The Tactical Ballerina Challenge

Officially Closing This Blog

2010-06-10T07:41:00.000-07:00

The problem with being a Health and Fitness Professional (TM) is that when it's your job to advise people about their fitness routines, you pretty much stop wanting to think about fitness related stuff during your off-hours. And since I have never wanted to make this blog even indirectly a commercial venture, the time I spend blogging is definitely off-hours time. Of which, frankly, I don't have enough.

Besides, if you're the sort of person who reads fitness blogs you probably already know most of what I am likely to say: crunches are stupid, cardio is over-rated for fat loss, women should lift heavy, and so forth. Unless of course you are one of those insanely tiresome people who drops by every so often in order to post a link to your website featuring photos of sexy underage-looking Asian girls. And if you are one of those insanely tiresome people, please know that you are playing not a small role in my decision to close this blog. Comment moderation annoys me but you've made it mandatory, and to me that takes a lot of the fun out of having a blog. Also I sincerely hope the women whose photos appear on your website(s) are not actually underage, because that's disgusting and seven different kinds of illegal. Sorry if I've hurt your feelings. No, I'm not :)

So there you have it. I will likely begin blogging again when things settle down a bit, and if/when that happens I will post a link to the new site. But for now I need a break. Thanks for reading. It's been lovely, really. And of course if you're a friend and have questions about fitness or anything else and you think I can help, shoot me an e-mail or message me on Facebook or Twitter and I promise I will get back to you.

Later, all.

Dieting Without Deprivation

2010-04-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

As I indicated in the previous post on cardio, I am not an advocate of extreme low calorie diets. But the sad fact is, if you're a fairly lean 115 pounds and trying to even leaner, it's highly likely that you'll have to limit your calorie intake to somewhere between 1200 and 1500 calories per day on average even if you're quite active.

That's not a lot of calories. Occasional--or more than occasional--hunger is just about a given when you're eating this little, and hunger pangs are not much fun. Cravings too can be a problem, since when you're eating very little you really need to make sure that just about everything that goes into your mouth is on the nutritional A-list if you want to stay as healthy and keep having decent workouts. When all of a sudden you can't have that single piece of bacon from your partner's plate or that late-night-straight-from-the-carton spoonful of peanut butter cup ice cream, it can make dieting an agony.

Or not, depending on your frame of mind.

I have two main mental strategies for keeping myself on track. The first is to remind myself over and over again that I am not some sort of uniquely unfortunate, metabolically-cursed individual who has to work much harder than others to get that last bit of undesired body fat off. Losing the last few pounds is hard for everyone, and in fact I probably have an easier time of it than most women my age so really I have absolutely no business feeling sorry for myself. I'm just doing what needs to be done, nothing more or less.

The second is to cultivate a sense of abundance by trying nutritious new foods and preparation methods. Instead of thinking about the delicious foods that for now I can't have, I try to focus on all the yummy ones I can, and all the different ways I can serve them. I would honestly rather have a Cajun-spiced oven-baked sweet potato stick than a fast-food French fry. (Of course that probably makes me a weirdo, but nevermind.) Sushi is off limits for now because of the white rice, but I can still have sashimi at my favorite Japanese restaurant, or seared ahi tuna on a bed of greens with wasabi vinaigrette. I can have all kinds of vinegars and spices and mustards so my food is as flavorful as I like (which is very.) I can have most vegetables and quite a few fruits--apples, berries, melon, grapefruit, apricots, peaches and anything else that's lower on the glycemic index. I can have nuts and nut butters in moderation although most of my fat needs to come from fish oil and flaxseed. I can have poultry, fish, even red meat if I want it (which I never do but that's just me). For now low-fat dairy products are okay although I might need to reassess if the fat stops coming off. I can have oatmeal and brown rice and beans and winter squashes of all kinds, and I can have sweet potatoes and yams. I can broil and bake and roast and grill and saute and steam ... and I do :) I love to cook and that definitely helps because I don't mind putting in the preparation time. Chopping vegetables can be very meditative, at least until the chef's knife gets too close to your fingertips.

It's all a question of how you look at it.

A Girl's Gotta Do What A Girl's Gotta Do

2010-04-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

And what this girl's gotta do to lose fat is cardio--lots of it.

That would be cardio in the pejorative sense, meaning something other than HIIT, Viking Warrior Conditioning with a kettlebell, bodyweight circuits, tabatas, barbell complexes and what have you. You know, the stuff that's trendy in fitness circles right now. All of which I am doing, by the way, but it's not enough to get me as lean as I want to be right now.

Here's the deal: to lose weight you have to create a calorie deficit. Duh, right? But here's the thing: I am small, and I am 47. For me to create a calorie deficit without dropping my calories below starvation level I need to be extremely active. But I also have to balance my need for activity with my need for recovery, and for me the strategy that seems to work best is to exercise almost daily, but at varying levels of intensity. At this point in my life it is a physical impossibility for me to do more than two or at most three true HIIT sessions per week. If I try to do more (and believe me, I've tried!) it becomes impossible for me to elevate my heart rate to anaerobic levels. It simply won't happen. And that means instead of doing three HIIT sessions a week I'm doing zero HIIT sessions and getting darned frustrated and grumpy in the process.

So for me the best option is to keep my HIIT sessions at three per week, and then on my non-HIIT days add in some longer, less intense cardio that won't interfere with my recovery from the HIIT. Depending on what my body seems to need I might make it a very light cardio day, meaning that I would be aiming to work mostly at 65-75% MHR (the infamous "fat burning zone." or as I prefer to think of it the aerobic base building zone), or I might make it a more moderate-intensity day where I would be staying mostly at 75-85% MHR. Which, by the way, is no walk in the park, especially if you sustain it for 45-60 minutes. I happen to believe that this kind of training (alternating light, medium, and high-intensity days) is optimal for improved cardiorespiratory fitness and performance ... and of course the concept will be quite familiar to those of you who've done Enter the Kettlebell!

I'm definitely doing something right, as my weight has dropped back down to 115 with no loss of strength--which I attribute to the fact that I haven't dropped my calories too low. In fact, even though I'm in calorie-deficit mode I achieved a personal best of 190 lbs last week on my conventional deadlift. (Yeah, I know, I mentioned it a couple of posts down. But you know what? I'm still disgustingly pleased with myself and plan to keep right on mentioning it until someone tells me to get over myself already :))

In case you are wondering, my fat loss goal at the moment is to drop another three pounds and reassess. I suspect that's the most I can lose without compromising my health, but we'll see. At 112 lbs I will not be physique-competitor lean, but since I have no plans to compete it doesn't make sense for me to shed fat that I would immediately have to regain to stay healthy. That's what competitors do, by the way--the smart ones, anyway. They diet down for their shows, then allow themselves to gain back as much fat as they need for health. Some even gain a little more than that :)

Interesting article about HRT in yesterday's New York Times Magazine

2010-04-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

You can read it online here, and I highly recommend you do so if you're a woman of a certain age or anticipate becoming one at some point:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/magazine/18estrogen-t.html?ref=homepage&src=me&pagewanted=all

The gist of the article essentially is that there are some flaws in the Women's Health Initiative study from a while back that had to be stopped after three years because the study subjects seemed to be dropping like flies from stroke, breast cancer, and so forth, apparently due to the hormone replacement therapy they were receiving. Scary stuff, and as a result of that study most doctors no longer recommend hormone replacement therapy as a matter of course to their midlife female patients. In fact many don't recommend it at all for fear of malpractice suits.

And that may not be such a good thing for women, because if you take a closer look at the WHI study you'll see that all it really proves for sure is that estrogen-only HRT is an unacceptably risky proposition for post-menopausal women. None of the study subjects were still menstruating, and none were receiving progesterone in addition to estrogen.

The scary thing is that there've been no large-scale studies involving pre-menopausal women who're receiving a cocktail of estrogen and progesterone, so no one knows for sure whether this type of therapy is safe for this age group. Which might cause you to wonder: why on earth would any sensible woman be willing to risk it?

I can answer that one. Hot flashes suck, as do night sweats and disrupted sleep. But they're manageable. More problematic are the moments of homicidal rage alternating with suicidal despair. I'm trying to be funny here, but honestly there's nothing amusing about it. I suffered from clinical depression for years, and I know a thing or two about suicidal ideation. Once I started on SSRIs it went away ... until I turned 47. Paint it black, people. Paint it black.

Bear in mind, not every woman is going to have this issue. It may be limited to those fortunate few who are genetically predisposed to depression. But for us, some sort of combination HRT might conceivably make sense, at least for those of us who are not also at an unsually high risk of developing breast cancer.

I frankly don't know what makes the most sense for me. Nor do I know whether my doctor will even be willing to have a dialogue with me about it. But I've got a few more menstruating years in which to decide, and hopefully there will be more research that may help me with my risk-benefit analysis.

I'll keep you posted.

Lifting heavy stuff gives women a bulked-up and manly appearance....

2010-04-14T13:56:00.001-07:00

NOT!!!!

This shot was taken in mid-December during a Nutcracker rehearsal. I am the second dancer from from the left, and as you can see I am no larger than the other ladies. Admittedly I am a couple of pounds heavier now, but I'm still no one's idea of bulky.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I've never hit the weight room in a tutu. A leotard and tights, yes, but a tutu never. Tights actually rock when you're deadlifting because they give a little extra protection to your shins. Try it some time :)

Deadlift PB

2010-04-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

190 lbs, kittens :)

Conventional style, not sumo, so I am especially pleased since the sumo dead has always been stronger for me.

Credit goes to my brilliant trainer friend Wendy Watkins who has been telling me I need to eat starches every now and again if I want to keep kicking butt in the gym. She is right, of course. She always is. And she may quote me :)

In all seriousness, this sort of thing is why it's always good to get input from your trainer friends. No one knows everything there is to know about fitness, and even those who know a whole heck of a lot may have trouble being objective about their own training. This is why, by and large, I get my best results with programs other people have created. When I write programs for myself I tend to gravitate toward the things I like to do, which may not be the things I need, so my results generally are not as good as when I do other people's programs, suitably tweaked to eliminate any useless or counterproductive (for me) exercises and add any assistance exercises I might need. I don't tweak too much, though, since I figure if extensive revisions are necessary I'm better off doing something else.

The program I'm on at the moment is the Summer Prep Plan from Precision Nutrition, in case you're curious. It's meant to be a fat loss program not a strength program but I've been very pleased with the strength gains I've made. For me it has worked less well as a fat loss program, but I think that will change in a couple of weeks when the workouts become more "metabolic" in nature.

Profile In Courage

2010-04-07T05:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my friend Sarah Jones, HKC and breast cancer survivor, underwent a double mastectomy. I'm happy to report that the surgery went well, and best of all her lymph nodes appear to be cancer-free, meaning that the surgery didn't need to be as extensive as it might otherwise have been and she may not need to follow up with chemotherapy. This is important because it means she will have a shorter recovery time and be able to get back to her training that much sooner, with less risk of lymphedema.

Sarah, in case you don't know her from Twitter and her blogs www.strongsarah.com and www.strongersarah.com, is a pretty amazing person. After narrowly surviving an automobile accident in which she sustained irreparable nerve damage, she undertook a grueling course of physical therapy rather than accept her doctors' prognosis that she would never regain full use of both hands. This led to a newfound interest in physical fitness, and a desire to share with other women the benefits of resistance training. She became ACSM-certified, then opened her own women's bootcamp business in summer 2009.

Somewhere along the way she also became enamored of kettlebells and the Hardstyle method of training popularized by Pavel Tsatsouline and Dragon Door. The fact that Sarah stuck with kettlebells in spite of the nerve damage and hand pain to which she is subject says a lot about her. As you know if you work with kettlebells, grip is key -- and if you're subject to pain in your hands it's hard to get that part right. But she persevered, and in September 2009 she was rewarded for all her hard work with the HKC designation, meaning that she is certified to teach the fundamentals of Hardstyle kettlebell training to her lucky clients. She is North Carolina's first-ever HKC, and possibly still its only one.

Always seeking to add to her knowledge base, she began preparing in earnest for the grueling RKC weekend and was on track to be ready by late spring 2010 when she was diagnosed with multiple malignancies in her right breast. Although the left breast proved to be cancer free her doctors recommended a double mastectomy as a preventative measure. While awaiting her surgery she continued to train, only taking time off when necessitated by the series of biopsies she was required to undergo.

I am in awe of her strength and courage. To have overcome so much, and to be so close to her goal of becoming an RKC, only to have the possibility snatched away at least temporarily, and in so terrifying a way ... I don't know how I would have handled it. Not with as much grace as Sarah, that's for sure. From the beginining of her ordeal she never once allowed herself to dwell on the possibility that her cancer diagnosis was anything more than a detour on her path.

And, thank God, yesterday she was proved to be right. Very likely she is cancer-free now, and with God's grace will remain so for the rest of her life.

She is also http://dragondoor.tv 's Comrade of the Week. Check out the brief profile, then visit her blogs www.strongsarah.com and www.strongersarah.com to learn more about this amazing woman in her own words.

How's Your Record-Keeping?

2010-04-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

No, this has nothing to do with your Very Important Tax Documents, although I strongly recommend keeping careful track of those as well if for no other reason than that it is conducive to marital harmony.

(A typical conversation chez Tactical Ballerina the second weekend in April: "Honey, where did you put that thing we got from the Monetta Fund?" "Which thing?" "You know, it came in that big envelope. Last September, or maybe it was October." "Oh, that. I thought you had it." And so forth. We have been doing this in one form or another for 20 years now.)

No, this is about your training. You need to be keeping records there as well, or you'll never know for sure whether you're making progress or not.

Okay, that's not completely true. If you're a complete novice it's generally easy to see whether you're on the right track, simply because if you're new to training and on any kind of a decent program you can expect to make progress by leaps and bounds. Still, even at this phase of training it's good to get in the habit of recording your workouts since later on your gains will come in much smaller increments, and unless you keep track you may not always be sure whether you're really gaining strengthspeed, etc., or not. This is assuming that improved performance is your goal. If your goal is more aesthetic you'll still want to record your workouts, but you'll also need to take photos periodically to make sure your muscles are developing in the way you want and/or that you're not losing too much lean mass as you shed fat.

I frankly deplore the necessity of doing this. My own progress photos invariably make me cringe. Have I mentioned that my ribcage basically sits on top of my hip bones? Seriously, I have the world's shortest waist. I'm practically a mutant. Thing is, it's helpful to be reminded of this stuff because otherwise I am in danger of forgetting, for instance, that certain exercises, such as weighted crunches and side bends, are probably not the best for me strictly from a cosmetic standpoint. (I don't care for them from a functional standpoint either but concede their usefulness if hypertrophy of the outer core musculature is desired, which it often is, especially at the start of swimsuit season.)

But, anyway, I suck it up and do it, and you should too. I recommend taking at least 3 photos, one from the front, one from the side, and one from the back. You can flex or not, your choice, but try to do the same thing each time you update so you can compare more easily. If you're preparing for a physique competition you may want to take photos as often as every week when you're in the dieting-down phase, but otherwise once a month is more than adequate.

It's painful, at least to a pathologically vain person such as myself, but it's a whole lot less painful than unwittingly spending months on a program that's not getting me closer to my goals, or that may even be counterproductive.

The Goddess-In-Progress Training Plan

2010-04-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm already a goddess. And so are you. Unless of course you are a guy, in which case you are a god. Really. If you care about your health, if you eat right most of the time, if you exercise regularly and with some intensity and commitment, you are already as fabulous as you ever need to be.

But this isn't about that.

This is about taking it to that next level where even the people who don't particularly like you have to admit you look darned good. This is about sticking it to your evil ex and your catty sister-in-law and all those people in high school who used to kick sand in your face. This is about proving to the world that while fertility may decline with age hottness endures, and that just because you're over 45 it doesn't mean you're past your sell-by date.

Now for the specifics:

If, like me, you are a woman in mid-life who is in very good shape but not quite as lean and sculpted as she used to be, the problem very likely is hormones. I'm assuming, of course, that nothing else about your training regimen and diet has changed, which may not be the case. Mid-life women may be dealing with aging parents, teenage children, failing marriages, job stress ... all sorts of things that can impact a woman's time, energy and commitment to training. In my own case I've had some of that, but really not too much so I'm inclined to think feral hormones are the main reason for the upward creep in my body fat percentage

So what do you do when, like me, you've hit the hormonal wall? You commit to working harder. Sorry about that, folks. I wish there was another answer, I truly do. But there isn't. So deal with it. Really. There's no point in shaking your fist at the heavens and saying "It's not fair." It isn't, but lamenting the unfairness of it all gets you exactly nowhere. If, like me, you're a person of fairly average genetic gifts you've probably already figured that one out. Some people build muscle more easily than others, and some people lean out more easily. Some do both, and I hate them as much as you do :)

The good news is: a person of average genetic gifts who's on a good program can get results that equal or surpass those of a genetically gifted person who chooses to coast on his or her gifts. But what do I mean by "a good program"? It must include some intense resistance training and some high-intensity interval training. It must include a pretty strict diet with plenty of protein and very controlled carb intake. Beyond that, it's hard to be specific because what one individual needs to "take it to the next level" may not be the same as what another needs. So much of it depends on what you've been doing.

In my own case, I've been doing a lot of metabolic resistance training. Supersets and circuits and kettlebells, oh my. Great stuff, and for years it kept me as lean as I cared to be. But eventually it stopped working, as even an excellent training program will generally do if you don't change it up from time to time. Let me reiterate: there was nothing "wrong" with what I was doing. In fact, according to Alwyn Cosgrove's "hierarchy of fat loss," what I'd been doing was the best thing I could do for fat loss. But for ME it was no longer "best" because I'd been doing it for too darned long and my body had gotten used to it.

So I looked elsewhere on the hierarchy, and what I came up with is a regimen that combines more traditional bodybuilding-type resistance training, some high intensity interval cardio, and also a certain amount of steady state cardio at lower intensity. It's way more time consuming than what I'd been doing, but frankly that's what the situation calls for. Again, I'm not talking about what's necessary for basic health and fitness. I'm talking about taking it a step or three beyond that.

My diet hasn't changed too much, other than that I've cut my calories a bit and also begun paying even more attention to nutrient timing. The fact is, fat loss is a catabolic process while building muscle is anabolic, so you can't do both at once. But what you can do is try for microcycles where you flood your body with nutrients at a time when it's best positioned to take advantage of them, i.e, during and immediately following your workouts, then cut way back at other times so your body draws on its stores of excess fat for energy. In other words, at any given point during the day you're either burning fat or building muscle, but over the course of the day you're doing both. Theoretically, anyway :)

And again, none of this is worth bothering with unless you're already quite fit and lean. The further you are from your goal, the easier it is to get results. Just eat less and move more, and you'll be fine. Don't make yourself crazier than you must.

Regrettably, I myself would appear to be at a point in my training where I must become a raving lunatic to get the results I want. But I can do that. In all honesty I've never been all that disciplined about my training, but lunacy comes naturally to me :)

My new training goal is ...

2010-03-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

extreme hottness.

No, really.

Okay, stop laughing!! I'm serious :)

Here's the deal: I was reading John Berardi's blog the other day and came across a post discussing a physique competition he'd recently attended. His big revelation? That there exist 47-year-old women he would totally hit on!

(Earth to you, Dr. Berardi, hon: if you were to try it you would learn that there exist 47-year-old women who would not give you the time of day, not with that dumb soul patch thing you've got going on. Really, do you even know how stupid that looks on a man your age? Someday you are going to look back at photos of yourself and be so embarrassed.)

As a 47-year-old woman myself I naturally took umbrage. It's time for a paradigm shift, people! This idea that a 47-year-old-female is no longer worth looking at needs to be relegated to the dustbin of history. With regular, vigorous exercise and a good diet we can look great as our daughters. We may not all choose to make the effort, but it IS a choice.

And I'm out to prove it. For the next 8 weeks I'm on a one-woman mission to find out just how good a menopausal woman of average genetic gifts can look without the aid of surgery, airbrushing, or ingestion of anything other than clean foods, protein powder and vitamins. (I do however reserve the right to slap on a coat of self-tanner when the mood takes me.)

More on this later.

Workouts are continuing strong

2010-03-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

I benched 105 on Friday, which is not a personal best for me but it's more than I've been able to press in quite a while so I am pleased. There was no one on hand to spot me so I didn't feel comfortable increasing my weights beyond that, but I think I could have.

I also did barbell rows, underhand grip, with 100 pounds which I think is about as much weight as I've ever used for that particular lift.

Next week is a back-off week, with fewer sets and higher reps per set, so I will be using lighter weights. Since my workouts will be less intense I'm going to try cutting my calories some, just to see what happens.

After next week my workout split will change a bit. I will still be lifting four days a week, but instead of a straight upper/lower split I'll have two dedicated upper body days, one lower body day, and one total body day that looks to be more conditioning-oriented. I may try implementing calorie cycling during this phase of training ... or I may not.

I admit, I struggle with motivation when it comes to fat loss. There's a big part of me that thinks it's a bit ridiculous--and maybe not even healthy--for a woman in her late forties to try to maintain the same low body fat percentage she had in her younger days. It's different, of course, for women who participate in physique competitions where a single-digit body fat percentage is imperative. I'm not at all drawn to the sport myself even though I do sort of secretly want a pair of those stripper heels. But I do think it's a pretty cool thing to do and I would love to train an aspiring figure competitor sometime.

Even figure competitors, however, do not maintain ultra-low body fat year-round. At least, the healthy ones don't. Ballerinas do ... but they also do questionable things like dance for years on stress-fractured feet. I admit there's a part of me that wishes I hadn't let myself be talked out of pursuing a career in dance, but mostly I'm glad because I'm sure I wouldn't be as healthy as I am today if I'd stuck with it. Now, thankfully, I don't need to worry about being cut from a show if I've got a strained muscle or am carrying some extra fat. On the other hand I don't love the feeling of being the biggest girl in the corps, and since I have no intention of giving up any of my hard-earned muscle about all I can do is try to shed some fat from my thighs and midsection.

Yesterday I deadlifted 185 lbs

2010-03-19T05:23:00.000-07:00

Not that I'm proud of it or anything :)

I haven't been posting much lately about my own workouts and nutrition because frankly I'm still trying to figure out what works for me these days. Perimenopause is a game-changer for sure. It used to be that my body would respond in fairly predictable ways to every little tweak in my eating and exercise regimen. Now, not so much. My body still responds, but not always as I expect. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised, and yesterday was one of those days. More typically the surprises are not so welcome, but more on that later.

Anyway, here's what I've been doing for my workouts over the past few months:

Because of the hand pain and grip problems I've been experiencing, I've cut way back on my kettlebell practice and returned to free weights as my primary mode of resistance training. After a couple of months of total-body programs three days per week I felt ready to take on an upper/lower body split requiring four days a week of resistance training. The program incorporates "wave loading," which basically is like doing two pyramids, the first with submaximal weight and the second with maximal weight. The first week of the program the rep scheme for the "waves" was 8/6/4, the second week it was 7/5/3, and the third week it was 6/3/1. What I love about this is, I have plenty of time to figure out how well my body is responding before I attempt to max out my weights. Because I prefer to be conservative in my weight selection I generally repeat the final set of the second wave a couple of times, increasing the weight incrementally until I've truly maxed out. Yesterday, for instance, I put 165 lbs on the bar for my final set, which was meant to be my one-rep max. But I knew immediately that I'd gone too light, so I did an extra rep with the 165, then slapped another 20 lbs on the bar and did 185. Then, just for kicks, I put another 15 on the bar just to see what would happen, and of course it didn't move. I didn't mind, though, because at that point I was pretty sure I actually WAS done. It might've just been mental, but either way I certainly wasn't prepared to risk an injury.

I also did 1-arm dumbbell snatches with 40 lbs, which is another personal best. One of these days I will write a post in which I babble about dumbbell/barbell cleans and snatches versus the kettlebell versions of same. I almost wish the exercises had different names because the technique is so different. There are plenty of similarities of course, but then there are similarities between apples and oranges as well, right?

I hadn't really thought about it yesterday, but in looking back on the workout I think the warmer weather we've been enjoying this week may have contributed to my success. My hand pain and numbness are worse when the weather is rainy and cold, but yesterday my grip was not an issue. I had no real problem holding my lockout for several seconds, then lowering with control even with 185 lbs on the bar. I think I will have to try reincorporating kettlebells for some of my high-intensity interval training just to see how that goes. I think it will be better now.

I'd also taken ballet class that morning, so my glutes and core were fully activated. And, no, I wasn't wearing leg warmers but I did still have my pink tights on and I would like to think they contributed in some small way to my success.

More likely, though, it's the supplementation.

In all honesty I am not a lover of supplements. Some have merit, at least for some people, and some (most?) are just snake oil at best, harmful at worst. Sorting out the worthy from the unworthy requires far more knowledge than I possess, so I'm not even going to try. That being said, if your body for whatever reason is subject to more than the ordinary amount of stress, the nutritional support available from food alone may not be enough to meet your particular needs, so supplementation may be in order.

Dr. Susan Kleiner's Power Eating is a good source of information when it comes to sports nutrition. She's not a big fan of supplementation either although she does speak well of creatine. Supplementation as a way of dealing with non-workout related stressors (such as perimenopause) is, however, beyond the scope of her book. More useful in this regard is the Precision Nutrition system, which has some specific recommendations for mid-life women.
I've begun incorporating some of these (zinc, magnesium, phosphatidyl serine, and valerian at night to help me sleep, fish oil to help with moodiness and depression, etc) to pretty good effect, at least when I remember to take them. The phosphatidyl serine is also supposed to help with foggy thinking and excess cortisol, but honestly I can't swear how helpful it is in either regard. I haven't been taking it long so it's too soon to say.

Speaking of Precision Nutrition, I have actually gained some weight on the plan even though my calorie intake has been what until very recently at least was maintenance level for me. I'm not especially concerned, though, because my workouts have been so strong. As long as the extra calories are being put to good use, who cares? Don't get me wrong: I'm somewhat disconcerted that this is the case, and I can't say I'm thrilled about having to get my "fat pants" out of storage. (Yeah, I keep a couple pairs of size 2's around for times like this. Cry me a river already. Sheesh.) But I'm certainly not concerned enough to want to change anything at this point. Getting strong is a priority for me, and I certainly seem to be making progress on that front so for now I can deal with the extra mass on my thighs.

Sing My Life With Your Words, Tom Venuto!

2010-03-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of nonsense "information" on fitness and fat loss floating around the Internet. I should know, because some of it is written by me :) But there's also some very good stuff, and the author of much of it is Tom Venuto, the Burn The Fat guy.

He had a very good blog post the other day on female fat loss that I think you all should read, especially if you are smaller-framed like me:

http://burnthefatblog.com/archives/2010/03/speed_up_slow_female_fat_loss.php

It's just common sense, but it's still a salutary reminder for those of us who tend to get frustrated when the scale seems not to be moving even though we've been 100 percent compliant with our diet and exercise programs. The sad fact is, whether you weigh 180 lbs or 110, losing a pound of fat means creating a calorie deficit of 3,500. And creating that deficit is a whole heckuva lot easier for the person who weighs 180, because even if he's not terribly active he probably requires 2500 calories a day just to maintain his weight. Cut that by 20 percent and he'll lose a pound a week even without increasing his activity level. The 110-lb person, on the other hand, requires far fewer calories to maintain her weight unless she happens to be, say, an ultra-marathoner-in-training or an aspiring Olympian. Assuming a maintenance level of 1800 calories a day, a 20 percent calorie reduction will result in a weekly deficit of only 2100 calories, equating to a loss of only a little more than half a pound of fat a week. If Ms. 110 wants to speed things along she'll need to move more--but even that can be frustrating because with her smaller frame she's going to burn far fewer calories doing exactly the same workout as her 180 lb friend. (Mr. Tactical Ballerina and I have put this one to the test. But it's all right. I love him anyway. Usually.)

So what's a girl to do? In a word--okay, three words--suck it up. Deal with it. It is what it is, and lamenting the unfairness of it all gets you exactly nowhere. (I'm not saying don't take it out in small passive-aggressive ways on your 180-lb friend, especially if you happen to be married to him. This can be quite enjoyable. Just ask Mr. Tactical Ballerina, who incidentally has the patience of a saint:))

Seriously, you can still attain your fat loss goals even if you're smaller and have a slower metabolism. You just can't expect to shed fat as fast as a bigger person would. The good news is, you probably don't have as much to lose to get to goal. A loss of as little as five pounds may be enough to take you from "acceptable" to "rock star." If you think in terms of percentages of body fat lost you can definitely keep pace with your larger friend. In fact you may even get to goal sooner.

So don't despair. Seriously, don't. Go shoe shopping instead. Buy a nice pair of heels that will make you the perfect height for your weight :) It's much more satisfying.

In Which I Say Nice Things About Machine-Based Exercise Programming

2010-02-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

If you're the sort of person who reads fitness blogs (and if you're not, what are you doing here?) you probably are not a big fan of exercise machines. To be honest, they don't rock my world either. They work muscles in isolation, in only a single plane of motion, which is not the way our bodies operate in real life. Exercises that require coordinated muscle action, and that are multiplanar, are my preference, and they're probably yours too.

But guess what? We're not typical.

Take a minute and try to imagine the mindset of, say, a 57-year-old woman who has never exercised in her life, who doesn't enjoy movement, who isn't comfortable in the gym environment, but knows she needs to begin an exercise program to improve her blood lipid profile and prevent bone loss. The worst thing I could do would be to set her up with a bunch of complex-seeming functional exercises. They might be totally appropriate from an exercise-physiology standpoint, but how much good are they going to do her if she's too intimidated to actually do them? If she's an affluent woman who can afford to work out with me every time she comes to the gym, there's a lot I can do to increase her comfort level with free weights and functional exercise in general ... but most of the wellness seekers I meet are not so fortunate. All too often they can't afford more than a session or two, or at least they think they can't. (More on that some other time. For now, assume they really can't afford more than a session or two with me.) For these people, the best I can do for them is to come up with something they will actually come to the gym and do on their own, with enough consistency to get results, at least until they can scrape together enough money to buy more sessions with me.

Enter The Exercise Machine!

Don't ask me why, but novice exercisers seem to be less intimidated by machines than by free weights. Honestly, I wish they were more intimidated by machines because there's every bit as much injury potential with machines as there is with free weights--maybe more, even--but most people seem not to realize it. To use machines safely and correctly you still need a certain amount of joint stability and core strength, and if these are lacking you will hurt yourself. The seated leg press machine is one of the worst offenders, to the point that I steer people away from it unless I know they've got sufficient core strength to maintain a neutral spine as they push with their legs. But if they can do that .... well, I'd really rather they do squats, lunges and deadlifts, but if that's not going to happen I'd rather they do leg press than nothing at all.

