CategoriesFemale Training Strength Training

Training Jane From Joe: Do Women Need to Train Differently Than Men?

SPOILER ALERT:  No. Women don’t need to train differently than men. Sometimes they should, however.  More on that below.

And speaking of spoilers – how many people stayed for the bonus scene after the end credits of Guardians of the Galaxy?

How many in the ballpark of my age (37) chuckled to themselves with the Howard the Duck cameo appearance?

Sooo funny/random, right?  And not to be out-stated, as a whole, Guardians was as nerdtastic as nerdtastic could be. I remember thinking to myself when I first saw the trailer a few months ago, “Yikes! How is Marvel going to pull this one off?  I think they might have bitten off more than they can chew.”

But kudos to them for yet again setting the standard for comic book movies. Epic fail on my end for doubting them.

So what has this got to do with training women?  Actually, nothing.  But for what it’s worth I gave the movie a solid 4.5 lightsabers out of 5.

Okay, for real this time.

The topic of female specific training is a dicey one to say the least. I think one of the reasons why I write about is so much and why I’m so passionate about it is because I find most (not all) women are misinformed.

Or to be more precise, are nudged towards a specific mindset at some point in their lives.

This was never more apparent than a conversation I had with a former female client of mine last year.  This client was a mom and a personal trainer herself.  She came to Cressey Sports Performance, like most trainers like her do, to hire someone else to do the thinking for her. For the record I’d recommend to ALL trainers to hire their own coach at some point!

As it happened, my client loved training at the facility and loved our approach to training female clients/athletes and eventually reached out to the local high-school where she lived to see if she could volunteer her time. She reached out to several of the coaches for the female JV and varsity teams, as well as the athletic director of the school (who also happened to be female and a varsity coach).

Long story short, the coach wrote back saying that getting any of the female athletes to come to the school-gym during their summer break was a pointless endeavor given that the weight-room had, in her words, “limited equipment that was ‘female friendly’.”

What the what!?!?!?!?!?!

She DID NOT just say that.

When my client told me that story I was dumbfounded!  With that sort of mentality and message being relayed to young, impressionable youth by adult “role models” is it any wonder that there’s a growing DECLINE in girls participating in sports?  And more to the point, can we be at all surprised why so many are programmed into thinking that girls don’t belong in the weigh-room, that just thinking about touching a barbell will make them grow an Adam’s apple, and that instead they should just focus on cardio, yoga, pilates, and Barre classes?

NOTE:  I have nothing against yoga, pliates, or Barre classes. Unlike a lot of fitness professionals who like to bag on certain modes of exercise, I’ve actually taken – and written about my experience – a yoga class and pilates class.

Any exercise is good exercise.

What I don’t agree with is how these classes are generally marketed towards women as some end-all-be-all panacea of health and fitness.  Based off the key words and promises many of these classes highlight – stuff like building “long, lean muscle” which is utter BS  – I’m surprised no one has elucidated on the benefits of bathing in unicorn tears to boot!!

But I digress.

I LOVE training women and female athletes for many reasons. For starters I think it’s rad when one of them hits a PR on a particular lift or achieves something they never thought possible – their first unassisted chin-up for example – and they end up having a “light-bulb” moment where they finally accept that they have just as much to gain from strength training as their Y-chromosome counterparts.

I love “deprogramming” them from the stagnant and life-sucking mentality many have been inundated with since junior high and high-school.  I love seeing the sense of confidence, empowerment, and freedom that blossoms once they understand that strength is a good thing and is something that should be embraced.

And while the saying states the girls are “made of sugar and spice and everything nice,” I can say without hesitation that some of the most tenacious and competitive clients I have worked with in my career are women.

Here’s distance coaching client, Sarah, cranking out a set of chinups. Yes, we can make the argument that she’s not extending her elbows at the bottom, but she called herself out on that when she sent me this video.  The point is, when we started working together last October the could perform ZERO

Here’s CSP bootcamper, Paula, crushing some KB swings as part of a finisher AFTER hitting up heavy deadlifts and squats earlier in the workout.

Yes, as some commenters posted on YouTube, she’s hinging early, blah blah blah. I appreciate the feedback (and I agree!), but it’s by no means an egregious snafu in her overall technique and is a far cry from a lot of the eye-wash “swings” other trainers and coaches post on their pages.

Regardless this is someone whose work ethic is outstanding and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone more competitive than her.

