register today to save $50 off the original price!
The 2010 Midwest Performance Enhancement Seminar


The Week in Review
5 Keys to Becoming a Fitness Authority
I sat down Wednesday morning to write a blog.
Well, it turned out this was simply too long to be a blog - it HAD to be a newsletter!
If you’re serious about making a mark in the industry, you’ll want to read this.  It’s not an easy path to becoming an authority in our field, but these simple tips will help fast-track your progress and get you on the road to success.

Developmental Systems - The X and O Factors for Training Young Athletes (will post Saturday AM)
Last week’s Tabata article got rave reviews, and I’m expecting the same from this week’s offering as well.  Unfortunately, it won’t post until tomorrow, and the title was so long I couldn’t get it to link directly!
Regardless, if you train kids, or want to train kids, you should know Brian Grasso.  This article gives Brian’s insight as to what youth training should really entail.

Knee Stability After Knee Surgery
So you’ve had knee surgery – know what?
This post covers what can you do NOW to get and keep yourself healthy as long as possible?  Here are two things you must address if long-term health and function are your goals.

Case Study: Lateral Epicondylitis (aka tennis elbow)
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m seeing too much pontificating and philosophizing on the internet these days.
This series is going to be dedicated to real clients who have seen excellent results.  Our first piece depicts how we treated a severe case of lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow.

The Concept of Movement Quality
It’s not how much weight you can heave up with sloppy technique.
It’s not mindlessly blowing through your workouts.
Instead, it’s about improving your form AND function.  It’s about movement quality.

That’s it for this week everyone.  I’m going to enjoy the holiday weekend, and I hope you do as well.  Be safe, have fun, and I’ll see you next week!
Stay strong
MR
BTW – don’t forget about the sale!  Monday at midnight EST is the last opportunity to get 20% off Magnificent Mobility and Building the Efficient Athlete.

Robertson Training Systems LLC

9402 Uptown Dr., Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN
46256
US

Hello everyone. Today instead of posting what is on my mind regarding weight loss, fitness and training, I thought it would be better if you posted your thoughts? What is frustrating you these days? Post it up and I or maybe another reader can try to help you find a solution.

Nathan


Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Well, all my training is done and I am now just resting and waiting for the GPC Nationals on Saturday. This will be my first full powerlifting meet since April of 2006, I can't believe it has been that long!

Today I just did my morning stairs, went for a few walks and then did some mobility drills to help loosen up.

Joint mobility is an important aspect of fitness I neglected for far too long. For me the tipping point occurred when my right hip seized up on me after doing box squats 5 times a week for a few months. That was stupid.

Since that injury back in the summer of 2005 I think it was, I have made mobility drills a priority in my training. Keeping the joints lose and healthy will prevent injury, improve performance and make you feel better over all. Don't neglect it!

 My mobility training is heavily influenced by two sources. The first one is Super Joints Maximum Mobility & Flexible Stength DVD-Pavel Tsatsouline . Super joints taught me the importance of joint mobility over muscular flexibility. It also teaches the importance of lubricating the joints. the other source that helped me learn how to keep my joints limber and feeling good is Scott Sonnon's Free to Move.







Since practicing mobility drills on a regular basis I haven't felt any chronic joint pain anywhere, even my "bum" hip, and move better than I did as a teenager. If you already have joint problems I highly recommend you start taking care of your joints now before the damage becomes irreversible.

If you want to get started now, begin by doing joint circles. Move every joint through it's full range of motion. Complete about as many reps per direction as your age. If a joint hurts or makes a lot of ugly noises during the circles, then give it even more more attention.

And don't worry, taking care of you joints does not take long at all. I spend between 5-10 minutes before each workout doing my joint circles. Once a week I will put in a whole 20 minutes to really loosen up. My point is, taking care of your joints isn't going to prevent you from actually working out!



Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

People have never been fatter, sicker and weaker than they are now. Whenever I travel to the US I am blown away at how many people are fat and grossly out of shape. Canada is getting there too but seems to be a decade behind or so. I was in Walmart here in Calgary the other day and literally became worried about Western Civilization.