I will admit, there are a couple of machines that I believe were invented by the Devil expressly to try my patience. The seated spinal flexion machine, for instance--don't even get me started. I fantasize about sneaking into the gym at night and smashing it with a kettlebell. Someday I will do it, I swear. In all seriousness I do believe that for most people this machine is unsafe and sets them up for low back pain by encouraging an unnatural movement pattern. Hip flexion good, spinal flexion bad. I will sew those words on a sampler someday.

But most of the other machines are safe enough if used properly. Occasionally I will encounter someone who is simply too tiny or too tall for a given machine, but for the most part it's possible to find settings that are fairly biomechanically correct and won't doesn't stress the joint unduly. Of course the joints can still be destabilized via muscle imbalances that can arise when muscle groups are trained in isolation, but that's more of a potential problem that can be addressed by making sure the overall program is well balanced, with equal attention paid to opposing muscle groups. No leg extensions without leg curls, no chest presses without back rows--that sort of thing.

Okay, so (most) machines can be safe (enough). But are they effective? Hell, yes. If you don't believe me, google Wayne Westcott. He's one of my favorite exercise scientists, mostly because his name makes him sound like the mild-mannered alter ego of a cartoon superhero. But he's also done some very interesting studies demonstrating the benefits of a machine based exercise program across all age groups. In one such study over 1,100 participants ranging in age from 20 to 80 were set up with a very basic program of machine based resistance training and moderate intensity (70-80% MHR) cardio , about 1/2 hour of each, performed 3x per week. Over the course of 8 weeks all participants lost body fat and gained muscle, with the greatest muscle gains (2.4 lbs) manifested in the 61-80 age group. I don't know about you, but I find that to be fairly compelling evidence of the benefits of machine-based exercise.

Would they have made even greater gains if they'd been training with free weights? Probably ... if they'd stuck with it. But many of them wouldn't have, due to the intimidation factor I mentioned earlier. And as a trainer who works in the real world training real people, I tend to think an exercise program is only as good as the client's willingness to comply with it.

So next time you're at the gym and you see a personal trainer setting someone up with a circuit of machine-based exercises, don't assume the trainer is an idiot who doesn't know what the hell she's doing, because there's a reasonable chance the trainer is me. And I am a lot scarier than you are, and you really don't want to be on my bad side. Trust me.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

2010-02-14T08:10:00.001-08:00

It's going to be a fabulous Tiger year!

Saturday Kettlebell Workout

2010-02-13T11:51:00.000-08:00

This was probably not one of my better ideas given that I haven't been happy lately with my technique on cleans and snatches. The smart thing to do would have been to practice my cleans and snatches but stick with get-ups and swings for my actual workout.

But I never claimed to be smart.

So here's what I did:

Deck squats x5, with 8 kg
Clean & press x5 per side, with 12 kg

As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes, which in my case turned out to be 5 1/2. The deck squats were a new exercise for me, and I kind of liked them. I did the version where you use momentum to get back onto your feet because that seemed to fit better with the metabolic effect I was going for. I could also see doing a higher-rep set, unweighted, with a jump at the end ... that could be a crazy-fun burpee alternative on bodyweight circuit days :)

Anyhoo, after that I rested 3 minutes, then did snatches, 5 R/L, as many sets as possible in 10 minutes. I used 12 kg and got either 17 or 18 sets--I sorta lost count :) I got either 10 or 11 sets by the five-minute mark but slowed down a little after that because I was worried about my hands. My hands and grip always seem to be the limiting factor for me.

Still, I'm happy I can still get 100 snatches in under 5 minutes using the kettlebell that's closest to 1/4 my bodyweight. That's what I'd have to do if I were to go to RKC. Well, that's the least of what I'd have to do, but still, it's something.

Not that I plan to go to an RKC weekend any time soon. It would be an amazing experience, but not terribly useful given the nature of my personal training business. Getting HKC certified was a no-brainer for me because I pretty much knew the first time I did swings, get-ups and goblet squats that these were movements I wanted to teach clients. Hip mobility, shoulder stability, posterior chain strength and power .... these are sorely lacking in so many of the people I train, and I have yet to find better exercises than the goblet squat, get-up and swing for addressing these problems. Even if a client never gets to the point where I'm comfortable putting a kettlebell in his hand, he'll benefit from the preparatory exercises such as face-the-wall squats, half get-ups with a shoe on the knuckles, and hip hinges. If there was an "HKC: Beyond the Basics" workshop focusing on more and better corrective drills and applications for the swing, goblet squat and get-up I would go in a heartbeat even if it meant getting on a plane, which is so not my favorite thing to do.

But honestly I can only think of a couple of times in the last year and a half since I discovered kettlebells that I really wished I were qualified to teach cleans, presses and snatches. My clients just don't seem to need those more advanced movements in the same way they need swings, goblet squats and get-ups. True, I've had some inquiries about kettlebell snatches from people who've read the infamous ACE article verifying their calorie-burning benefits. But invariably once I explain to those people just how much prep work they'd need to do to be able to do the workout outlined in the study, they lose interest. It's amazing the way people tend to confuse "time-efficient" (which kettlebells are) with "quick fix" (which kettlebells most assuredly are not).

If you'd asked me six months ago I would have said, oh, yes, I'm going to become an RKC then go for CK-FMS certification. I still think that's a great path to take, especially for anyone who's interested in performance enhancement for athletes. But that's not what most of the clients who come to me are looking for, and I can't justify the expense if I'm not going to be using what I learn in my personal training business.

So far so good

2010-02-12T05:27:00.000-08:00

I'm about to begin my third week of the Turbulence Training Transformation program. In Week 2 I kept my weights the same on most exercises but did increase volume. We'll see what Week 3 brings.

I'm also doing kettlebell drills at least twice a week. On Monday, I did a 15 seconds on/15 seconds off thing, alternating 1-arm swings and high pulls, for 20 minutes. It was a good session though not nearly as intense as it would have been if I'd been doing snatches. Unfortunately I was having some slight hand pain and numbness--nothing horrific but enough that I didn't think I'd be able to keep good form on snatches. Not a big deal since my main concern was gluteal activation, and that's the same whether you're snatching a kettlebell or swinging it.

I also did swings on Tuesday in place of the bodyweight tabata intervals Craig Ballantyne prescribes at the end of Transformation Workout 3. No particular reason, other than that it just sounded like more fun than squat thrusts and front squats. Okay, it did cross my mind that maybe all that hip flexion wasn't the best idea given that I was about to go teach spinning. But really that was a rationalization. If I'd felt like doing squat thrusts I'd have done them :)

Wednesday was a rest day of sorts, meaning that I went to ballet class but didn't do anything in addition. Well, I trained clients, but didn't do a separate workout of my own. Thursday I had ballet class again, and I also did a kettlebell workout that was all get-ups, pull-ups, goblet squats and swings. I used 20 kg for the swings (5 sets of 25) and it felt pretty good.

In other news, I think I need to lose a few pounds. It's the darned pointe shoes. When all your bodyweight is pressing down on about 1 square inch of satin you really don't want any extra!

It's funny: vanity used to be my big motivator. Now, not so much. I really don't care whether my jeans are a size 0 or a size 2 or even a size 4, as long as I'm healthy and able to do the stuff I like to do. It's nice to be able to say that after so many years of being hung up on looking a certain way.

Precision Nutrition: Initial Impressions

2010-02-06T06:56:00.000-08:00

I ordered Precision Nutrition in December of last year and received my materials just in time for New Year's. I am so not a New Year's resolution kind of gal, but on the other hand January is as good a time as any to implement some healthy new habits and give up some old not-so-great ones.

In all honesty, though, my way of eating really hasn't changed much since starting Precision Nutrition. I didn't think it would, which is why the program appealed to me. I already have a lean body composition and am quite fit, especially for my age. So I didn't think I needed a drastic diet intervention, just a few tweaks and upgrades which I am still in the process of implementing.

The basis of the Precision Nutrition system is the 10 Habits. The Precision Nutrition materials even include a handy little 10 Habits cheat sheet you're meant to carry in your wallet until the habits become ingrained. The 10 Habits are:

(1) eat every 2-4 hours

(2) have an appropriate amount (20-30 grams for women, 40-60 grams for men) of complete protein at every meal

(3) have 2-3 servings of veggies (1-1.5 cups) with every meal

(4) avoid starchy carbs unless you've just worked out

(5) include heart healthy fats in your diet throughout the day, and supplement with fish oil.

(6) avoid calorie-containing beverages such as soda

(7) avoid processed foods

(8) plan and prepare your meals in advance to make sure they are PN-compliant

(9) eat a variety of foods, with an emphasis on what's local and seasonal

(10) allow yourself to break the rules at 10 percent of your meals

When you begin Precision Nutrition the emphasis is on mastery of the 10 Habits. Once you've got those down you can begin to fine-tune if necessary. But adherence to the 10 Habits comes first. Which makes perfect sense when you think about it, because if you're not following the 10 Habits how can you be sure whether you even need a more individualized plan to reach your goals? Why worry about macronutrient ratios and such if you don't have to?

None of this is much of a stretch for me. I admit I wonder how necessary some of these habits really are--I mean, why is oatmeal okay after a workout but not before?--but at the same time compliance is pretty easy for me because basically this is how I've been eating for years. I figured out when I was in my early 40s that I really don't tolerate wheat very well, and when I cut that out of my diet my starch consumption dropped dramatically. I did continue to eat oatmeal and rice, but while I enjoy these foods I've never eaten them in quantity. That being the case, it's not particularly hard for me to limit my starch intake to post-workout meals as per the 10 Habits. In fact, I often skip the starch even when it's permitted unless it happens to be what I feel like eating.

One thing I don't do is plan my meals too much in advance. Instead I tend to ask myself, "Okay, what do I feel like eating?" and then once I've figured out what I want I look for a way to make it PN-compliant. It's not hard because I've been building my meals around protein, veggies and heart-healthy fats for years.

I'm still trying to work out how much I really need in the way of supplementation. I've begun taking fish oil capsules along with magnesium and zinc at night to help me sleep. I also keep protein powder on hand, but this is not a new thing for me although it has never been a regular part of my diet. It still isn't, although that might change. Protein shakes are highly recommended in PN, with consumption ideally occuring during and/or soon after a workout when easily-digestible protein is particularly desirable to facilitate recovery. Personally I sort of hate to waste any portion of my daily calorie allotment on food I don't like, but on the other hand if I want to get stronger I think I probably need to get a little more, well, precise about my post-workout nutrition.

That's the thing about Precision Nutrition: you're not supposed to make things any more complicated than they need to be. You only need to go beyond the basics if you're not getting the results you want just by following the 10 Habits.

If the 10 Habits alone aren't doing it for you, PN makes some suggestions for individualization. The first and most obvious is to adjust calorie intake. PN recommends starting out with a daily calorie intake of 3000-3500 calories for men and 1500-1750 calories for women, with no allowances made for age, size or activity level. Apparently this one-size-fits-all approach produces positive results in about 85% of PN clients. But if you're one of the 15%, a formula is provided for calculating daily calorie needs based on body weight, goals and activity levels.

There's also an alternative formula that allows you to calculate your macronutrient needs, again based on body weight and activity level. If you use this formula you'll end up with a diet that's relatively high in carbs, low in protein and moderate in fat, which works well for carbohydrate-tolerant people who are highly active. But others will need to do some fine tuning based on their somatype and goals. Ectomorphs looking to gain muscle do well with a macronutrient split of 25% protein/55% carbohydrate/20% fat. They can have sugary simple carbs during and immediately after their workout, and complex carbs throughout the day at every other meal because they tolerate carbs well. Mesomorphs looking to build muscle while keeping lean get better results with a Zone-ish split of 30% protein/40% carbs/30% fat, again with simple carbs allowed during and after workouts. Complex starchy carbs are okay at breakfast and post exercise, but at other times should be eaten in moderation if at all. Endomorphs looking to lose fat do best with a 35% protein/25% carbs/40% fat split, with starchy and/or sugary carbs allowed during and post-exercise but not at other times.

But what if you don't know your somatype? It's not always obvious. Most people are a mix. And if you've been working out and eating well for a while things get even more confusing, because you might resemble one type but actually have the hormonal profile and carb tolerance of another. That's definitely true of me: at this point I look like a mesomorph with ectomorph tendencies, but my carb tolerance is closer to that of an endomorph. What PN suggests in cases like this is that you choose your macronutrient prescription based on your goals. If you want to prioritize fat loss, eat like an endomorph. If you want to build muscle eat like an ectomorph. But whatever you do, stay within your allotted calories for the day.

So, that's kind of a quick overview of the basic PN system. If you're the type of person who reads fitness blogs you've probably done something similar at some point, or at least thought about it. Maybe you've even decided all those meals are too much trouble, and you've opted to lose fat by fasting twice a week instead. Nothing wrong with that! There are many effective programs out there. The key is finding the one you can stick with. If PN seems like it might be the one for you I encourage you to look into it.

Turbulence Training Transformation Workouts B & C

2010-02-05T05:34:00.000-08:00

Here as promised (threatened?) are my impressions of the second two workouts in the Turbulence Training Transformation program.

Workout B is mostly upper body. It kicks off with a tri-set of chin-ups (AMAP), spiderman pushups (AMAP) and vertical jumps (10 reps), then segues into dumbbell bench presses supersetted with inverted rows, dumbbell chest-supported rows supersetted with lateral raises, and finally barbell curls supersetted with lying triceps extensions. If you've been reading my rantings for a while now you know I'm not a big fan of single joint exercises in general and biceps/triceps work in particular, but I guess for a month I can suck it up and do it.

The most fun part of Workout B is the energy systems training at the end. Shuttle sprints! Whee! What you do is, mark off a distance of about 20 feet then sprint back and forth being sure to touch down at the beginning and end points. Keep doing that for 20 seconds, then rest for 40 seconds, then repeat until 8 minutes are up. Simple, but more challenging than it sounds because of all the stop and start and up and down and directional changes. Also excellent functional training for many team sports. And fun!

Workout C, like Workout A, is a fairly balanced total-body routine. It kicks off with a superset of barbell deadlifts (or dumbbell step-ups if you're working out at home and have equipment constraints) and stability ball pikes, 10 of each. The second superset consists of dumbbell split squats and decline close-grip pushups, while superset 3 includes dumbbell rows and 1-leg stability ball hamstring curls. There's just the three supersets, and that's actually a good thing because the energy systems work in this one consists of bodyweight exercises done tabata-style (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off). There are 8 squat thrust cycles followed immediately by 8 front squat cycles, and finishing with 4 sets of 10 jumps, with 10 seconds rest between sets.

My sense is that some women in particular might find this program to be a little upper-body intensive to suit them given that all three workouts include upper body work while only two include lower body and core-intensive training. My personal belief is that this is more of an issue from a psychological standpoint than a physiological one, meaning that while there is less lower-body training than upper-body training, there's certainly enough of the former to stimulate muscle development and produce beautiful results. That being said, if the routine feels too unbalanced to be enjoyable it might be better to do something else. My whole philosophy of training is: safety first, then fun, then effectiveness. Most people simply don't like to exercise or at least they think they don't. They worry about hurting themselves, or they have a low tolerance for physical discomfort, or they believe exercise is boring. But these obstacles can be overcome with the help of a trainer who's got half a clue, or even a good internet-based program such as Turbulence Training or Precision Nutrition.

By the way, just so you know, I am not an affiliate of Turbulence Training, Precision Nutrition, Dragon Door or any other commercial website. If I give a product or program a good review and you decide to purchase I will make nothing off the sale, so rest assured that I am completely disinterested. I mean, I'm interested but not in a commercial sense :) If that ever changes I will make a full disclosure, of course, but I really don't see that happening, not least because I am the laziest person on the planet when it comes to that sort of thing.

The Turbulence Training Transformation Workout: Initial Impressions

2010-02-01T05:31:00.000-08:00

So far I've done all three workouts, or at least a half-caf version thereof. Craig Ballantyne actually recommends omitting the final set of each exercise during the first week of a new program to give your body time to adjust, and while I've never felt the need to do so in the past I think it's good advice and something I will probably incorporate from now on.

I should note that my warm-ups are not quite what Craig recommends. Since I've been having a lot of problems lately with my hips I generally begin every exercise session with foam rolling, paying particular attention to the right piriformis. I have an interesting collection of trouble spots, most of which I believe were proximately caused (now there's a phrase I haven't used in about 5 years!) by a bad break to my right ankle when I was 15. The bone itself healed better than anyone expected but the connective tissue damage did not. This is actually pretty typical: break a bone and you'll grow new bone and end up with something that literally is as good as new, but tear a muscle and you'll get scar tissue that is neither as strong nor as extensible. Damage to a ligament or tendon is even more problematic because there isn't as much blood supply to these areas so they're even less likely to heal well. Appropriate physical therapy can do a lot to preserve muscle and joint function, but no one thought to recommend that for me when I was 15. It actually wasn't until I started trying to dance again almost 30 years later that I began to recover a healthy range of motion in my injured ankle, and by then I'd had time to develop all sorts of other issues. Very few of these are apparent during bilateral movements--which is why I tend to gravitate toward unilateral training as much as possible. Feeble as it makes me feel, it's better for me.

(Okay, I admit it: sometimes I throw in some barbell exercises with heavy weight so I can impress myself and hopefully other people as well. I 'm petty that way.)

And someday I will learn to write a blog post that sticks to the point. Which in this case is that my warm-ups tend to be about activating my specific weak areas and inhibiting my overactive ones (as well as increasing core body temperature, elevating heart rate, increasing blood flow to the muscles, getting the synovial fluid flowing, etc.) Craig's warm-ups are good, but they tend to be a little heavy on the scapular activation (stick-ups, Y's & T's, prisoner anything) and a little light on the gluteal activation to meet my particular needs at this time.

Now, on to the actual workouts:

Workout A kicks off with a superset of barbell squats and 1-arm overhead presses, palms in. Here again I modified, replacing the barbell squats with dumbbell Bulgarian split squats. Partly this is because I was working out at home and don't have a squat rack, and partly it's because I think Bulgarian split squats are a better exercise for me right now. I did do all three sets of 8 reps but used relatively light weights for both exercises--20 lbs, I think.

The next part of Workout A is a tri-set consisting of reverse lunges with what Craig calls a half-rep. I've also seen this called a "stutter rep" or a "low end," but whatever you call it, it's painful. It starts like a regular reverse lunge, except that when you come up from the bottom of the lunge you only come halfway up. Then you sink down again before returning to your start position, and that's all one rep. I did 10 on each leg, using 20 lb dumbbells again.

The second exercise of the tri-set is a stability ball plank hold, and the final exercise is cross-body mountain climbers. Thankfully you're only meant to perform the tri-set twice, which I did.

Not so with the 4 exercise giant set that follows. Once was enough for this baby, at least on a deload week. The giant set kicks off with dumbbell romanian deads, segues into cross-body chops with a medicine ball, then finishes with stability ball jackknives--25 of them!--and side planks for maximum time.

But wait! there's more! The workout concludes with 4 sets of 8 double burpees, with 45 seconds rest between sets. In case you're dying to try this yourself, a double burpee is like a regular burpee only with two pushups and two jumps, and it's every bit as horrible as it sounds if not more so.

More on Workouts 2 and 3 later, when I have a bit more time to post.

Let The Transformation Begin!

2010-01-30T10:02:00.000-08:00

The Turbulence Training Transformation, that is. The Transformation program is one of the two more advanced programs I acquired a couple of days ago, and it looks like a pretty good fit for me at the moment. There's a Workout A, a Workout B and a Workout C, each of which is meant to be done once a week, with at least a day off in between. The energy systems work consists of either "bodyweight cardio" or shuttle sprints, no cardio equipment needed, so it's a good program for home exercisers although if you want to do the shuttle sprints indoors you'll need a room or hallway at least 20 feet long.

Shuttle sprints, in case you haven't encountered them before, are a type of SAQ (speed, agility, quickness) drill. You simply mark off your distance, sprint from one end to the other, touch down, sprint back to the start, touch down, and repeat until you've gone the desired distance or time. These are excellent to do if you play any kind of sport that requires quick directional changes, and they're also a lot of fun, especially if you do them at home and have a cat or dog that likes to help. My cat Dino is a big fan of shuttle runs, although he prefers to do them at 3:00 am when Mr. Tactical Ballerina and I are trying to get some sleep.

On my off-days I will be practicing get-ups and swings. I've been dealing with some joint issues lately and I think these are the drills that will help me most, along with lots of foam rolling and omega-3 fatty acids to help with inflammation. I'm making other lifestyle changes as well, trying to limit my exposure to xenoestrogens so as to keep my hormones as balanced as they can be at my time of life.

Speaking of which, the closer I get to 50 the more important it seems to be for me to be active almost daily. Even on days when my hands hurt so much I can't grip a kettlebell for more than a few short sets of swings, I at least try to do that much because if I don't my hips and back won't be at all happy with me. Besides, I seem to lose fitness faster now when I take time off, and it doesn't come back as quickly as it once did. That's probably because I have a lot of days when I'm not feeling 100 percent. I try not to skip workouts unless I'm truly ill, but I find I often have to modify. But that's okay. It's not like I've got any fitness goals that I need to reach by a date certain. At this point I just want to feel as good as I possibly can.

Turbulence Training 3-for-1 Sale

2010-01-28T07:20:00.000-08:00

If you're a Turbulence Training fan but not currently a member it might interest you to know that Craig Ballantyne is offering a sale on his Turbulence Training workouts for January 2010. Yep, that's "workouts," not "workout." For $19.95 you get access to two fairly advanced programs as well as one, Total Torso Training (or something like that), that's suitable for newbies who need to build a base of core stability and cardiovascular fitness before moving on to more advanced workouts. You also get 30 days' access to the member forums, which are great if you have questions about the workouts, or just want some social support. The only catch is that you do need to cancel within the 30 days or your membership will automatically renew at a cost of $19.95 a month. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing if you use the member forums, but if you don't you probably won't want to incur the extra charge.

I haven't read over the programs in any great detail, but they look like the usual good stuff from Craig. I am a big fan of his, not so much because his programs are the most innovative or effective in an absolute sense, but because they are easy to stick with. The exercises tend to be pretty straightforward old-school stuff that doesn't call for a lot of fancy equipment; in fact, if you've got a few sets of dumbbells and a stability ball at home you don't even need a gym membership. If by some chance you don't already know how to do the exercises, detailed instructions with photos are provided, along with video demonstrations you can download at the Turbulence Training website.

So far my only caveat is that if you decide to do the Turbulence Traning 2K10 Workout you probably should have some prior experience with kettlebells OR plan to modify. That's because Workout A of the program finishes up with 10 minutes of kettlebell swings, 40 seconds on and 20 seconds off. That kind of density is not appropriate for someone who's new to kettlebells. My recommendation for beginners would be to do 20 swings followed by one minute of active recovery, for 12 minutes, as per Enter The Kettlebell. Then when that starts to seem easy, either add reps or shorten your active rests. And be sure you've got good form! If anything other than your butt (and maybe your lats) feels tender after a swing workout, you're probably doing something wrong and should check in with a certified kettlebell instructor for some pointers. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm like a broken record. But you know I'm right.)

Update: But wait! There's MORE!!! (Am I having a RonCo moment or what?) If you order the 3 for 1 package you'll also get access to the Turbulence Training monthly workout for February, which just became available today. It looks to be an interesting one, with a new interval protocol involving 8 second sprints. Yep, you read that correctly.

There are some other bonuses as well, but if you've ever been a Turbulence Training customer in the past you've probably already downloaded them.

No steak knives, though, and no World's Smallest Juicer. Bummer.

Why Kettlebell Training Has Not Taken Over The World

2010-01-22T04:45:00.001-08:00

If you're a fitness pro or kettlebell fan you've probably heard about the recent ACE study verifying that kettlebell training burns up to 20.2 calories per minute, which is roughly equivalent to the calorie burn you'd get from running 6-minute miles (fun!) or cross-country skiing uphill (whee!).

So why aren't more people training with kettlebells?

For much the same reason that more people aren't running at 6 mph or cross-country skiing uphill. None of these workouts is exactly entry-level. I know a lot of novice runners, but I don't know any who can sustain a 10 mph pace for more than a few minutes. Likewise I've seen enough kettlebell newbies to know that very few would be capable of doing the workout performed by the test subjects in the ACE study.

Let's take a closer look at that study. The test subjects varied in terms of age, gender, bodyweight and experience level, but none was a kettlebell novice. The workout protocol was lifted straight from Kenneth Jay's Viking Warrior Conditioning: timed sets of kettlebell snatches, 15 seconds of effort followed by 15 seconds of rest, repeated for 40 total rounds, or 20 minutes. The kettlebells used were 12, 16 and 20 kilos depending on the test subject's gender, size and experience level. Good times. And all in a day's work(out), if you've been training with kettlebells for a while. If you haven't and you were to try this workout, you'd end up with shredded hands and banged-up forearms at best, a dislocated shoulder or wrenched back at worst. It's not that kettlebells are inherently unsafe, any more than running is inherently unsafe. But just as running with a faulty gait causes injuries, so too does using kettlebells with poor technique. And just as runners who try to add miles too quickly end up with overuse injuries, so too do kettlebell users who try to do too much too soon.

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from getting started with kettlebells. Rather, I'm just counseling the use of a little common sense. Keep your expectations reasonable, and don't plan on burning 20 calories a minute right away. Perfect your technique, then work on adding volume, always stopping one or two reps short of complete fatigue. Be patient and persistent, and before long you will be able to perform the ACE study workout and reap the calorie-burning muscle conditioning benefits of this amazing form of exercise!

More Warped Workouts

2009-12-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I did 3 sets of 8 reps of the following:

superset: 1-leg squats & pullups

superset: incline db press x30s & db bulgarian ss x20's

superset: 1-leg RDL x 12 kg kettlebell; plank with arms on SB and feet elevated, 45 sec.

metabolic thingy 6x: mini circuit (2 tuck jumps, 2 star jumps, 2 rocket jumps) repeated for 30 sec./shuttle jog for 90 seconds.

Today I did intervals followed by a bodyweight circuit:

3x: power step-ups in all three planes of motion for 60 sec.; shuttle jog/lateral shuffle/carioca for 120 sec. (9 min. total)

4x: 1 min. y-squats; 1 min alt-leg step-ups; 1 min. inchworms; 1 min. alt leg. crossover lunges; 1 min. mountain climbers (20 min. total)

I want to incorporate more SAQ and plyometric training in my workouts, and it seems to me that the Warp Speed Fat Loss template can easily be tweaked to accommodate that.

Warped Monday Workout

2009-12-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

Superset: BB deadlift, 2x12x115; DB flat bench press, 2x12x40's

Superset: DB 1-arm row, 2x12x35; DB step-up knee up, 2x12x15's

Superset: BB overhead squat, 2x12x40; DB side plank rear delt raise, 2x12x5

Metabolic thingy 3x: KB 1-arm swings, 2 min (30 sec. R/L 2x)/alternating front lunges, 2 min.

I probably should have gone heavier on everything but the DB presses and the 1-arm swings. I was working out at the gym so had to make do with the horrible, horrible 30 lb Power Systems kettlebells that some idiot in management decided to buy in order to save a little money. I know I've said it a million times but I'll say it again: don't cheap out when it comes to kettlebells! Don't spend more than you must, but be sure you're getting something that you can grip properly, that moves nicely around your hand on cleans and snatches, and is as close to spherical as possible.

Warped Fat Loss Cardio: Bodyweight Intervals

2009-12-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

3x: 1 minute of in-and-out jump squats, 2 minutes of alternating cross-under lunges (9 minutes total)

4x: 1 minute prisoner squats, 1 minute sun salutations, 1 minute elbow to instep lunges, 1 minute sun salutations, 1 minute jog in place (20 minutes total)

Kind of fun, and no equipment required!

Speedy Fat Loss For The Warped

2009-12-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

Having spent a fair bit of yesterday ruminating on Warp Speed Fat Loss, I naturally had to try my hand at writing a version of the program for my own use. It looks something like this:

Days 1, 3, and 5: Alternate Resistance Workouts A & B. On Day 1 perform 4-6 sets of 4-6 reps. On Day 2 perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps. On Day 3 perform 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps.

After completing Resistance Workout A perform 30 seconds of very high intensity plyometric or ballistic kettlebell work, followed by 90 seconds of low intensity "bodyweight cardio" for your active recovery. Perform 6 total rounds.

After completing Resistance Workout B, perform 120 seconds of moderately high intensity plyometric or ballistic kettlebell work, followed by 120 seconds of low intensity "bodyweight cardio" for your active recovery. Perform 3 total rounds.

Days 2, 4, and 6: After your warm-up, perform 60 seconds of high intensity cardio (kettlebell and/or plyometric drills may be substituted) followed by 120 seconds of active recovery (again, bodyweight exercises may be substituted). Perform 3 rounds in Week 1, 4 rounds in Week 2, and so forth. After you complete the designated number of intervals perform 20-30 minutes of steady-state cardio maintaining your heart rate in the 65-75% range (RPE 3-5).

For Resistance Workout A, here's what I came up with:

superset: 1-leg squats/pull-ups
superset: incline dumbbell press/Bulgarian split squats
superset: 1-leg RDL/plank, arms on SB and feet elevated

For Resistance Workout B:

superset: barbell deadlift/barbell bench press
superset: 1-arm dumbbell row/step-up
superset: overhead squat/side plank rear delt raise

If non-linear periodization annoys you there are plenty of other ways you could structure the resistance training. You could do escalating density, or you could simply opt to do all your resistance training in the 3-4 set/ 8-10 rep range, with the idea being to use the same weights but add a little volume each week.

There's also no reason why you'd have to use the same exercises as me. Just be sure you include a push, a pull, a squat(hip flexion), a deadlift (hip extension), a lunge (locomotion), and a rotation/anti-rotation movement in each workout.

For the metabolic/energy systems training what you do really doesn't matter as long as it's at the appropriate intensity level. A 30 second work period calls for a very high level of intensity, while a 120-second work period calls for something a little mellower but still very challenging. Your active recovery again depends on your fitness level, with the idea being to keep moving but recover sufficiently that you're ready for the next work set. If your work sets involve a lot of explosive muscle contraction (think tuck jumps!) dynamic flexibility drills are an especially good choice for your active recovery.

Warp Speed Fat Loss

2009-12-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

I need a(nother) fat loss program like I need a(nother) hole in my head. First of all, fat loss isn't a personal priority at the moment. I'm not exactly sure what my body fat percentage is at the moment, but I do know that it's well within the healthy range for a woman my age, and since I'm not looking to do a photo shoot or physique competition any time soon I really don't feel the need to be leaner than I already am.

