A few weeks ago one of our Senior RKC Geoff Neupert. Ask for volunteers to test his latest program for both fat loss and strength gain. By the way Geoff has authored some to the most amazing programs. I was coming off of several months of rehabilitating a hip injury that had kept me from doing any heavy work. This was not only a great opportunity to kick back in to high gear, but I could evaluate the program for use with my clients. I keep in pretty decent shape, so I was both excited and curious to see what kind of changes I would be able to achieve as a result of this program.
This was a 4 week program, workouts 6 days- effective work time 20-25 Min's 15-20 Min's of cool down stretches, Diets 3-4 meals evenly balanced meals 5 days 1 cheat day 1 fasting day.
I started the program on Monday July 4. Seemed as good a day as any. For the workouts, I need 2 pairs of kettlebells. I heavy pair and one medium pair. First workout was an eye opener, having been off of heavy lifting for a while, I had to re-access my choice for my heavy pair. It's important to always to be honest with a shade of conservatism, when choosing an appropriate weight to work with. It 's far better to work up to a weight, than have that weight break you down because you it was more than you were ready for. Now it was just a matter of working the program.
The other challenge, was the diet.
The Giant Killer!
In order to lose effectively lose weight and keep it off a proper well developed diet is a must. Diets are always my clients primary challenge and I am constantly emphasizing the extreme importance of a proper and controlled diet as part of any program. I have had many a client just stall and no matter how hard they work out they are unable to make progress until they honestly and consistently address their diet.
even though I pay close attention to my choice of foods and eat well, I had never had reason to engage a specific diet plan. The key to all maintaining a good diet, is planning and preparation. Going into the program I was having a protein shake in the mornings and eating 2 meals per day both later in the day. I was know eating 3-4 meals per day almost twice as much.
My starting body weight 170 lbs
The first week, was mainly about setting the stage, both with the workouts, and with the diet.
My body was really ready for this so it was easy to embrace the workouts. Once, I had gotten started, hitting the workout was easy. Note, I did not say the workouts themselves were easy. The program dictates that you start the 1st week at a medium level of exertion and increase the work level each week. This being said I was pretty wiped out by the end of each 25 minutes session. That's right, 25 minutes. A high quality, high intensity workout with NO CARDIO! There goes the cardio myth I constantly hear being spouted by so many. It's not cardio that does the job, effective intensity that matters. Please understand that I am not nay-saying cardio workouts and their effectiveness, but rather the fact that results, are based on effort and the quality of your results will usually coincide with the quality of your efforts. Gotta say right now it just feels like work!
Week 2. Now I am really getting in to a grove. I already feel stronger than the first week and I am pushing better numbers. I am having not problem eating more, I am hungrier. My body adapting to both the exertion of the workout and as well as the need for more nutrition. Now I can really feel my body tightening and changing!
Week 3. Intensity level is really high. Workouts are really a push. I feel tighter pumped but by weeks end their is also a level of fatigue.
Week 4. Only 4 workouts, Intensity level is at it's highest, but it's nice to have the extra break.
Ending Body weight 166lbs and 1 3/4 inches off my waist.
This was a great journey, it also served as a reminder that weather I am losing weight or just working to be better, a good diet consisting of not only quality foods but enough of it is central to any healthy fitness program.
My goal, was not to lose weight but to effectively change my body, and I think I accomplished that. You be the judge.
Now gotta say I like the changes in my body and I know the first step towards maintaining that is my diet so I will be maintaining the a slightly modified version of the diet from now on. And I want to get stronger. My goal is to press the 48kg Kettlebell by my birthday next April. So, it's time to start a new program. Stay tuned.... !
We all have dreams, many unfulfilled due to the things both planned and unplanned that effect and shape us as we grow and go about our lives. Well, here is a story of one person’s quest to fulfill one of her youth full dreams. We often talk about thing we may have done had we not chosen to get married or just because life, work, responsibilities and opportunities led us on a different path. Well, at a young age, Maia had one of those dreams. At 17 she dreamt of competing in a Fitness Competition. Now, more than 20 yrs, a wonderful marriage and 2 children later, Maia has decided to take up that dream once again. Maia was already training on her own, but knew she needed more direction and assistance. After hearing from a friend about how effective kettlebells could be in her training, Maia approached me to help her reach that goal of getting to the stage. We started in mid July with a training goal to have Maia ready for the stage at the end of October.
On her own, Maia had been training the traditional body building method focusing on one or two muscle groups per session and 6 days per week. With the introduction of kettlebells to her program, we train 3 days per week full body workout sessions 2 days of light cardio with 2 days of rest. We started with a Functional Movement Screen to insure she did not have any movement patterns that could cause injury under load. We then started to incorporate kettlebell complexes, effectively hitting more muscle groups per session. With 2 days of rest, we can maintain the focus and intensity of the training session with less concern for overworking and causing injury.