And here’s former client of CSP, Cara, hitting a challenging-but-not-nearly-as-heavy-as-she-could-go-deadlift at 33 weeks pregnant.

And before someone chimes in with a “holy crap Tony, are you insane for allowing a pregnant women lift that heavy?” comment, please read THIS.

Also, I can’t let this video slide without making a slight crack at the musical selection.  Kind of ironic, huh?……..hahahahahahaha x 10!

I don’t feel that women need to train differently than men, but I do think there are cases where they should train differently.

And it’s on that note I’d like to direct people to a presentation I recently filmed for Mike Reinold’s RehabWebinars.com:

Training Jane From Joe: Do Women Need to Train Differently Than Men?

It’s a 75 minute webinar that covers my general approach to training women. I discuss everything from initial intake/assessment to many of the progressions and programming strategies I implement to “specialty” scenarios like training someone through their pregnancy as well as covering some of the often glossed over psychological barriers that prevent women from stepping foot in the weight-room in the first place.

In addition I also cover such water-cooler topics as does weight training make women “big-n-bulky?” and why do people continue to listen to Tracy Anderson?

I feel this would be an excellent resource for any trainer or coach who works with female clients!

The cost is $19.95, but you’re not just purchasing the presentation itself.  You’re also gaining monthly access to ALL the content on RehabWebinars.com which includes dozens of hours of great contact from some of the most prestigious people in the fields of rehab, strength, and sports medicine.

If you pride yourself on continuing education and want to stay on top of the most relevant topics in the industry, this is one of the best ways to do so.

Click below to not only get access to my presentation, but over 100+  as well.  But mostly because of mine……..;o)

Training Jane From Joe: Do Women Need to Train Differently Than Men?

 

 

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 8/8/14

Before I get to this week’s list, I wanted to run something past all of you. Many of you know that I run a Premium Workout Group on WeightTraining.com. And if you didn’t, now you know. And knowing is half the battle.

Goooooooo Joe!

Here’s the deets:  there are a lot of people out there going to gym with no plan or purpose in their training.  They just show up, walk around performing random exercises, and then post their workout on Facebook (it doesn’t count if you don’t post it on Facebook).

The idea behind the Premium Group is to offer people some semblance of focus in their training, or a plan if you will.

I write monthly “canned” programming, you follow it, and then your general level of awesomeness is increased by a factor of infinity. Don’t argue. It’s science.

The Premium Group is amazing and I love seeing the results that people are getting. However, I want to up the ante and I’m toying with the idea of using the WeightTraining.com platform to offer more “specialized” programming.

If I were to write, say, a 4-month program dedicated solely to improving your deadlift would anyone be interested? Yes, there will be a price involved…..but not only will you get 4-months of programming written by me, but you’ll also be able to set your schedule, get email reminders of your workout days, in addition to the ability to follow/track your workouts (and progress) on your iPhone, iPad or Droid using the WT.com app (which is FREE).

Does this sound like anything anyone would be interested in?

Thanks!

This Guy Changed the Way We See Lord of the Rings . Mind Blown – via Tickld.com

This article has nothing to do with fitness obviously, but I don’t care. Any LoTR fanboy/girl will inevitably cry afoul about the ‘eagle plot hole.’

What’s the eagle plot hole you ask?

In short:  WTF DIDN’T FRODO AND THE REST OF THE CREW TAKE THE EAGLES ALL THE WAY TO MORDOR FROM THE START!!!!! GOSH!!!!!!

Whoever wrote this article should 1) be given a Nobel Peace Prize and 2) wins the internet. Forever.

Gym #Selfie Challenge: Quit Posting and Show Us What Hard Work Really Looks Like – Bri Wilson

I don’t mind people taking selfies. Like the author, I DO mind the people who post nothing but staged shots of themselves a particular pose and what I have to assume is their 27th attempt at getting the lighting juuuuuust right.

5-Move Core Shredder – Tony Gentilcore

Not to be confused with the 5-point palm exploding heart move (via Kill Bill), this was a workout I had published in this month’s issue of Men’s Health Magazine (as well as the online version) that utilizes kettlebells and helps improve core strength, iron out imbalances, and improve athletic performance.

 

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

The Weakling’s Guide to Working Out

As you’ll undoubtedly see if you decide to read the entire article (and why wouldn’t you?), some trainees place the cart before the horse and make things more complicated than they have to be. Rocket science is hard. Long division is hard. Figuring out why women love Hugh Grant movies is hard. Lifting weights should not be hard.