Second, I already have access to any number of excellent fat loss programs. I've Burned The Fat, Fed The Muscle, I've Turbulence Trained, I've felt the Afterburn, and I've had the life sucked out of me by the Cabo Vampire Workout. They all work, which is probably why I don't feel desperate to lose fat right now.

So, anyway when the new Warp Speed Fat Loss program was released earlier this month I didn't feel as though it was a purchase I could justify making. Still, I was curious about it, as I am about any new Alwyn Cosgrove program.

But is Warp Speed Fat Loss really new? Obviously I can't tell you since I haven't purchased the program. But the general idea seems to be as follows: Resistance training 3x per week, followed by metabolic circuits. Metabolic Circuit A consists of 30 seconds of very high intensity effort followed by 90 seconds of active recovery, repeated 6x. Metabolic Circuit B consists of 120 seconds of high intensity effort followed by 120 seconds of active recovery, repeated 3x. On the days you don't do resistance training you perform interval cardio, alternating 60 seconds of high-intensity effort with 120 seconds of active recovery, repeated 3-6x depending on what week of the program you're in. Then, once you've done your intervals you finish with 20 minutes or so of low-intensity steady state cardio to burn off all the free fatty acids you released into your bloodstream during the HIIT. The low-intensity steady state cardio isn't something I've seen in a Cosgrove program before now, but it's something Christian Thibodaux has been recommending for a while now although he generally tacks it onto weight training sessions, which also release triglycerides into the bloodstream.

I have no clue what the resistance training looks like, but since Alwyn Cosgrove is involved I'm guessing there's a total-body Workout A and a total-body Workout B, both involving supersets and/or giant sets. Since it's only a 4 week program I am guessing the exercise selection stays pretty constant but I would imagine there's some variation in volume and rest periods from week to week. If anyone out there has actually sprung for the program feel free to let me know whether I've guessed right or not!

I imagine the nutritional guidelines involve mini-meals, a fairly aggressive calorie deficit, and minimal starch intake, with most calories coming from lean protein and veggies. Not quite a strict cutting diet but close. Again, this is a 4 week program, not something you're meant to follow for months at a time. When it's only for 4 weeks you can be pretty aggressive without sending your body into starvation mode.

Anyway, that's the Warp Speed Fat Loss program I would write, if I were to write such a thing. Not so new, but it works. In all honesty if it were too new I wouldn't trust it. The fact is, most of us don't need "new" fat loss strategies, what we need is motivation to stick to the ones that have been around forever, that people have been successfully using for decades.

Not Endurance-Oriented :), Plus A Public Service Announcement

2009-12-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

After the spin-a-thon on Sunday the last thing I felt like doing yesterday was any kind of drawn-out workout. So I did a little tabata-ish thing incorporating some TRX exercises:

TRX 1-leg squats, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, switching legs each round 8x

rest 1 min

TRX rows and pushups, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, switching exercises each round 8x

rest 1 min

TRX balance lunges, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, switching legs each round 8x

rest 1 min

Upper body russian twists and cobras, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, switching exercises each round

Today I did one of Dave Whitley's 101 Kettlebell Workouts. It was a 3-exercise mini-circuit:

pistol squats, 1 R/L
clean & press, 5 R/L
25 swings

1 min rest

Lather rinse repeat 5x.

In the interests of full disclosure, pistols are very much a work in progress for me. The learning progression I am using is the one where you do the pistol over a bench or step, gradually lowering the height of same as your strength increases. Right now I'm using a 10 inch step. I can actually just about do a full pistol on the right leg, but the left leg has a little catching up to do. No big surprise there. I'm much weaker, wobblier, and more loose-jointed on the left side than on the right. which is a big reason why I love and adore unilateral training. If all I ever used was machines or even barbells, I'd just be letting a bad situation get worse. Sure, I'd be able to use lots of weight and impress myself, but in the long run it wouldn't be good for me.

(Note: I plan to be cremated not buried, but if I were going to be buried the words, " but in the long run it wouldn't be good for me" would probably be what I would want on my tombstone.)

Now I have to shower off and go get my mammogram. My doctor is still recommending these annually for her patients who're over 40, and, well, that would be me in spades. Thankfully I don't need regular colonoscopies yet, but soon I will, and when that day comes you can bet I will be getting them.

The sad truth is, a healthy lifestyle is no guarantee of longevity. If you have breast or colon cancer in your family you can certainly minimize your chances of getting either disease by exercising, not smoking, avoiding excessive saturated fat in your diet, and so forth, but you can't eliminate your risk altogether. I know the subject of routine diagnostic testing is a bit controversial these days, so my best advice is to read up on the risks and benefits and make an informed decision whether or not annual screening is right for you, keeping in mind genetic as well as lifestyle factors. And if testing is what makes sense for you, get it done :)

Endurance training, with and without kettlebells

2009-12-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

Usually I like my workouts quick. For those of you who've been following this blog for a while, you know that my basic workout philosophy is that unless you're training for an endurance event such as a marathon, it's unnecessary and even counter-productive to spend more than seven percent of your waking hours working out. For basic fitness and fat loss, 30-60 minutes a day, 3-5 times a week, combined with good nutrition, will give most people excellent results.

But, hey, every now and then it's not the worst thing in the world to mix things up a little with some endurance training, especially if you participate in sports or activities such as hiking or mountain biking that require sustained effort. If the weather permits, of course, you can simply do your sport, gradually increasing the length and/or intensity of your sessions until you're where you want to be. But if that's not possible there are alternatives, and this weekend I explored two of them.

The first involved kettlebells, and consisted of a 1-arm swing/breathing ladder, following a protocol of 2 swings to 1 breath. So my first set consisted of 1 swing per arm, followed by a single breath. Then I did 2 swings per arm followed by 2 breaths, and so on. The idea here is to draw the workout out for as long as possible by controlling your breathing. Deep breaths and deeper exhalations are key. I laddered up to 21 swings per arm, followed by 21 breaths, and then worked my way back down the ladder, without ever feeling smoked. Really, it was about as relaxing and zen-like as a kettlebell training session can ever be.

The second involved a spinning bike. Normally I would not spend 3 hours on a spinning bike, and I certainly wouldn't recommend that anyone else do so. But it was a fundraiser for the YMCA where I do much of my training, so I sucked it up and cycled for 3 hours, pacing myself and again using breath control to keep myself from ever getting smoked. Honestly, the biggest challenges for me were (1) insufficient padding in my bike shorts; and (2) the music choices of my fellow instructors, which ranged from "And So This Is Christmas" to "Cum On Feel The Noize."

If you want to use cardio machines for your endurance training I recommend cross training on a few different machines, varying your intensity and maybe throwing in some timed sets of bodyweight exercises as well, but never going all out the way you would during HIIT training. Remember: your goal is sustained effort, not maximal effort. Here's an example of something I might do:

5 minutes on the treadmill
20 bodyweight squats
5 minutes on the treadmill
20 pushups
5 minutes on the treadmill
20 lunges
5 minutes on the treadmill
20 mountain climbers

Repeat 2 more times, substituting the ARC trainer and the stationary bike for the treadmill.

Of course it's not necessary to break it up like this, but I find that when I do I am less likely to want to stick a fork in my eye 20 minutes in.

Have I mentioned that machine cardio is not my thing?

As requested ...

2009-12-07T05:46:00.000-08:00

A Day In The Life

2009-12-06T05:56:00.000-08:00

Here's what my Saturday workout looked like:

-30 min. pointe practice, mostly focusing on my solo in Waltz of the Flowers. We have a performance on Friday and a couple of dancers down with the swine flu, so we've had to rechoreograph a bit but I think we'll be okay. It's an easy audience :)

-kettlebell practice, focusing on strength. It's been my perception that my pressing strength has improved--I can do get-ups with the 16 kg for 2-3 reps before having to switch sides, which is something I certainly couldn't have done a couple of months ago. So, I decided to put it to the test with an ETK style clean & press/pullup workout. I did three three-rung ladders, two of which went okay. On the third ladder I ran into problems on rung 3, so finished out with loaded cleans and then did singles for a few reps. Still, I think this represents a modest improvement.

I also attempted some snatches with the 16 kg. They went well on the right side, not so well on the left. I don't think it's anything that proper hand care won't fix, but we'll see. The good news is that I had no difficulty performing 5 snatches on the right side. In fact, on my fourth (or was it my fifth?) set I performed 8 just to test myself.

It wasn't until the end of the workout, when I set the 16 kg kettlebell down next to my pointe shoes, that the incongruity of the whole thing struck me.

I Bit.

2009-11-28T09:13:00.000-08:00

In case it has somehow escaped your attention, Precision Nutrition is running a special whereby you get 10 guidebooks, the Gourmet Nutrition cookbook, and a 1-year membership to the Precision Nutrition site that gives you access to the member forums, e-books, articles, workout plans and Much! Much! More! all for one Low! Low! Price! of $99 USD. Honestly I have no clue how much this particular package normally would run you, but the price seemed reasonable to me so I went for it.

While I haven't received my guidebooks and cookbook yet, I did get immediate access to the members-only areas of the PN site, and so far I am impressed. The workout programs are designed by top people in the fitness industry, including Christian Thibaudeax, Alwyn Cosgrove, Craig Ballantyne, and Dave Whitley, and there are options for all levels from novice to pro.

Since I'm a kettlebell girl the Dave Whitley workout was the first one I downloaded, and as usual Dave does not disappoint. The first four weeks of the program are all get-ups and swings. It's not quite the RKC program minimum, but the concept is the same. The second four weeks are non-competing supersets, sort of along the lines of Turbulence Training but with kettlebells. There's also some interval training, with timed sets of swings standing in for the usual treadmill or bike sprints. The final four weeks of the program introduce some double kettlebell drills that are too advanced for me right now, so I will either modify or switch to a different program altogether.

If bodybuilding is what intrigues you the Christian Thibaudeax program is outstanding. It kicks off with 12 weeks of off-season training, then segues into 12 weeks of contest prep. It's advanced and it's brutal and I frankly can't be bothered, but for those who enjoy this sport and have the motivation and discipline to train this way it's an incredible option.

(Note: I have nothing but respect for bodybuilders. They work as hard for their results as any other athlete, and when I say that bodybuilding is not my thing, all I mean is that it's one of the many, many sports in which I do not aspire to excel or even achieve competence. It seems to me that looking amazing in a posing suit is every bit as valid a goal as pressing The Beast for reps or running a four-minute mile or pulling off 32 consecutive fouette turns without falling on your ass. Whatever motivates you, right?)

Holiday Eating Survival Tips

2009-11-26T06:43:00.000-08:00

I am not a big fan of self-denial at any time, but especially not during the holidays. One of the lovely things about this time of year is the opportunity to enjoy foods that aren't readily available year-round. Often these foods aren't just delicious, they are family traditions that bring back happy childhood memories. Proust had his madeleines; I have my grandmother's Toll House cookies :)

So eat, bubbele! But be a bit sensible about it. Stop at the point of diminishing returns. Don't eat the whole thing if a bite or two is enough to satisfy you. As much as possible, try to serve yourself so you can control your portions more easily. Skip the dishes you don't especially enjoy. I personally don't care for candied yams or that Godawful green bean casserole that's made with canned cream of mushroom soup and Durkee crispy onion bits, I'm indifferent to mashed potatoes with gravy and most stuffings, and if I never have another Brussels sprout again it will be too soon. That's a bunch of calories saved right there!

If you're spending the holidays at someone else's house, offer to bring a dish and make it a healthful one. That way you'll be assured of having something you can fill up on without having to resort to the aforementioned candied yams and other things you'd just as soon not eat. You'll also find it a lot easier to control yourself around the foods you do love if you're not starving.

If you're the host it's even easier because you have complete control over what goes on the table. I usually canvas my guests beforehand to find out whether they've got food sensitivities I need to take into account, or dishes they absolutely must have to feel satisfied. My nieces, for instance, adore Stove Top stuffing. So if they're spending Thanksgiving with me I serve it. I don't eat it myself, but I serve it :) I also spend a lot of time looking through the November and December issues of Cooking Light for recipe ideas. What I like about Cooking Light is that the recipes almost never call for faux-food such as Splenda or margarine. Instead the holiday classics are lightened up via judicious reductions in the amount of sugar and/or fat, usually with no adverse effect on taste.

While I'm on the subject, here's another tip for holiday cooks: use the finest quality ingredients you can afford. If you're not willing to spring for real vanilla extract, make something else because the end result won't be worth the calories. Good ingredients mean good flavor, and good flavor means you'll probably be satisfied with less. Think about it: when was the last time you had a fat-free cheese that was worth bothering with?

While you're negotiating the holiday minefield, try to adhere to your usual diet as closely as you can on non-feast days. That'll do a lot to keep damage to a minimum. After all, the days when you're not sitting down to turkey and all the trimmings still greatly outnumber the days when you are! Unless you have an unusually large family and a ton of social obligations it should still be possible for you more or less to stick to the 90/10 rule during the 5 weeks between Thanksgiving and the New Year.

Finally, do yourself a favor and do not weigh yourself the morning after a splurge. If you've overdone the carbs and sodium your weight may be up by as much as five pounds due to water retention. But it's just water, and it will be gone in another day or two if you get back on plan and keep hydrated. It's nothing to freak out about, but people always do, and as their trainer I get very tired of having to talk them off the ledge the day after Thanksgiving! So, really, for both our sakes don't even go there!!

In fact, I'm going to be proactive this year. If you make the mistake of weighing yourself tomorrow morning I want you to do 100 kettlebell swings for every pound you think you gained overnight.

Enjoy!

Oh, and while you're at it, take a moment to be thankful this is even an issue for you. Worldwide there probably are going to be more people who go to bed hungry tonight than who don't, and not because they're dieting. We live in a culture of ridiculous, absurd, obscene, super-sized, Kentucky-Fried abundance, and while that's not necessarily good for us it's a problem millions of people worldwide would love to have.

Recap: Training 11/16-11/22 (plus the usual digressions, random ravings, etc)

2009-11-23T06:01:00.000-08:00

Actually, I'm going to begin my recap with Sunday 11/15. I ran a little 5k in Golden Gate Park and was quite disappointed with my performance in some respects but pleased in others. My overall time was a fairly dreadful 29 minutes and change, meaning I was running slightly under 10 minute miles on average. That would be a reasonable pace for a longer race, but for a 5k I would have expected to be a bit faster.

Here's where I went wrong: I started way too fast. I ran the first half mile in slightly over 3 minutes, and was completely gassed. My heart rate was through the roof and I had to slow way down to bring it under control. Unfortunately that was right where the race course got a touch hilly, and I never really felt I got a good recovery.

The problem was my training. I like to run on the beach. This is not a bad thing. When you run on sand you have to work a lot harder to push off, so you develop a lot of power in your legs. If you're a road racer it's overload training, which of course is quite useful. But if you do too much of it, you're going to use that same amount of power when you run on the road, meaning you're going to find yourself going very very fast. Not a bad thing if you can sustain it, but I couldn't.

So, if I were a serious runner what I would do in preparing for my next 5k is limit my beach runs to 1x per week, and do the rest of my running on the road, doing some longer runs to build endurance. But I'm not a serious runner, and if I'm on the road there's no chance of seeing dolphins during my workout so the heck with it ... at least until spring when the ducks in the park start having babies. I can run 4-5 miles in the park if I've got ducklings to look at :)

(I only do races that are fundraisers for causes I support. The race on 11/15, for instance, was a benefit for the San Francisco Food Bank. The amount of money I raise is the same however long it takes me to finish, which is the real reason I don't care that much about my time. It's mostly a matter of academic interest to me--as a trainer I like knowing what works and what doesn't, and why.)

I took Monday 11/16 as a rest day, then on Tuesday taught a 1-hour spinning class. It was endurance oriented, with 2 20 minute intervals at 75-85% MRH. I burned 501 calories over the course of the hour, which gives you an idea of the cumulative intensity. (That's a lot of calories for someone my age and size to burn in an hour!)

Wednesday I gave double kettlebell training a shot for the first time. It was ... interesting. I did 3 rounds of double kettlebell press 5x followed immediately by double kettlebell swings, 30x, using 12 kg kettlebells for both. After that I switched to double kettlebell press followed by regular 2-hand kettlebell swings with 18kg, and did another 3 rounds. Again, interesting.

The double kettlebell press was okay, but with the double swings I felt my form was way off. I can't for the life of me figure out how any person my size can do these properly. I felt I was initiating too low and not generating the power I needed, and it was just all wrong. So, no more of these until I can consult with an RKC.

I did, however, like the feel of swinging a heavier weight than 16 kg. But since I don't have anything heavier than that (are you listening, Santa Baby?), I tried affixing my "Kettlebell Buddy" to my 16 kg.

The Kettlebell Buddy is not a piece of equipment I recommend, and the only reason I own one is that I was new to kettlebell training when it first came on the market and was being heavily promoted by AOS/PerformBetter. For those who don't know, a Kettlebell Buddy is a 2-kg thingy that screws into the bottom of any AOS or PerformBetter kettlebell, and it's meant to make it easier to transition to a heavier kettlebell.

I certainly can't fault the theory--when you think about it, it's a bit ridiculous to go from, say, 4 kg to 8 kg, which is a 100% increase in weight, or even from 8 kg to 12 kg, which is a 50 percent increase. Even 12 kg to 16 kg--a 33% increase--is pushing it IMO. Intermediate sizes are very helpful but hard to come by ... and expensive. So the Kettlebell Buddy seemed to be a great solution, much like PlateMates which I do recommend.

The problem, of course, is that when you affix a 2 kg thingy to the bottom of a kettlebell of any size it suddenly stops acting like a kettlebell because you've completely altered the shape, changed the center of gravity, etc. You'd think this would be obvious, but as I said I knew nothing about kettlebells when I acquired my little 2 kg screw-in abomination.

So, anyway, don't make the mistake I did, not that any of you would. But if by some chance you did ... really I can't recommend using it for anything other than a paperweight. But if you want to try using it as intended, I suggest sticking with the squat and the get-up. These movements don't involve momentum, so the altered shape of the kettlebell is going to be less of a factor. I also didn't feel terrible using it for swings, which do involve momentum, because I didn't feel as though the altered shape of the kettlebell was forcing a change in form. I'm still not totally comfortable with it, though, and I don't really recommend it. Better to use a proper kettlebell and do more reps if going light or fewer if going heavy.

(The one good thing about my Kettlebell Buddy experience is that it's made me a somewhat better judge of kettlebells than I might otherwise be. Don't bother with anything that's not round or close to it, with no bumps, bulges, protuberances, flattened sides, or what have you. If you get such a thing it won't handle like a kettlebell, and your form will suffer as a result.)

Thursday I did one of Dave Whitley's 102 Kettlebell Workouts. This one involved 15 minutes of snatches, 12 R/L, taking rests as needed. I rested about a minute between rounds, and got 8 total rounds, so 192 snatches in 15 minutes using 12 kg. After that, 15 minutes of pushups (12) and pull-ups (5). I got 10 rounds. The pushups were no problem but the pull-ups were :)

Wednesday and Thursday were also ballet-intensive days: 90 minutes of class plus Nutcracker rehearsal. The show is a mess--we've had cast members dropping out in droves so we're going to have to rechoreograph Waltz of the Flowers and Party Scene. Goddess help us all, I'm probably going to end up being a Party Scene kid again this year, which will give the whole thing even more of a Trockadero touch than usual. Actually, "bratty teenager" is more like it. The cast is unusually short this year, and I can't pull off the illusion of being still in my Wonder Years if I'm taller than most of the "adult" party guests. But "gawky 15-year-old" I can just about manage :)

Then in Waltz--how to explain this?--the members of the corps are supposed to be lovely flower petals, while I am the messy pollen-shedding bit in the center :) That's how I think of it, at least.

Friday was another rest day--my arms were cooked from the pull-ups on Thursday!

Saturday I did a kettlebell workout intended to build upper body strength. I'm having a lot of trouble pressing and snatching 16 kg, so I did mostly assistance stuff aimed at helping with that. Lots of get-ups with the 16 kg, plus cleans, then windmills to help with my shoulder stability, followed by some high pulls and half snatches. I really think I'm close to making a breakthrough on the snatches at least. The heavy windmills really seem to help with arm and shoulder stability, which as always is my weak link.

Sunday I did 5 rounds of kettlebell snatches, 10 R/L; double kettlebell squats, 5; kettlebell clean & press 5 R/L, all with 12 kg. The idea was to do as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes, but since I didn't want to sacrifice form I opted for a somewhat leisurely pace. Basically, about 2.5 minutes of work to 1.5 minutes of rest.

And there you have it.

Horrifying!

2009-11-21T06:01:00.000-08:00

Don't try this at home, or anyplace else!

http://community.fitnessanywhere.com/blogs/mfp_interviews/archive/2009/11/06/crazy-intense-trx-exercises.aspx

Don't misunderstand me: I am impressed as hell that the guy in the video was able to perform these moves without killing himself or anyone else in the process. But as a workout I think this is pretty dreadful, and here's why:

When I'm putting together a workout for a client of any level, the question I am always asking myself is: is this the least risky way to get the job done? In my opinion it's simply irresponsible for a trainer to choose unnecessarily unsafe exercises no matter how "cool" they are. If there's a safer way to get the same training effect, that's what the trainer should choose for his or her client whatever that person's level of fitness.

Mind you, I'm not saying the trainer must avoid all risk. That's simply not possible. A training program always involves some risks. About the only way to be sure of avoiding an exercise related injury is not to exercise, and that's a risky course in itself. We all know the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle! Exercise of some kind is pretty much always the safer option.

But beyond that, it's negotiable. When it comes to program design I have very few hard and fast rules. What's unacceptably risky for Client A may well be the safest alternative for Client B. Just as an example, say Client A is a hypertensive gentleman of 58 who hasn't seen the inside of a gym since his college days, and Client B is a twentysomething who's been involved in sports consistently since his high school days, and is prepping for his first powerlifting competition. Both gentlemen have a stated goal of getting stronger, but their programs and the techniques I use with them are going to be completely different. I'm not going to be having Client A using heavy loads right away, because his joints can't handle it. And I'm going to coach him not to hold his breath during the concentric phase of lifting, because he can't afford the temporary spike in blood pressure. For Client B, however, heavy loads are a must, and the additional spinal stability he will get from holding his breath makes that the less-risky alternative for him.

Always be suspicious of a trainer who speaks in terms of absolutes!

That being said, it's hard for me to envision any set of circumstances under which a combination move consisting of a TRX suspended lunge segueing into a kettlebell snatch would be the safest option. In such an unstable position I don't see how it would be possible to generate enough power at the hips to perform the snatch correctly. Maybe with a very light kettlebell ... but then wouldn't it be safer and better and equally as effective to superset TRX suspended power lunges with kettlebell snatches using a heavy enough weight to challenge an advanced athlete? It might not look as cool, but who cares? The point is to improve the athlete's conditioning, not to make him put on a show for the amusement of spectators and the greater glory of the trainer!

What do you think?

The Female Body Not-Such-A-Breakthrough-As-All-That

2009-11-20T05:53:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong: there's a lot to like about Rachel Cosgrove's new book, The Female Body Breakthrough. If you're a twenty- or thirtysomething cardio queen who's tired of spending an hour a day on the elliptical with little to show for it, and you want to make some serious changes in your shape and body composition, you need this book. Rachel makes a great case for making a paradigm shift: giving up starvation diets and marathon cardio sessions in favor of weight training and frequent small meals.

Thing is, none of this is exactly a new paradigm. Some of it has been around so long that it has acquired its own set of critics and debunkers. In the chapter on nutrition, for instance, there's a reference to the thermic effect of food. This is something Tom Venuto talks about in Burn the Fat Feed The Muscle and The Body Fat Solution, and I think John Berardi discusses it as well in Precision Nutrition. Basically, it's the idea that every time you eat you force your body to expend energy digesting what you consume, thus stimulating your metabolism. Great if true ... but proponents of intermittent fasting such as Brad Pilon say it isn't.

Anyway, if you're a regular reader of this blog (or any other fitness blog for that matter) you probably already know most of what's in The Female Body Breakthrough. Metabolic resistance training. High intensity bodyweight conditioning sessions. No long slow boring steady state cardio. Meals every 3 hours or so, with protein at each meal. No processed foods. Et cetera et cetera et cetera, as the King of Siam would say.

What does set The Female Body Breakthrough apart from, say, The Body Fat Solution, The New Rules of Lifting For Women, and all the other excellent entry-level body transformation guides on the market, is that it's written by an actual woman with years of actual experience changing her own body as well as the bodies of her clients. Rachel Cosgrove is what I like to call a metamorph: someone who has gone back and forth from being a chunky aerobics instructor to an ultra-lean, muscular physique competitor, to a skinny-fat triathlete, and back again to the lean, toned look she currently sports. She's dealt with bulimia and post-competition binge eating, and she rides the hormone rollercoaster every month just like you do (at least if you're a premenopausal female.) She doesn't just know about this stuff, she's lived it in a way that Tom Venuto, Lou Schuler and the rest have not. To me that gives her some extra credibility. If you've got a skinny-fat cardio queen in your life who wants to make some changes, and you're looking for a fitness book to give her for Christmas, Rachel's just might be the one.

Don't bother, though, if your friend is indifferent to looking "hot." To me the biggest problem with The Female Body Breakthrough is that it presumes its readers are primarily interested in looking hot and sexy. A catch-phrase that's reiterated throughout the book is: Be A BITCH, "BITCH" being an acronym for Be Inspiring, Totally Confident, and Hot. The feminist in me finds this more than a little cringe-inducing. Not that I have a problem with women striving to Be Inspiring, Totally Confident and Hot, but I don't happen to believe that those qualities should be reserved to those who have attained a low bodyfat percentage. To me, being a BITCH--being confident, empowered and sexy--is all about what's happening between my ears. What my butt looks like in jeans has nothing to do with it..

Mind you, I don't really fault Rachel (I don't think she'd mind my calling her Rachel) for not fighting that particular battle in her book. Judging by what I see at the gym every day, she's got enough of a fight on her hands getting women off the treadmill and into the weight room. If she can succeed there, who knows--her readers may find they are so empowered by their strength gains and improved fitness that they stop worrying so much about what they look like to potential sex partners.

Now that's what I call a paradigm shift.

Metabolic Density Training With Kettlebells

2009-11-14T10:29:00.000-08:00

Kettlebells and metabolic resistance training go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Like Fred and Ginger. Like vodka and ... more vodka :)

Of course I also love metabolic work on the TRX ... but sometimes the kettlebells just call to me.

Today was one of those days. I'd planned to do a metabolic resistance workout on the TRX, but for some reason the kettlebells were more alluring.

So, here's what I did:

12 minutes, as many rounds as possible:

TGU, 2 R/L x12 kg (I got 6 rounds--not bad!)

Rest 3:00

12 minutes, as many rounds as possible:

12 swings x 16 kg
5 pushups

(I got 15 rounds--again, not bad!)

In other news, I ordered Rachel Cosgrove's new book, The Female Body Breakthrough, from Amazon. I should be receiving it on Monday. In case it's not obvious, I reallyreally like the Cosgroves. I consider The New Rules of Lifting (Alwyn Cosgrove in collaboration with Lou Schuler) a must-read for fitness buffs of both genders, and my hope is that Rachel's new book will be similarly indispensable.

Once I've received the book and had a chance to read it, look for my review!

More HKC photos

2009-11-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

Here I am doing a goblet squat. I have no explanation for the expression on my face. Maybe I was wishing the kettlebell was a 12 kg coffee cup?

Here I am attempting a shoe get-up.

Here I am getting my arm and shoulder externally rotated by Geoff Neupert, Senior RKC. Thanks, Geoff!

Again, I have no explanation for this picture, but I like it. I take my training very seriously, but myself? Not so much!

The Cosgrove Cabo Vampire Workout

2009-11-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

Today, for reasons that presently escape me, I decided it would be a good idea to do the Cabo Vampire Workout. This sweaty little bit of unpleasantness is something that Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove claim to have done on the beach in Cabo. Personally I don't believe a word of it. Maybe they think they did it, but that would be the mescal talking.

Seriously, this one was bad enough in San Francisco in November. I can't imagine doing it out in the tropical summer sun. I would end up in a puddle mourning my beautiful wickedness like the evil witch in the Wizard of Oz.

But then I'm not a Cosgrove.

Anyway, here's what it was:

Metabolic density training, 20 minutes:

10 TRX single leg squats R/L
10 TRX inverted rows
10 TRX suspended incline presses
10 TRX suspended lunges R/L

I got 7 rounds, although I wasn't keeping close watch over my time so I think I went a little more than 20 minutes.

superset, 3 rounds:

10 TRX swimmer's pulls
10 TRX sprinter's starts with power R/L (the original workout called for shuttle runs, but since I was training inside I substituted)

TRX suspended crunches, 2x12

Oh, and it's a vampire workout because it drains away all your energy. This is per the Cosgroves, not me, though I wouldn't disagree.

Also if by some chance the workout as written isn't miserable enough for you, you could always read New Moon during your rest periods. That'll suck out your will to live for sure.

Weird workout day, even for me

2009-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

It began with a short run on the beach. No dolphins today, but I did see pelicans of all things. They're common in the Half Moon Bay area a little further down the coast, but I've never noticed them in the city before. Maybe they were hoping to see dolphins?

The run went pretty well considering I'd beaten myself up pretty thoroughly the day before in ballet class plus rehearsal plus cycling. The cycling class was an intense interval training session that got my heart rate up to 171 at one point. Bear in mind, I'm 47. My estimated maximum is 179 according to the usual charts, which of course reflect averages, meaning that for 50% of the population they overestimate and for 50% they underestimate. I am in the latter fifty percent. In fact, my actual maximum heart rate seems to be about 190. This is strictly a genetic thing and not an indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness or lack thereof. But anyway, after hitting a high of 171 I was able to lower my heart rate to 106 within only 2 minutes or so. That's pretty good. Generally speaking an athlete should be able to lower his or her heart rate by 40 beats within 3 minutes of ending a workout. The quicker you can bring your heart rate down, the fitter you are. This is another reason to wear a heart rate monitor during your workouts: so you can track your progress in this respect.

Anyway, because I'd gotten my heart rate so high in cycling class on Thursday I wasn't sure how much of an effort I'd be able to put forth during my run, but in fact it went pretty well except for not seeing any dolphins.

