Tired of pullups?
If you’re tired of doing pullups then you should try this progression…
Glute Muscles
Sitting, standing and lack of movement can all have an effect on glute function, the body then starts to compensate for these weakened muscles over time. Having good glute muscles helps us to maintain our balance especially when standing on 1 leg, as in going up and down stairs. They can have a big influence on maintaining a good back, noted researcher Dr. Stuart Mcgill has found that weak glute muscles are one of the reasons so many people get back pain. In sport the need to be able to sprint fast and changing direction quickly in all directions or jump high are a function of how well the gluteal muscles perform.
Exercises for the gluteal muscles include the supine bridge, 4point kneeling lateral knee raise, squats, lunges, Bulgarian squats, dead lifts, step ups and explosive jumps both vertical and horizontal.
How do you Train?
How and why do you choose the exercises you do when you train? Are they the ones you use at the class you go to, have you found them in a book, just copied people at the gym because the exercise looked really cool, or do you just stick with the same exercises in the same routine at every session?
Are you trying to improve in your sport performance by adding in the next best stretch or someone told you to do more cardio exercise for conditioning?
Are you overtraining one body part by doing too many exercises around the same muscle group, or not training some muscles causing an imbalance and a possible injury waiting to happen?
For the first few weeks or months of your training routine you will improve, after that, is when your exercise program may start showing signs of weakness. Not progressing in your strength, still problems stretching, not losing the fat you wanted, performance not changed, even doing too many strength exercises making you slower rather than faster for your sport; this is when you start to change your exercise book, checking out those internet resources or looking for different exercises that your friend has been using for improvement and so the process repeats.
Even playing a sport to keep fit will certainly be good for a lot of people who do not like the gym, but can show up a weakness such as mobility that can affect your performance or movement that may still need to be assessed and exercises given to improve the weakness.
Does this sound familiar?
If you want to see improvement in a particular sport then you need to assess the fitness requirements for that sport, and also assess yourself and your immediate abilities to know where to make improvements and then choose the exercises that would be most relevant for you and the sport; but in a balanced routine. If you do not have a sport and just want to get fit then you still need to assess your own abilities and work on any weak areas you may have and progress from here. When training for fitness different tools can be used to achieve your aims whether using kettlebells, sandbags, dumbbells, or barbells. You can use these tools for sports training but they may not be the best tools as you may have to train in a certain way to achieve your required results.
By assessing yourself with certain tests we have a starting point, like using a mobility or step up test for your CV, or if you have trained before, strength and power testing may be suitable. Gathering this information then lets us start to put together a routine.
So are you guessing or assessing?
Sandbag Workout
Sandbags have been used for many years for strong man training; they haven’t really changed much over time - fill a bag with sand and lift. The problem was that you couldn’t change the weight, once the bag was sealed the weight was determined for good. But now, with developments, the new sandbags have arrived and can be used by everyone from the regular gym monkey to a martial artist doing top training.
A filler bag is now used inside a specially designed holdall that allows you to change the weight of the bag fairly quickly. Also, the grab handles on the bag mean different exercises can be completed from cleans to presses, squats and rotational exercises etc, which weren’t possible before.
Watch the video below for a combination workout of body weight and sandbags.
The Kettlebell Swing
There seems to be a lot of variations in the kettlebell swing, with discussions on who’s right and who is wrong on how it should be done.
The question that should be asked is what is the reason for doing the swing? Are you trying to complete an endurance workout where you need to conserve energy with every rep, or are you trying an interval training session getting as many reps in a short duration of time, or possibly trying to use the swing more explosively.
As a beginner as long as the swing is technically good you are going to improve which every type of swing you use. But as you improve you will find that if you are trying to build work capacity you will need to modify your swing technique, to conserve energy. If you use a hip snap and a lot of muscle tension in your technique and straight arms it will not allow you to build up your swings.
For the average person at the gym, being proficient with different kettlebell swings can give you a more varied workout programme.
Why do a warm up?
Warming up helps prepare you for the main work out and has a few general functions:-
- Mentally prepares the body for training
- Helps to prepare the cardiovascular system (energy systems) by increasing the body’s core temperature, viscosity of muscles and oxygen uptake for increased efforts.
- Activates the central and peripheral nervous system (muscles contract and relax better)
- Helps prevent injury
- Improves co ordination for technical workouts
Warm ups can be general or specific and should include low to moderate exercises intensities. General warm ups are usually 8-15 minutes duration and usually start with jogging, skipping or some sort of body motion if in the gym. If on a sports ground, a dynamic warm up, of hops skips and lateral movements, gradually increasing to full range of movement exercises which involve all major muscle groups, including some active stretching, and then progressing onto light resistance exercises.
Specific warm ups last about 10-20 minutes and are focused more biomechanically towards the main training section or event preparation and therefore can provide a rehearsal for the main activity. For example for weight lifting using an unloaded barbell and then a 12-15 rep set before a weight lifting workout would be more beneficial then using an aerobic warm up.
In general, static stretching is now avoided in the warm up as research shows that muscles can initially be weakened after a static stretch. Static stretching after a jog or movement based warm up can actually cool the body down relaxing the muscles, affecting the muscles active contraction mechanism. If muscles are slightly stiff from a previous workout or a day sitting in the office then foam rolling will be more beneficial.
Kettlebell Training Styles
Here is a great article by Steve Cotter on the different methods of kettlebell training
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/59_07_Cotter_Kettlebell_Methods.pdf
Enjoy
Trevor
Fat Loss with Kettlebells
How good are kettlebells for fat loss?
An exercise research study using a kettlebell for 20 minutes of exercise can burn as much as 20.2 Kilocalories per minute. A single exercise was used for the study “The Snatch” which is a whole body exercise, using intervals of 15 seconds of snatches and 15 second breaks, alternating hands at each break for the 20 minutes. If you compared this to running then you would need to be running a 6 minute mile. What other exercise could give you this intensity of fat loss?
When you train with kettlebells, all the body gets a great workout, you don’t have to separate a cardio or strength workout, they get worked together along with the core muscles. Improve posture, stamina, body shape or train for sports. And if you are short of time then just up the intensity and get finished in a few minutes.
So if want to look great this summer and don’t have time for visits to the gym, get a kettlebell.
Mobility
The one thing we see alot of in sports people is a lack of mobility. We hear alot about cardio and strength based exercises,which are important, but being able to lift correctly or run with good form canot happen without good mobility. With mobility affected compensation takes place, where we then start to cheat the movement which can then cause aches and pains.
Training with equipment like kettlebells can improve mobility while getting a good workout at the same time, but kettlebell training may not be a suitable option for you.
Bodyweight movements are a great way to keep the body supple; these can be done easily at home at a level corressponding to your fitness.
Feeling alittle stiff at the moment, then get up and complete some joint mobility exercises
1. Stand on one leg and do 10 ankle rotations each direction, repeat other leg
2. Stand on 1 leg and do 10 knee rotations each direction, repeat other leg
3. Both legs firmly on the floor, hip circles 10 each direction
4. Shoulder/arm rotations 10 each direction, make sure you have enough room to do this
5. Elbow rotations 10 each direction
6. Wrist circles 10 each direction
7. Neck rotation Left and Right 1 each side repeat 10 times. Do Not Do These Fast.
8. With head looking forward bring ear to shoulder 1 each side repeat 10 times
9. Stretch one arm up above your head try to touch the ceiling, stretch even further by standing on tip toe, repeat other side.
10. Kneeling on all fours do a cat stretch/mobility exercise 10 times
Kettlebell Deadlift
Not as easy as it looks!