I was asked by Stack Magazine to write an article aimed towards guys (but the message applies to women too!) who tend to have a hard time making progress with their exercise routine – namely their resistance training routine.

Or what I affectionally refer to as “lifting heavy stuff.”

To be candid, the message is nothing revolutionary and it’s probably one you’ve read or have been told time and time again. But it’s something that bears repeating, and frankly, despite how often it’s trumpeted, people somehow fail to allow the message to stick

Akin to how people continue to text while behind the wheel of a car or are constantly being told to put the toilet seat back down.

Yeah, kinda like that.

The Weakling’s Guide to Workout Out

NOTE:  as a small favor, if you liked the article on Stack, PLEASE share it through your social media outlets. If you didn’t like it, pffft, whatever….;o)

CategoriesUncategorized

The Women’s Fitness Summit

Way back in May I made the trek out to Kansas City, Missouri* to take part in The Fitness Summit.

It’s an annual gathering of both fitness professionals and fitness enthusiasts which has seemingly grown in popularity year in and year out, and has earned the reputation as one of the “go to” fitness events of the year.

I was lucky enough to not only be invited out this past Spring, but to be one of the speakers – alongside other industry big wigs such as Bret Contreras, Alan Aragon, Dr. Brad Shoenfeld, Bryan Krahn, Mike T.Nelson, Dave Dellanave, Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, Roland and Galina Denzel, as well as Dr. Cassandra Forsythe.

It was an amazing experience and you can read all about it HERE.

As it happened, due to the popularity of her presentation (and the friendly back-and-forth debate which ensued), I remember Cassandra (Forsythe) toying with the idea of organizing a Women’s Fitness Summit down the road.

Well that day has come.

Cassandra will be the first one to tell you she’s no “man hater,” but she felt there was a unique need for a conference dedicated solely towards women and female specific topics.

In short:  she recognizes that women and women’s topics are grossly under-represented in the fitness industry.  I couldn’t agree more.

While I’m a dude and immediately gravitate towards visions of pajama pillow fights and Dirty Dancing dialogue whenever I hear about a group of women getting together under one roof – Sorry! It’s in my DNA! – I can assure you that that won’t be the case here.

Instead, what’s going to happen is that a group of highly educated and highly respected women in the fitness industry are going to get together and talk about female-specific topics.  Such as:

  • Athletic Amenorrhea (losing your period)
  • Urinary Incontinence (no, you shouldn’t pee your pants when you exercise)
  • Specific Training Needs and Wants of Women
  • How to Train and Inspire Your Female Clients Correctly
  • Pregnancy Training
  • Exercise and Training for Menopause
  • Influence of the Menstrual Cycle on Exercise & Nutrition
  • Training Requirements of Female Endurance Athletes
  • And more…

And, no BOYS are allowed!!!!

Pffft, whatever……;o)

WHO?

Women fitness enthusiasts and fitness professionals. Slated speakers include:  Dr. Cassandra Forsythe, Molly Galbraith, Dr.Brooke Kalanick, Dr. Susan Kleiner, Julia Ladewski, Jen Sinkler, Marni Sumbal, Elsbeth Vaino, Joy Victoria, and Ann Wendel.

WHAT?

The first and only fitness summit specifically for women by women

WHERE?

ARC Performance

710 Arogosy Parkway

Riverside, MO 64150

Hotel:  Group rate of $109/night available at the Courtyard by Marriot Briarclif.

The summit venue is a 5-10 minute drive from the hotel.

Need a roommate?  Find a friend our Facebook Fan Page HERE.

WHEN?

Friday, September 26th – Sunday, September, 28th

–       Friday Night Social (optional)

–       Saturday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

o   Group Saturday Night (optional)

–       Sunday, 9:00 am – Noon

WHY?

It’s time for women to hear and learn the right way to train their bodies for their goals.  Plus, it’s a wonderful chance to meet the women experts who are transforming the industry!

You’ll get to meet the right women to admire and respect.  Forget about movie stars and media “experts.”  It’s time to discover new “heroes” that understand you and actually look out for your best interests.

You’ll discover how to lead a healthy and fit lifestyle while still being an outstanding wife, mother, and friend.  You DO NOT have to be a Super Woman to stay fit and healthy while still fitting everything else in.  You DO NOT have to compromise your marriage, family or your own personal health to get the body you want and deserve.