A little later in the morning I hit the weight room for a little squat/bench press/pull-up action. The pull-ups went surprisingly well but I was weak as a kitten on the other two exercises. When I'm doing a low-rep strength workout I always throw in a couple of light specific-warmup sets so I can gauge how much it's safe for me to push it during the actual work sets, and I could pretty much tell when my back started complaining after 8 reps with only a measly 95 pounds that it was not going to be a good strength day. So I played it safe, focused on form and range of motion, and still feel as though I got a lot out of the workout even though I never used more than 145 pounds for my heaviest set.

I'm actually not totally committed to making barbell back squats a regular part of my routine again. Mike Boyle says they're not the best for building leg strength because they put the low back in a functionally weak position, so that it tires long before the legs do. I suspect that in many cases he is absolutely correct. What I'm not so sure about is whether the alternative he suggests--the Bulgarian split squat--is a better choice. His theory is that the BSS puts the back in a functionally strong position and the legs in a functionally weak one, so that it's the legs that'll give out first. This makes some sense to me, but at the same time I wonder whether most athletes have the balance and flexibility required to get the most out of the BSS. I think it's an absolutely wonderful exercise but it would never have occurred to me to use it as a replacement for conventional squats.

On the other hand, I'm always happy to test out a theory :) And I do love single leg training. Bear in mind that there's a thin line between love and hate here.

Anyway, after I finished the strength portion of my workout I did a few sets of 1-arm swings, then headed upstairs to an empty studio for some pointe practice. This was when I noticed that things were seriously amiss. I couldn't find my center and I couldn't pull up. The connective tissue in my ankles felt weak and "loose" for want of a better word. And I couldn't remember my choreography to save my life.

Then I remembered what day it was in my cycle, and all became clear.

Yummy!

2009-11-06T09:41:00.001-08:00

In the interest of upgrading my diet some, I've been on the lookout lately for new and interesting foods that will give me the nutrients I need without completely repulsing me from a sensory standpoint.

Not every experiment has been a success. The powdered wheatgrass ... well, let's just say that it must be an acquired taste. Still, I could see it being a useful thing to have with me when I'm traveling and can't count on getting my usual 37 servings of veggies.

The kombucha drinks from Synergy, however, have been a big hit for the most part. A few of the flavors are a bit disgusting but I really like the Gingerade and the Trilogy (ginger, raspberry juice, lemon juice). They're tart, fizzy and refreshing. At least, I like them. My husband thinks they're too sour to be drinkable but then he likes orange juice, which I find to be unacceptably sweet. I have no idea whether there's any evidence substantiating the claimed health benefits of kombucha, but I certainly don't think it's doing me any harm so I plan to continue drinking it.

I'm also really liking nonfat Greek yogurt from Fage. It's thick, creamy and delicious ... and has 25% of the recommended minimum daily calcium requirement as well as 20 grams of protein per 1-cup serving. That's a lot of nutrient value for 120 calories! I like to mix in berries and sprinkle walnuts on top for a ''sundae" that's packed with anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids as well as calcium and protein.

Interestingly I find it a lot easier to eat well when my workouts are going well. I think it's because when I'm performing well I'm inspired to want to do even better the next time and I know that eating the right stuff will help. Or something like that.

Workouts (plus a typically longwinded digression re: the relative merits of the tabata protocol and Viking Warrior Conditioning)

2009-11-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

So far so good. I think my training plan is working in terms of including the variety I want/need without overtraining.

Here's how it has gone so far:

1. Sunday was my "Viking Warrior Conditioning" day, except that I can't really say for certain that I was following the protocol correctly because I haven't actually read Kenneth Jay's book. Hence the quotation marks. Whatever I did, though, seemed to hit the spot.

Cath, you asked whether I thought VWC was more effective than the tabata protocol. Honestly I can't say for certain since I'm not sure I've done either correctly. I certainly haven't done tabatas as per the study, i.e., 6 days a week for 6 weeks or whatever it was. And I tend to doubt that when I was doing them I was hitting 150 percent of my VO2 max, or whatever it was that the athletes in the study were doing, during the work periods. Elite athletes can do that, but most of us cannot. That's the thing about the athletes in the tabata study: they were all world-class speed skaters, not Joe or Jane Wellness Seeker. I don't think anyone has ever done a study to determine whether the tabata protocol's benefits extend to those of us who are just sort of your typical fitness buff. Anyway, I think Sandy's point was that VWC is more accessible to non-world class athletes (which of course is most of us) and therefore a better option for them.

I think there's a lot of anecdotal evidence that the tabata protocol as performed in gyms, bootcamps and CrossFit studios actually does yield considerable benefits. Certainly it's not a waste of time ... though possibly that time might be better spent doing VWC. But possibly not. Again, until someone does some studies determining the relative effectiveness of the two protocols as performed by athletes at the sub-Olympian level I really can't say which is a better choice for most of us. What I can say with some confidence, however, is that both protocols are good, useful, and well worth trying.

I think most of us have a tendency to overthink this stuff. If you're an elite athlete training for a specific goal it pays to worry about this sort of thing. For the rest of us what works best is just to pick something and do it.

2. On Monday I did a strength workout featuring deadlifts, incline bench press, and 1 armed rows. I was very conservative with my weights--too much so, really, because this is my first week on the program and I haven't been doing any of these exercises with any regularity for a while.

Also there were these idiot young men in the weight room who were also deadlifting, with too much weight on the bar and some of the worst form I've ever seen. My back hurt just looking at them! So I wanted to make a point of modeling perfect form in the hope they'd take the hint, but I'm not sure it sank in.

3. On Tuesday I did an unpleasant metabolic thing on the TRX:

1A: TRX suspended lunge
1B: TRX Suspended Incline Press

2A: TRX single leg squat (each leg)
2B: TRX Atomic Push up

3A: TRX Sprinters Start
3B: TRX Single Leg Chest press

4A: TRX Hamstring Curls
4B: TRX Inverted Row

5A: TRX Hip Press
5B: TRX Power pull

6A: TRX Hamstring Bicycle
6B: TRX Swimmers Pull

I performed each superset twice, 45 seconds per exercise (or 90 seconds in the case of the unilateral exercises, which sucked) with no rest between exercises and 45 sec. rest between sets. Then I finished with 1 set each TRX curls, tricep pressdowns, side planks, pendulums and suspended crunches My heart rate was a solid 75% of max for at least 30 minutes, and I burned over 300 calories in a little more than half an hour, which for someone my age and size is quite good.

3. Wednesday I went for a lovely run on the beach, and was rewarded with a glimpse of dolphins frolicking out in the bay. I think they were Pacific white-sided dolphins but they might possibly have been bottlenoses. There are about six species that frequent this area, but some are commoner than others.

I also had a great ballet class. I'm strong enough now that I can pull up on one leg into retire without assistance from the barre. I can only do it on one side, but that's okay. The other side will get there.

Random Thoughts On "Cardio"

2009-11-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

1. Cardiovascular conditioning is a critical part of any fitness program. What's the use of having strong glutes. lats and the rest if your heart is weak? It's the most important muscle in your body, and it needs to be kept strong! Some loss of cardiovascular capacity is inevitable as we age but with proper training a lot of that loss is preventable .... reversible, even. So, be sure your training program includes some sort of cardiovascular conditioning.

With apologies to Craig Ballantyne, just say "Yes!" to cardio :)

2. "Cardio" is any workout that's structured in such a way as to compel the heart to work at a certain percentage of capacity for a certain period of time. Many, many modalities work. If you like to run, you can run. If you'd rather use a stationary bike or elliptical, that works fine too. If you're like me and really don't enjoy that sort of thing, you can use kettlebell drills or bodyweight exercises or circuit weight training. Anything works as long as it elevates your heart rate to the appropriate level.

3. Peddling away on a recumbent bike at 50 rpm as you turn the pages of Us magazine and chat with your neighbors is not cardio. Don't kid yourself. At the risk of repeating myself, cardio is not a modality, it's a training effect. Unless you're working hard enough to elevate your heart rate to at least 65% of max, you're not performing cardio. I'm not going to say you're wasting your time because I tend to think any activity is better than none ... but you could certainly be putting your valuable time to better use. Put away the damn magazine, put on your headphones, and sweat a little. Save your tabloid-reading and socializing for the nail salon.

4. Get a heart rate monitor.

5. Don't assume that an impressive VO2 max is necessarily going to translate into outstanding performance in every endurance sport. You may have a heart of elastic steel thanks to your Viking Warrior Conditioning but it doesn't mean you can go out and compete in a triathlon without training for it. It's not enough to have a strong heart; you also need to prepare your other muscles to meet the particular demands of the sport. Lance Armstrong may be the greatest endurance athlete of all time, but almost 900 people finished the New York Marathon before he did. What held him up, obviously, was not cardiovascular weakness but failure to make the specific adaptations a distance runner needs.

6. If you choose to do some sort of cardiovascular training every day, be sure you cycle low, medium and high intensity days. If you try to do HIIT every day it won't be long before you simply can't elevate your heart rate to where it needs to be.

7. If you're a novice exerciser don't launch into HIIT right away. Follow a sensible progression, just as you do with your other training. If you've never done a barbell back squat in your life you wouldn't load up the bar with twice your bodyweight for your first attempt, would you? (Lord, I hope not!) You can do intervals--in fact, you should--but I recommend keeping them aerobic (75%-85% MHR, with recovery at 65%-75% MHR) at first.

Viking Warrior Conditioning

2009-11-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

If you're a kettlebell person you already know all about Viking Warrior Conditioning. It's a conditioning regimen created by Master RKC Kenneth Jay (aka "the Dane of Pain").

This is not Kenneth Jay. This is my husband Paul. He's not into kettlebells at all, but he totally rocks the Viking look, don't you think?

Anyhoo, Viking Warrior Conditioning calls for alternating 15 seconds of explosive work with 15 seconds of rest. Usually the explosive work consists of snatches. Actual Vikings probably swing maces or something, but since Dragon Door doesn't sell those (although I suspect it's only a matter of time) most people just use kettlebells (12 kg for ladies and 16 kg for gentlemen I believe).

Before you start you test yourself to figure out what your cadence is (usually 6-8 reps per work set for snatches) and you stick with that cadence for the duration of the workout, which can be anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes. Once you've worked your way up to 40 minutes you switch to a 36:36 protocol I believe, but since I haven't actually read the book don't take my word for it.

Anyway, I gave it a shot this morning, and it was interesting. Since I haven't been doing a lot of snatches lately I switched to 1-arm swings after nine minutes in the interest of not ripping up my hands. I probably should have switched to swings sooner, but the snatches felt really good and I didn't want to stop! Doing swings instead of snatches definitely lowers the intensity a notch since the kettlebell never comes overhead, but that's okay. The workout still felt plenty intense and challenging but never so much so that I felt I was losing control or using poor form. I went for 25 minutes, probably could have gone a little longer but I thought it would be better to stop before I reached a state of complete smokedness.

So, the grand total of reps for the workout was 108 snatches and 288 1-arm swings, all performed with 12 kg, or slightly over 10,000 pounds moved in 25 minutes if you like to think of it that way.

I think I've got my workout schedule figured out ...

2009-11-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

with some help from Alwyn Cosgrove.

The general idea is lifted from a program he suggested on his blog a while ago. Day 1 is low volume lifting for strength. Day 2 is metabolic training on the TRX. Day 3 is HIIT. Days 4-6 are a repeat of days 1-3, except that you do different exercises on your heavy lifting day.

That's the Alwyn version, and I'm sure it works great, but since I'm also running 3x per week and cycling 2x per week I think that for me it would be better to substitute explosive kettlebell work for the HIIT. I'm thinking of following the infamous Viking Warrior Conditioning 15:15 protocol, but using mostly 1-arm swings instead of snatches for now. I've been mostly sticking with the HKC drills for the last couple of months, meaning that I haven't been doing much in the way of cleans or snatches, so my hands aren't as tough as they used to be. If I were to attempt a high-volume snatch workout right now I'd have ripped calluses before I was halfway through, and no one but myself to blame. So what I'm thinking is, I'll do snatches for as long as seems prudent, then switch over to swings, with a goal of adding a set of snatches every workout until my hands are toughened up again.

The suggested template for the heavy resistance training workouts is as follows:

Lower body: 1 set of 5 reps, 1 set of 3 reps, 1 set of 1 rep, then lighten the load and do 1 set of 10 reps. Rest periods not specified, but with volume this low I'm thinking around 3 minutes between work sets.

Push/pull superset: 2 sets of 5 reps, 1 set of 10 reps, 60 sec. rest between sets

Kettlebell swings, 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps, half recovery.

I might try double kettlebell swings just to make things interesting ... but we'll see.

Alwyn doesn't specify what exercises are to be used on the heavy lifting days, but pretty obviously you'd need to include a squat, a deadlift, a vertical push (such as a military press or high incline press), a vertical pull (such as a pullup or pulldown), a horizontal push (such as a bench press) and a horizontal pull (such as a row).

I need to clarify that the resistance training protocol is meant to develop strength not size. I'm not expecting it to cap my delts or give me the beautiful symmetry of a physique competitor. Those are not my goals at the moment.

If they were, my training would look very, very different. I'd be lifting a minimum of 4 days per week, I would be doing multiple exercises per muscle group, and I'd be lifting mostly in the 8-12 rep range, with relatively short rests to maximize time under tension. There would be single joint exercises as well as big compound movements, and the workouts would likely last close to an hour.

This style of training works very very well if your goal is to sculpt a beautiful body, but it doesn't do a lot in terms of maximizing performance. It's certainly not inconsistent with performing well as my friend Wendy could tell you, but by itself it won't get you there. You have to supplement with functional training and cardio ... and that means spending a LOT of time working out. If you've got a high level of commitment to your physical goals, that's not a problem--but I'm lazier than that so I need to prioritize. And for me, looking fabulous in a bikini is just not that much of a priority these days.

Looking fabulous in pink tights, however ... well, that's another story. But that's mostly addressed through diet, darn it!

Went running again this morning ....

2009-10-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

I seem to be adjusting to the Frees very well. But the true test will be when I have my next pointe class. One of the reasons I've gotten out of the running habit is that running isn't great for dancers' feet. That's the conventional wisdom, anyway. But I think a lot of that is because traditional running shoes don't allow for a full range of motion in the foot --not if you've got flexible feet, at least. Even the Frees are not exactly like running barefoot ... but they're a lot better than the shoes I used to wear, which were like blocks of cement on my feet.

Anyway, we'll see.

My plan is to run Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, since I cycle on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I probably won't lift on Wednesdays and Thursdays because those days are dance-heavy, but everything else is negotiable. A Friday-Saturday-Monday-Tuesday lifting schedule would make some sense if I were doing an upper/lower split but that doesn't seem to be what I'm into at the moment so we'll see. One of the nice things about kettlebell training is that since you're not lifting to failure the usual rules about recovery don't necessarily apply. I mean, for some people I expect they do, but the need for recovery tends to be a very individual thing, and I personally have never noticed any ill effects from doing, say, kettlebell swings, 5 days in a row. I don't believe it's fundamentally any different than running 5 days in a row, which plenty of people do. Obviously in both cases you want to build up to that level of frequency and also be sure to vary your intensity ... but as long as you do that, cardio is cardio, right?

Sunday mixed-modality back-focused workout

2009-10-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Just playing around here with some different ideas:

Negative pull-ups to fatigue, as many as possible in 10 minutes

Rest 2 minutes

KB 1-arm rows, 4x8x16 kg, 45-60 sec rest between sets

Giant set:

DB 1-leg rear delt raises, 4 x 8-12 reps x 8-10 lbs
KB crush curls (to do these you drop down into the bottom of a goblet squat, park your elbows on your VMOs to pry open your hips, crush the bell between your palms, and do your reps, so they're sort of about your biceps but really they're more about hip mobility and using tension to create stability. Very cool exercise in any case.), 4 x 8-12 reps x 8-12 kg
TRX arm curls, 4x8
TRX arm extensions, 4 x 8-12

Finisher:

KB sumo burpee deadlifts (fun exercise I stole from from Josh Whatshisname who's always going on and on about "hot girls" and getting "rockstar lean"; he's actually got some great workout ideas on his site once you get past the nonsense about who's hot and who isn't), supersetted with swings, reverse ladder, 10-8-6-4-2 reps x 16 kg

Good golly, has it really been 4 months since my last outdoor run?

2009-10-24T11:24:00.001-07:00

Yep. Last time I went running outside, it was the day after my grandfather died. I just had to be outside in the fresh air where I could be alone with my thoughts, KWIM?

I didn't mean to take such a long break from running, but between cycling and practicing my swings I was getting plenty of cardiovascular conditioning so I didn't really feel I needed it. With limited time to exercise, strength training was more of a priority.

Frankly I probably would still be on hiatus from running but for the fact that I'm doing a 5k next month to raise money for the local food bank. Tis the season for such events, and if there happens to be one in your area you should think about participating. In a country as prosperous as the US no one should ever go hungry, especially at the holidays. Holiday weight gain sucks, but losing weight over the holidays because you can't afford to buy food sucks a whole lot more!!!!

Good golly, has it really been 4 months since my last outdoor run?

2009-10-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Thinking and rethinking

2009-10-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

My personal and professional goals are a moving target these days, which isn't too surprising given that my body seems to be changing by the day as my estrogen levels drop and I move through the stages of menopause (denial, anger, peanut butter, acceptance?). Often I have difficulty sleeping, and when that happens my workouts suffer. I'm trying to be patient with myself and not get frustrated when I can't perform to my expectations, but it's a challenge!

Here's what the last week or so has looked like, workoutwise:

Sunday: Pull-ups & negative pullups to fatigue, 3 sets, supersetted with 1-arm KB presses, 8x12 kg; KB rows, 3x8x16 kg, supersetted with TGUs, 5 per side x 8 kg, then 3 per side x 12 kg, and finally 1 per side x 16 kg
Monday: rest day
Tuesday: 1 hour cycling class, and after that a mixed barbell & kettlebell workout that included deadlifts, planks, swings, walking lunges and bear crawls.
Wednesday: ballet class and Nutcracker rehearsal
Thursday: ballet class, Nutcracker rehearsal, cycling class
Friday: band assisted chin-ups, 4 sets of 12-15, supersetted with KB swings, 4x20x16 kg; pushups with knee-in, 4 sets of 12-15, supersetted with KB swings, 4x20x16 kg; 5 min. TGU singles, 12 kg.
Today I'm thinking heavy cleans & get-ups, and a 20-30 minute run. I have some Nike Frees that I'm anxious to test-drive.

In other news, I've taken on a couple of clients who are interested in learning the foundations of kettlebell training. So far it's going very well! I was so exhausted at the HKC that I was a little worried about how well I was absorbing the copious amounts of information presented, but I think I've actually retained most of it. I've been consulting the instructor handbook quite a bit, of course, and between that and my notes I think I've managed to remember most of the corrective drills. As I mentioned in a previous post, many of them have non-kettlebell applications so I've been using them where appropriate even with non-kettlebell clients who are struggling with such issues as spinal flexion and shoulder elevation and protraction.

This presents me with somewhat of a dilemma: if were to go to the RKC I imagine I would learn even more wonderful corrective stuff. But I would have to travel, and be away from my family, and be out in the elements for three days, and say "Yes, sir," and "Yes, ma'am" a lot. And do many, many burpees and other unpleasant things. So I need to think carefully.

But I don't need to think that carefully, not for now at least, because what I would need to do to prepare for the RKC is also what I want to do for my own personal development, i.e., perfect my form on the clean, press and snatch. For me the single biggest takeaway from the HKC was: if you show up at a Dragon Door certification event with seriously flawed technique you will learn how to fix it but you probably won't get certified, because by the time you get tested you will be so physically and mentally fatigued that you will almost certainly revert to your old incorrect way of doing things. That was what happened to me on the get-up: every bit of mental energy I had was focused on keeping my shoulder packed and not going into a high bridge, so I wasn't thinking about my wrist. Hence the slight bend backward and the initial failure to get certified.

So until I am sure of my technique, going to the RKC is a non-issue for me. But since I do plan to keep working on my form, I expect I will be revisiting the issue at some point.

Probably once Nutcracker is over for the year :)

Post-HKC Training: Enter the Dumbbell!

2009-10-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

Also the barbell and (gasp!) the cable machine. Did I just say "machine"? Yep, I sure did.

And the stability ball. And the TRX. And whatever the hell else I feel like using in addition to my beloved kettlebells.

Because here's the thing: when you're training for general fitness, your best results come from consistency. And for many of us, myself included, it's easiest to be consistent when our workouts include a variety of modalities. Kettlebells will always be my favorite strength and conditioning tool because they are so wonderfully versatile ... but just because I like kettlebells best it doesn't mean I can't enjoy other types of workouts from time to time.

Put it this way: ninety percent of the time when I do my nails I paint them pale pink (Essie Mademoiselle, one coat). But I have about 10 other colors of nail polish lurking under my bathroom sink, because sometimes I just feel like having nails that are red or coral or burgundy or fuschia. If I could only have one color I'd pick Mademoiselle, but since I don't have to choose why should I?

Besides, having options helps me enjoy my favorites even more. I had a great kettlebell workout today, my first one in over a week. And I'm sure the reason I enjoyed it so much is that my workout schedule actually called for me to do something else. But kettlebells were what I felt like using so I modified my plan, substituting biomechanically equivalent kettlebell drills for the barbell and dumbbell exercises I had been thinking I would do.

In all honesty, this eclectic approach isn't terribly effective for achieving specific performance goals. If you've got some of those, you really do kinda have to suck it up and do some workouts that may not be what you feel like doing on a given day. For instance, I have a 5k to run in about a month, so that means I need to start running again at least a couple of times a week. I have a high level of cardiovascular fitness but my joints aren't used to the repetitive stress of running outdoors for any distance so I need to work on that. I may not always feel like it, but I will do it because I know it's what I have to do.

I'm also going to be doing a lot of pointe prep work whether I feel like it or not because I need to get a lot stronger for Nutcracker in December.

But everything else is negotiable, at least for now.

We interrupt this blog to bring you the following public service announcement:

2009-10-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Maybe you have a mother or sister or aunt who has been diagnosed with the disease. Maybe you yourself are a breast cancer survivor. Or maybe you're simply one of the millions of women who will be diagnosed with it at some future date.

Maybe breast cancer is not the only form of this disease that has touched your life. I myself have lost two grandparents to cancers of the pancreas and stomach, and my father is living with a rare form of lymphoma. My father-in-law has been treated for cancers of the kidney and throat, and my mother-in-law lost her uterus to cancer nearly 50 years ago. The fiance of a dear friend was recently diagnosed with throat cancer, and the ex-wife of another dear friend is dying horribly from cancer of the bowel.

The worst thing for me about having a loved one diagnosed with cancer is the feeling there's nothing I can really do to help. Of course there ARE small things: rides to and from the hospital,; assistance with grocery shopping, housecleaning and other mundane tasks that may be too much for a person who's weak from chemo and/or radiation; and just being there as a source of support and comfort. But that doesn't always feel like enough.

Hence the following:

I made this lovely and tasteful sampler with my own two hands, using a pattern from www.subversivecrossstitch.com/ If you would like one for your very own, I will make it for you, free of charge, and all you have to do in exchange is make a donation to the cancer-fighting organization of your choice. You get the tax deduction, the sampler, and the satisfaction of knowing you've done something to help.

If you'd like your sampler to say something other than "FUCK CANCER" I am more than happy to do special requests. I can't think of any kettlebell studio that wouldn't be enhanced by a delightful hand-embroidered rendition of such popular Pavel-isms as "It's Your Fault!" "If You Don't Have Good Judgment, Go Take A Pilates Class," or my personal favorite, "Vodka, Pickle Juice and Kettlebells!" Let your imagination be your guide.

I am not kidding about any of this. If you're interested, let me know. Because cancer sucks.

HKC The Play-by-Play Part 3: Oh How I Hate To Get-Up In The Morning

2009-10-14T05:19:00.000-07:00

After our 15 minute break--which wasn't as much of a break as it could have been because we were required to carry our kettlebell with us every place except the bathroom--we reassembled in our teams for instruction in the Turkish get-up.

Consternation ensued.

Most people who do get-ups have something of a love-hate relationship with them. I first learned the Turkish get-up a couple of years ago from a fellow trainer who was into CrossFit and thought it would be a good idea to have me perform it holding a 25-lb dumbbell. I did it a few times, acknowledged its greatness, and vowed never to speak its name again. Which actually isn't such a bad thing, because the progression he taught me was rather different from the one the RKC favors, which is not to say that it was wrong or unsafe, but when you've got one movement pattern imprinted on your muscle memory it can be hard to unlearn it. More on that later.

Even within the RKC there are different ways to do a get-up. The beginning doesn't vary: fetal position, pick up the bell with two hands, roll over onto your back, bend your leg on the kettlebell side and plant the foot, extend the opposite leg, press up the bell, release one hand, maintain a locked elbow, straight wrist and retracted shoulder on the kettlebell side, pivot onto the opposite elbow, then come up onto the hand, keeping the hand as close to the body as possible without the shoulder shrugging up, eyes on the bell at all times.

Once you're there in your get-up sit-up, however, you have options. Basically, the idea is to get yourself into a lunge position safely, then stand up. The method I was taught was to raise my hips into a high bridge, with most of my weight on my kettlebell-side leg and my opposite-side hand, then tuck my extended leg under me, release the free hand and come up into a lunge. I like this version a lot because it gives you a wonderful stretch for the front of the body while at the same time strengthening the entire posterior chain. But it's not for everyone because it requires strength and flexibility that some people may not have in the beginning. A more acccessible version involves coming up to seated, then tucking the extended leg under the bent leg on the kettlebell side, then raising the hips just enough to allow that leg to do kind of a windshield-wiper motion around, at which point you're more or less in a lunge position from which point you come up to standing. I realize the description makes no sense at all, and I will try to post a video at some point that demonstrates what I mean.

I am extremely glad Pavel et al. made the decision to instruct and test us on this version of the get-up because there's no question but that it's the most appropriate for entry-level kettlebell students. But because I'd been learning and practicing the hip-bridge version for months, I had a lot of reprogramming to do and not much time in which to do it! This was an issue not just for me but for I would guess 80 percent of the people there, and I think it threw a lot of us.

It was at also at this point in the day that I discovered I'd not made as much progress as I had thought in learning to stabilize my shoulders. One of the most difficult aspects of the get-up for almost everyone is learning to keep the shoulder on the kettlebell side "packed," i.e., fully depressed and retracted. To do this you must engage the latissimus dorsi on the kettlebell side, which for most of us is easier said than done. I am actually pretty good at engaging my lats when my arms are extended out to the side a la seconde, but not so good at it when I bring the arms overhead. So, yikes, this was one more thing I knew I'd have to fix fast in order to get my HKC!

Fortunately Fearless Leader Geoff noticed I was having a hard time with this element of the get-up, and he showed me a great correction. He pressed down on my upper trap on the kettlebell side, while at the same time rotating my triceps and pushing my kettlebell arm toward my head. It was amazing--suddenly my shoulder was sitting right on top of my fully-engaged lat, solid as a rock!

(Note: I love this correction so much that I've been using it on all my clients whose shoulders won't stay down on pressing exercises. It's not just for kettlebellers; it's for anyone who wants a safer, stronger press. Actually, most of the corrective drills we learned at HKC have non-kettlebell applications, making this a very worthwhile workshop even for trainers who have no interest in using kettlebells with their clients.)

We learned some other great corrections as well, such as a seal walk variation for clients who can't straighten out their arms. This is something I see a lot in my male clients who love their biceps curls! I can see myself using this drill quite a bit since it will also be useful for teaching clients to maintain tension in their core musculature. We also learned halos--if you scroll down the page a bit you'll see a goofy picture of me doing one--which are great for shoulder mobility.

Even though we spent something on the order of two hours learning the get-up and associated corrective drills, I still didn't feel at all confident of my ability to perform them to RKC standards. With each repetition I felt as though there was some nuance I was missing. Also, fatigue was beginning to set in. It was getting on toward noon, the sun was high in the sky and beating down strongly, and I was really feeling the lack of caffeine and sleep. It was at this point in the day when the meaning of the RKC maxim ,"Under stress the body reverts to training," became clear to me. If you've trained well, no problem. But if like me you've unknowingly been reinforcing some faulty movement patterns during your training, you're going to revert to those patterns when you're tired even if your conscious mind knows better. This in a nutshell is why I failed to get certified on the day of the HKC.

At about 12:30 we were dismissed from our teams for picture-taking and lunch. We were required to keep our kettlebells with us during the lunch break, although we could put them down while serving ourselves at the buffet. We were also given a homework assignment: to review the section of the HKC instructor manual relating to program design. Excellent stuff, and I will be referring to it quite a bit when I put together training routines for my kettlebell clients.

More later. (Promise or threat, you be the judge!)

HKC The Play-by-Play Part 2: Enter the Goblet Squat

2009-10-13T06:09:00.000-07:00

Just to recap: after completing the pull-up/flexed arm hang test, we grabbed kettlebells (12 kg for the ladies, 16 kg for the gentlemen) and reported outside to the soccer/football field for instruction in the goblet squat, one of three exercises

Even though it had rained the day before, the field was aerated and surprisingly non-muddy. A little damp, yes, but no more so than you would expect considering it wasn't even 9:00 am yet (7:00 am Pacific time, not that I was thinking about that). We were given the option of bringing yoga mats out to the field for some protection, but as it happened no one on Team Neupert bothered, for which Geoff gave us due credit.

The 12 (I think) teams were instructed to distribute themselves in kind of a two-tier horseshoe shape, with all of us facing the open end of the horseshoe where Pavel was standing. Team Neupert was fortunate enough to be located toward the bottom of the horseshoe, in the first tier, meaning that we got a very good view of what Pavel was doing. Less fortunately, it also meant that we contributed seemingly more than our share of "victims" ... but more on that later.

First things first: we received the general lecture on Kettlebell Safety 101. Most of this is common sense: be aware of your surroundings; don't leave kettlebells lying around where others can trip over them; make sure you're not too close to anyone else; if you're outside be sure you're on flat terrain and not facing into the sun; if you're inside be sure you're working on a surface that won't be damaged if you drop the kettlebell; if you lose control of the kettlebell get out of the way; and so forth.

Pavel also touched briefly on the matter of kettlebell training preparedness. Basically, kettlebell training is intense and not for everyone. Clients undertaking a kettlebell training program are advised to check with their doctor first. All good stuff, but as someone who works with lots of "wellness seekers" as opposed to athletes I would have liked to hear more.

(Warning: digression coming up.)