Maia has chosen to blog her experience so that others may be motivated to go after their own dreams. Follow Maia as she trains for her 1st competition.
"It's only water". For years, this was my common response to the multiple choice we are faced with regarding hydration. Yes, we do need to be properly hydrated, but apart from taste, there was little difference in the choices of water. My personal choice was the simple but effective Brita filter. That was before I was introduced to Kangen Alkaline Water. About 2 yrs ago I was at the office of a friend and Registered Dietitian Lucho Crisalle. He was getting his water from his Kangen water machine. I asked what made that machine different. He gave a brief explanation and recommended I try it for a couple of weeks and tell him what I thought. I have had my own machine for at least 18 months and have been drinking it ever since. Now it's your turn.
Truth behind bottled water
Americans will spend an estimated $9.8 billion on bottled water this year. This will create 4 billion pounds of trash, which will cost our communities $70 million to clean up. Bottled water is not safer, better tasting or more convenient than tap. So why do Americans keep reaching for more and more bottled water?
Bottled water is inaccurately perceived as the healthiest water choice. We have images of clean mountain streams and bubbling springs of pure water, but the reality is that more than half of all bottled water is derived from municipal water. The purification process removes everything from bottled water not just pollutants, leaving the water void of any nutrients and benefits that are naturally in pure water.
So, what do we know about water, and why is this different?
Drinking water everyday is crucial to maintaining good health. Our bodies are comprised of almost 70% water. Many of the beverages we choose to drink instead of water come with "extras" that our bodies don't need, such as sugar and caffeine. These beverages give us a temporary boost, but their corrosive acid levels are detrimental to our health, don't satisfy our thirst, and make us feel fatigued and dehydrated. Such bad habits take a toll on our health, our energy, and our overall happiness. Thankfully, there is an easy way to avoid these issues.
Water is the key to maintaining good health and hydration. Unfortunately, the world's water is polluted with agricultural run-off, sewage, and other toxic agents that compromise our health. Kangen Water® has a clean, pure taste, without losing any of the important minerals that are normally lost in bottled and filtered water.
Kangen Water® also has the ability to properly hydrate the body while creating a positive alkaline environment.
What is Alkalinity?
As with most things in life, optimal health begins with balance. Our bodies must maintain a pH balance of 7.365, which is slightly alkaline. A pH scale is used to determine whether a substance is acidic or alkaline. On this scale 7.0 is neutral. Anything above 7 is considered alkaline and anything below 7 is considered acidic.
The pH levels of your body water affect every cell. Having the correct balance of acid-alkaline will help you obtain optimal health. This can be difficult to obtain if you are not drinking ionized alkaline water.
Because modern lifestyles are full of stress and acidic foods, our bodies are flooded with acid. Your body has an amazing ability to regulate itself, and will go to great lengths to maintain a healthy pH balance of 7.365, slightly alkaline. In an attempt to balance itself, your body will store the excess acid in its cells. This creates unnecessary stress on your organs and other body systems. High acidity levels will interrupt cellular functions.
Kangen Water® also has the ability to properly hydrate the body while creating a positive alkaline environment.
Properly balanced levels of alkaline help neutralize acid in the body, creating a defense against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other disease-causing organisms. Additionally, Kangen Water® is armed with antioxidants that can fight free radicals at the cellular level.With its hydration, good taste, detoxification, and anti-oxidation, Kangen Water® is the promise for good health that you have been waiting for! What could be more important? After all, your body is water.
Prevention: Pure and Simple
Preventing disease involves more than proper nutrition and exercise. The toxic environment and acidic water can actually attribute to the thriving of many diseases in society, because high acidic levels make the body hospitable to bacteria, viruses, and even cancerous cells. But cancer and other diseases cannot thrive in an alkaline environment. Kangen Water® effectively raises the body's alkalinity and fights against free-radicals that damage healthy cells.
An important part of the Enagic business philosophy is realizing true physical health. Your body is smart, but if you don't provide it with the crucial elements, it won't perform to its maximum potential. Make Kangen Water® part of your daily routine. It doesn't take a dramatic life change to start improving your health. Pure, clean, living Kangen Water® is at your finger tips.
Here is one of my favorite entertainers giving a glimps of his life behind the scenes. This is a great example of a simple but effective workout. Another demostration to how versatile kettlebells are. I am sure this looks very familiar to my Boot Camp members.