Why are fat kids drinking slurpies while their parents load the grocery cart with cheap processed poison a common site now? Obesity and diabetes are epidemic in North America. Why? Unfortunately the common response to being obese seems to be taking drugs and then as a last resort surgery. It drives me crazy!

The solution to the obesity epidemic is so simple and free that I don't understand why this is even a problem. Hey, I was fat too, and after a little reading and self searching I have never struggled with my weight again. All we have to do is look back before our world changed and conspired to make us fat and weak for profit. Look back at how people lived before being 30% body fat was considered normal.

Before the industrial revolution:

Eat
People ate unprocessed foods. They did eat a lot of grains, but their grains were actually wholesome and were eaten to fill a hungry belly more than anything else. Meat was craved, and veggies were always beside them.

Do not listen to anything you ever see on TV about food, especially supposed health food. If it comes in a wrapper and has any chemicals in it, it is not healthy or natural, despite what Kelloggs and General Mills would have you believe.

I am a big believer in the Paleo diet and as a result think you should only eat what nature has provided humans for thousands of years.

Eat This:

• natural or organic meat
• tons of veggies
• some fruit
• nuts
• natural full fat yogurt
• berries
• fish, especially fatty omega-3 fish like wild salmon

Do not eat this:

• grains
• don't believe the hype, even the most natural grains are filled with phytoestrogens and phytades which actually prevent the absorption of nutrients
• milk
• it is basically chemical sugar water now, it is so far removed from what comes out of a cow that I don't think anyone should drink it
• anything processed (in a package or wrapper)
• alcohol, obviously
• sugar
• it promotes cancer in the body and actually feeds cancer cells
• corn
• it is a grain not a veggie
• corn derivatives like high-fructose corn syrup are killing our children with obesity and as a result diabetes

I should mention that nobody is perfect when it comes to eating well, especially me. The idea is to stay as true to a natural diet as possible so when you do screw up at a party you are not going to fall into a diabetic coma.

Sleep
Before TV and computers do you know what people did when it got dark? They slept! They slept for about 10 hours a day compared to our current norm of 5-7.

In fact, Sleep is so important to weight loss and physical health that preventing it was a favorite torture method of the Soviets. Your body needs sleep to recover from damage and stress, it is how you repair yourself. Forget about late night TV and go to bed early. You will lose weight and feel better almost immediately.

Did you know that Cuban Olympic weight lifters used to sleep 9 hours a day and then nap for 3 hours? I leaned that from Dan John's site. They did this to recover from the stress of training and to keep their weight down to stay competitive in their class. I actually tried this for a few weeks a while back and never felt better. It was unreal!

Exercise/Play
Imagine a world of no cars. A world where if you needed to go across town you actually walked there, even if it took a few days. Maybe you rode a horse instead, but that is still fairly physical.  Not mention that they actually had to physically work each and every day just to survive. From hunting to building to carrying things, people burned some serious calories just living. Today people sit on their asses all day and then might hit the gym for an hour or so before going back to sitting. Unless you are moving for 8 hours a day you are sedentary, so stop thinking your 3x a week gym schedule should be getting you lean!

You need to train hard and often to really be physically fit. Unless you are an elite athlete you should vary your activities as much as possible. I recommend six days a week of good solid activity and one day a week of pure rest. Our lives are incredibly sedentary so six days a week of varied activity will not be too much as long as you are sleeping and eating correctly. Before you surf along to a website that tells you it is ok to not exercise often and you can have abs too, remember that you can make exercise fun. It doesn't have to be a chore. Here is some direction:

• Sprints, 1-2 time a week
• Lift heavy stuff, 3 time a week
• Lift light stuff for high reps, 2-3 times a week
• Long slow cardio, hiking or biking, not jogging, 1 time a week
• Play, 1-4 times a week
• sports, goof around on a jungle gym, just have fun with your workouts!
• Take the stairs
• Walk or bike to work
• Go for a walk at lunch time
• Find excuses to exercise without exercising!