It’s time for you and all women to feel understood, empowered, confident and beautiful in their own skin – cellulite, stretch marks, and all!  😉

Cost and Registration (<— Click Me)

 

* = Yep, that’s right, Missouri.  I bet you thought Kansas City was in Kansas, right?  Well, technically, there is a Kansas City in Kansas, but that’s not the Kansas City I’m referring to. I’m talking about the Kansas City in Missouri.  

Confused yet?  What were we talking about again?

Oh yeah, pillow fights! 

CategoriesMotivational

Walking With Purpose

Today’s guest post is brought to you by current Cressey Sports Performance intern, resident practicing veterinarian, and lover of all things lifting heavy, Hannah Wellman.

You heard me correctly. Hannah is indeed a veterinarian; an equine veterinarian as a matter of fact. She’s originally from Australia, worked in the U.S for several years (in Kentucky no less, working with horses), went back home, and then had the crazy idea of coming back to the States to hang out with us at CSP for a few months.

I can say unequivocally that we’ve been the benefactor of her presence.

How many training facilities get to say that one of their coaches is a practicing veterinarian?

Anyhoo, one day she and I were chatting and out of nowhere she made the comment, “Tony, ever notice how you walk with purpose?“

Having no idea what she was referring to, I pressed further.

“What do you mean?” I asked, envisioning, in my head, some form of crossbreed walk between The Rock strutting down the ramp towards the wrestling ring and Rupaul in the video Supermodel.

You know, purpose!

Come to find out, it was nothing close to that…..;o)

I asked her to expound on her comment and below is what she came up with.  It’s pretty amazing.

Hope you enjoy it.

Walking With Purpose

A couple of weeks after meeting Tony I mentioned to him that I thought he “walked with purpose”. It wasn’t something that I had planned to say or formulated in advance, and I can’t remember the exact circumstances surrounding the comment. I was just stating a simple observation. There’s something about how someone carries themselves when they think nobody is looking that reveals a lot about their character.

Because of this comment, and perhaps my slightly unique background, Tony asked if I would share my thoughts on what I think it means to “walk with purpose”. I broke it down from my perspective.

1. People who ‘walk with purpose’ know who they are.

Understanding who you are is probably one of the trickiest things to authentically achieve as it requires some hard-hitting self reflection and honesty. Additionally, it is a constant process.

I’ve worked hard at this over the last five years and know I’m on my way. This doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes. I still fall for the wrong guy sometimes, lose my confidence in certain situations and make the wrong Dairy Queen Blizzard selection.

The difference is I am now more aware of it, and more importantly, I learn from it.

When you know who you are trying to the best of your ability you can start to align your life with your foundational beliefs, values and principles.

Leading a congruent life leads to less resistance and more purposeful choices.

2. People who ‘walk with purpose’ epitomize SWAG.

To me this parallels someone who has a goal. Goals create the stepping stones forward and promote accountability to keep your foot on the gas.

Nothing is more devastating than watching someone coast through life on cruise control well under their potential. The business philosopher Jim Rohn stated it is often not about the goal itself but who you become on your way to achieving it.

There is also a big difference between an idea and a goal. Ideas are things you are interested in. I had an idea once to cycle the length of Africa from Cairo to Cape Town. I have yet to buy the required bicycle or book the ticket.

Goals are things you commit to. I had a goal to learn more about coaching and the principles of strength and conditioning six months ago. Here I am on the other side of the world at Cressey Sports Performance.

You have to turn your innovations from ideas into goals with an expiry date…and then, this is the clincher, execute them.

3. People who ‘walk with purpose’ live by their principles not by their feelings.

I was at a conference recently where Eric Thomas spoke on this subject. He stated that “at the end of your feelings lies nothing, but at the end of your principles is a promise.”

Feelings will take you all over the place and can be heavily influenced by external environmental and human factors. There’s a reason they call it an emotional roller-coaster. You feel like you are moving forward but in fact when it’s all said and done you get off right where you started.

Coach Wooden would purposefully not give a pre-game speech to stir up emotions in his athletes. He believed for every artificial peak created there was a valley. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t acknowledge and reflect on your feelings as they occur, it just means people who ‘walk with purpose’ don’t live at their mercy.

Principles on the other hand are strong and stable. You have complete control over them. They are built from experience and a deeper understanding of the world and your place in it.

