Lower Body Workout 7/28/16 and how to do GREAT kettlebell swings!

Today was a quick, 45 minute, lower body workout. Everything was really straight forward, but sometimes the simplest lifts, are your best ones.

I ended with kettlebell swings, and that's what we are going to talk about today. I see so many messed up KB swings when I'm coaching! The most common problem is that people bend their knees too much and try to squat the kettlebell. It is NOT a squatting motion, in fact, the knees are just barely bent enough to not be locked; it is a hip hinge motion. I like to use the example of an explosive RDL.

Here are the cues I like to give when teaching the KB Swing:

• Start with the kettlebell on the ground in front of you by about a foot
• Reach down and grab the KB, pinch your shoulder blades back and down
• "Hike" the kettlebell back like a football, pushing your hips back
• Squeeze your glutes, explode forward with your hips, driving the KB into the air
• Depending on what kind of swings you're doing, only bring the KB to chest height
• Keep your arms locked out, glutes come all the way forward
• Keep your core tight, making sure you don't go into hyperextension with your back
• Allow the KB to "pull" you back down, while you push your hips back, letting your body fold over
• Do not round your back at the bottom of the swing
• Maintain a tight core and neutral spine by continually pinching your shoulder blades back and down
• Repeat and enjoy :)

Thanks for reading, get swinging!

-Nick

Partner Workout 7/26/16 and what to look for in a training partner!

Today's workout was harder than expected. My two good friends ended up joining me and when we are all together, we really push each other past what we thought we were going to do. We made this workout up as we went along, which is why it is all over the place. It ended up being a great full body lift!

Not everyone enjoys having a training partner, but I definitely benefit from it. When you find the right person, they can greatly improve your sessions. They can motivate you to get your butt to the gym, spot you when you need it, push you during the lift, and help to keep you on track if you ever feel like quitting.

It is important to find the right person. Make sure you all have similar goals in mind, check to see if your schedules and preferred lifting times match, and talk about how you personally like to be motivated; some people like being yelled at, other can't stand it. Overall, make sure you are both willing to put in the hard work and willing to be serious if the other ever wants to deviate from their set goals, aka, QUIT!

So find a friend, go lift, and see if it helps you have a better workout!

-Nick

Full body 7/19/16 and why you need to sometimes stop listening to your brain!

Here was today's workout; I really enjoyed this lift! It was full body, and no barbells were used. I just felt like doing some accessory type work, and getting my heart rate up. It was also about 85 degrees inside when I did this, which was great!

I'm not going to lie, I was tired when it was time to lift, and I was dragging a bit. I started trying to make excuses in my head, but deep down I knew I really needed to get a workout in. I sucked it up and after I got the music blasting and the first set in, my mind connected. It turned out to be a fantastic workout! Sometimes the workouts you really don't want to do, turn out to be your best ones. I've never been upset, afterwards, about doing a workout. So the moral of the story is, turn off your brain when it tells you not to lift, and go get after it!

-Nick

Lower body 7/15/16 and why you need to be doing glute exercises!

Yesterday's workout was legs and it started with 7 sets of squats and 5 sets of planks with shoulder taps. These are a great core exercise to mix in when you get bored with regular planks; they really make you focus on stabilizing your hips and shoulders as you move from each side.

The next circuit was dumbbell RDLs and single leg squats to a box (basically a half pistol squat). Finally I finished up with goblet squats and single leg glute bridges with a band. 

This variation of glute bridges are one of my favorite glute activation and strengthening exercises. Many people have the problem of their glutes not activating enough, so their hamstrings overcompensate and take way more stress than they should. Glute bridges can be done at the beginning of a workout to get them firing, or like I did here, with resistance at the end to really get the blood pumping into the muscle to make it stronger. 

I always have my clients start with some sort of glute activation, whether it's with a mini band, bridges, or supermans. So make sure you're always waking up your glutes, and focusing some time in your session on getting them stronger! 

Thanks for reading!

-Nick

Workout for Monday 7/11/16 and why YOU should be doing some yoga!

Today's lift was short, only about 30 minutes. I started off with some hip, ankle, and shoulder mobility movements and then got right into it. My main circuit was goblet squats (63lb), kettlebell cleans 63lb) , and dumbbell RDLs (65lbs). I did 5 rounds of that, then ended the lift with 50 kettlebell swings with the 63 pounder.

After the lifting was over, I got my yoga mat out and did about 10-15 minutes of yoga and stretching. I ran through some sequences I know that help open me up, and worked on postures I'm not good at quite yet. I have gotten into yoga more and more over the last few months, thanks to a fellow coach, and I love it. It is great for physical AND mental health. I've noticed that my core is stronger, as well as, my shoulder stabilizers. I also practice meditation, but yoga is a perfect combination of meditation with movement (ideal for someone ADD like me). You do not need to be flexible to get started, as the quote says above, "yoga is not for the flexible, it's for the willing." There are variations for every posture and if you have a good teacher, they will help you get the most out of every pose. I urge everyone to at least try a few yoga classes! I believe by combining mindfulness meditation, strength training, and yoga I have become a much more athletic and well rounded lifter.

Give it a try and Namaste!

-Nick

Sunday Funday 7/10 Workout and how to have a great deadlift!

Here was today's workout! I went with a Pull/Push theme and decided to use deadlift as the main movement, because I haven't in about 2 weeks.

Here are the cues I think about when deadlifting:

• keep your shoulder blades back and down
• core tight (sternum to belly button)
• chest up
• drive through your heels
• squeeze your glutes pushing your hips forward 
• keep the weight close to your body

To balance out all the heavy pulling from the deads, I went into 4 sets of bench press at a moderate weight for 8 reps in order to really get some blood pumping into the chest. I made that a circuit by adding in ab rollouts and pull ups. From there, I did 3 sets of accessory work with dumbbell rows and incline dumbbell flys. Finally, I finished up with a GPP (general physical preparation) circuit of sandbag cleans and sprints with the sandbag on my shoulders. We just got sandbags, and I absolutely love using them for a finisher at the end of workouts; there is something about using a piece of equipment so basic that makes you feel like you're back in the days of true hard physical work!

Thanks for reading and give this one a try; it was a great way to end the weekend!

-Nick

Workout Log 7/5

Hey everyone! Here is yesterday's workout. It was very simple, but I didn't have a lot of time and I needed to burn as many calories as possible (the holiday weekend was not the best for the diet).

Circuit 1: 6 Rounds

1a: Bench Press x 12-15 @ 155#
2a: BB Back Squat x 12 @ 185#

Circuit 2: 3 Rounds

1b: BB RDL's x 8 @ 185#
2b: BB Rows x 6-8 @ 185#

That was it! Like I said super simple, but sometimes those are the best workouts. It was 85 in the gym and about 80-90% humidity so it made it a very sweaty workout. There was minimal rest between sets and this whole thing took me around 40 minutes.

Thanks for reading!

-Nick