To sum it up, being healthy and looking like it too is really simple.

Eat a diet consisting of natural foods that are high in nutrition and low in empty calories.

Sleep as much as possible, 10 hours is a good start. Just turn off the boob tube and go to bed! Maybe even bring your spouse with you there a little early ;)

Exercise hard and often but make it fun. Join a sports team, go for hikes with your significant other, and don't be afraid to lift some iron to keep that muscle on. Vary your activities so you aren't bored and going through the motions.

In summary, do exactly the opposite of what all the fat people are doing and you will look and feel great. Get Primal!





Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Today was the last speed bench workout before the GPC Nationals here in Calgary on the weekend. I went about 80% to avoid tiring myself out before the meet. The idea was to stimulate without causing fatigue and leave the gym feeling fresher than when I went in. Here is the workout I did:
AM

• stairs
• 8 times up my 7.5 story building
• walking the first 4 times up, took 2 steps at a time the last 4

PM

• speed bench
• 50% of raw max weight plus purple bands
• (3x3)x3 so 3 sets of 3 reps done 3 time
• pull-ups x 50 total reps
• dumbbell triceps toss 4 x 5-8
• blast strap circuit 3 x 10
• reverse fly
• row
• ab fall out
• curl

I will still be doing my morning cardio until Thursday, then it is full time resting until the meet on Saturday!




Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

I am still up north in Edmonton without kettlebell, weight or even a pull-up bar in sight. Luckily I have some floor space here so I can at least do a body weight workout to burn some fat and keep my body ready for the powerlifting meet next weekend.

Here is the workout I am going to do later today:

• joint mobility work, 5 mins
• dynamic warm-up circuit, 3 rounds of 10 reps/drill
• reverse lunge with twist
• side lunge with twist
• inch worm
• Russian twist
• t-push-up 
• body weight circuit, keep doing rounds for 20 mins,
• split squat
• feet elevated push-up
• one leg stiff leg deadlift
• swinging plank
• lunge
• plank varations (lifting one leg, lifting one arm, etc)

Body weight workouts are a great way to stay in shape when you don't have access to weights so don't make excuses. There are so many different body weight workouts you can do so mix it up to keep your body adapting and prevent boredom.

Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey guys,

I am in Edmonton this weekend and forgot to bring my kettlebell! So intead of a fun kettlebell workout I am going to do a body weight workout instead. I am going to do the TACFIT recruit program. It is a body weight circuit that you can do anywhere you have some floor.

TACFIT Recruit Circuit
20 minute circuit
20 rounds with up to 6 reps per drill per round

• revolving table
• push plank knee
• spinal rock
• quad press

I haven't found a youtube video of the workout I can post for you and am too lazy to put one up myself. If you check out the TACFIT link you should be able to learn more.







Also, I found a great article on fats that you might find interesting.
Healthy Saturated Fats?



Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey guys, there is a Battling Ropes Certification taught by John Brookfield being held in Edmonton, Alberta on September 11 & 12 / 2010.

Check out the link if you are interested:
http://www.powerropes.com/alberta.html




Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hello everyone. Today is my day off and I driving up to Edmonton to visit some old friends for the Victoria Day long weekend. Since I am not training, I thought I would post a sweet kettlebell workout I found. Check it out below.







Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey guys, Scott Sonnon posted his latest video conference about his TACFIT Commando ROPE program. Check out the video below if you are interested.



Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey guys, here are some articles by Mike Robertson. I bought his DVD Magnificent Mobility years ago and still use a lot of the mobility drills in my warm-up.

Value and Other Random Thoughts
This is one of those posts I felt like I really needed to write.  When you buy a fitness info product (or ANY product for that matter), are you simply buying them for the manual/DVD/widget?  Or are you buying the information found within?

Q&A: Which RTS Product is Best for You?
I get questions all the time from people who want to know which product is best for them.  This post covers why we created each product, and how it could benefit yourself, as well as people you train and coach.