In a mess? Check your feelings. You can’t get lost on the straight road marked by your principles.

4. People that ‘walk with purpose’ embrace change.

I’ve made some big changes in the last year and I’ve noticed a theme from some of the unhappier people in my life. When they hear about some of my choices (many of which have been a little “out of the box”), they suggest how lucky I am that change is easy for me because it’s hard for them.

I want to set a couple things straight.

Firstly, change is inevitable. The difference is you either try to drive the bus or let the bus drive over you.

Secondly, change is generally uncomfortable for everyone. In the last year or so just about every major facet of my life has changed. Every step has been challenging but every stage has pushed me forward. The difference between those who embrace change and those who avoid it has nothing to do with circumstance.

Those that embrace change are not deterred by “hard”. To ‘walk with purpose’ you realize that change and growth are inseparable and you’re willing to feel uncomfortable through the transitions forward.

5. People who ‘walk with purpose’ realize their purpose is to serve.

As Gandhi said; “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”.

There is nothing more rewarding than giving your best to someone else. I currently volunteer as a telephone crisis supporter for a national suicide and crisis hotline. The role required extensive training. As a veterinarian I have some experience with emotional situations so felt fairly confident about the process before I started. Was I ever in for an awakening!

I struggled through the first few months of the training program. I’m naturally a ‘problem-solver’; come to me with an issue and I’m going to immediately start formulating a plan to work through it.

This works for animals but not people.

When applied to the human species it’s kind of an arrogant and disempowering philosophy.

People need to be heard first. I had to learn to slow it down, be in the moment and get comfortable directly acknowledging and talking about someone’s feelings without offering advice…ever.

Next time you’re having a conversation, monitor what you’re saying. When someone states something do you automatically respond with a similar experience or your thoughts about theirs?

Try talking to someone for an hour without giving advice or passing an opinion. Be in the moment and really hear what they’re saying. It’s about them not you. That’s the challenge. That’s the foundation of service.

Conclusion

People who ‘walk with purpose’ hold their own compass to determine their path. Their principles align with their actions. Since my comment I’ve been lucky enough to spend a little more time observing Tony’s “walk” and I can tell you he “walks the talk”. I’ve seen him wear a Transformers t-shirt (be who you are), build his business (SWAG), travel (embrace change) and mentor and support many fitness professionals (service).

This man ‘walks with purpose’.

About the Author (By Tony)

Hannah (Wellman) doesn’t have a website or a bunch of links to social media that I can link you towards (although, HERE’s her Facebook page).

All I can offer is that she’s easily one of the most caring, easy-going, and genuine individuals I’ve ever met.

As alluded to above, she’s a practicing veterinarian (both in the US and Australia) who also has a passion for lifting heavy things.

She’s the sh#t.

(<—–) She’s also the one pictured on the left.

CategoriesExercise Technique Female Training Strength Training

How the Kettlebell Can Improve Your Deadlift

I had an interesting conversation with my good friend and fellow strength coach, Ben Bruno, not too long ago.

He and I like to catch up every now and then to 1) discuss our mutual affinity for JP Licks ice-cream and 2) talk some training and fitness shop.

He’s originally from New England and worked as a coach at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning for a handful of years before moving out to LA last fall for a change of pace and to pursue some other opportunities.

His typical clientele now out in LA resembles a litany of Hollywood A-listers and a “who’s who” of gossip magazine covers, as well as those people who have a bit more of an aesthetic bias towards training.

While he loves LA and the people he works with, a small percentage of his heart is still back in Boston, working with athletes and helping people get strong.

In one of our last conversations he made the comment that there’s a stark contrast in training mentality between the west and east coast. But a little context comes into play.

Whereas at Cressey Sports Performance, someone nails a 400+ lbs deadlift and no one bats an eye, out in LA someone hits that same lift in a commercial gym and it’s assumed they’re on steroids.  And then given their own reality tv show!

Similarly, with regards to female training, and especially with regards to female celebrities and the “Hollywood” mentality as a whole (my apologies with the gross generalization here), barbell training is almost considered taboo.

Ben noted that whenever he’s tried to get some (not all) of his female clients to train with free-weights they were a tad skittish and reticent to place any appreciable load on the barbell.

Truth be told, while the tide is slowly turning for the better (more and more women are reaping the benefits of strength training. See: CrossFit), there’s still a “barbells are scary” vibe that pervades the female psyche.  It’s slight, but it’s still there.