Sad but true: in the "real world" most doctors don't know a whole heck of a lot about exercise and fitness. There's a good chance that if you send a client off to his doctor for medical clearance to begin a kettlebell training program, the doctor won't have a clue what that entails and may give clearance where it's not appropriate. For that reason I feel it's not enough for a trainer just to send the client off to his doctor. The trainer needs to ask some questions. At a minimum he or she should have the client fill out a PAR-Q form, and if the client answers "yes" to any of the questions the trainer should proceed with caution. By that I mean he or she should not only send the client off to his or her doctor for a signed medical clearance, but he or she should ask the client's permission to speak to the doctor just to make sure the doctor understands what's involved and what the potential issues are. Just as an example, if a client is hypertensive the Turkish get-up may not be appropriate for him or her since it involves taking a weight overhead, using a "crush grip," etc. The doctor likely won't know that, so in the real world it's on you, the trainer, to inform him or her, or at the very least to inform the client so he can inform the doctor.

This may strike many of you as going beyond the call of duty and maybe it is, but I don't think so. When it comes to keeping people safe, I don't think there is such a thing ... but then my views on the subject are shaped by the people I've been working with, many of whom are quite deconditioned and/or have physical limitations that raise red flags for me as a trainer.

Anyway, I would love to see more on this subject in future HKCs. I think it's especially important for the HKC trainers since my expectation is that many people are going to be getting their first taste of hardstyle kettlebell training from us. If we're the gatekeepers we need to be on top of our game here, or people will get injured. Maybe not as many as are going to be hurt working out to Jillian Michaels's execrable "kettlebell" DVD, but even one avoidable kettlebell injury is too many as far as I am concerned. Just my thoughts, for whatever they are worth.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Pavel began by demonstrating what a goblet squat should look like, briefly touching on all technical requirements (neutral spine, depressed and retracted shoulders, heels and big toes planted, elbows pushing out on the VMO at the bottom of the squat, etc) as he went through the drill. Then he touched on the things that are likely to go wrong and how to fix them. The first corrective drill we learned was the facing-the-wall squat. This is good for fixing squat mechanics in people who have an excessive forward lean when they squat, or fail to initiate by taking their hips back. It's self-correcting, meaning that if you do it wrong your forehead or knees will hit the wall and stop your descent. It's also a good way of screening clients. If with practice someone can't get down to where their thighs are parallel to the ground it means they need to be referred to a corrective exercise specialist.

Another big thing that can go wrong with a goblet squat is rounding (flexion) of the low back. This is very bad news, especially for anyone with a history of low back problems. It's also incredibly common. In many cases it can be fixed by simply taking a somewhat wider squat stance. In others it can be fixed by a trainer or workout partner running his or her fingers along the squatter's spine until it flattens out and becomes longer. Again, if these drills don't work a referral to a corrective exercise specialist is probably in order.

If you've got a bodybuilder or powerlifter background, you may be scratching your head wondering what the point of all this is. In all honesty, it's not going to give you a glorious quad sweep nor is it the sort of thing you will ever be able to do with 1,017x your bodyweight in added resistance. But what it will do is fix your squat mechanics to the point where you'll be able to do your body sculpting or strength-building routines more safely and effectively than ever before. If you've ever had to take a long break from training because of low back problems it's worth at least looking into.

All told we spent about 2 hours learning the goblet squat and related corrective drills. As we practiced, Geoff and Andrea circulated among us making corrections and providing further instruction as needed. Since we had a few people on our team who were quite inflexible or had a history of low back problems, these individuals got the bulk of the instructors' attention ... and it was pretty amazing to see their mobility improve just in the space of a couple of hours. Really, it was a beautiful thing to behold, and it's what I hope to bring to my clients.

What was not so beautiful was the set of 20 burpees we had to do just before our first break. Ostensibly the point of the burpees was to reinforce what we'd just learned. Not so sure it worked. Sort of like those fabulous, creative, expensive ads they air during the Super Bowl, where you remember every detail of the ad except the product it's meant to promote.

More later.

Woo-hoo, I passed!

2009-10-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

I re-shot my TGU video about a week ago, and submitted it to Geoff Neupert for his consideration. I deliberately didn't post the re-shoot here, because I wanted to test my own ability to judge what a get-up should look like. I mean, if I can't spot my own mistakes, how can I expect to spot those of my clients? And if I can't do that I really have no business offering kettlebell instruction, right?

Anyway, it took Geoff a while to get around to looking at it--Senior RKCs evidently are busy people!--but eventually he found some time, and he thought it looked good.

So it would seem that I am an HKC.

I am very, very happy about this if for no other reason than that it allows me to speak with some authority when I tell people they should not seek kettlebell instruction from anyone who uses the words "squat" and lift" when teaching the kettlebell swing.

I'm also glad to get this resolved sooner rather than later, while the lessons learned at the HKC are still fresh in my mind. I've actually begun using some of the corrective drills with my personal training clients on the theory that the problems that they are meant to address--a rounded low back, an elevated and protracted shoulder, a lack of tension in the core, etc--are not unique to kettlebell training. But I have not wanted to put a kettlebell into anyone's hand until I got the go-ahead from Geoff.

Now that I do have the go-ahead, it will be interesting to see where this leads. I am always going to be a personal trainer first and a kettlebell instructor second, meaning that if someone wants to work with kettlebells I will be happy to teach them as much as I can, but I don't plan to force them on anyone. There is no magic to kettlebells; they are simply great tools. I'm happy I have the know-how to be able to introduce them to more people, but if in the end those people decide they'd rather do something else I'm always going to accommodate their preferences. Of course I'm hoping at least a few people fall in love with kettlebells and decide they want to delve deeper, and it will be my pleasure to refer those folks to an RKC who can instruct them in the clean, press and snatch.

As for my own training, I certainly plan to continue using kettlebells and honing my skills but more for my own satisfaction than anything else. I will have to see how things develop over the next few months, but at this point I don't believe it makes financial sense for me to pursue RKC certification. There's no point in doing it unless I plan to be teaching cleans, presses and snatches, and I just can't see there being a huge demand for that among my clientele. I have limited funds to spend on continuing education, and right now there are other certifications that I think would be more helpful.

No question, there's a part of me that would like to do it just to say I did it and lived, but that's more about my own insecurities than anything else. Anyway, I already know I'm tough enough, and anyone who thinks otherwise needs to bourree a mile in my pointe shoes and reassess :) (Okay, it's only like 15 feet from one side of the stage to the other but it feels like a mile!)

I'd also love to be able to train with amazing people like Geoff Neupert and Mark Cheng and Brett Jones and of course Pavel, but with Mark and Tracy Reifkind living only a little more than an hour away I don't need to travel far just to get a great learning experience. And, frankly, travel is an ordeal for me. I just hate it, though I can suck it up when I am strongly motivated.

So, anyway, that's the way my thinking is going at this point, although I have plenty of time for my thoughts to evolve ... and knowing me, I expect they will.

Next post I promise to get back to my HKC play-by-play!

Another take on the Turkish get-up

2009-10-03T19:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's more of a bargain-basement "I Dream Of Jeannie" get-up, but you get the idea :)

I wore this a couple of Christmases ago when I danced the role of a Moorish wind-up doll in Act I of The Nutcracker. Hence the goofy arms and facial expression.

The Turkish Get-Up

2009-10-03T12:17:00.000-07:00

What do we think? I have a small workout area, so not a lot of choice as far as camera angles go, but this seems like it works. The only thing that it doesn't really show is the lockout of the knees and lack of hyperextension in the low back in the top position, but since I wasn't told that these were issues for me I don't believe that will be a problem.

Also, just as a sociological experiment I plan to reshoot this video with me holding an imaginary kettlebell. This is called a "naked get-up." I am anticipating all sorts of blog traffic I would not normally get if I post a video of me doing a "Naked Get-Up".

The HKC: The Play By Play (Part One)

2009-10-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the post you've been waiting for (or not!) If you go to an HKC it probably won't be exactly like this because future events are going to be much smaller, with only maybe 30-40 students in attendance. But in all likelihood it'll be similar enough that this post should give you a fair idea of what to expect if you go.

The event began at 8:30 am sharp (or 6:30 West Coast time, not that I was thinking of such things :)), with registration from 7:45 to 8:15. Since a great many of us were staying at the St. Paul-River Center Holiday Inn recommended by Dragon Door, there were shuttles to take us from the hotel to the Dayton's Bluff Recreation Center some two miles away. The shuttles ran at 7:00 am, 7:20 and 7:45. Miraculously I was actually down in the lobby at 7:00 am (5:00 am West coast time, not that I was thinking of such things), but I opted to take the second shuttle partly because I really needed to get some coffee into me--there was a Room Service screw-up and the coffee maker in my room wasn't functioning properly so I hadn't really had any yet--and partly because it looked like all the RKCs staying at the hotel were going over on the 7:00 bus and I sorta didn't want to be around them at that point.

With the exception of slender, gorgeous Sara Cheatham, Senior RKC (note: all kettlebell women seem to be named Sara/Sarah, except of course for the ones who are named Andrea), they all looked to be brawny young men--bear in mind that anyone under 40 looks young to me!--with veiny forearms, who consume sides of raw beef for breakfast and then pick their teeth with nails they've bent to the proper angle for use as dental instruments. To say that I found them intimidating is an understatement. I mean, I'm sure they put their pants on one leg at a time, but they're probably all doing pistol squats as they do so. (And wouldn't that make an awesome Youtube video?)

While I was waiting in the lobby I saw a very pretty blonde woman in athletic attire emerge from the restaurant. It was, of course, "Strong Sarah" Hill Jones, whom I recognized from her photographs. I introduced myself, and we chatted, mostly about footwear. We both were wearing bubblegum-pink Converse All-Stars (except I think Sarah's might have been Vans or some other brand, but you get the idea), which was sort of amusing given the emphatically non-pink nature of the crowd and the event. Sarah also had Vibrams in her backpack, which she planned to wear for the Turkish get-up portion of the event, although I think her plan was to stick with the Converse for the goblet squats and the swings because she was more used to them. My own plan was to train barefoot if at all possible because it's what I am most accustomed to, although I had the Converse with me in the event we found ourselves outside in a sea of mud.

Note: if you're training for an event, don't experiment with new footwear too close to the date of the event. Stick with what you've worn throughout your training. If you change things up it'll affect your stance, your gait, your distribution of weight, etc., and you may find yourself experiencing aches and pains that you won't be able to fix in time to perform well on the day of the event.)

Sarah and I caught the 7:20 shuttle. This gave us the opportunity to chat with some of our fellow HKC students. My seatmate was a lovely young woman named Dre (short for Andrea of course) from Chicago who was a fitness professional, obviously in great shape, and there to get her teaching credential, while Sarah's was a gentleman from Alaska who was there strictly for the experience. I think this was actually pretty typical. There were a surprising number of basically self-taught kettlebell enthusiasts who'd read about the event on the Dragon Door website and decided this was their chance to learn from the best. These people weren't necessarily interested in teaching so much as in getting good instruction for their own personal benefit. This might seem a bit unreasonable, but consider this: if you live in Alaska and want to train with an RKC, you pretty much are going to have to travel thousands of miles regardless, so why not go all the way to Minnesota when an opportunity like this comes along?

The Dayton's Bluff Rec Center, where the event was held was, well, a recreation center. There was a big indoor basketball court where we registered, as well as a lobby that was set up as a Dragon Door gift shop of sorts where one could buy books, DVDs, t-shirts and the like. I didn't spend much time looking at the merchandise, honestly, because I figured anything I wanted I could order just as easily from the Dragon Door website. Anyway, I was more interested in locating the ladies' room. Always know where the nearest bathroom is, that's my motto.

Registration went smoothly and quickly, which I think is typical of Dragon Door events. They seem to be very good about mailing out necessary paperwork (waivers of liability, publicity rights, etc.) in advance with the idea that you show up with everything already filled out and signed. At registration we were given t-shirts to wear, which were free as long as we agreed to wear them all day. The men's shirts were white, although they didn't stay that way for long, and the women's were red.

Promptly at 8:30 we were told to join our respective teams for pull-up testing. There were 12 teams in all, each under the supervision of a Master or Senior RKC and a Team Assistant (generally an RKC II or CK-FMS). As mentioned below, I had the good fortune to be on Team Neupert, with the fabulous Andrea U-Shi Chang assisting. There were two pull-up bars per team, a high bar for the men and a somewhat lower one for the women. The men's version of the test was 3 pull-ups from a dead hang, chin over the bar, no kipping allowed. The women's version was simply a 15 second flexed arm hang, with assistance if needed to get up to the starting position. Of the women, two of us passed; one did not although she certainly made a tremendous effort. To earn her HKC designation she will need to send in a video of herself performing the flexed arm hang within 3 months' time, which I have no doubt she will be able to do.

After that, we were instructed to grab kettlebells, 12 kg for the ladies and 16 kg for the men, and report to the soccer/football field for instruction in the goblet squat.

More later.

But wait, there's more!

2009-10-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

More reasons why I'm feeling good about my HKC experience, that is.

1. I got to train with the incredible Geoff Neupert, Senior RKC, and Andrea U-Shi Chang, CK-FMS. I can't say enough good things about them. Not every gifted athlete is a gifted teacher, but Andrea and Geoff clearly are both. Exacting but never condescending, strict but never harsh or unkind, they were the ideal instructors and great role models for all of us who intend one day to work with clients. If you live in the Durham, North Carolina, area and are looking for an amazing kettlebell trainer, go see Geoff Neupert. If you live in the Seattle area and are looking for an amazing kettlebell trainer, go see Andrea U-Shi Chang. You won't be sorry!

2. I got to train with the wonderful ladies and gentlemen on Team Neupert. We were a diverse group. There were three women and seven men, ranging in age from early 20s to early 60s. A couple of the young men were in the military, while one was a retired Air Force pilot. We also had a doctor in our group, and of course we had a few fitness professionals. They were wonderful, hardworking, enthusiastic, and never lost their good humor except maybe during the burpees :) I want to give a special shout-out to the lovely Gen Ovalle of Palo Alto, who was my training partner for much of the day. She was one of the two who passed, and deservedly so. Her technique is pretty much perfect, and so is she. If you live in the Palo Alto area and want an introduction to kettlebells, consider hiring her as your instructor.

3. I got to experience Pavel. And believe me, it is an experience! It's hard to know where to start. I have no idea how he acquired his knowledge, but it's obvious he has a profound understanding of exercise science. He is also an excellent communicator and educator.

He's also a great showman. This is not a criticism. When you're teaching an audience of 120 people, all of whom are strangers to you, inevitably you're going to adopt a persona. Any of you who teach group exercise know what I'm talking about. If you're teaching to a small group of people who are pretty well known to you, you can more or less be yourself, but if the group is large and mostly strangers you have to switch gears. If you're a people person at all -- and most good trainers are -- you learn pretty quickly what works for most of the people most of the time, and that becomes your persona. I'm not naturally a super-caffeinated, high-energy, perky cheerleader type at all, but that's what seems to get the best performance out of my cycling classes, so that's who I am when I teach cycling. I suspect Pavel is doing the same sort of thing when he teaches. He's figured out that his students want and need him to play the "evil Russian," so that's who he is at these events. Again, this is not a criticism. Quite the contrary. "Being yourself" is overrated IMO :)

4. I got to meet "Strong Sarah" Hill Jones!!! She is as lovely in person as she is online, and I'm thrilled she is now an HKC. If you live in her area and have an interest in getting started with kettlebells, you couldn't ask for a more wonderful person to train with. I just wish we could have spent more time together.

5. I got to meet kettlebell enthusiasts from all around the country. Kettlebellers are some of the nicest, friendliest people you'll ever meet. It's either the endorphins or the confidence that comes from training with what in essence is a cannonball with a handle attached. You can speak softly when you swing a heavy bell!

More reasons why I'm feeling good about the HKC experience

2009-09-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie: if I'd passed I would be feeling even better. But that's just my neuroses talking.

You know how we all supposedly have an inner child? Mine is a fat kid with coke-bottle glasses who is picked last for every team and gets beaten up a lot for being "different." My inner child expects to fail. Every setback reinforces her low self-esteem ... or would if I allowed it.

Fortunately, I am not my inner child. As the parents among you are well aware, it's no kindness to let the little ones call the shots, because they don't know what's in their own best interests. If I allowed my inner child to dictate my actions I would never leave my house because every excursion outside would mean putting myself out there for someone to judge and reject me! Okay, that's maybe a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.

(My apologies if this is too woo-woo for some of you!)

Anyway, my point here is that going to HKC was a huge step outside my comfort zone. But I took it, even though it was very hard for me. Everything that went wrong in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to the event—the ear infection, the food poisoning, the bits of worrying news from friends and family, the seemingly endless flight delays, and so on and so on—seemed like a sign from on high that this was Not Meant To Be.

But I persisted. So, credit where it’s due, and while this may not seem too impressive to most of you, for me it’s a big deal. Although of course it will be a bigger deal once I have earned that HKC designation :)

Cut To The Chase: No, I Didn't Pass.

2009-09-29T05:16:00.000-07:00

I got dinged for having my wrist bent back during the Turkish get-up portion of the testing. It's okay, though. More than okay, in fact, and here's why:

1. It demonstrates that the HKC is no rubber-stamp joke of a certification. The RKC is not in any way compromising its high standards in introducing this new certification. In fact, on my team I am aware of only 2 people out of 10 who passed. I'm hoping this gives much comfort to all my RKC friends who've worried about a dilution effect.

2. On a personal level it demonstrates that my hypermobile joints and unusual biomechanics are more of a problem than I thought. I've come a long way in improving my joint stability, but I have further to go if I want to reach my full potential as an athlete. I'm very glad to find this out now so I can get to work fixing the problem.

3. My failure to maintain a straight wrist is the only reason I didn't pass. Everything else was good enough. There were no problems with my swings and goblet squats, and everything else about my TGU passed muster as well. How many people out there can say that Geoff Neupert, Master RKC, thinks them competent in the swing and goblet squat?

4. This is only a temporary setback. To get my HKC I must send in a video of myself performing the TGU with a perfectly straight wrist, and I must do that within 3 months. I can do that ... and if for some reason that doesn't work out, I will go to another HKC. Dragon Door plans to offer 100 of them over the next year, and one of them is sure to be in San Francisco.

5. Attending the HKC has given me a much better understanding of what the RKC is all about, and for whom it is appropriate. I'm very glad to know that before committing myself to a grueling and, frankly, costly educational path that ultimately may not be the best choice for my clients. Or it may; I am very much on the fence here. More on that later.

A couple photos from the HKC workshop

2009-09-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Here I am doing halos with an 8 kg kettlebell. This is a shoulder mobility exercise and a great warmup drill. I can't quite explain the expression on my face, other than that it's hard not to look bemused when you're swinging an 18 pound chunk of iron around your head while John DuCane is taking your photograph. This is a spinal rotation drill. Note the angle of my wrist in this photo. It says a lot.

Final kettlebell workouts and checklist for the HKC

2009-09-24T14:43:00.001-07:00

I've been tapering my training a bit so as to be as fresh as possible for the HKC workshop on Saturday. Yesterday I did half an hour or so of mostly swings, with some get-ups, windmills and goblet squats thrown in, plus some pushups and jumping jacks just to keep it moving. I was working out to an audio track I downloaded from http://www.liftkettlebells.com/ a while back, but mostly I ignored the cues and just used it as a way to keep track of my time. The audio workout, incidentally, is called "Easy Kettlebell Workout" or something like that, but frankly that's a stupid name for it because "easy" makes it sound like something for beginners, and any workout that calls for 2 straight minutes of kettlebell swings, the first minute 2-handed and the second minute 1-handed, is NOT for beginners. Considering that most people swing at a cadence of 35-50 swings per minute, that works out to being a 70-100 rep set, and that kind of volume is just not appropriate for a newbie.

This morning I kept it brief: a descending ladder of swings and goblet squats, 10 of each going all the way down to 1 of each, with no pauses, no setting down the kettlebell, no passing Go and no collecting $200. It was way more unpleasant than it sounds.

Then I went flitting off to ballet class. We're starting to rehearse "Waltz of the Flowers" for this year's Nutcracker. We're at a level now where we can pretty much do the full San Francisco Ballet pre-Helgi Thomasson choreography. Not well, necessarily, but we can do it. It's sort of cool if you're into ballet history at all, because the SFB was the first company in the United States to do the Nutcracker, and the choreography we're learning dates back to that first performance.

What else? I've also been doing lots of yoga this week to open up my hips and calm me. It's working better for the former than the latter.

And I have been cutting up socks.

Huh? Here's the deal: we are required to show up at the HKC with some sort of hand protection, I guess on the theory that the extraordinary volume of work we will be doing over the course of the day is going to shred our hands. I've never ripped a callus on my right hand EVER, and I've only ripped them on my left hand after heavy snatch workouts. But I've also never worked with kettlebells for 9 hours in a single day. Therefore, I am bringing protection with me in the form of "sock sleeves" a la Tracy Rifkind. A sock sleeve is simply a two inch portion cut from the top of a medium-weight crew sock, that you wear over the palm of your hand to protect the calluses that form at the base of the fingers, the ones that are most prone to tearing. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it; like other kinds of protection that come to mind it seems to deaden sensation more than I would like. But the alternative--being in too much pain from ripped calluses to perform adequately--is even less appealing, so I'm bringing the sleeves. And tape. And Cornhuskers lotion, decanted into airline-approved 3-ounce bottles.

The weather forecast for Saturday calls for clouds and a chance of showers, with a high temperature in the low 70s. This is good, since the training will be outside and I don't deal well with strong sunshine or very warm temperatures. Living where I do, I am just not used to them. I plan to dress for comfort, in an old pair of Nike pants that are neither too tight nor too baggy, and a Polarfleece zip-neck sweatshirt over a baby t and sports bra. Everything is close-fitting enough to allow the instructors to see what I'm doing--one of my own pet peeves as a trainer is when clients wear attire that's so baggy I can't tell whether their glutes are firing or not!--but not so close-fitting as to make me feel self-conscious. Oh, and I will be wearing my obnoxious pink Chucks, although I plan to take them off and go barefoot unless the field where we're training is too wet for that to be an option.

What else? Lots of sunscreen, of course. After my skin cancer scare last winter I am more paranoid about that than ever. No sunglasses because I need my regular glasses to see. A bath towel, presumably to be used for the towel swing corrective drill and God only knows what other nefarious purposes. NSAIDS. Water. Some envelopes of recovery drink--enough to meet my own needs and also some extra in case there's anyone on my team who doesn't think to bring his or her own. I want to be successful myself, of course, but if I can help others succeed as well it'll be that much better an experience for me.

Above all I want to bring a good attitude and positive energy, because when you're working in a group it's important not to bring others down with a lot of whining and negativity. If at some point it becomes obvious that I'm in over my head I will be disappointed but I will deal with it gracefully and focus on making it a "failing forward" experience.

The world needs more good kettlebell instructors. I hope I have what it takes to be one of them, but if not it's better to find that out now so I can regroup and form a better plan of action that will allow me to succeed in the future.

Thank you, Jillian Michaels ...

2009-09-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

for your genius demonstration of why you should not attempt to learn kettlebells from someone who is not a certified kettlebell instructor!

That photo of Jillian on the DVD kinda tells you everything you need to know about her "kettlebell" workout right there.

First, that thing she's holding in her hand is not a kettlebell. It's a handle with plates. With all the plates inserted it may indeed act like a kettlebell. I haven't played with it or even seen it in person, so I can't really give an informed opinion on that score. When not fully loaded, however, I don't see how it possibly could act like a kettlebell. The shape would be different, which would affect the center of gravity and hence the way the kettlebell moves through space. You might be able to do some safe and effective exercises with it Ior not!), but they wouldn't be kettlebell exercises per se.

Second, Jillian apparently still hasn't learned what a proper rack position looks like. Check out the way her wrist is bent backward. This is a common issue for kettlebellers, and something that must be overcome for safety's sake. I totally get that it's not easy, and I don't blame Jillian for struggling with it. I did and still do when I'm using anything heavier than 8 kg. It takes constant vigilance to keep my wrist straight, and when I can't do it any more that's when I need to end my session. Thing is, I'm not hawking DVDs on QVC, and Jillian is. She owes it to her fans to model perfect form, and if she can't do it she shouldn't be making kettlebell DVDs or using kettlebells with her victims on "The Biggest Loser."

The bent-back wrist is only part of what's wrong with Jillian's rack, but I'm not going to get into it because I don't have sufficient knowledge to presume to instruct anyone on the finer points of the rack position. Go to www.dragondoor.com and you'll find plenty of articles on the subject, written by people who know more about it than I ever will.

I'd stop here, but as it happens I caught a clip of Jillian on QVC promoting her product, and, well, it was probably the scariest thing I've seen on TV since Dick Cheney last made the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows. Jillian, it has been months since your original "Biggest Loser" kettlebell fiasco. If at this point you still think that a swing consists of a squat and a lift, there is absolutely no hope for you. You obviously are too arrogant to seek instruction from people who actually know what to do with a kettlebell. Too arrogant, or maybe you just don't care enough about the safety of the people who look to you for instruction. Either way, it sucks.

I can't even make fun of what I saw on QVC because it was too upsetting. People will get hurt doing "hero swings" (swings with a pivot or jump at the midpoint) and cleans ending in what Pavel calls "the broken arm position" instead of the rack position, with cushy crosstrainers on their feet instead of something flat that'll allow for proper recruitment of the posterior chain.

People will get hurt. I hate that.

Just to clarify:

2009-09-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have been working out an average of 4-5 days per week, just not at my usual intensity. It's frustrating when I want to be working much harder, but I know it wouldn't be good for me in the long run. Just as an example, last week I did a circuit that included sets of kettlebell high pulls, 10 per side. I used 16 kg ... which was stupid of me, and my back hasn't felt quite right ever since. I should either have used 12 kg or done fewer high pulls per set.

The workout, incidentally, was from the new Turbulence Training Kettlebell Revolution program. The circuit consisted of the following:

10 squat jumps
10 jump lunges per side
5 kettlebell push presses per side
the aforementioned high pulls
20 mountain climbers
25 2-arm kettlebell swings

Lather rinse repeat 3-5 times. Since it was my first time doing the workout I went through the circuit only 3 times, and that was enough.

I'm still not sure what I think of the program as a whole. My initial impression is that the workouts are decent and the progression is sensible, but that the written instructional materials are woefully inadequate. I believe there are some videos on Youtube that are meant to supplement the instruction provided in the handbook, and I would hope they do a better job of explaining how to perform the various exercises. I mean, I'm sure they do. Even so, I think that anyone new to kettlebells who decides to invest in the program would be well advised to get some in-person instruction from an RKC or other certified kettlebell instructor, because even a terrific instructional video doesn't give feedback and provide form corrections.

My other impression is that while the workouts seem fine for general conditioning and fat loss, they probably aren't the best choice if your goal is genuine proficiency with kettlebells because even at the advanced levels there's nothing like the volume of kettlebell work you get on a program like "Enter The Kettlebell!" This is not a criticism, just an observation. Not everyone is an aspiring kettlebell instructor after all!

One of the things I like about the program is that at each level there's a "challenge" workout provided. You need to be able to complete the challenge workout within the prescribed period of time before you can move on to the next level. The challenge workout for Phase 1 of the Advanced program, for example, requires you to complete the following in under 12 minutes:

10 snatches per arm
40 pushups
20 chin-ups
40 prisoner squats
20 military presses per arm
40 swings

Exercises must be performed in the order in which they appear, and all repetitions of each exercise must be completed before you can move on to the next exercise. I like the concept because it tends to discourage people from getting ahead of themselves, although I'm not sure what I think about the actual substance of the challenge. For most women, at least, I think 10 chin-ups (or 20 jumping or band-assisted chins) would be a more appropriate number in this context.

Goddess help me, it's come to this...

2009-09-21T05:53:00.000-07:00

I'm taking comfort and inspiration from the "Chicken Soup" guy, Mark Victor Hansen:

Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.

But you know what? I reallyreally like this quote. It speaks to me these days. Because right now I'm in a phase of my life that really kinda sucks on a variety of fronts. The older members of my family are dealing with the inevitable consequences of old age and (in some cases) unhealthy lifestyles, and the younger members are ... well, let's just say that they're no longer so young that the trouble they get into is inconsequential. Money is a worry. I have trouble sleeping. My migraines have become more frequent. I'm fighting off a couple of low-grade infections. In itself none of it is hugely troubling, but cumulatively it's a bit much.

But as Mr. Hansen says, so what? If I wait for things to get better, I may be waiting a long long time, because the fact is, things are about as good right now as they're likely to be for the next few years. The best-the only--course of action possible for me right now is simply to proceed as if conditions were optimal. I may not be able to achieve as much as I would if conditions actually were optimal, but I'm bound to get further than I would if I simply sat around waiting for the clouds to part and a rainbow to appear.

In terms of my workouts, this has meant trying to keep up with my conditioning as best I can without putting myself at risk of injury. I will do my best at the HKC workshop this Saturday, but if my best isn't good enough to earn me a certification right now, so be it. I will learn a lot regardless, and it will be a great experience to work with some of the finest instructors and most amazing athletes in the world.

Sunday workout

2009-09-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Turkish getup into windmill: singles x 12 kg, 5 per side working continuously. Shoulder girdle felt pretty solid throughout so I was happy.

Then intervals. I did 10 rounds of the following:

25 swings x 16 kg
10 squat thrusts

I gave myself 20 minutes to do the 10 rounds, starting at the top of the minute every other minute, for about a 1:1 ratio of work to rest. But it still sucked.

Workout du jour: Dave Whitley tried to kill me today ...

2009-09-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

but I prevailed, sort of.

I heart Dave Whitley. He's a Senior RKC based in Nashville TN, and they call him "the Irontamer." Or maybe that's just what he calls himself, I don't know. But I pity the fool who dares challenge his right to do so! He's a barrel-chested bear of a guy with arms that look to be the size of most people's legs ... and a touch of Tennessee in his voice that reminds me of my in-laws. But I like him anyway :)

He's also got a sadistic streak, as evidenced by his 101 Kettlebell Workouts and his 102 Kettlebell Workouts. Nothing fancy here: just kettlebells, kettlebells and more kettlebells, along with the usual bodyweight suspects--burpees, pushups, pullups and such. There are workouts for general conditioning, size and strength, fat loss, endurance and so forth, using such principles as German Volume Training, escalating density training, interval training, circuits, ladders and more. All the workouts are time-efficient with a certain number specifically designated as workouts that can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

I did one of those today.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

The format was simple: swings, goblet squats, clean & press, pushups, snatches. Do as many reps of each exercise as possible in 5 minutes, resting 1 minute between exercises.