The 2010 Midwest Performance Enhancement Seminar
My goal was simple: To create a first-class seminar here in the Midwest, with great speakers, all at an affordable price.
This line-up is quite good, if I do say so myself:

• Brian Grasso
• Lee Taft
• Pat Rigsby
• Bill Hartman
• Brett Jones
• Some slouch named Robertson...

Needless to say, this is going to be an amazing event, and I sincerely hope we get a great turnout.  Learn all the details by clicking the link above.

The Tabata Myth
Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to feature some fantastic guest blogs.  As well, I'm going to send these to you on Friday, because you're signed up for my newsletter and I think you're pretty much awesome!
This post is from Mark Young, and I think it really sheds some light on the whole "Tabata" discussion.  This is a must-read, in my opinion.

That's it for me.  Have a great weekend and I'll see ya next week!

Best
MR

Robertson Training Systems LLC

9402 Uptown Dr., Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN
46256
US





Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

I started my day with my regular spinach omelet, then hit the stairs for my morning cardio. After some more meals I managed to sneak in a 1 hour walk around lunch time, worked and ate some more and then hit the kettlebells for a great fat burning workout. Here is a breakdown of my training today.

AM

• stairs
• 8 times up my 7.5 story building
• walking one step at a time until the last time up
• very sore from yesterday, dragging ass the whole time

PM

• one hour walk, decent pace

• fat burning workout
• foam roller
• focusing mostly on the calves since the stair work tightens them up
• mobility drills, 5 mins
• joint circles and spinal flossing
• dynamic warm-up (body weight circuit), 10 reps per drill
• reverse lunge with twist
• side lunge with twist
• inch worm
• Russian twist
• t-push-up
•  kettlebell and body weight circuit
• 1-2 reps shy of failure on each drill
• move as quickly between drills as possible
• rest after each round until breathing is about normal
• 4 rounds
• 1 kettlebell used
• kettlebell clean and press
• push plank knee
• goblet squat
• spinal rock
• 2 point row
• revolving table
• swing
• quad press
• Turkish get-up
• glute bridge
• overhead reverse lunge

A couple of points on this circuit training workout. Some of the drills might seem weird  to you but don't worry about it. I took them from Scott Sonnons Tacfit program and had not heard of them before.

You can find a description of most of them on youtube. The template is pretty simple, alternate tough kettlebell drills with easy body weight drills. The body weight drills are a chance to catch your breath and get more overall work done. The kettlebell drills follow a template of:

• upper body push
• lower body push
• upper body pull
• lower body pull
• twist
• lunge

These six movements are the basis of most of my non-powerlifting training. I learned the concept from Alwyn Cosgrove's New Rules of Lifting.

 It is a great read and really influenced a lot of my training philosophy.









There really are tons of different body weight drills you can do. Personally I enjoy these ones. ;)



Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey guys, here is another Scott Sonnon newsletter and video.







Where I grew up, most kids worshiped professional hockey players,
and they trudged off to the rink each night to chase their NHL
dreams. But not me. I was inspired by the old time strongmen and
bodybuilders. Guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger made me want to train.

I remember reading a cool story about how Arnold and his buddies
would race through the woods in their native Austria and cut down a
small tree, then do squats with it until they couldn't walk.

Not a very intelligent way to train perhaps... But the idea of
setting off into the wilderness with simple equipment and getting a
gym-quality workout has always captured my imagination. There's
something primal about it -- it represents absolute
self-sufficiency.

When Scott first showed me the exercises in his new ROPE program,
that same sense of excitement washed over me again. I immediately
went out and bought my own length of rope so I could start training
the movements THAT DAY!

http://www.tacfitcommando.com/tf-rope - Check it out now!

ROPE brought back feelings I hadn't felt since I was a teenager.
The freedom to train wherever and whenever I wanted, no matter what
the local health club's hours or how many people were waiting for
the bench. And that smell of pine needles and grass stains on my
elbows seemed so much healthier than canned indoor air. I felt
energized and excited about exercise in a way I hadn't felt in
years.