Ben noticed a funny thing, however.  He noted that whenever he had his female clients use kettlebells they were more than eager to “get after it.” It was almost as if they didn’t think kettlebells counted as strength training.

Whether he had them squat, deadlift, push, pull, swing, carry, or anything else you can think of to do with a KB, seemingly, they’d be more than willing to do whatever Ben told them to do. And then some.

Plus, they’d do it with some heavy ass weight.

I too have noticed this same phenomenon with some of my past and current female clients. Ask them to perform a barbell deadlift and you’d think I asked them to shoot Bambi. Of course, this notion doesn’t surprise me when you have female professionals like THIS ONE telling everyone how dangerous deadlifts are.

Idiocy notwithstanding, switch to a KB deadlift and it’s on like Donkey Kong.

Lets be honest:  KBs are just a smidge less intimidating for some people (guys included), and they’re actually more useful and better than barbells in some cases.

I mean, not everyone has access to a state of the art gym and kettlebells don’t take up a lot of space, so they’re a fantastic option for quick and efficient home workouts.

In addition they’re great in terms of their versatility and “user friendliness” in general.

And get this……

The Kettlebell Can Actually Help Improve Your (Barbell) Deadlift

More to the point, the kettlebell swing can help improve your deadlift.

But before we get into the nitty gritty, it would behoove us not to at least discuss proper technique with the swing.

To that point I have two go-to sources.

1.  Iron Body Studios’ own Artemis Scantalides and Eric Gahan

2.  Neghar Fonooni

If you watched both videos (and why wouldn’t you?), you can see that both camps mirror one another in terms of how they coach and cue the swing.

With that out of the way, lets discuss how the KB swing can help improve your deadlift.

1. It’s All About the Hip Hinge, Baby!

The biggest mistake I see most people make with the swing is thinking that it’s more of a squat swing as opposed to a hip snap swing.

The swing, when done correctly, helps groove a rock-solid hip hinge pattern. And as any competent strength coach or personal trainer will tell you, the deadlift requires a ROCK SOLID hip hinge pattern.

This is non-negotiable.

Learning to push the hips back and engaging the posterior chain (namely hamstrings and glutes) during a swing will undoubtedly carry over well to the deadlift

 2.  Staying “Tight”

Look at this picture below of what the setup looks like for a KB swing.

Yeah, yeah the model is dashing. But other than that does anything look vaguely familiar?

It should, because it’s pretty much a dead-on image of what the set-up for a deadlift looks like (with the exception that with a barbell deadlift, the bar itself will be closer to the body and directly over the mid-foot, if not right up against the shins).

With the swing I like to cue one of two things to ensure tightness in the upper back:

1. Pretend like you’re squeezing an orange in your armpit and you’re trying to make orange juice.

2. Put your shoulder blades in your back pocket. This is a non-nerdy way of telling someone to posteriorly tilt their scapulae and to activate their lats (as well as the thoraco-lumbar fascia).

In short: promote more spinal stability.

Maintaining this “tightness” is key to the KB swing as well as a deadlift.

3.  Maximal Force Production

Remember above where I said the KB swing should resemble more of a hip SNAP.  That point cannot be overstated. 

The swing is an excellent way to help develop maximal force production. Think I’m full of it? Here’s what Strong First instructor and recent “I-made-the-Iron-Maiden-Challenge-My -Bitch” graduate, Artemis Scantalides, had to say on the matter.

“The purpose of the kettlebell swing is maximal force production.  Therefore, if the correct force is applied to an 8kg (~18lbs) kettlebell, that 8kg kettlebell can weigh up to 80lbs. 

If an 8kg kettlebell can weigh up to 80lbs with the correct force applied, imagine how much a 24kg (~53lbs) kettlebell can weigh if the correct force is applied??  

Subsequently, the kettlebell swing helps to improve deadlift strength because it allows you to use the lowest system load for maximal results. You are getting the most bang for your buck, by using less weight. 

As such, if you do not have a heavy weight available to you for deadlifts, then just do a few sets of perfect kettlebell swings and apply maximal force, and you just worked towards a stronger deadlift.”

Artemis: 1

Internet Gurus: 0

Final Thoughts

Kettlebells have a ton of merits, as I think we’ve covered. While they’ll never replace barbells for the big lifts, I like them because of all the ways they assist everything else. Obviously, they can help increase the deadlift, which I love.