Here's how I chose to do it: 20 swings x 16 kg at the top of each minute for 5 minutes for a total of 100; 10 goblet squats x16 kg at the top of each minute for 5 minutes for a total of 50; clean & press 4x5 per side x 12 kg for a total of 20 per side; 10 pushups every 30 seconds for a total of 100; 5/5, 6/6, 7/7, 8/8, 10/10 snatches per side x 12 kg beginning each set at the top of the minute for a total of 36 per side.

Oh, and I didn't take the minute of rest between exercises. I honestly didn't need it after the swings and squats because I found I wasn't working anywhere near capacity. The clean & press was more challenging. I probably could have gotten a few more reps but I didn't want to sacrifice quality for quantity. The pushups well and truly sucked. With the snatches, again I could have gotten more reps although probably not 100 without my form going all to heck and my hands getting ripped up.

Anyway, next time I do the workout I will definitely push harder during the swings and goblet squats, and I will take the minute of rest between exercises. I'll probably also be able to improve my performance on the clean and press and the snatches since my hands will be tougher and I won't be so out of practice. Don't know about the pushups. Did I already mention that they sucked?

Training for a multi-sport event

2009-09-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Last week a client came to me with an interesting request: to create a training program that will prepare him to compete in the World Police & Fire Games in 2010. The competition consists of 8 events:

a 3 mile run
a 100 yard sprint
a 100 yard freestyle swim
max rep pull-ups
a rope climb
bench press (max weight, 2 attempts)
an obstacle course
shot put with 12 lbs

What's interesting about the event is that it requires competitors to be strong in a number of areas, some of which are complimentary and some of which are very nearly mutually exclusive. Put it this way: I've never met an outstanding endurance athlete who also had a great bench press, and I've never met an outstanding powerlifter who could also run a really fast 5k. On the other hand, I've trained some very good freestyle sprinters who can also rock the pull-ups, throws and rope climbs because all these events require high levels of explosive strength and power in the upper body. This also tends to translate to a good level of strength in the bench press, although generally speaking the athletes who really excel at bodyweight drills don't have sufficient muscle mass in the upper body to be truly world class at bench-pressing. Put otherwise, they have a high level of relative strength, but not necessarily a high level of absolute strength.

Anyhoo, in designing a training program for a multi-sport event such as this, the first thing I do is consider the motor skills needed for outstanding performance in each sport, then build a training program that emphasizes skills used in multiple sports so that the program makes the best possible use of the athlete's time. Of course to some extent the athlete is going to be developing these skills simply by practicing the sport, but supplementary training is also critical because it allows you to break down complex movement patterns into their component parts and bring up any weak areas that may be limiting performance of the movement as a whole. Just as an example, sprinting is performed primarily in the sagittal (front to back) plane of motion, but it also requires a high level of frontal (side to side) and transverse (rotational) plane stabilization and action. This is why cariocas and side shuffles are great drills for track and field athletes!

Supplemental training also plays a crucial role in injury prevention. As an athlete's training volume increases, any muscle imbalances he may have (and we've all got a few!) are going to be exacerbated. Likewise he may develop new imbalances due to the demands of his sport. Swimmers, for example, often have tight lats, pecs, upper traps and anterior delts, and weak lower traps and rhomboids, resulting in a poor level of scapular control, a less powerful swim stroke, and possibly even shoulder injury. Therefore the swimmer's dryland training program must include appropriate corrective flexibility for the tight areas and specific strengthening for the weak, underdeveloped areas. This will allow his body to withstand the stresses of intense training while also improving neuromuscular efficiency and athletic performance. Quite simply, our bodies work best when everything is in balance!

I think this is why aesthetically the bodies we admire are those that have perfect symmetry. A body where everything is in proportion tends to be a healthy, well-functioning body, and of course from an evolutionary standpoint one wants one's mate to have those characteristics!

And, yes, I'm digressing ... but the fact is, most people, even those who are committed athletes, want bodies that look good as well as bodies that perform well. This is why as far as I am concerned corrective exercise and functional training are foundational for everyone from decathletes to bodybuilders. They are elements of every program I write, whatever the client's starting point and whatever his objectives. This is not to say that they aren't highly individualized--in fact, they are probably the single most individualized component of the program because our imbalances are as unique as we are, a function of our individual biomechanics in conjunction with everything we've been doing or not doing to ourselves since the day we were born. I could be training a whole team of people to compete in the same event, yet no two would have exactly the same program because no two would have exactly the same set of strengths and weaknesses.

Getting back on track slowly

2009-09-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

I just haven't been feeling it lately, but I suppose that's to be expected given that I've only been back for a couple of days. I forced myself to stay up until 9:00 pm last night, so was able to sleep until 5:30 this morning. Another night or two and I should be pretty much back on west coast time.

I've increased my calories a bit in the hope that it'll give me more energy. We'll see how that goes. The first few pounds came off so easily that I'm not too worried about losing the rest when I'm ready to make that my focus.

In terms of my workouts, I've decided I'm just not ready to progress to the Rite of Passage with 16 kg. ETK! recommends that the clean & press ladders be performed with a weight you can press at least 5 times, and I can't do that with the 16 kg yet. It's okay, though. If I keep doing loaded cleans, get-ups and push presses with the 16 kg I will get there. I'm close. It'll happen.

For now, though, I'm choosing to focus on swings, get-ups and goblet squats--the three exercises that will be taught at the HKC, which is in three (!) weeks. I'm really trying not to be anxious about it. I will pass, or I won't, but either way I will have had an amazing learning experience that will make me stronger and better prepared for the next stage in my journey.

Anyhoo, here's what I did Wednesday:

3 TGU x 12 kg, 3 pullups, 30 swings x 16 kg
2 TGU x12 kg, 2 pullups, 20 swings x 16 kg
1 TGU x 12 kg, 1 pullup, 10 swings x 16 kg

That was all one circuit, which I repeated 3x.

Thursday was even simpler:

TGU x 16 kg, 10 per side, alternating sides every rep
1-arm swings x 16 kg, 5 x 10 per side

The plan for today is a variation on Thursday's workout:

30 swings x 16 kg
5 pullups
20 swings x 16 kg
5 goblet squats x 16 kg
10 swings
1 TGU x 16 kg

Lather, rinse, repeat 3-5x

Home again ...

2009-09-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

and feeling kinda wiped out after 8 days of traveling and caretaking.

A word to the wise: if you have an orthopedic problem of some sort that cannot be corrected nonsurgically, suck it up and have the operation sooner rather than later. The longer you wait, the more serious the problem will get, and the more prolonged your recovery time will be. My MIL was first told she needed foot surgery some 20 years ago, but it wasn't until her feet became deformed to the point that she could no longer wear shoes that she finally had the operation. She's 75 now, and a 75-year-old body simply doesn't recover as quickly as a 55-year-old body. Not to mention, if you've got problems in your feet you inevitably are going to develop compensatory movement patterns that over time are going to cause problems elsewhere in your body.

My MIL lives in the southwest corner of Virginia, in a little town called Marion. Marion is not without interest. When Nolan Ryan was in the minors, he played briefly for the Marion Mets. The first contestant voted off "Survivor: China" was a Marion man. Marion boasts one of only three Art Deco Mayan Revival Style movie theaters in the country, and very possibly the only one that contains murals of General Lee reviewing the Confederate troops and other scenes from local history.

They don't build 'em like that any more, and it's a shame, really, because if the movie sucks there's nothing else in the theatre to keep you amused.

As it happened I was only able to work out twice while I was away. Since I was mostly eating on other people's schedules I didn't have much success with getting in a meal every three hours, but I at least was able to keep my calories at an appropriate level. A few people did feel it necessary to comment on my food choices (mostly fruits and vegetables, nonfat dairy, small portions of fish and chicken when available, no bread, potatoes or desserts) which is always tiresome but I can handle it.

My last kettlebell workout was 8 days ago, and I kind of liked it. I did a reverse ladder thing: 3 get-ups R/L, 3 pullups, 30 swings, 2 get-ups R/L, 2 pullups, 20 swings, 1 get-up R/L, 1 pull-up, 10 swings, repeated 3x. I might repeat it again today. I've also got ballet class, which should be interesting. It's 8 am and I have already been up for 4 hours. Thank goodness I don't have any clients this evening!

I've gotten through all the prescribed ETK Program Minimum workouts with my 16 kg ...

2009-08-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

but I'm not happy with where I am strength-wise. Probably this is because of my possibly ill-considered decision to cut calories in the interest of losing a bit of body fat. I'm down about 3 pounds since going "on plan" two weeks ago, which is good because it means my body is still responding to basically the same strategies that have always worked for me when I want to lose fat. On the other hand ... losing a pound and a half a week is fairly aggressive for someone my size, so it's not surprising I'm not performing as well during my workouts. I need to do some more strategic thinking while I am on the road, to make sure I am in as good condition as possible for the HKC in September.

In a way it kinda sucks that this is the very first one since it means I really have no idea what to expect. It's billed as an entry level workshop, with no previous kettlebell experience necessary, and to earn the HKC designation I will need to demonstrate competence but not necessarily perfection in three basic movement patterns: the swing, the goblet squat and the get-up. None of that sounds too terribly intimidating ... but I'd be a fool to take any of that at face value :) Not that I'm not a fool, but you know what I mean. I fully expect that it will be incredibly intense and I will probably find out I suck in all kinds of ways I know about, and some I don't.

I just hope they don't laugh at the tiny old lady in their midst, and tell me to go take a Pilates class instead.

(Note: I don't actually expect that to happen. I'm sure they will be very respectful when they tell me never to darken their door again.)

On the bright side my pointe work is looking really strong. I've finally found what are the perfect shoes for my feet, and it's making all the difference in the world. That, and all the kettlebell swings. I think I might be able to do an easy solo en pointe in December--say, the ballerina doll bit from Act 1 of the Nutcracker--and I haven't been that strong in, oh, 35 years or so :) It seems my body knows how to dance even when I'm in a calorie deficit. Well, duh. That's how most dancers do it.

Fitness role model du jour: Alicia Alonso

2009-08-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

Alicia Alonso, the Cuban prima ballerina assoluta, was one of the great ballerinas of the 20th century, though she's not so well known in the US because after the revolution in Cuba she wasn't seen much in this country. Her most famous role was Giselle. Here are some clips of her dancing the same entrechat sequence from the second act.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdLnWVvdD3k&feature=related

In the first of the clips, filmed in the early 60s, she was 43. In the last she was in her 70s. Still en pointe, still able to keep up with the music, still exquisite. Whenever I think about hanging up my pointe shoes, I remember Alicia Alonso and her incredible career of 50-plus years.

From a fitness standpoint, I think one of the keys to her amazing longevity as a dancer is that for a ballerina she had a very muscular build and feet that were more notable for their strength than their flexibility. This was actually pretty standard in the dance world pre-Balanchine ... and guess what? Those ballerinas had longer careers. These days if a female dancer is still with a company at age 40 it's pretty unusual, but that didn't use to be the case and I'm convinced it's largely because of the current craze for ballerinas with long, thin limbs and hyperextended joints. That kind of body just can't take the repetitive stress of dancing the way a stronger, better aligned body can.

Oh, and did I mention that Alicia Alonso was very nearly blind? That part boggles my mind even more than her age because I am so dependent on my eyesight when I dance. Try balancing on one leg with your eyes closed, and you'll see what I mean. Most people can't do it for more than a few seconds. You can? Great! Now try it on releve, with your working leg in back coupe. And if that's a piece of cake, get out your pointes and knock yourself out. Seriously, I can't even imagine how she did it.

This Week's Challenge

2009-08-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I will be leaving town, and won't be back until the following Tuesday. I expect my time to be pretty filled with family obligations, and I won't be able to bring any fitness equipment with me other than a resistance band. I don't think even TRX workouts will be feasible because we will be staying in some older houses that may not have sturdy enough doors to work as attachment points. Maintaining my conditioning will be difficult, and my hands won't thank me for spending so long away from my kettlebell, but I have no choice. Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands toughened up again before the HKC at the end of the month, and hopefully I won't gain back too much of the weight I've lost.

My plan is to try to get in as many bodyweight circuit workouts as I can. Here's an example using Craig Ballantyne's Depletion Workout as a template:

Jump squats, 30 sec
Pushups, 30 sec.
Prisoner lunges, 30 sec.
1-leg deadlifts, 30 sec.
Prone runners, 30 sec.

Repeat as many times as possible in 20 minutes.

For strength, I figure this will be a great time to work on pistols, 1-arm pushups, plyo pushups, pike holds, and the like.

I may have an opportunity to visit a Wellness Center or some such thing, but I will be there mostly to assist my MIL, who is recovering from foot surgery and wants some exercises she can do to maintain her strength and cardiovascular conditioning until she is well enough to get back to her usual routine. That should be interesting.

Blogs of note

2009-08-22T13:06:00.001-07:00

You may have noticed that I've got links posted to about 25 blogs. Please check them out when you have a minute or 5,000. Not to blow my own horn or anything, but I have really good taste when it comes to blogs, and if I think someone's posts are worth reading it's likely you will agree. Not all my blogger peeps are health and/or fitness professionals, but all share a passion for fitness and a dedication to getting results, and they're all pretty cool and interesting individuals with great things to say on a variety of topics.

Just as an example, if you've got an interest in grain-free living you'll definitely want to check out Bob Garon's latest post at the Synergy Kettlebell Training site. He lists a whole slew of grain free, Primal-friendly alternatives to bread, muffins, pasta, mashed potatoes, and so forth. These are not necessarily low calorie foods, and they certainly aren't low fat, but enjoyed in moderation it's hard to see how they wouldn't be a worthy addition to just about any eating plan. Most of us get way more starch than we need, and especially as we get older it's not doing us or our waistlines any favors. So why not try replacing your whole wheat toast with a wedge of wheat-free, gluten-free, EFA-rich flax bread?

Here's a wonderful-looking recipe for Golden Flax Bread from The Medicine Woman's Roots (http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=394):

Ingredients:

2/3 C flax meal
1/3 C almond meal (optional, but nice, other nut meals such as acorn can be substituted)
1 - 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
Salt to taste (I like more salt in my flax bread than I would in regular wheat bread)
appr 3 tsp olive oil or butter or unrefined coconut oil (depending on what kind of flavor you want)
2 eggs (1 egg will suffice, but 2 eggs holds together just a bit better)
water to texture desired (it makes a big difference, and the wetter it is, the harder it is to get it to cook all the way through, I go for minimal water needed to get things fluid enough to pour the batter)

Mix dry ingredients together well. Gently beat eggs together before adding (optional, but it blends better that way.

The recipe will work for a regular sized pie tin or small loaf pan. Double the recipe for a more normal sized bread loaf pan.Don’t forget to oil the pan well before pouring the batter in.

Get your oven nice and hot, about the temperature at which you would cook cornbread. Bake for appr. 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Toothpick or butter knife should could out clean if you insert it into the center of the bread. Enjoy fresh out of the oven or at room temperature for a nice sandwich.

Variations:

For an herbed bread: add small chunks of sharp chedder cheese, a TB of crushed thyme, a Tsp of crushed sage, a tsp of oregano or beebalm, small handful of fresh chopped Rosemary, fresh ground black pepper to taste and maybe some coarse salt on top. You can even add some green onion, broccoli or nettles for extra panache if you like.

Sweet Bread: add cinnamon, honey, cardamom, vanilla and even some fresh fruit like sliced strawberries.

Pancakes: just make the batter thin enough to spread on a hot cast iron pan or griddle. Unsweetened applesauce is nice in the pancakes instead of water.

This is only one of the great recipes linked at Bob's site. So check it out if you like to cook, or eat, or you know someone who does.

Weight is moving, weights are not.

2009-08-21T10:19:00.001-07:00

Not so much anyway.

For hormonal reasons I decided to make this week kind of a back-off week, as much as I can given that I'm on week 4 of the ETK program minimum. I've been doing my 5 minutes of get-ups and 12 minutes of swings, but nothing extra other than the stuff I always do (cycling, ballet). I think I'm about to where I can safely kick things back up a notch or two, though. Today I'd like to add some high pulls and snatches to my get-up workout, and I think tomorrow some cleans and presses might be a good addition to my swings.

My first 50-rep swing workout with the 16 kg kettlebell was brutal. I really had to concentrate to keep my low back from rounding as I fatigued. It was extremely helpful that I was working out in front of a mirror, because my proprioception was a little off for reasons that will be obvious to my female readers.

I had an interesting insight while I was doing my warm-up, again in front of the mirror. When I come down into a rock-bottom squat my pelvis wants to tuck under and my lumbar spine wants to round. If I stop a couple inches higher my form stays perfect, so that's what I need to be doing until I get more flexibility in the hamstrings. I think it's my hammies that are the issue, anyway. Mine are actually a good bit more flexible than most people's, but they're not as flexible as they could be.

Even though I haven't been exercising as much, the scale has been moving in the right direction thanks to the changes in my diet. My house is cleaner also. Actually, at this point it's clean enough that it doesn't take too long to maintain it at its current level of not-quite-squalor. (Let's face it, people: when I say I am by nature messier than the average bear, I mean it quite literally.) So I've been doing lots of needlepoint and cross-stitch. My favorite cross-stitch designs are from www.subversivecrossstitch.com (warning: do not click on the link if strong language offends you) but I also do the normal kind. I've even been known to create my own designs.

I should come up with one that has a kettlebell on it.

Why Reading Time Magazine Won't Make You Well-Informed

2009-08-18T19:46:00.001-07:00

The idea that exercise doesn't facilitate weight loss is not new. Remember Bob Greene, Oprah's "trainer" way back when? He discouraged Oprah from performing resistance training as part of her weight loss routine on the theory that people who lift weights tend to eat more and gain weight instead of losing it. Plainly he was right: just look at Oprah's success in losing weight and keeping it off. Um, yeah.

I'm not even going to say mean things about John Cloud and his article, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin." I'm just going to quote from it.

As I write this, tomorrow is Tuesday, which is a cardio day. I'll spend five minutes warming up on the VersaClimber, a towering machine that requires you to move your arms and legs simultaneously. Then I'll do 30 minutes on a stair mill. On Wednesday a personal trainer will work me like a farm animal for an hour, sometimes to the point that I am dizzy — an abuse for which I pay as much as I spend on groceries in a week. Thursday is "body wedge" class, which involves another exercise contraption, this one a large foam wedge from which I will push myself up in various hateful ways for an hour. Friday will bring a 5.5-mile run, the extra half-mile my grueling expiation of any gastronomical indulgences during the week.

I have exercised like this — obsessively, a bit grimly — for years, but recently I began to wonder: Why am I doing this? .... One of the most widely accepted, commonly repeated assumptions in our culture is that if you exercise, you will lose weight. But I exercise all the time, and ... I still have gut fat that hangs over my belt when I sit. Why isn't all the exercise wiping it out?

Right. If you read this blog regularly, you know that for fat loss resistance training is critical. Assuming that what Mr. Cloud does with his trainer on Wednesdays constitutes some form of resistance training, and assuming the same thing about his "body wedge class" on Thursdays, he evidently performs strength training twice a week. That's not terrible in itself, but Mr. Cloud is screwing up bigtime by doing his resistance training on consecutive days instead of putting a day in between so that his muscles have a chance to recover and get stronger. No wonder he's not seeing changes. If I were Mr Cloud's trainer I'd tell him to drop the Thursday class, do his run on that day instead, and give him a total body strength workout to perform on his own on Fridays if he didn't want to spring for a second weekly PT session.

I'd also point out to him that adding an extra half mile to his weekly run isn't going to expiate much in the way of gastronomical indulgence.

And, finally, I would ask him how long he's been on the same schedule, doing that same 30 minutes on the stairmill and that same 5.5 mile run. I would ask him when he last increased the resistance on the stairmill, or increased the speed and incline settings on the treadmill. Even a great fat loss routine, which Mr. Cloud's is not, is going to stop working after a while.

The problem is not that exercise won't make you thin. The problem is that the way Mr. Cloud exercises won't make him thin, particularly since by his own admission he's in the habit of rewarding himself with a blueberry bar after exercise. Not a great choice of post workout snack unless the blueberry bar happens to be low in fat, and have about a 4:1 ratio of good carbs to protein ... and somehow I don't think that's the kind of bar he's talking about. If it's the kind you buy at Starbucks it probably has at least as many calories as were burned during the workout, Not only that, but they're pretty much all empty calories with none of the nutrients needed for post workout recovery.

To support his argument that exercise is useless or even counterproductive for weight loss Mr. Cloud cites a study showing that women who exercised but did not diet lost no more weight over time than women who did not exercise. The reason the exercisers in the study did not lose more weight is that they were "compensators" who increased their calorie intake on days they exercised, either because they felt hungrier or believed they were entitled to a reward for their efforts.

Fine. But here's the thing: it's perfectly possible to exercise without eating more. Really, it is. People do it all the time. It may not always be easy, but if we're sufficiently motivated to lose weight we can manage to tolerate the mild hunger pangs we may sometimes feel when we're in a calorie deficit. If the goal of losing his gut fat were important to Mr. Cloud I have no doubt but that he could manage to suck it up and do his cardio without having a blueberry bar afterward.

If I can do it, so can he.

Hanging in there with the workouts ...

2009-08-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

although I'm starting to notice I have a little less energy than usual. This could be due to where I am in my monthly cycle, or it could be because I'm eating less, or it could be a combination of the two.

I'm up to doing sets of 40 swings with the 16 kg kettlebell, with a minute of active recovery between sets. I can complete 6 sets in 12 minutes, so that's 240 swings total on the days I do swings. Terrifyingly, I think I am supposed to increase to 50 swings next time.

I usually combine my prescribed ETK workouts with a bit of something else. On Wednesday, for instance, I tried doing some clean & press ladders with the 16 kg. I actually made it through 2 3-rung ladders before I hit the wall on the press. That's significant, because a couple of weeks ago I couldn't press the 16 kg more than once on each side. After I hit my limit on the presses I switched to loaded cleans, sets of 5 on each side, 3 sets total. "Loading" a clean means creating as much tension and compression through your body as possible. Think of a tightly coiled spring--that's the feeling you want. Uncoil the spring and unbelievable energy is released, making the press possible. That's the theory, anyway.

On Thursday I just did my 5 minutes of Turkish get-ups. I also had 90 minutes of ballet to get through as well as a 45 minute cycling class.

On Friday I was feeling pretty wiped out, so took a complete rest day from exercise.

I didn't have a whole lot more energy today but wanted to get on with my kettlebell training anyway. As well as doing my 6 sets of 40 swings I did 5 sets of high pulls, 5 right and 5 left, and three sets of snatches, again 5 right and 5 left. The idea of doing sets of 10 per side boggles my mind, but if I do ladders I think I can work up to it pretty quickly.

My parents are visiting, and my dad wanted to know what Turkish get-ups and snatches are. So I demo'd. My dad immediately saw the usefulness of the get-up and wanted to give it a try, so I coached him through the stages with one of my flip-flops balanced on his knuckles. He did great on his right side but failed almost immediately on his left, which puzzled me until I remembered he has a massive scar on that side from when he had a cancerous kidney removed. The surgery was over 15 years ago but when your core musculature has sustained that kind of trauma you never recover from it fully. So actually it was pretty cool to figure that out, and I will give my dad some core exercises so he can get to work correcting the imbalance as much as possible.

This is why I am so excited that I will be attending the Dragon Door HKC certification workshop next month. I will come away with a much greater understanding of swings, TGUs and goblet squats, and a set of tools for teaching these powerful movements to my clients so they can get rid of their low back pain, their shoulder issues, and their achy knees once and for all. I just hope my own proficiency is adequate to earn me the certification! Oh well ... if it's not at least I will have had a tremendous learning experience and will know what I need to fix so I can do better the next time. And there will be a next time, and a next. My ultimate goal is the CK-FMS certification, which combines kettlebell training with Gray Cook's Functional Movement Screen, so that means becoming an RKC which I hope to do in 2010, ideally before I turn 48 :) Macho-man badass feats of strength and endurance are great fun, but they really are not what I am about. I mean, really, who cares that I can snatch a 12 kg kettlebell 200 times in 10 minutes? It's an accomplishment, but it's a sterile accomplishment. It doesn't do anything for anyone. It's not even particularly entertaining to watch. Nope, what motivates me is the prospect of being better able to help folks in their 60s and 70s get down on the floor so they can play with their grandkids.

I'm all about the clean these days ....

2009-08-13T19:55:00.001-07:00

No, not the kettlebell clean, though there has been some of that happening as well. More on that later.

I think I mentioned a couple posts down that I'm looking to lose some weight/body fat. Not a lot, just five pounds or so. Maybe not even that. I have roughly 100 pounds of lean mass, so my body fat percentage is already down in the teens. Plenty lean, but I'm used to myself a little leaner and a little lighter.

It has been some time since I've had to give much thought to my weight. When I was around 40 it finally clicked for me that starch is really not my friend, and once that piece fell into place it became easy for me to achieve and maintain a very lean (>15%) body composition.

Of course I pretty much knew that I couldn't count on that happy state of affairs continuing indefinitely and, sure enough, as my 47th birthday drew near it became obvious to me that my metabolic free ride was coming to a close. Even though I was working out hard and eating no more than usual, my weight was creeping inexorably upward. And it wasn't because I was building muscle. I've been lifting serious weights for long enough that I pretty much know I'm not going to be adding an appreciable amount of muscle unless someone slips me some steroids, and anyway I haven't been training for mass. Besides, my waist was getting thicker and my thighs were losing some of their definition ... and if those aren't signs of fat gain then I'm Jillian Michaels.

And I want it gone. I swear I don't mind getting older. I don't mind the gray hairs, at least when they confine themselves to my head, and I don't even mind the crows' feet and the splotches on my cheekbones that I tell myself are freckles but really aren't. All that is mostly genetic and I've got no real control over it. But I do want to control what I can, and my weight certainly falls into that category.

The last time I went on anything resembling an eating plan was 5 or 6 years ago when I did Body for Life. I did a modified version, sticking pretty closely to the recommended eating schedule, calorie allowance, and and macronutrient ratios (40/40/20), but consuming fewer grains and processed foods than allowed. Since it worked well then, I'm doing something similar now. I know that intermittent fasting and Warrior-Diet type plans are very popular alternatives, but since I tend to feel fairly awful if I go for too long without eating those plans hold little appeal for me. Actually, any eating plan that doesn't involve Absolut Citron and peanut butter by the tablespoon-ful holds very little appeal for me, but whatever.

As I've said before, I'm a great believer in not making myself crazier than I must, but at the same time I'm realistic about the fact that what I want to achieve won't be easy, particularly since I'm trying to get stronger as well as lose fat. I can't cut my calories too aggressively, and I need to be sure I'm getting enough protein and complex carbs to maintain my muscle mass. I chose a target of 1400-1700 clean, unprocessed calories per day, spread out over 5 meals, and about 100 grams of protein per day, again spread out over 5 meals. That's about as much as I can stand thinking about at one time, so my plan is to stay within that framework, then make adjustments as needed depending on how I do.

I've been on plan now for four days, and so far so good. Except that sometimes I want to eat more than the 300-400 calories I am allowed per meal. It's not a problem when I'm out, because once my food is gone it's gone. But when I am at home I need to distract myself.

So I have been cleaning. And cleaning. And cleaning some more.

Have I mentioned that I hate to clean, and am a terrible, terrible housekeeper?

In the process of cleaning my house I have made some interesting observations. For instance, I am fairly sure that women's shoes are the larvae of men's t-shirts. I am sure I am not the only female who has purchased an item of clothing secure in the knowledge that I already own the perfect shoes to complete the outfit, only to find when I get home that the shoes I remember are missing from my closet. Sure, I may own similar shoes, but not the ones I distinctly remember possessing. They must have gone somewhere, and I'm pretty sure my husband's t-shirt drawer is where they end up. That man owns dozens of t-shirts commemorating his participation in various athletic events he never competed in, promoting teams he does not support, advertising businesses he does not patronize, and commemorating visits to places he has never been. They must have come from somewhere, and the reasonable assumption is that they metamorphosed from my shoes.

Y'all know what I mean, right? Or do I need to go eat something?

Metabolic Density Training the Irontamer Way!

2009-08-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

According to "Irontamer" Dave Whitley, Senior RKC, it IS possible to outsnatch a donut. That's good news if you're someone like me who likes to eat and isn't afraid of a little hard work. Okay, a LOT of hard work.

His formula for weight control involves a variation on what Charles Staley calls Escalating Density Training (EDT) and Alwyn Cosgrove refers to as Metabolic Density Training (MDT). Staley's version involves two exercises, performed as a superset for 15 minutes, while Cosgrove's involves three exercises performed as a tri-set for 10 minutes. In both cases, the idea is to get as many rounds as possible in the prescribed time period, using weights that are about 60% of your one rep max.

If you're not a kettlebell person you can put together great EDT/MDT fat loss workouts using free weight and bodyweight exercises. Cosgrove gives the following example:

dumbbell bench press (6-8 reps)
alternating lunge (6-8 reps)
Swiss ball crunch (6-8 reps)

You would pick a load that you could get 10-12 reps with, and you would try to perform the tri-set as many times as possible in 10 minutes.

But of course if you do happen to be into kettlebells, they work wonderfully for this type of workout because they allow you to get a tremendous amount of work done in relatively little time. Not only that, but most kettlebell workouts are quite simple, involving no more than two or three exercises for the entire workout.

Here's an example of MDT/EDT the Irontamer way:

Round 1: Snatches, 12R/12L, repeat as many times as possible in 15 minutes, using a kettlebell you could snatch 20 times

Rest: 3 minutes

Round 2: Superset: 12 pushups, 5 pullups, repeat as many times as possible in 15 minutes.

This was more or less my workout this morning I say "more or less" because I forgot to look at the directions before I began the workout, so I couldn't remember how many snatches I was supposed to do per work set. For some reason the number 5 was stuck in my head, so I did sets of 5 per side, completing 21 work sets (210 snatches) in 15 minutes. It was challenging but not horrible, although I started to get some nasty blisters toward the end of the workout that made the last couple of work sets more painful than I would have liked. My left hand always gets more ripped up than my right, probably because that's the side with the shoulder issues.

The three-minute rest rocked, and I took every second of it :)

For the pushups and pullups I think I got 16 work sets, so 192 pushups and 80 pullups total. It was definitely challenging but more because I think for me 5 pullups was too many for this type of workout. I can generally get a couple of good ones from a dead hang, and after that my range of motion steadily shrinks.

Stupidly I didn't wear my heart rate monitor so I have no idea how many calories I actually burned during this workout. But that's okay, because calories burned during the workout only tell part of the story. The real beauty of this type of workout is that it elevates the metabolism for hours following the workout, which is the real key to fat loss.