That's kinda what TACFIT ROPE means to me.

http://www.tacfitcommando.com/tf-rope

Yeah, it's an amazing workout. Yeah, I'm getting shredded -
building whipcord forearms and a well defined back. And yeah, the
moves are secret agent cool, and all these real life tactical guys
swear by them.

But I just wanted my freedom back, and that sense of possibility I
felt as a child.

It's funny how the smell of summer grass stains manages to stay
with you.

Who Dares Wins!

http://www.tacfitcommando.com/tf-rope








Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

It looks like I went over board on the lamb burgers last night. I had five, no buns of course, with a enough sweet potato French fries to feed an army. Let's just say I spent the night rolling around and having nightmares! Talk about gluttony. Sometimes I wish my wife wasn't such a good cook. Sometimes.

This morning I started the day with a spinach omelet and a lamb burger patty for protein insurance. Then hit the stairs in my building for morning cardio. Later in the day it was off to the gym to prepare for the big meet. The GPC Nationals are next weekend so today I put the finishing touches on perfecting my suited squat form (squatting in full double ply gear).

AM

• Stairs
• 8 times up my 7.5 story building
• trying to take two steps at time once warmed up, but often resorting to single steps as I started to gas out
• I find morning cardio to really improve my energy levels and appetite for the day. It actually allows me to eat more and get bigger while leaning out.

PM

• powerlifting style squat
• suited squat attempting to hit parallel each set
• hit parallel at 606lbs which will be my opener
• stiff leg deadlifts
• 4 x 5-8
• TRX suspension fall outs
• 4 x 5-8

I love suspension training for building the abs and forcing the whole body to work as one. Whether you use Blast Straps, Gymnastics Rings, or TRX Suspension Trainers or even a home made rope with handles doesn't matter, just give suspension training a try.

Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey guys, I just received this email from Scott Sonnon's newsletter and wanted to share it with you. Check it out if you are interested.







The latest innovation from the TACFIT team is now mission ready!

http://www.tacfitcommando.com/tf-rope;--- Go now!

Imagine running through the woods with your portable gym draped
over your shoulder. That's exactly what you'll be able to do when
you hook up with Scott Sonnon's latest program -- Rapid Onset
Pull-up Equipment (ROPE).

You're a member of the TACFIT Community -- one of OUR team -- so
you can get your hands on this new program before anyone else.

We've also saved you a spot in an exclusive online Coaching
Conference with Scott Sonnon, slated next Wednesday May 27th at
8:00 pm EST. Entrance to this exclusive premium bonus will only be
granted to those who pick up TACFIT ROPE before end of day Friday.

http://www.tacfitcommando.com/tf-rope;--- Act now, exclusive Coaching Conference invite

Want to know more about ROPE or the other programs in the TACFIT
fleet? We've got you covered! Scott and the TACFIT Commando Staff
are holding a live Ustream Teleconference tonight at 8 pm EST to
talk about this newest program, and to answer any questions you may
have.

Tune in to the link below at 8 pm EST to join us!


http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tacfit-commando-live

Who Dares Wins!



Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Another beautiful day in Calgary. The sun was shining until late this afternoon, making it a great day to get outside and catch some rays. As usual I started my day with a huge breakfast, hit the stairs for morning cardio, then did some of that work stuff until it was time for my afternoon strength training session. Here is what I did:

AM

• stairs
• 8 times up my 7.5 story building
• 1 step at a time for the first 2 times up
• 2 steps at a time for the remaining

PM

• push-pull combo, 10 sets
• clean and press, working up to a hard 5 rep set
• pull-ups 1 rep short of failure, changing the grip each set
• push-pull combo, 4 sets
• body weight dips x 20 reps
• cable rows x 20 reps
• biceps
• e-z curl, 4 x 10

The idea of this workout was to improve my pressing strength and then put some size on my upper body. The second combo/pairing was done for really high reps as you can see. The bulk of my training is done for 5 reps or less so every now and then I think it makes to really push the reps up and cause a lot of blood flow to the muscles.Man, I just love having the time to train a day. Anyways, time for some home made lamb burgers with sweet potato fries!



Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

As some of my more loyal readers already know, I have a powerlifting meet at the end of the month here in Calgary. Once that is over I have to start training for a strongman contest in July during the Salsa Fest in Kensington.

I am very excited about both events but am much less experienced in Strongman, having only competed once and got my buck kicked doing it! So I decided to call my buddy Paul Vaillancourt who just happens to be a pro-strongman himself. It's good to have friends like this. I actually interviewed him for Elitefts.com a few years back, you can check it out here.

Here is the training split he recommended for me.
Monday
- off

Tuesday
- squat or deadlift

Wednesday
- military press

Thursday
- off

Friday
- off

Saturday
- event practice day
- 2.5 to 3.5 hours of practicing the lifts

Sunday
- bench press and upper accessory (optional)
- no lower back stress

He recommended I keep up the stair climbing in the mornings. Paul chooses to lift in the morning and hot the prowler at night for conditioning a few days a week. 

As he explained it, training for a strongman is really simple. You should use the gym to get strong. So lift heavy and worry more about getting stronger than getting better at the events. The event practice day is used to get good at the events themselves. It is practice, not strength building. Event training will build the coordination and toughness required to excel at strongman.







Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hi guys, I will post my workout later today but for now I thought you might enjoy this newsletter from Scott Sonnon, especially after the great response I received from his R.O.P.E article.

Many of you posted questions about the best type of rope to use for TACFIT ROPE training.

(If you'd rather read this on the blog, click here...)

I've experimented with many types and thicknesses of rope over the years, in multiple training environments, and I've narrowed it down to several optimal choices. I rank them from "best to least" according to how well they meet the versatility needs of the tactical teams I train.

My first choice is always between 1" and 1.5" diameter nylon rope in a 20 foot length. Manila is sometimes easier to find, but it tends to splinter in arid environments and to absorb fluids and oils in damp ones. Splinters tear up your hands and forearms, and oils make gripping problematic. Both of these things can get in the way of your training.

Climbing rope works, but at diameters of less than 1" it can be too much of a grip challenge, especially if you're just starting out. I've also used braided paracord when I wasn't able to find anything else. It isn't ideal, but you can make it work, especially if you create handles out of old bike inner tubes. Wrap them with grip tape, or even duct tape - that's always easy to find.

30 feet of rope is all you'll ever need for anchor points 12 feet high or less. This length will be highly adjustable when it comes to moving the hand loops, and there's plenty of rope to ensure a secure attachment.

It's always nice to have a bit extra of course, but I usually carry exactly 20 feet to my sessions. I like to save space and pack light, and I know how to manipulate the length very precisely when it comes to anchoring. Until you get really good at knot tying, you'll probably want a bit of extra length.

I demonstrated the type of knot I like to use in the first ROPE video we posted, but of course there are other choices, each with their own set of advantages, disadvantages and specific uses.

Practice the basic ROPE tie until it becomes second nature. When you've got it down and have been training for a while, we can discuss more knot craft. It really is an art form all its own.

My knot tying experience grew out of my work with the Russian Spetsnaz, who used ropes as snares, weapons and hostile subject restraints. I adapted the combative aspect of those skills to our field conditioning needs as we traveled from the icy Baltic to the subtropical Black Sea.

Working throughout such a wide geographical range meant that the art of knot craft became as sophisticated as some of the exercise examples I demonstrated in our TACFIT ROPE videos.

I look forward to sharing these skills with you.

Who Dares Wins!

Scott Sonnon


Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

What a beautiful day in sunny Calgary! The sun is shining and the weather is finally warm. I started the day with my usual spinach omelet and then hit the stair case in my building for morning cardio. Later that day I went for a one hour walk and then finished up with a snappy workout at Remington's gym. The idea today was to burn some fat by stimulating my metabolism but not to kill myself and take away from tomorrows workout. Here are the details if you are interested.