I mean, being able to work on your deadlift when you’re not working on your deadlift? Doesn’t get much better than that.

But kettlebells are also an amazing tool for active recovery, conditioning, or just as the mainstay in any great home-based program. If you’re looking for an awesome program featuring kettlebells, there’s really no reason to look any further than Lean & Lovely, the new program from the aforementioned Neghar Fonooni.

It’s obviously geared towards women, but let me tell you, if you use a 28kg bell and do any one of the workouts, you’ll very quickly see how guys can benefit from every single page of the book.

It’s 12 weeks of dedicated program, 25 extra bonus conditioning type workouts, and a ton of other stuff.

Most importantly: something like 40% of my readers are actually other trainers. People look to this blog to find ways to get better for themselves and their clients; to become better at their jobs.

I take that responsibility very seriously–so when I say that I think Lean & Lovely is a resource that ANY trainer can use, I mean it. If you pick up just one coaching cue to teach the swing, it’s worth it. If you pick up just one new way to communicate more effectively with your female clients, it’s worth it. And if you read through the book and it gives you ideas you can use to design workouts, it’s more than worth it, 10X over. 

That’s the best part about continuing education. Small investments pay huge dividends. So, again, Lean & Lovely is pretty much a no brainer.

One final note, about “marketing.”

I caught some flak on Facebook the other day for recommending L&L. Which is crazy. It’s a good product, and one I think will help people. Does my article help move some units? I sure hope so. But consider this.

In the back end of my blog, my metrics indicate that, including this one, I have now published 1373 posts. Of those, if I had to take an educated guess, less than 30 have mentioned or “promoted” some type of program or product. Less than 30. That comes out to about 2.25%. And that isn’t counting any of my articles published elsewhere, which, like my blog, are a FREE resource.

So, really: it’s mathematically unarguable that I only “promote” stuff I believe in. Programs and products that I really and truly think will add value to my readers or the fitness community and industry over all. Lean & Lovely is absolutely one of those programs, so I absolutely feel comfortable telling your to order it. It’s as simple as that.

If that’s not cool with you…well, my bad.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 8/1/14

Holey moley can you believe it’s already August!  Where does time fly?

I’d love to sit here and chat about that (and the weather), but I have some laundry to do.  Totally not kidding.

Here’s hoping I can get through the process without ruining one of Lisa’s shirts.

Cotton doesn’t shrink, right?

Enjoy this week’s list.

The Paleo Problem: Examining the Pros and Cons of the Paleo Diet – Brian St. Piere (via Precision Nutrition)

Listen, I’m all for people taking more of an initiative to eat less processed junk and to focus more on whole, natural, nutrient dense, minimally processed foods.

I don’t think anyone could argue with that mentality.

In a lot of ways the Paleo Diet is a perfect fit, given it places a premium on meat, other animal products such as eggs, roots/tubers, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds.

And then there’s Primal “Paleo” which allows things such as dairy, oats, legumes, etc.

It’s not a bad place to start, and “get” why many health conscious people gravitate towards it. But in recent years some people (and organizations) have grown to become very dogmatic with their stance on how to properly follow the Paleo lifestyle.

On one side of the fence you have those who feel Paleo is the ONLY way we should eat and that humans haven’t had enough time to assimilate to a more agricultural/grain based diet.

On the other side of the fence you who have those who feel no one even knows how our Paleolithic ancestors really ate and that their diet not only was much more diverse than we give them credit for, but that the whole idea of “Paleo” differed depending on where in the world one was located.

In any case, I felt this was a baller article written by my boy Brian and I think it would benefit many people to take the time to read it…..objectively.

The Art of the Deload – Adam Bornstein

“How often should I deload” is a question I hear a lot at the gym, right after “how much weight should use?” and “Tony, why are you coaching without a shirt on?”

Loved this post by Adam which helps shed some light on a concept that many people over-complicate.

Lean & Lovely – Neghar Fonooni

I’ve been singing its praises all week, and I’ve been doing so because I truly feel this program goes out of its way to separate itself from the masses.  I love Neghar’s approach to training, as well as the message of self-acceptance and empowerment she portrays.

You only have less than a day (Saturday, August 2) to take advantage of the introductory sale price (50% off!!) for her Lean & Lovely program. Trust me, it’s worth every penny.