That, and being a little careful as regards donuts. Sure, you can probably outsnatch one Krispy Kreme? But a dozen? Not so much.

Sunday workout & thoughts on working hard: sometimes it's about getting 7 out of 10

2009-08-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Today was Turkish get-up day: singles with 16 kg for 5 minutes, working continuously, per the ETK Program Minimum. That works out to being only about 10 get-ups total because I like to move very slowly and deliberately through these. Well, maybe I should rephrase: I must move very slowly and deliberately through these, because otherwise I will end up losing control of the kettlebell and possibly putting a dent in the floor. Or my head.

After my Ordeal By Get-Up I decided it would be a good idea to start working on high pulls with the 16 kg. First I did a set of 1-hand swings, 10 to the right and 10 to the left, just to get in ballistic mode. Then I did sets of 5 high pulls to each side, beginning every minute on the minute for 6 minutes. Those felt pretty good, so much so that on minute 7 I decided to try doing a set of alternating high pulls and snatches. One high pull, one snatch, and that counts as one rep. I did 5 reps on each side, and felt challenged enough that I decided to stop there rather than pushing my luck and going for another set. Since I still had a little energy I did a few sets of swings for 20 reps, with 15 seconds rest between sets. I am definitely getting more comfortable with the heavier weight. I just wish the handle of the kettlebell wasn't quite so thick!

And now for my thoughts on working hard: I certainly am not opposed. I enjoy taking on physical challenges, and sometimes an all-out effort just feels right. But there's a time and a place for everything. If I'm competing in an event, that's the time to give it my all so I can get the best possible score. But if I'm taking a pass/fail test, my usual inclination is to do no more than necessary to get a passing score.

When I took the Washington State bar exam 22 years ago, each question on the test was worth 10 points, and to pass the test you needed an average score of 7 out of 10 points on every question. So instead of trying to get a 10 out of 10 on each question I tried for a 7. It was a pass-fail test, and there was no practical reason to try for more than a passing score. So I didn't. I answered each question in as much detail as I felt was necessary to get me a score of 7, but I didn't try to explore every nuance. I paced myself, saved my mental energy, and made sure I had enough time to answer all the questions. When I found myself with a little extra time at the end I went back and added more detail where I could, but only after I had answered every question.

It was a successful strategy. I passed. I have no idea what my actual score was, only that it was good enough. That's what I mean by there being no practical benefit to a high score.

I think of the RKC snatch test in much the same way. I need to be able to snatch the kettlebell closest in size to 1/4 my bodyweight 100 times in 5 minutes. I would prefer to take the test with 12 kg, which means I need to keep my weight down. Using 16 kg would be more badass for sure, but if I don't have to use that weight it would be stupid of me to do so because by all accounts the 5 minute snatch test is probably the easiest thing physically that I will do all weekend. It's not a competition and I'm not looking to set records or impress anyone. I'm just looking to pass.

I'm going for 7 out of 10.

Saturday workout & initial thoughts on Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle

2009-08-08T08:52:00.000-07:00

First, the workout. You will be shocked to learn there was a kettlebell involved. I began with cleans, 5 on each side, followed immediately by get-ups, 1 per side. Catch breath, repeat for 5 rounds. I used my 16 kg for all reps, and it went okay. My goal is to be strong enough in a few weeks to press the 16 kg for reps. We'll see how it goes.

Then it was on to two-hand swings, sets of 30 for 12 minutes, with a minute of active recovery between sets. For my active recovery I usually do something lame such as jog in place because I want to emphasize "recovery" as opposed to "active." The point here is to do perfect swings, not burn as many calories as possible in 12 minutes.

Now for my thoughts on BFFM, keeping in mind that I am still only about halfway through my review of the book:

1. This is pretty much a straightforward old-school bodybuilder cutting program. No real surprise there, as the book is subtitled "Fat Loss Secrets of the World's Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models," or something like that. Tom Venuto is in fact a bodybuilder and fitness model, and I have no doubt that he actually follows a program very similar to this. For what it's worth, every physique competitor I know, not that I know all that many, follows a program similar to this.

2. I acquired my copy of BFFM in 2005. Very possibly there is an updated version that takes into account some of the research as to the benefits of intermittent fasting. I admit I don't know much about the benefits, other than that obviously it's useful in creating a calorie deficit as long as you eat no more than your maintenance calories on non-fast days. I think there's some research to the effect that intermittent fasting stimulates the release of growth hormone, which helps with fat loss, and I believe it's also supposed to be useful for detoxification or something like that. Those of you who've read Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat know a lot more about it than I do. And if you're following ESE and getting good results you will not be impressed by Tom Venuto's insistence that 5-6 meals a day is the absolute best way to eat for fat loss.

Mr. Venuto's main arguments in favor of frequent meals are (1) if you eat every 3 hours or so, you'll never get so hungry that you end up binging (2) if you're constantly supplying nutrients to your muscles you won't lose lean mass even though you are in calorie deficit mode (3) if you eat frequently you'll stimulate your metabolism, especially if you stick mostly to foods that require a lot of energy to digest, and (4) if you go for too long without eating you will trigger your body's "starvation response," resulting in a slowdown of your metabolism, a loss of lean mass, and difficulty in losing fat even if you're eating fewer calories than you need to maintain your weight.

Reason #4 in particular is a bit controversial these days, and Mr. Venuto himself has conceded on his Burn the Fat blog that missing a meal now and then, or even fasting for a day, isn't going to send your body into starvation mode. The starvation response is a real phenomenon, but there's no evidence it kicks in unless a person has been maintaining an extreme calorie deficit for a prolonged period of time. If a person who requires 1800 calories a day to maintain her weight decides she's going to eat less than half that, and does so for weeks on end in a misguided effort to lose fat, the starvation response is going to kick in defensively. She's going to lose muscle, her metabolism will slow way down, and the only thing that will get her body fat level moving in the right direction is a re-feed.

This is not a hypothetical example, by the way. "She" is me at age 18. I spent most of my college years subsisting on roughly 500 calories a day. If it wasn't for the starvation response I would be dead today.

3. As you will have gathered from the foregoing, Mr. Venuto does not approve of large calorie deficits. He recommends that people cut their calories by no more than 15-20%. In the case of our not-so-hypothetical female college student, this would mean cutting anywhere from 270 to 360 calories per day. Of course at that rate she'd be losing less than a pound of fat a week, but if she were to increase her activity level as Mr. Venuto recommends, she would speed things along. On Mr. Venuto's program one doesn't starve the fat off, one burns it off.

4. Mr. Venuto is a numbers guy. He believes in counting calories and weighing and measuring portions. None of this "the size of your fist" or "the size of your palm" nonsense (which I actually don't think is particularly nonsensical, at least for anyone who's not an aspiring physique competitor). He contends (and I agree with this) that it is absolutely vital to log food intake at least for a while, because if you don't you're likely to underestimate the number of calories you're consuming over the course of the week. Once you're at the point where you know off the top of your head how many calories are contained in 3 oz. chicken breast and how much space it takes up on your plate (hint: not much!) you can probably ease up a little on the weighing and measuring and writing everything down. Also, if you plan your meals in advance, all you need to do is stay on plan and you'll know how many calories you ate without having to actually lug a journal around with you.

5. I personally believe that a lot of this is overkill unless you are a physique competitor or want to look like one. If that happens to be your goal you probably do need to eat 6 times a day and strictly control calories and portion sizes for the best possible results. But keep in mind: your goal is to achieve a level of leanness that's not natural to most people. For that reason you're probably going to have to pull out all the stops. When you're 15 percent body fat and looking to get down to 12 percent, worrying about the thermic effect of food probably makes some sense. If you're 25 percent looking to get down to 22 percent, not so much. Take my advice and don't make yourself crazier than you must!

Enter The Kettlebell!: The Program Minimum

2009-08-07T06:42:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday I restarted Enter The Kettlebell! using 16 kg as my default weight. Yikes! At the risk of stating the obvious, 16 kg is much heavier than 12 kg. Thirty-three percent heavier, in fact. That's a big jump in weight. Not only that, but the 16 kg kettlebell is much larger than what I'm used to, and the handle is much thicker. It's okay, though. I just need to work with the heavier weight a little at a time until I'm comfortable with it.

Fortunately the first four weeks of the Enter The Kettlebell! program are meant to provide exactly the type of initial conditioning I need. This phase of ETK! is called the Program Minimum, and consists of four prescribed workouts a week. After warming up with joint mobility work for the hips and shoulders, you do either swings for a prescribed number of repetitions, with a minute's active recovery between sets, for 12 minutes, or Turkish get-up singles for 5 minutes. It may not sound like much, but 5 minutes of TGUs gets very unpleasant very fast when you're holding 16kg overhead. I like the challenge of it, though. If the stabilizing muscles of my upper back are not fully engaged, I will fail. Therefore, I must be fully engaged. This is very good for me and will help me considerably when I'm ready to begin snatching the 16 kg for repetitions.

I'm not there yet, though. Not even close. I realized that the first time I tried doing some one-arm swings with the 16 kg. The bell pulled me forward onto the balls of my feet because I wasn't grounding sufficiently through my heels and I didn't have my shoulderblade fully retracted and depressed. I was letting the kettlebell control me instead of the other way around. Classic beginner stuff. Fortunately I knew what I needed to do to correct the problem, but even so it was disturbing to me that I let it happen even once. I think I've gotten lazy using the 12 kg for swings for so long. But hopefully four weeks on the ETK! Program Minimum will re-educate my muscles.

Because the prescribed workouts are so short, I'm going to have to supplement with other training in order to achieve my fat loss goals and maintain my overall level of conditioning. Today, for instance, I'm going to do a deck of cards drill. If you don't know the protocol for this, it's as follows:

Each suit in the deck represents a different exercise. I like to pick two upper-body-focused exercises (usually a push and a pull) and two lower-body focused exercises, but really it can be anything you like (or better yet, anything you don't like). Today, for instance, hearts are pushups, diamonds are pull-ups, spades are kettlebell goblet squats and clubs are kettlebell hand to hand swings. Each time you draw a card, the number on the card tells you how many reps to do. Today, for instance, if I draw a 4 of hearts it means I have to do 4 pushups. Face cards can be whatever number you want. Today, though, they're 10. When you've dealt out every card in the deck, you're done. It's kind of fun because you don't know in advance exactly what your workout is going to look like.

Edited to add: Good choice of workout! I've really been neglecting my pushups, and it shows. The goblet squats were great for practicing my "prys." Check out Dr. Mark Cheng's blog (http://kettlebellsla.blogspot.com) if you don't know what those are. Even if you're not into kettlebells they're great "preventive medicine" for knee, back and shoulder problems. I used my 16 kg kettlebell and it was hard to keep my shoulders back and chest up! I also used 16 kg for the hand to hand swings, and since I decided to count a swing with each arm as one rep I ended up doing 170 1-arm swings total. So it ended up being a 400-plus rep workout, although at the time it certainly seemed more like a 4000-rep workout and I was quite convinced I was using a marked deck with an abnormal number of 10s and face cards even though I do not own such a thing.

Motivational exercise music

2009-08-06T06:53:00.000-07:00

Your playlist can make or break your workout. You always have a little more spring in your step when there's a great tune playing on your iPod. By the same token, anyone who has ever been trapped in a cycling class with an instructor who's got a penchant for the Crash Test Dummies knows just how challenging it can be to get your heart rate up when you're listening to music that's a complete downer.

Unless you are incredibly rhythm-challenged, you unconsciously are going to sync up your movements with the beat of the music. Therefore, it's important to pick music that has an appropriate tempo. For running, conventional wisdom is that 140-160 bpm is good. For cycling a little slower is recommended. For hill climbs I tend to pick something slower with a strong bass line, such as "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes. For sprints, Devo's "Whip It" is always a good choice.

Naturally, you also need to pick music you like. I personally am not a fan of the Black-Eyed Peas. For that reason, no matter how many times people tell me "Boom Boom Pow" is a great cardio song, you will never hear me play it in class. If a song makes you want to stick a fork in your eye it's demotivational even if the bpm is perfect.

Context can be everything. Normally I would never play Bruce Springsteen's "The River" during a cycling class even during the cool-down phase, because while it's a great song it's also depressing as heck. But I do trot it out every so often as part of my special "Wedding Reception From Hell" playlist that I use whenever I know someone in the class is planning a wedding or celebrating an anniversary :) (Also included on that playlist: "White Wedding" by Billy Idol (duh!), "Band of Gold" by Frieda Payne, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, "I Kissed a Girl" by Jill Sobule, and more in that vein.)

If you're doing resistance training or flexibility work you can pretty much listen to anything you like. I've benched to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and Beethoven's Ninth, and both work great. Heavy metal and 80's hair bands seem to be a more typical choice among lifters, but I personally need to stay away from anything that reminds me of Spinal Tap because then I start to laugh and my form goes all to heck. That's just me, though.

I generally don't listen to music when I'm doing ballistic kettlebell work because I find I let the beat of the music rather than the laws of physics dictate my cadence. I'm in the minority here, though. Most kettlebellers prefer to listen to music during their workouts. I recommend trying it both ways to see which works better for you.

If you'd like a specific example of a cardio playlist on which I've gotten good feedback from my cycling classes, here you go:

The Killing Moon 5:50 Echo & The Bunnymen
December 4:45 Collective Soul
Blue Monday 7:24 New Order
The Boys of Summer 4:18 The Ataris
It's My Life 3:46 No Doubt
Shadowplay 4:07 The Killers
No You Girls 3:40 Franz Ferdinand
Rebel Rebel 4:32 David Bowie
I Predict A Riot 3:53 Kaiser Chiefs
Long Road to Ruin 3:45 Foo Fighters
Somebody Told Me 3:18 The Killers
Do You Want to 3:35 Franz Ferdinand
Last Nite 3:13 The Strokes
Dancing With Myself 4:50 Billy Idol
Under the Milky Way 4:58 The Church
Unchained Melody 4:54 U2

It's about an hour long, and gets progressively faster until the final two songs, which are good for cooling down and stretching. Although it's a spinning playlist it also works pretty well for running.

What music do you like for cardio? resistance training? Stretching? Let me know in the comments section, because I'm always looking for new ideas.

So You Want To Be A Personal Trainer?

2009-08-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

Awesome! (Yes, Mike, I'm talking to you :))

It's a noble calling, or it can be. We live in a society that's affluent in so many ways, yet impoverished in others. Because of labor-saving technology we move less than any previous generation, yet we consume more empty calories because of modern farming practices and food production methods that have stripped our food supply of much of its nutritional value. Because of our unhealthy lifestyle rates of obesity are skyrocketing across all age groups, but especially in the young. Obesity-related illnesses such as Type II diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease are reaching epidemic proportions, wiping out savings and ruining lives ... or ending them prematurely. The only solution is to get people moving again and eating better, and that's exactly what we trainers do. Let me tell you: it feels great to be part of the solution and not part of the problem!

But before you quit your day job, Mike (or anyone else who is considering a career change), there are some things you should consider. First, the money sucks. There's definitely money to be made in the fitness industry, but not by working as a trainer. You need to have your own business, with trainers working for you. That can happen, but first you need to get experience and a reputation for excellence, and the best way to do that is either by working for someone else (who will keep most of what you make in exchange for client referrals and/or the use of his or her facility) or by training people basically for free. Working with people one on one is definitely a losing proposition from a monetary standpoint simply because there are a limited number of hours in the day, so give some thought to how you can make group personal training work. Or consider whether you'd be willing to offer classes. Bootcamps are popular because they tend not to require a lot of equipment, so they're low overhead. If you live in an area where it's possible to exercise outdoors year round you might not even need studio space to run a bootcamp business. Anyway, definitely think in terms of multiple revenue streams to augment your income from personal training.

(I freely admit I don't think about this stuff much because it makes my head hurt, but if I had children who were human as opposed to feline I certainly would.)

And speaking of children ... it can be hard to have a normal family life if you work as a trainer because your busy times tend to be the crack of dawn, the late afternoon and evening, and the weekends. If you work for a facility that offers daycare, or if you train people in their homes, you can fill up some of the daytime hours with SAHM clients, and then of course there are retirees, restaurant industry workers, and strippers who will prefer to train during the day. But if you're serious about making money as a trainer you need to resign yourself to working odd hours and not getting to spend as much time with your family as you might like, at least until your business is established. Of course that's true of most jobs: the early years are the hardest.

Also, are you a patient person? If so, good, because your clients will drive you insane at times. They will have unrealistic expectations. They will have preconceptions they won't want to give up. They will be all for training with you until you quote them your rate, and then their interest will evaporate like the morning dew. If you work for a gym they will try to talk you into training them under the table so they don't have to pay as much. They will offer you services instead of payment. This can work out okay if you're in business for yourself and it's an equal trade, but often it's not. They may be disrespectful in a variety of ways. (Hint: wear your wedding band at all times. If you don't wear a band, get one.)

Basically, people are weird about their bodies, and as a trainer you are going to have to deal with the ramifications of that weirdness. Often they've got all kinds of shame and guilt keeping them from making rational decisions about self-care. If you can help just a few of them get rid of that burden of shame, it's a beautiful beautiful thing and makes it all 200% worthwhile. But there inevitably are going to be people you can't reach, and when that happens it can be depressing.

If you do decide to proceed, be aware that neither ACE nor NASM requires a college degree. In fact, I think the only certification that does require a degree is ACSM. ACSM is probably the most prestigious certification and it's the one I would have gone for except that my degree is in history, not exercise science or a related field. NASM is probably "best of the rest." ACE will give you a thorough grounding in anatomy and physiology but isn't so helpful when it comes to program design. Where NASM really shines is in teaching trainers to spot and correct dysfunctional movement patterns so clients can exercise and perform activities of daily living with less likelihood of injury. The whole area of corrective exercise and "prehabilitation" is huge, what with so many people leading sedentary lifestyles. Basically they need to be gotten in shape to exercise!

I could go on and on (big surprise there, huh?) but I've probably given you enough food for thought for now. I'm hoping some of my other trainer friends (you know who you are!) chime in with their perspective on personal training as a career.

The F!@#-Me Forty Seven, and a birthday present for my readers

2009-07-31T17:31:00.000-07:00

You may remember that a couple weeks ago I decided it would be a good idea to celebrate my birthday by doing the following workout for time:

47 box jumps (18" box)
47 pull-ups
47 kettlebell swings (16 kg)
47 Bulgarian split squats on each leg (94 total)
47 dumbbell push presses (15's)
47 hanging leg raises
47 stability ball rollouts
47 burpees
47 tuck jumps

So, that's what I did. Except I didn't go all out the way I might've done if I hadn't just about killed myself yesterday, and if I wasn't planning to do my final (for now) ETK Rite of Passage heavy day workout tomorrow. I took about 37 minutes to get through it. The hanging leg raises were really hard after the pullups, and the tuck jumps were really hard after the burpees. I mean, I knew they would be and I planned it that way ... but all the same it was hard. Anyway, not a stellar performance but I really needed a lighter day today, not that this was lighter exactly.

And now for the present:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S3C4AC908w&feature=player_embedded

Let the vulgar comments ensue!

200 Kettlebell Snatches in 10 Minutes: Mission Accomplished

2009-07-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

And not in the USS Abraham Lincoln sense. I actually did it this morning.

The Enter the Kettlebell! program suggests conducting a test of pressing strength and snatching ability every four weeks. The parameters for the snatch test are simple: as many reps as possible in 10 minutes. The goal is to be able to complete 200 reps in that time.

When I first attempted it four weeks ago, I made it to 170 reps and was quite pleased. Since then I've managed to pick up my cadence a bit and increase my efficiency by doing a better job of controlling my backswing. I still have considerable room for improvement, but that's actually good because it means that on my next test day I will be able to get more reps in the 10 minute period. This is why test days are important: they show you more clearly than anything else where you've made improvements, and where you still have room to grow and get even better. (Note the phrasing of that last sentence: I have declared a moratorium on negative self-talk. My Inner Coach and Inner Ballet Mistress are no longer allowed to tell me I suck, only how I can improve.)

Anyhoo, the big takeaway message for me from my last test day was: the first 120 snatches aren't so awful, but after that it gets tough, particularly on my left side where my shoulder is weaker. As I fatigue it becomes very hard for me to maintain control on that side, resulting in a less efficient snatch and even greater fatigue due to wasted effort. I've also got a wee bit of tendinitis in the left elbow, and my grip on that side is weaker, both of which problems stem from the dysfunction in the shoulder. These are very minor concerns, but when you're attempting something like a 10 minute snatch test there IS no such thing as a minor concern. The good news is, as long as I stop short of complete fatigue, those stabilizing muscles in my left shoulder recover fast. So, the key to me getting more reps in the last few minutes, when I'm tired, is to switch hands more frequently.

Here's what I actually did: I used a continuous 30 second interval track from Workout Muse to keep track of my time, and I set a goal for myself of doing 10 snatches every 30 seconds. For the first six minutes it was no problem to do all 10 snatches on the same side. In minute 7 fatigue started to set in early on the left side, so in minutes 8 and 9 I allowed myself one hand switch every 30 seconds, performing 5 reps on each side instead of doing all 10 on one side. That kept me from ever going to failure on the left. Then in minute 10 I went back to doing 10 reps per side because I was almost done and if I hit failure on my last rep it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't be desirable, because going to failure is not part of the RKC system. But it wouldn't be a disaster either.

As it happened, I didn't hit failure. I could have kept going all the way to eleven (if you'll forgive a Spinal Tap reference :) if I'd had to. But I must say, I'm glad I didn't have to.

Make no mistake: this was hard. If you've ever done Tabata intervals, it was kind of like that. Times 2.5. Think about it for a sec: my cadence for snatches is about 10 every 20 seconds, leaving 10 seconds to rest every 30 seconds. So by the end of minute 4 I'd completed one full Tabata cycle. If people are following the Tabata protocol they take a break at that point. I didn't. I kept going for another 6 minutes.

I do Tabatas a lot. I include them in my spin classes to the point where they're practically my signature drill. I've never done them for more than 4 minutes, though.

But I'm going to start. I could see it being great cross training for something like the 10 minute snatch test ... which I encourage all of you to attempt, at least if it fits with your personal goals and/or you are insane.

Seriously, if I could do it anyone can. I am 47 years old, or close enough that it doesn't matter. I weigh all of 117 pounds. I work in the fitness industry now, but that's a relatively recent development; for years I never lifted anything heavier than a volume of Corpus Juris Secundum. A year ago I didn't even know what a kettlebell was. I'm not what you'd call genetically gifted above the norm; like most people I'm good at some things and not so good at others. I don't mind pushing myself, but neither do you or you wouldn't be reading this blog.

If you have the desire, you can do it.

Goal Setting: A Powerful Tool

2009-07-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm in the process of rereading Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. Not surprisingly it has elements in common with The Body Fat Solution, not least of which is the emphasis on goal setting as the key to compliance. According to Mr Venuto goal setting, done properly, has the effect of reprogramming the unconscious mind in ways that are conducive to fat loss.

In both Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle and The Body Fat Solution Mr. Venuto recommends setting long-term goals, 12-month goals, 12-week goals, weekly goals, and daily goals. These goals are supposed to be written out and reviewed on a daily basis --several times a day, if possible. Indeed, in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle readers are advised to write out their 12-week goals on an index card that they can carry with them and reread throughout the day.

These goals are to be written as affirmations, in the present tense. For example, instead of "I am going to lose 20 pounds and 6% body fat by October 31, and I will look hot in my slutty Halloween costume," you might say, "I am reaching my goal weight of 112 pounds and my goal body fat of 12% by October 31, and I am looking hot in my slutty Halloween costume." Particularly if you are a guy, this is a good affirmation. For more process-oriented goals, instead of saying "I am going to get up every morning at 5:00 am so I have time to go for a run and eat a healthy breakfast before I have to get ready for work," you might say "I am getting up every morning at 5:00 am for a run and a healthy breakfast before work."

By writing your goals as affirmations, and by keeping those affirmations always in front of you,

you are giving your subconscious mind instructions that will cause you to automatically begin acting in a way consistent with your mental image. You'll go into automatic pilot mode. There will be less struggle and willpower involved. When you're in a situation that used to tempt you, you'll notice you are no longer tempted. If you used to dread going to the gym, you'll start looking forward to it. If the idea of eating healthy used to seem like hard work, you'll actually begin to enjoy it. Everything will seem to get easier and your workouts will become better than ever.

Of course the key to making this work is that not only must you read your affirmations faithfully, you must do so with faith. If you read them over while simultaneously doubting you can achieve them, you are cancelling out the affirmation before it ever has a chance to become embedded in your subconscious.

I admit I am challenged in this area. I am the queen of negative self-talk. But I'm really going to give this affirmation thing my best shot

Oops, let me rephrase: I am giving this affirmation thing my best shot.

And I am succeeding :)

Cankles? Really? Oh for heaven's sake!

2009-07-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

One of the really fun things about becoming a cranky old woman is getting to have pet peeves. At last count I was up to 237.

One that is high on my list, and has been for a while, is the female obsession with making over body parts so as to look good in certain fashions. How many times have you heard a woman say her fitness goal is "tank top arms" or a "bikini belly" or a "boy short bottom"? It's not that I have a problem with esthetic goals, but to me it's just silly to focus too much on looking good in particular styles of clothing. Physique transformation takes weeks, months, or even years depending on where you're starting and what you're trying to achieve. Fashion, on the other hand, changes seemingly overnight. Why make yourself crazy trying to hit a moving target?

Of course nobody ever made a buck encouraging people to behave rationally. Hence the decision of Gold's Gym to declare July "Cankles Awareness Month" and offer a special "cankle-busting" workout at their facilities.

A "cankle," in case you're not familiar with the term, is a thick ankle that does not taper as the calf meets the foot. It first entered the lexicon via the film "Shallow Hal," which pretty much tells you all you need to know right there. Apparently if you've got cankles you can't wear gladiator sandals or cropped leggings, both of which are popular right now. Personally I think gladiator sandals are hideous on almost everyone, but lots of women seem to want to wear them, and are trying to slim down their ankles via diet, exercise and even surgery.

These strategies work, but only for women who are so significantly overweight that they have excess fat around their ankles. If it's a matter of bone structure, there is nothing that can be done to reduce the diameter of the joint. Even liposuction of the ankle--and, yes, there are doctors who perform that service--only works if there is fat to be suctioned away. If there isn't, about all a woman can do to create the look of slimmer ankles is bulk up her calves so that the ankle appears smaller by contrast. And that's not as easy as it sounds. Ask a male bodybuilder about his "lagging bodyparts" and 8 times out of 10 his calves will be the first thing he mentions. The size and shape of the calf muscle can be changed, but to expect results in time for sandal season is not realistic.

Water retention can be an issue too, and if that's the case a low-sodium diet and ample hydration may help. According to an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal, trainer Anthony Prieschel recommends smearing ankles with hemorrhoid cream and wrapping them in ACE bandages as a temporary fix to take down swelling and edema in the area. Achilles tendinitis can cause chronic swelling as well, and if that's the issue it's worth addressing for health as well as esthetic reasons.

For the most part, though, cankles are not worth worrying about. If you've got so much extra body fat that there are rolls of it obscuring your ankles, you need a program that will get rid of it everywhere. One that targets your lower legs is a waste of your valuable time. Likewise it's a waste of time if you've got no fat in that area to lose. And if the problem is that your calf muscles are too small, you can change them but probably not in time for this summer's fashions. So, really, find something else to worry about. And if there is nothing else, get out to the beach and revel in the fabulosity you've already achieved!

In fact, do that anyway.

Tom Venuto's Body Fat Solution: Will It Be Mine?

2009-07-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

Too soon to say, as I only recently acquired The Body Fat Solution, and still have a few pages more to read. So far so good, though.

I like Tom Venuto a lot. For those who've not heard of him, he's a lifetime natural bodybuilder, motivational coach and freelance writer with about 20 years’ experience in the fitness industry. His articles have appeared in major fitness magazines and on countless websites, and he is the author of the popular fat-loss e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets Of The World’s Best Bodybuilders And Fitness Models, a copy of which I have on my computer somewhere.

His new book, The Body Fat Solution, is aimed at those of us who are not bodybuilders or fitness models, who need to lose body fat, but for whom the strict by-the-numbers approach of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is overkill. According to Mr. Venuto most people don’t need to hit their macros with precision or worry overmuch about the timing of their meals in order to lose fat. A handful of behavioral changes will do it. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is … but as any diehard Enter the Kettlebell! fan can tell you, simple doesn’t mean easy!

Citing Einstein Mr. Venuto states that a problem cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that created it. To solve the problem of excess body fat, therefore, people must change their way of thinking about food, dieting, exercise, and so forth. They must learn to distinguish fact from belief, and replace the beliefs and thoughts that are holding them back with other ways of thinking that will help them reach their fat loss goals.

Refreshingly, Mr. Venuto acknowledges that lack of willpower is not the problem for most dieters. Rather, it’s that willpower involves the exercise of the conscious mind … and up to 95 percent of human behavior is unconscious. The solution, therefore, is to reprogram the unconscious mind using affirmations and positive visualization. He calls this “mental training” and recommends that it be done morning and night until healthy habits become ingrained.

Although the “mental training” component is what sets The Body Fat Solution apart from most other fat loss books on the market, Mr. Venuto also gives due attention to nutrition and exercise. There’s nothing in the chapters on diet and exercise that will not be familiar to anyone who has ever picked up a copy of Men’s Health or Oxygen; not that that’s a bad thing necessarily, but readers who are looking for something new may be disappointed.

The chapter on resistance training in particular seems to be written with novice lifters in mind. The recommendations are very similar to those set forth in The New Rules of Lifting: supersets for maximum efficiency and a secondary cardio boost, total body workouts for maximum calorie burn, free weights instead of machines, and so forth. The only possible criticism I might make is that I don’t believe dumbbell deadlifts, which are included in one of the introductory workouts, are appropriate for most beginners.

People who’ve had good luck on Atkins and similar regimens will not care for Mr. Venuto’s nutrition solution. (Of course people who’ve had good luck on those regimens presumably don’t have a body fat problem and therefore will not be reading the book. But whatever.) Mr. Venuto is adamant that it’s all about the calories, and that the reason diets like Atkins work is that they put their followers into a negative energy balance due to the high satiety value of protein-rich and fatty foods.

If you accept the premise that a calorie deficit is the key to fat loss, Mr. Venuto has lots of useful suggestions for achieving that all-important deficit relatively painlessly. He does not promise you will never feel hunger on his program; indeed, he acknowledges that at times you probably will. But he suggests that hunger pangs can be minimized by choosing foods that have high nutritional value and high satiety value. Since fruits and leafy green vegetables, nuts and nut oils, vegetable oils, poultry, fish, nonfat dairy, and lean cuts of meat satisfy on both counts, he recommends that dieters make these foods their mainstays, with whole grains and starchy vegetables such as potatoes added in as needed in order to achieve the desired energy balance. He acknowledges that as long as a calorie deficit is achieved, a dieter can lose fat even if he or she eats nothing but crap (he phrases it more elegantly than that), but that for health quality is paramount.