AM

• stairs
• 8 times up my 7.5 story building
• the first two times up I walked one step at a time
• the last six times up I hussled two steps at a time, never truly running though
• total time just under 20 minutes

PM

• clubbell circuit warm-up
• 10 minutes of various drills to loosen up and get sweating
• pull-ups paired with ab wheel roll outs
• alternating sets between the two drills
• varying the grip for the pull-ups each set
• 6 sets of 5-10 reps
• kettlebell swings
• 40kg kettlebell
• 5 sets of 20 reps

 I love pull-ups for building muscle and improving the balance between posterior and anterior muscles. I work them all the time but as a 220lbs guy I will probably never be able to bang them out like this little dude.



Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

I was checking out the latest issue of t-nation.com today when I came across this cool article by Bret Contreras called, Inside the Muscles - Best Abs Exercises.
I couldn't believe that the good old ab wheel kicked so much ab! The Turkish get-up also gets a lot of respect, which is nice for a kettlebell guy like myself to read.



Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

This was my last heavy squat workout before the powerlifting meet on May 29th. The idea here was just to break parallel with my opening weight and make sure I am ready for the contest. As the meet approaches I will still be training hard but will avoid and stressful lifts like heavy squats, bench presses or deadlifts. Pretty much just accessory work until two days before the meet. Then I shut it down and get as much rest as possible. You can't get stronger two weeks before a meet, but you sure as hell can get weaker! If you are tired from a lot of heavy training your nervous system will be shot and it will be tough to really get the most out of yourself in the powerlifting meet.

Here is the workout I did today:

• Squat
• work up to a heavy but not max single
• focus on breaking parallel so getting the lift passed is not a problem
• Good Morning
• 4 x 5 with a moderately heavy weight
• Ab Wheel
• 4 x 5

Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey Everyone, I found a new Scott Sonnon training called R.O.P.E, Rapid Onset Pull-up Equipment, video that is really cool. This guy just keeps creating! Check out the newsletter he sent below and if you think it is something that interests you, watch the video. I found it pretty cool.

Imagine...

You're running through the woods or doing sprints at the neighborhood
soccer field. But you want more. You'd like to be able to incorporate
some strength training into your session.

Are you limited to ground based body weight exercises? Not if you
lug some expensive and cumbersome suspension training gear around
with you...

Or is there another option?

Maybe you just need some R.O.P.E. Check out this extremely cool
video of Coach Sonnon training his body from every imaginable angle
with nothing but a simple length of rope.

Click to watch the video <--- Train with nothing but rope!

Suspension training gives us the ability to use gravity in new
dimensions. The suspension aspect of ROPE builds strength in all 6
Degrees of Freedom.

ROPE allows us to attack weakness on every front. The training
formula allows us to train from infinite angles.

Weakness has nowhere to hide!

Enjoy the video ---> http://www.tacfitcommando.com/blog/?p=520


Who Dares Wins!

From the Entire TACFIT Commando Team.

Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey guys,

I woke up this Saturday morning at the ungodly hour of 6:00am because my mind was racing with ideas. Felt great and pumped out the Eat Your Damn Breakfast post below. Then it was off to the gym for Saturday's Max Effort Bench Workout. This was the last hard bench session before the GPC Nationals. Here is the workout I did.

• raw bench press paired with pull-ups
• worked up to a heavy single
• one set of pull-ups between each set of bench press
• shirted bench press
• worked up to a max single with boards
• t-bar row paired with weighted dips
• 4 x 6-10
• barbell pull-over and extensions paired with chin-ups
• 4 x 10

As you can see everything except the shirted benching was done in alternating set fashion. This maximizes my time in the gym and helps me balance opposing muscle groups.

Alternating does not have to be done with opposing muscles. Here is another example:


Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn 
more.

If you want to know the truth, just listen to mom. Think about it, she was right about the friends you hung out with in high school, the way you should treat others, that you should turn off the TV and go play outside, and we know for sure she was right about eating your vegetables! The same goes for breakfast. Mom's know that their kids shouldn't go to school without eating breakfast. Without eating in the morning their child will be tired, sluggish and have trouble concentrating. You can't learn when you are feeling that way, especially considering how incredibly boring school is for kids, but that's another story.

