Functional Strength Training…
“Functional strength training” has become a buzzword. However, as popular as it seems, there are still people everywhere who don’t get it. So, let’s take a quick look at what it is, why it’s important, and how to do it.
Functional strength training is basically using exercises in your workouts that transfer to real life in a practical way. Think about your training program - especially if you’re into bodybuilding. Will tricep extensions carry over to real life? What about chest crossovers? Leg extensions? Leg curls? No, they won’t. Even the ever-popular bench press offers very little in the way of practical use. None of these will be much use to you as you Read more
Tags: Barbells & Dumbells, Bodyweight Training, Hardcore & Odd Object, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Strength Training, Womens TrainingPopularity: 30% [?]
The Slosh Pipe
Steve Maxwell has a reputation for finding, creating, and sharing unique training methods and tools. I remember seeing the slosh pipe a while back, and saw last week or so that Steve had posted an article about it.
Basically, a slosh pipe is a length of PVC pipe that you fill with water, capping both ends (use a screw-top on one end). In his example, he uses a 9.5′ length of 4″-6″ PVC. When filled with water it weighs in at about 40 pounds. It doesn’t sound like much, but the way the water sloshes from end to end makes it Read more
Tags: Conditioning & Endurance, Grip Training, Hardcore & Odd Object, Strength TrainingPopularity: 12% [?]
Gaining Size… Why?
I’ve had this thought on and off over the years and thought I’d post.
I remember when I was 18. I saw some photos of bodybuilder Achim Albrecht in a muscle magazine and thought, “Man, I’d love to look like that.” If I remember right, he was about 5′10″ (my height), and weighed about 250 (about 100 pounds more than me). But, I really wanted to look like that.
I just looked up some photos of him (same photos, in fact) and, well… Read more
Tags: Barbells & Dumbells, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 15% [?]
New Mike Mahler Beginner Kettlebell DVD…
I’ve been really busy lately and haven’t posted in a while, but I got an email about this DVD this morning and wanted to let you guys know. It’s currently at the top of Mike’s Store.
It’s around 2 1/2 hours of no-fluff basics of kettlebell training. From the sample clip, it looks like the video/sound quality and editing is similar to the Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD, which I have and recommend.
Right now, he’s got special pricing on it, and you’ll get a free copy of his Kettlebell Workshop Manual. Check it out here.
Tags: beginners, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Strength Training, Womens TrainingPopularity: 59% [?]
Making a Sandbag…
I posted most of this as a comment in another post, but thought it deserved its own. Obviously, there’s more than one way to make a sandbag, but here’s how I made mine.
If you want to buy a ready-to-go sandbag, you can get one from www.ironmind.com . I haven’t used one, but Ironmind has an excellent reputation for quality. They’re pretty expensive though.
Personally, I just went to Academy (a sporting goods store) and bought a good duffel bag. You’ll want one that is fairly heavy (mine’s nylon). Mine was $10 (a few years ago). They also had some cheaper, thinner nylon bags that can work as inner bags. And even with them, I put the sand in small plastic trash bags.
So, I put the sand in several plastic bags, then those inside a few thin nylon bags, then put them inside the main heavy nylon bag. This gives you a few layers of protection to keep the sand from spilling out. It also allows you to adjust the weight of the main bag. Say you make five thin inner bags at 20 pounds each; you can use four for 80 pounds or all five for 100 pounds, etc. Or, even if you just have one or two thin inner bags, you can still adjust the weight by adding/removing the plastic bags. One other tip: remove the air from the plastic bags before tying them closed. Leave the empty space, but remove the excess air. This will allow the sand to still move around inside the bag, without the air taking up so much space.
The way I built mine might be overkill, but it works for me.
For sand, you can just get play sand from a home improvement store.
If you do all this and the sandbag still isn’t heavy enough for you, you can add something heavier to the bag. A barbell plate or dumbbell buried in the middle of the inserts can work, though I haven’t tried it myself. You could also use a chain, or gravel to add to the weight.