Of course the flip side is that no matter how well a person eats, he or she will not lose weight if he or she does not achieve a negative energy balance. Even organic, locally produced, sustainably farmed, free-range, nutrient-laden foods are fattening if eaten in excessive quantities. If you’re stuffing yourself at Chez Panisse you will probably be somewhat healthier than if you’re doing it at Mickey D.’s, but you’ll still be overfat and not as healthy as you could be.

One of The Body Fat Solution’s strengths is that it acknowledges that excess fat is a problem with multiple causes. It’s not just processed food that’s to blame. Nor is the problem caused solely by excess carbs, excess fat, emotional eating, malfunctioning hormones, sedentary lifestyles, or any other single thing. Instead it’s all those factors working together synergistically that are responsible for America’s weight problem.

People like easy answers and quick fixes, and The Body Fat Solution is neither. Just as it doesn’t oversimplify the problem, it doesn’t oversimplify the solution. Attitude adjustment, nutrition, cardio, strength training, and social support: all five are important, though the first, attitude adjustment, is perhaps the sine qua non. It’s easy to imagine a reader putting down the book and deciding that maybe he or she would rather just eat Jenny Craig food after all. But that would be a mistake. Nothing against Jenny Craig, which I don’t believe is any worse than any other quick-fix program out there. I just don’t like to see people waste their time on such things when there are better alternatives, such as The Body Fat Solution.

"Naturally Thin" Thoughts

2009-07-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Bethenny Frankel's Naturally Thin is not the sort of book I normally would read.

It's not that I am a book snob, Lord knows. For reasons that remain somewhat mysterious even to me, I will read just about any piece of crap set in Tudor England, even if I know better. Even if it is by Philippa Gregory. I think I have read all her books, and if that's not the triumph of optimism over experience I don't know what is.

Of course it helps that I am interested in Tudor England. I am not interested in "Unleash[ing] [my] Skinnygirl," which is what Ms. Frankel promises to help me do. I'm pretty sure I haven't got a Skinnygirl. I hope I don't, anyway. It's bad enough that I have an Inner Coach and an Inner Ballet Mistress. If my interior life gets any busier I'll have to hire a caterer. Which is what Ms. Frankel is, actually. Coincidence? I think not.

Anyway, even if I had an Skinnygirl I don't think I would want to unleash her. Words like "thin" and "skinny" have incredibly negative connotations to me. "Lean" sounds pretty good, but "skinny" just sounds ... weak. Put it this way: if I had a Skinnygirl my inclination would be to sit her down with a big platter of protein pancakes, then send her off to the gym to do NROL4W Break-In Workout A. I truly do not understand why so many women seem to be obsessed with taking up as little space as possible. Think about it for a second--does this mean they consider themselves a waste of space? I hope not! As a gender we deserve better.

On the other hand ... while I may not want to be thin per se I do need to keep my weight under control. which I haven't been doing a great job of lately. Excess weight means I'm at greater risk of developing diabetes as my mother and two of my father's siblings have done. It means even more stress on my feet when I'm en pointe, and it makes pull-ups harder. It means having to use a heavier kettlebell when I go to RKC. It means fewer clients, because who wants to work out with a chubby trainer?

I could go on a diet, of course. Excuse me, I could follow an eating plan. Or adopt a new way of eating. In fitness circles we no longer diet, apparently.

There are endless possibilities, and I've dabbled in most of them. I've carbed up, I've carbed down, I've counted calories and Points, I've eaten 8 times a day and I've fasted. I've BFLed, I've Zoned out, and I've been to South Beach and back. I'm actually pretty good at following eating plans.

Problem is, I hate it. I get tired of the weighing and measuring and obsessing over my macros, and I just want to eat like a normal person. You know, like someone who can have, say, an apple if she wants one, without falling down some kind of slippery slope toward binge eating and obesity because she didn't have some protein with it. When you find yourself at the farmer's market wondering like J. Alfred Prufrock whether you dare to eat a peach, it's hard not to question your own sanity.

Hence the appeal of Naturally Thin. Bethenny Frankel claims that anyone can become "naturally thin" by learning, as she did, "how to think about food, how to balance diet with the rest of life, and how to stop torturing myself about every mouthful." She claims that after a lifetime of dieting she now eats whatever she wants, yet maintains a consistent, healthy weight without suffering, deprivation, or pain. Sounds good. I’ll have what she’s having.

Naturally Thin is divided into two parts. The first part sets forth Ms. Frankel’s ten rules for thinking about food like a “naturally thin” person. (From here on I will use “naturally thin” as a shorthand way of saying “able to maintain a consistent healthy weight without dieting.”) The second part walks readers through a week of eating. It’s not meant to be a diet prescription because Ms. Frankel doesn’t believe in them, but it’s meant to give readers some ideas for how to put her ten rules into practice, and also how to deal with situations that may arise during the week.

The ten rules basically come down to balance, portion control, self-knowledge, self-care, portion control, portion control and portion control. I’m not kidding. Ms. Frankel is big on portion control. Her advice for eating out is: order exactly what you want, but only eat a few bites. Share the rest with your dining companions, or take it home in a doggie bag, or leave it. Balance your high-calorie “splurges”—prime rib, cocktails, desserts, etc.--with low-calorie “bargains” such as vegetables. Use smaller plates, bowls and glasses. Pay attention to your body’s response to food, avoid foods to which you are sensitive, and become aware of foods and situations that may trigger episodes of binge eating. Eat real food whenever possible.

So far so good. There’s quite a lot of repetition in the chapters setting forth the ten rules, but that’s okay. When you’re trying to replace one thought pattern with another, it doesn’t hurt to have the new pattern drilled into you. Ms. Frankel does a good job of setting forth her ideas in a way that resonates. I particularly like her diet-as-bank-account analogy. You really can have just about any food you really want as long as you budget for it by eating lightly the rest of the day. Mind you, I’m not convinced this is the way naturally thin people really think—or maybe it is, only they’ve got budgets like Paris Hilton’s so they don’t really need to worry about overspending. But even so, it’s sensible advice.

Where the book really starts to fall apart for me is in the second part. In fairness to Ms. Frankel, she doesn’t actually tell readers they must follow her Daily Naturally Thin Program Account Balancing Guidelines; she just includes them for those readers who feel they need more guidance. Of course this does sort of contradict what she says about knowing yourself and not surrendering control of what you eat to a diet program. But whatever. As I said, the guidelines aren’t mandatory.

If you’re wondering, here’s what Ms. Frankel suggests:

1 carb based meal per day
1 protein based meal per day
1 carb or protein based meal per day, or a meal with a balance of each
1 sweet snack (under 225 calories)
1 savory snack (under 225 calories)
up to 2 exceptions per day, which might include 2 bites of dessert, 2 bites of a rich entrée or side dish, 1 small alcoholic beverage, or half a piece of bread with olive oil and butter.
unlimited vegetables
1 or 2 fruits, one of which can be your sweet snack
2 sweets, including your sweet snack, and any desserts or alcohol you may have as part of your two exceptions.

The guidelines don’t look terrible, but then I’m not a dietician. Of course, neither is Ms. Frankel as far as I know. For that reason alone I have trouble recommending that anyone follow them. If you’re going to go on a diet—and make no mistake, anything that tells you your fruit intake is limited to two servings per day is a diet--go on one created by an R.D. or nutritionist.

Or better yet, read part one of the book, absorb it, and come up with your own guidelines that are consistent with the ten rules, yet suited to your unique personality and lifestyle. That’s what I plan to do.

Once I finish my Skinnygirl Margarita :)

I Am Laura's Uterus

2009-07-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Did I scare off my male readers? Good! I hate you all, and will continue to do so for about 36 more hours.

I am only kidding, of course.

(What, are you still here? Go away and do some burpees or something. I hate you. Nothing personal.)

In all seriousness, if you are a woman or acquainted with one it's not exactly news that as women go through the phases of their menstrual cycle they tend to experience emotional peaks and valleys. What's less well understood is the effect these monthly hormonal fluctuations can have on a woman's athletic performance. Not every woman is affected to the same extent, of course, but generally speaking a woman is strongest right around the time of ovulation (Day 14 of her cycle if she is blessed with metronome-like regularity) and weakest immediately before menstruation (Days 22-28). This is because a woman's testosterone level peaks at the midpoint of her menstrual cycle and after that begin to drop, reaching its low point at the end of the cycle. When her testosterone levels are at their lowest a woman may notice she fatigues more easily, is less agile, has slower reaction times and higher levels of perceived exertion. She may also experience greater joint laxity. She may not be able to focus as well. Her ability to draw on her body's stored fat for fuel increases but her ability to burn glycogen decreases, meaning she is at least as capable as usual of moderate-intensity exercise but will likely struggle with high-intensity exercise.

It's important to bear in mind that not every woman is affected to the same extent. Just as some women do not experience PMS, some will notice no difference in their ability to train hard as they go through the phases of their monthly cycle. I encourage all my premenopausal female clients to keep a diary for at least a month or two so they can become aware of the extent to which their athletic performance is affected by where they are in the menstrual cycle. If appropriate we will plan her training schedule around her cycle, taking advantage of the two midpoint weeks when she is at her strongest to really push the envelope and train hard, and then scheduling a "deload week" of less volume and intensity for the end of the cycle when she is weakest and most prone to fatigue and even injury.

Of course, this is all very well in theory, but not every woman is lucky (?) enough to have a predictable cycle. Mine has never been anything you could set a clock by, and in the last few years it has gone completely haywire. My period may go missing for three months, or it may show up a week and a half before it's due. Having lived in my body for almost 47 years I generally can tell what's going on with it pretty well, but even so, I'm caught by surprise sometimes. It happened this week, actually. My period began yesterday, a little more than a week early. Which completely explains why I didn't make it to 200 snatches in 12 minutes when I attempted it on Monday. Had I known my period was about to start, I would not have made the attempt because, while I am the first to admit I don't always have good judgment, I'm not a complete idiot.

Anyhoo, if you are female and thinking of doing ETK or attempting the Secret Service Snatch Test or anything of that sort, and you happen to have a nice regular 4-week cycle, may I suggest you try to work it so that your test days more or less coincide with the midpoint of your cycle? Also, while I know that volume is supposed to be determined by a roll of the dice when you're doing the ETK Rite of Passage, it might not be a horrible idea to use loaded dice during the last week just to make sure your volume is appropriately low. Or it might be ... I don't know. I realize I'm sort of contradicting what I said the other day about doing ETK exactly as written, but the bottom line is that you never want to adhere to a program--even a genius program--so slavishly that you end up risking an injury.

How To Have A Crappy ETK Practice

2009-07-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

I know this blog has kinda become All Kettlebells All The Time, and therefore of limited interest to those who are not RKC hopefuls or otherwise obsessed with flinging around chunks of metal in a controlled and purposeful manner. And I promise that will change soon. I've got some other topics I want to address that hopefully will be of more general interest. So watch this space for my thoughts on the July Turbulence Training Reconstruction Workout program, Bethanny Frankel's Naturally Thin, Jon LeTocq's Fat Loss Action Blueprint, cake and zombies. Actually, I won't be talking about zombies, but only because my friend Josh Hanagarne aka The World's Strongest Librarian has already ably addressed the topic: http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/2759/zombie-renaissance-three-quick-book-reviews-about-the-undead/ (Actually, I would really love to know which classic books you'd like to see get the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies treatment. I don't necessarily disagree with Josh's selection of The Great Gatsby, except that if you've suffered through the 1974 film version you'd realize it has already been done. I mean, hello, Lois Chiles as Jordan Baker???)

For now, though, I'm sticking with the kettlebell theme because I have a point to make, which is that if you are on a program that was created by an expert, that has worked for hundreds of people, that is working for you, you should stick with it. Enter the Kettlebell! is such a program. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of men and women have gotten unbelievably strong unbelievably fast using ETK. I am one of them. A week ago I could not press 16 kg. Now I can.

One week, people. It's like being on steroids without the acne and hair loss and liver tumors and homicidal tendencies. (Not that I'm not homicidal about one week out of every month, but what woman in her late 40s isn't, if you get my drift? It's not Pavel Tsatsouline's fault except in the sense that he is male. If you are reading this and you yourself are male, ask your wife to explain. If you are female no explanation is required.)

At this point, you're probably wondering: if ETK is really so effective for building strength, why aren't there more people doing it? It's not particularly time-consuming, after all, and Lord knows it's not equipment-intensive. The workouts can all be done in about half an hour, usually much less, and the only tools you need are a kettlebell and a pull-up bar. And even the pull-up bar isn't an absolute requirement. So what's the catch?

IT'S HARD!!! Not necessarily hard in the "say hello to Pukey the Clown" sense--not most of the time, anyway--but hard in that it requires humility, patience, focus, concentration, and a very, very high tolerance for repetitive tasks.

There are only five exercises in the entire program: the swing, the Turkish get-up, the clean, the press, and the snatch. Five exercises. Twelve weeks. Not only that, but for the first four weeks of the program you only do two of them, the swing and the get-up. If you're a yogi who begins every day with the same sequence of sun salutations or a dancer who does the same set of warm-up exercises at the barre every class, that may not give you pause. But if you're like most of the exercisers I know, you'd rather stick a fork in your eye than do the same five movements over and over for weeks on end.

Of course, that's assuming you're even capable of performing those five movements safely and correctly. This is where humility comes into it. Even if you are a seasoned gym rat--in fact, especially if you are a seasoned gym rat--you very likely do not have the hip and shoulder mobility required for proper execution of the swing, get-up, clean, press and snatch.

Try this if you don't believe me: stand facing a wall, with your toes against the wall, and perform a full range of motion squat. How'd you do? Be honest. Did you manage to get your butt pretty much to the floor? If so, did your knees collapse inward? How about your feet? Were you able to keep your shoulders back and maintain a nice arch in your back? Unless you are a dancer, gymnast, yogi or martial artist, I'm guessing the answer is no. I mean, why would you? Most conventional weight training does not involve taking the joints through their full range of motion.

Does this mean you're not a good candidate for ETK? Absolutely not! All it means is, you've got some prep work to do before you're ready to pick up your first kettlebell. If you are highly motivated to learn how to use kettlebells, you will not be put off. But if you're like most of the people I train, you're probably thinking that kettlebells are for contortionists and you'd rather just stick with free weights.

But maybe you've got the necessary joint mobility already, or are willing to acquire it. Great! How do you feel about bruised forearms and ripped-up hands? Let me clarify: performed correctly, kettlebell exercises will not leave you bruised and bleeding. But when you are first learning cleans and snatches in particular, you will not perform them correctly. The kettlebell will swing wild and smack you on the wrist until you learn to control it. You will develop the necessary control with practice, and the bruises will help you do it. Think of it as aversion therapy. You could wear wrist guards, of course, but I personally believe you'll progress faster if you don't. The bruises are powerful negative feedback, and when they finally go away that's when you know you're starting to get the hang of it.

Or not. Which brings me to the subject of today's post. Right now I've got a lovely reddish purple mark on my left forearm that absolutely should not be there. What's good, I guess, is that I know exactly how, when, and why it happened, which means that as long as I am able to keep myself from repeating the same act of stupidity it should not happen again.

Here's what I did: yesterday was my ETK "light" day, meaning that I was to perform 5 clean & press/pull-up ladders, 3 rungs to the ladder, followed by 12 minutes of snatches at an "easy" pace. The ladders went well enough, except that on my final ladder I decided to test the waters by attempting to perform the 3 rungs with my 16 kg kettlebell. I failed on the second rung, but that's okay. I may not be strong enough yet, but I will be.

As if that wasn't enough, I then got it into my head that I wanted to complete 200 snatches in the 12 minutes, 100 in the first 5 minutes and 100 in the remaining 7. I didn't think it would be too bad. I mean, I've gotten to 170 in 10 minutes, so surely with another 2 minutes to work I could manage another 30, right?

Wrong.

The first five minutes or so actually went okay. I got to 100 snatches in actually a little less time than I needed on my previous attempt, which I think is because I've been working on controlling the backswing. But after that I was pretty gassed, and I could tell my control was starting to go. But because I wanted to get another 100 reps I didn't take the rest I knew I needed, with dire consequences for my technique. Because I practice in front of a mirror I could see I was screwing up, but I was too tired to keep it from happening. When I see that sort of thing happening with a client I call a halt to the session, and that's what I should have done yesterday, and what's more I knew it at the time. But did I do it? No, although I did at least have the sense to give up on my goal of 200 reps. There's no glory in getting to a particular number if the technique sucks. That's always the case, but it's especially true on a practice day as opposed to a test day. Test too much and practice too little, and your performance on test day will never improve.

So, that's where I went wrong. If you're doing ETK, or are interested in doing it, take my advice and do it properly instead of doing what I did. Your chances of success will be greater and your risk of injury will be less. Trust me on this.

I'm hoping I have learned my lesson and can go back to being a good example instead of a horrible warning.

ETK Variety Day Plus A Couple of Art of Strength Reviews

2009-07-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

A while back, Art of Strength was running a special for Father's Day whereby if you ordered one of their 16 kg Punch kettlebells they would throw in their popular "Providence" work-along DVD at a significant discount. I'm not normally very interested in kettlebell DVDs because I don't feel that kettlebells really lend themselves to a work-along format. But I was somewhat intrigued by "Providence" because it includes quite a few of the kettlebell drills described in ETK Special Report #2, so I figured it might be a good thing to use on my ETK variety days. And of course a 16 kg kettlebell is something I've been wanting for a while now, and the Punch kettlebells generally get good reviews. So I decided to bite the bullet and order.

Now that I've (finally) received both products I would say it was a pretty good decision ... with some reservations. First, while my DVD shipped the same day I placed my order (no complaints there!), it took quite a long time for AOS to send me my kettlebell. Apparently when I placed my order they were awaiting a shipment from their supplier, and had I known that I would be waiting several weeks to receive my kettlebell I might well have ordered from another source. I will say, however, that when I contacted AOS to check on the status of my order, they responded promptly and courteously. And once they received the shipment from their supplier they wasted no time in getting my order sent out.

Second, the handle of this baby is thick! It'll take some getting used to, but ultimately I don't think it will be a problem for me. It's also enough bigger than my 12kg kettlebell that I had to play with it a little to find a comfortable rack position, but I managed.

For those who'd rather not have to tweak their technique every time they transition to a heavier kettlebell, competition-style kettlebells are a great alternative. They don't change in size as they go up in weight, making it somewhat easier to transition from one size to the next. Although they are more expensive than regular kettlebells it's money well spent if it makes a difference to your comfort level and performance.

As far as the quality of the Punch kettlebell goes, it seems fine. The handle is smooth enough to move around my hand without tearing up my palms, and it's the rounder shape I'm used to as opposed to the more triangular shape that the Dragon Door kettlebells typically have. Except for the color (pale gray) and the Punch logo (a bulldog) it actually seems quite similar to my Perform Better kettlebells. Which is not surprising, since I believe Anthony DiLuglio had a hand in designing those.

I haven't used enough top-quality kettlebells to be able to say whether the Punch product is in that category. Certainly it's light years better than the Power Systems kettlebells at my gym, which are just plain nasty. I also think it's a better choice than the U-Fill-Its that AOS sells. I had an opportunity to check those out a while back and, well, they kinda reminded me of plastic milk jugs. To be fair I should point out that they were not filled, so I couldn't really test their performance. They might be a better choice than I'm thinking. But I sort of doubt it.

Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that you could do a lot worse than the Punch kettlebells. They're not going to tear up your hands on a long set of snatches unless your technique is not so good, and the handle doesn't look like it's going to break off as can happen with lesser kettlebells. I think a woman with very small hands might have a hard time with the thicker handle, but for most people I don't think that'd be an issue.

My husband's first reaction to my new acquisition was, "Honey, this is too heavy for you. I don't think you'll be able to do anything with this."

He was wrong.

I used it for the first time yesterday morning. I did swings, sets of 20, followed by a minute of active recovery (jumping jacks, jogging in place, whatever came to mind), lather rinse repeat for 12 minutes. The RKC program minimum, in other words. I really enjoyed it. Well, "enjoyed" is perhaps not the right word, but I felt challenged and really had to think about my form every second since with a kettlebell of that size there's no question of me muscling the weight up. I felt as though my heart rate got much higher than it would have if I'd been using my 12 kg, which I suppose is not surprising since I was moving a lot more metal in the same time frame. Interestingly, my cadence for swings seems to be about the same whatever weight I use, probably because my arm length remains constant:)

I won't be doing "Providence" with 16 kg any time soon, however. "Providence" is a well-made DVD that features Anthony DiLuglio, working out solo somewhere in Providence RI. With no fancy set or DeMille-sized workout cast it's a little hard for me to understand why this DVD is so freaking expensive; it's not that it looks cheaply made, but I still don't think the production costs could have been so very high as to justify a purchase prise of almost $50. And while I like it I sure as heck don't like it $50 worth, if that makes sense.

Part of the problem with "Providence" for me is that the pace at which I do things is not necessarily the pace at which Anthony DiLuglio does things. This is not a huge issue since most of the intervals are simply 2 minute timed sets where the idea is to get as many reps as possible in the allotted time. It only becomes a problem when the designated exercise is something like clean and press ladders. I can't do a 5 rung clean and press ladder as quickly as Anthony DiLuglio can, and if I try to match him rep for rep my form ends up going all to heck which is not helpful. And unfortunately since I am one of those monkey-see-monkey-do people I have a very hard time ignoring what he's doing and working at my own pace. That might just be my problem, though.

Another issue for me is that there's almost no instruction given. Not a problem if the exercise is described in sufficient detail in ETK or the Special Reports and/or I've gone over it with a trainer, which actually is the case for most of the drills in "Providence." But there are a couple, such as the flip & squat, which continue to elude me.

And that brings me to my third problem with "Providence," which is that there is just too darned MUCH variety for my taste! I would rather pick a few drills and repeat them several times until I start to get them right than be jumping from one thing to the next without the opportunity to do any of it very well.

On the other hand, since Providence is very well chaptered it's entirely possible to do just that ... and no-repeat workouts definitely appeal to some people so what I see as a drawback others will view as a distinct advantage.

Honestly, I don't think I would be nearly so critical of "Providence" if it weren't so darned expensive. If it were priced at $14.95 or even $19.95 I'd probably be dwelling a lot more on the positive aspects of the DVD (a great workout, good form demo'ed by the instructor, good chaptering, an effective soundtrack, etc.). As it is ... I have a hard time recommending that anyone purchase even though "Providence" is good for what it is.

The F-Word Forty-Seven

2009-07-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm turning 47 on the 31st. And because I'm just that kind of a person, I'm going to celebrate by giving you all a little present. I call it the F-word Forty Seven Challenge Workout, and it's what I plan to do on the morning of the 31st. It's inspired by the infamous CrossFit Filthy Fifty workout, but with a few little tweaks to make it uniquely my own.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to do the following for time:

47 box jumps (I will be using an 18" box; guys or taller women may wish to use 24" and intermediates may wish to use 12")
47 pull-ups or chin-ups (these may be jumping or band-assisted if you like, or you can substitute inverted rows if you want to join in the fun but consider yourself more of an intermediate exerciser)
47 kettlebell swings (16 kg is recommended; some women may wish to use 12 kg)
47 Bulgarian split squats on each leg (94 total)
47 barbell or dumbbell or double kettlebell push presses (a 45 lb barbell is suggested for men; most women will want to use 30 or 35 if using a barbell. If doing double kettlebell presses I would think 8 kg for ladies would be reasonable, and 12 for men)
47 hanging leg raises (or knee raises, or reverse crunches performed on an incline)
47 stability ball rollouts
47 burpees (or squat thrusts, or mountain climbers if burpees are out of the question)
47 tuck jumps (or butt kicks or vertical jumps)

The usual rules apply: you must complete all your reps of one exercise before moving on to the next, but if you need to take mid-set breaks you may do so

What do you all think?

Who's in? You might as well do it this year, because it's only gonna get worse with time. I mean, just so y'all know, my grandfather lived to be 104 :)

The Kettlebell 666 Challenge

2009-07-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a couple posts down, I'm fundamentally not all that bright. I mean, I have a large vocabulary and a certain aptitude for scoring well on standardized tests, but I've got no common sense whatsoever. Accordingly, when my friend Mike "Smoke The Blowfish" proposed the following challenge--200 kettlebell swings, 100 prisoner squats, 50 stability ball rollouts, 100 bodyweight squats, 105 pushups, for time--my initial reaction was, "Wow, what a great little workout, but it needs a pull. I know! I'll throw in some chins. How about 45, to make it a nice even 600-rep workout?"

So, that's what I did just now:

200 kettlebell swings with 12 kg (broken up into 4 sets of 50)
45 chins (broken up into sets of 7-8)
100 prisoner squats (70, then 30)
50 rollouts (2 sets of 25)
100 bodyweight squats (60, then 40)
105 pushups (2 sets of 21 and then whatever :))

And then at the end, because I'm just that kind of a person, I did a 66 second extended arm plank after completing my final pushup. Hence the 666.

If I were doing the challenge Mike-style I would finish with either a 2 mile run or a 9 mile bike ride for time, but since I 'm at home I haven't got access to cardio equipment. (My gym has no kettlebells worthy of the name, so on kettlebell days I have to work out at home, which is my preference anyway.

Oh, and my time was 31 min, 23 seconds. Not bad, but I can do better. I haven't been doing a lot of pushups lately, so am out of practice.

Now THIS is a strong foot!!!

2009-07-11T15:15:00.001-07:00

Rudolph Nureyev circa 1967, photographed by Richard Avedon:

Unbelievable.

ETK Week Nine "Hard" Day: Taking My Own Advice

2009-07-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

Today I had an ETK "hard" day scheduled ... but wouldn't you know it, I woke up yesterday with a tweaky back and it's still not feeling 100%. So I debated postponing my workout until tomorrow, but ended up deciding to proceed with caution. Thing is, Week Nine is sort of a "consolidate your gains" week, at least if you're following the Art of Strength ETK workbook. The clean & press/pull-up ladders are the same as in Week Eight, and the swing intervals are actually somewhat shorter than in previous weeks. Today's workout, for instance, called for only six minutes of swings, in sets of 50 with 10 seconds rest between sets. I figured I could probably manage it, and I was right although I admit it was harder than usual to maintain a tight core and an arch in my low back on the downswing. The last couple ladders were pretty fatiguing as well. Psychologically I find it much easier to do ladders in reverse, starting with five reps per side and working my way down to one, than to do them as prescribed in ETK. But I'm doing them the ETK way on the theory that if I hate it, it must be doing me good.

Fail Safe

2009-07-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

Evidently I was so taken with that hilarious photo of Loserboy in the post below that I omitted a few important points about training to failure. So, here they are:

1. It's a higher-risk technique, so don't do it unless you have a reason. All lifting stresses the body. That's why it works: it gives your body a reason to get stronger. No stress means no adaptation. But lifting to failure is particularly stressful and involves a greater risk of injury. So don't do it unless you feel you're at a point in your program where the potential benefits outweigh the risks. If you're continuing to make progress without going to failure, stick with what you're doing.

And be aware that in some instances the potential risks are always too great to justify training to failure. If, for instance, you suffer from hypertension, lifting to failure is not for you. Likewise if you are a teen do not lift to failure unless your doctor has confirmed that you are done growing.

2. It's not appropriate for novice lifters. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, if you're just beginning a resistance training program your body isn't ready to withstand the stress of heavy loads. As a general rule you're best off keeping your weights light enough that you can complete anywhere from 12 to 20 repetitions with good form. In this phase of training your goal is not so much to gain size and strength as to build muscle endurance and strengthen the connective tissues within the joints, and the higher rep range is what works best to meet those objectives.

Second, if you're new to weight training, you probably don't have all that good a sense of what the lifts are supposed to feel like, and as a consequence you may not be able to tell when things are starting to go wrong. If you don't know to jettison the weights or ask for assistance from your spotter before you lose control, you may end up injuring yourself severely.

3. The risk is not just to yourself, so use some common sense. If you think there's a chance you may have to drop your weights, be sure there's no one in your immediate vicinity on whom said weights might fall. (I know, I know, it's tempting to let them land on the cardio bunny in the Bebe sweats who thinks the area in front of the squat rack is a good place to do Pilates exercises ... but please don't, unless she is wearing a lot of perfume. )

(I am, of course, only kidding. Sort of.)

4. Don't feel like you need to train to failure every workout. By all means try to break new ground every workout, but use a variety of techniques to challenge yourself.

5. Be aware that if you train to failure, you'll need more recovery time between workouts. I can't say it enough: working out doesn't make you stronger, recovery makes you stronger. So if you lift to failure make sure you take all the time you need for your body to repair itself, or you'll lose the benefit of the workout. For that reason, if you're the sort of person who has trouble taking rest days, training to failure might not be productive for you and you should do something else. There's no sense in doing something high-risk just for the sake of doing it, know what I mean?

6. If you're having a "weak day" don't lift to failure even if it's on your training schedule. There are days to push hard, and there are days for playing it safe. Know what day you're in before you attempt to break new ground. If you're getting over a cold, or you slept funny and have a weird twinge in your back, or you're female and getting ready to menstruate, don't push the envelope! Save it for when you're feeling 100 percent.

Sometimes we know even before we set foot in the weight room that we're not having a good strength day, More often, however, it's a subtle thing that you may not pick up on until you start in with your preparatory joint mobility work and your warm-up sets. I like to start most client sessions with a short set of unloaded overhead squats, because this fantastic total-body exercise allows me to see at a glance whether the client has muscle imbalances that may prevent her from performing optimally during the workout. If we can't get the imbalances fixed with a little foam rolling and stretching, I'll make it a less intense session with more of a focus on corrective training even if it means deviating from plan.

It really is okay to do that. The bottom line is: what you do for your workout on any given day doesn't really matter; what counts is what you do over weeks, months and years. So be smart, and save the ultra-intense stuff for the days when you're mentally and physically up for it.

7. If kettlebells are your chosen training modality, don't lift to failure. The risks are just too high. Do as much as you can with good form, then set the kettlebell down or drop it if you must. Don't teach your body wrong habits by trying to force reps with poor form at the end of a workout when you are fatigued. Check your ego at the door and do only what you can, even if it turns out to be a lot less than you think.

In all honesty this is a real struggle for me, but I'm working on it.