Mom knew you should eat your breakfast every day, and at this point so do you. It will help prevent over eating later, giving you stronger will power against office donuts or ice frappe weight gainers at 10:00. A solid breakfast will also jump start your metabolism, telling your body to burn fat and build muscle. Lastly, as I mentioned above, breakfast gives you the true energy to start your day instead of relying on caffeine.

So why is skipping breakfast such a common habit?

First off I think it is because people are so incredibly lazy combined with the fact that they have made their lives very busy. Let me explain. Everyone claims to be so busy, and is rushing in to work 15 minutes late each morning. Fine, so if you are so busy, how come you can tell me what happened last night on TV from 8pm to midnight? Your not busy, you are just so lazy that you didn't get anything important done. So many people, including myself at one time, are in the habit of staying up late doing nothing, then waking up at the last minute and rushing off to work. They haven't gotten enough sleep to be refreshed and healthy, and they don't have enough time to fix a proper breakfast.

A good habit to begin is to set a lights out bed time 8-9 hours before you have to wake. Give yourself enough time to make a proper breakfast in the morning too. The TV or computer should be off at least one hour before bed time. Use that time to relax and read or if you are a chick take a bath. Do any guys admit to taking baths anymore?

It might take some practice to get to sleep at this early hour, but trust me you are probably so sleep deprived it won't take long and you will get very used to it after a while. Remember, the best quality hours of sleep are before midnight.

Now that you have time to make a proper breakfast, what the heck are you going to eat? Let me tell you, it is not coming out of a box that says "made with whole grains". All cereal is junk food, especially when mixed with milk. At one time milk may have been nutritious but it sure as hell isn't anymore. Now it is a chemicala nd sugar concoction with some vitamin D added. Cereal is a processed grain product. Wheat and other grains are actually very allergenic and hard on the body. A wheat free diet will result in better health, recovery, body composition, and ability to manage physical stress.

The ideal breakfast will actually be full or protein, healthy fats and low in carbohydrates. You don't want to spike your insulin with cereal, toast, juice and milk. That will be better than nothing but will still make you a little sluggish and probably help you get fatter.

As Dan John often writes, the ideal breakfast is composed of meat, eggs and something else. A goal for men is 50 grams of protein each and every morning. For women, it is less but I would still like to see about 30 grams of protein. Personally I love to make scrambled whole omega-3 eggs with spinach and a bit of whatever was for dinner last tonight. This morning for example I had shrimp in my omelet. So eggs, shrimp and spinach for breakfast with an orange on the side. Not a bad way to start the day.

If you think you don't have time for scrambled eggs with whatever you can grab thrown in, you are lazy and will probably never be lean. This whole breakfast takes me less than 10 minutes from start to finish. I use bagged baby spinach so there is no cutting or prep work to do. Just throw the spinach on, crack some eggs, I use 6 each morning, and then throw whatever meat you can find on the pan to reheat it. No muss, no fuss.

A breakfast like this will keep you full much longer than a bowl of crappy-o's. Plus it will give your body the nutrition it needs to repair itself and provide you with quality energy. And your kids should be eating like this as well. Unless you think the whole low fat, high carb, processed food diet is going well for our childhood diabetes generation following us. I know I was a chubby little dude back in the day!

If you want to be lean and look like you actually workout. It all starts with breakfast. Breakfast will give your body the kick start each day to transform itself into the finely tuned machine it should be. So listen to your mom and get to bed early, get up earlier than normal, and start each day with a serious meal of quality nutrition.





Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.

Hey everyone,

If you are a loyal of this blog, and you should be, then you know that Friday is my rest day. So instead of posting another one of my sweet workouts I found some good quality training articles for you to check out instead.

Kettlebells vs Cardio: More evidence that kettlebell training is all you need
By Chris Lopez

Evolution Revolution: My Manifesto
By Martin Rooney
This one is extremely interesting!

Three More Reasons Why I Hate "Fitness"
By Jason Nunn

Here is an interview Martin Rooney did a while back



Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.