It's the latest fitness craze in celeb land embraced by Geri, Pen, J-Lo and Jen
Geri is now a svelte Size 8 (pic:getty)
SPICE Girl Geri Halliwell is in the best shape of her life... and it's all down to a fitness craze that's sweeping Hollywood.
She's lost two-and-a-half stone following her pregnancy to become a svelte but shapely Size 8 - and it's all been done with an 18lb ball called the Kettlebell.
It looks like a cannon ball with a handle - but Geri, 34, is just the latest "body beautiful" to use it to sculpt their figures. Other devotees include Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez and Penelope Cruz.
Incredibly, the Kettlebell was invented 2,000 years ago. It originated in Russia and was used by Greek athletes and gladiators.
But what's made it so popular today is manufacturers claim using it can burn up to 1,500 calories an hour. Stars are keen on the device because it keeps their bodies in shape without adding bulk, so they can still fit into their designer dresses for premieres.
The man who's helping Geri prepare for a Spice Girls' reunion tour is former Royal Navy field gunner and personal trainer Tim Blakeley. He's one of the most experienced consultants from London company Outdoor Extreme, who specialises in exercise courses carried out in public parks.
The firm's managing director Tommy Matthews, 24, says: "Geri has got into the best shape of her life in preparation for a Spice Girls reunion. She is proof that any woman can do it - even if they have recently had a baby. She is using our Kettlebell technique, and we know that, with a bit of hard work, Kettlebells are a great way to get back your figure post-pregnancy."
Geri gave birth to daughter Bluebell Madonna last May, stuck to the regime, and was soon winning admiring comments for her figure, which is now a happy medium between her buxom Spice Girls days and the worryingly skinny appearance of her early solo career.
Jennifer Aniston, 38, also uses the Kettlebell to keep her body lean and taut without adding bulk. Jennifer Lopez, 37, swears by it to keep her arms red-carpet slender and her famous abs trim. And Penelope Cruz, 33, maintains her enviable bikini body by following the regime.
Since I began working with kettlebells in 2004, I have been confident that it is the premier training tool available today, both for fat loss and for overall functional strength. For the majority out there in gyms today, training or working out has been about losing weight. Repeatedly I hear the comments about the need for more cardio and the skepticism about how kettlebell workouts are probably more effective than their present workout.
Sparked by shows like The Biggest Loser, and movies like 300 in which Gerald Butler and the Spartans used kettlebells in part to hone their chiseled physiques, kettlebells are becoming all the rage. Enthusiasts claim twice the results in half the time.
The claims that the kettlebell delivers superior fat loss to any other method have finally been vindicated by scientists. Funded by the American Council of Exercise (ACE), research published in the January/February 2010 issue of ACE FitnessMatters proves that there’s plenty of scientific truth to back up the fat loss claims.
ACE is one of the oldest and most respected fitness research and certifying bodies in the United States. ACE is ultra conservative. They don't do fads and they don't do gimmicks. They do solid research. They want proof.
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin are stunned by the research: Kettlebell calorie burn is off the charts.
Dr. John Porcari, leader of the study, said, “So they were burning at least 20.2 calories per minute, which is off the charts. That’s equivalent to running a 6-minute mile pace. The only other thing I could find that burns that many calories is cross country skiing up hill at a fast pace.”That's 1,200 calories per hour.
The research team led by John Porcari, Ph. D and Chad Schnetter, M.S at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse Exercise and Health Program, used a VO2max kettlebell snatch protocol developed by Dragon Door author and Master RKC kettlebell instructor Kenneth Jay, in Jay’s bestseller Viking Warrior Conditioning.
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of particapting in at Hardstyle Ventura Workshop hosted by Sean Schniederjan, RKC and lead by our leader Pavel Tsatsouline. In attendance was Master RKC Rick Reifkind, Seniors Will Williams, David Whitley, Doug Nepodal, Team Leaders Jay Armstrsong, Mark Toomey, Dr Mark Chen, Mike Castrogiovanni and Jeremy Layport and Franz & Yoanna Snideman. As well as a couple of other visiting RKC's.
It is always a pleasure to work in such company. With Pavel's leader ship we are each encouraged to contribute to the unwavering goal of providing only the best quality information to our clients and our own training. The knowledge we gain and share only continues to make the RKC the premier strength training organization.
Welcome to our new web site. As you can see there are several changes, hopefully all for the better. Please take the time check out the new features and give any feed back you may have so we can continue to grow and improve. In future I hope to use this blog not only to inform, but to communicate. I welcome any questions or concerns you have in regards to fitness health and training. I will post response here for everyones benefit I will also be periodically posting my training progress for those who are interested. Thanks for joining us.