Tags: Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Hardcore & Odd Object, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 37% [?]
Six Reasons to Take Up Sandbag Training
While sandbag training does seem to be growing in popularity, there are still millions of people who have never heard of it. Or, they’ve heard of it but thought it was too “out there”, ineffective, or whatever.
I’ve thought up a short list of reasons to get going with sandbag training.
- Cheap. You can make a sandbag for less than $20.
- Strength or conditioning. Depending on the weight of your sandbag and your program, you can use them for building either strength or conditioning.
- Adjustable. If you make your sandbag by using smaller inserts, you can add or remove the inserts to adjust the weight of the bag. You can make each insert 10 pounds and easily get the weight you want.
- Stabilizers. Because the sand moves around inside the bag, you end up working muscles you forget you have. The small stabilizers muscles that come into play for balancing and such get a workout more than with a nicely-balanced barbell.
- Safety. Granted a 100+ pound sandbag still weighs 100+ pounds and you can still hurt yourself by doing something wrong. However, you practically remove the risk of impact injury with a sandbag. Drop a sandbag on your toe and you’ll be fine. With a barbell… not so much.
- Versatile. The purpose of the sandbag is to build functional, real-world strength and/or conditioning. As such, it lends itself to very creative workouts that can remain effective.
I’m sure there are plenty of other good reasons not listed. If you want to give sandbag training a try, just get started. If you’re new, or you’re tired of free-form training and want a more thought-out approach to sandbags, check out The Caveman’s Guide to Fitness or Sandbag Strength.
Tags: Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Hardcore & Odd Object, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 38% [?]
Proper Squatting Form
Even though I’m an advocate of working out at home, I still go to the gym once in a while. I’ll get the occasional urge to do something a little different that I don’t want to do (or can’t do) at home, or maybe just want a change of scenery. It’s also a good opportunity for me to get a chance to see what others are doing, and see some common mistakes.
The squat rack is, sadly, one station that doesn’t get much action. And when it does, it’s often by people who could use some help. So, here are a few pointers on cleaning up your squatting technique.
- Don’t rest the bar too high on your traps. Let it sit comfortably low. Too high and it’s too close to your neck. This can hurt your neck, as well as put an awkward tilt in your upper body, which is bad form.
- Toes should be about shoulder-width apart, pointed slightly outward, and your knees should track over them.
- Bend at the hips first, sticking your butt out back. Don’t bend your knees first.
- Sit back rather than down. Imagine you’re going to sit in a chair that’s slightly too far behind you.
- Squat between your legs. As Dan John said long ago, your body doesn’t fold like an accordion. You’re not accordion-folding your hips, thighs and knees. Squat down between them. To get the idea, try to squat (bodyweight only) all the way down, sitting on your haunches. To do this, you’ll have to squat between your legs. If you “accordion-fold”, your balance will likely be off and you’ll fall backwards. Remember this “between the legs” thing.
- Keep your shins fairly vertical. If you’re doing everything else right (hips first, sitting back not down, between the legs), then your shins will automatically remain relatively vertical.
- Squat below parallel. Be honest with yourself - did your hip joint get level with your knees or lower? If you’re just dipping down a few inches, you’re kidding yourself. Take some weight off of the bar so you can go below parallel.
- Drive the weight up with your hips, glutes and thighs. Think of them as one unit to create the hip-drive necessary to lift the weight.
The above is a description of how to do a standard squat for normal trainees. There are more advanced methods that don’t exactly fit this model, which I won’t discuss here. You also may notice that the overall method is similar to the kettlebell swing. It all centers around proper body mechanics to create a powerful hip drive.
If you’ve been squatting with poor form, take some weight off the bar and start from the beginning. You’ll be better off in the long run, with better gains and an overall safer lift. Leave your ego at the door.
One issue that sometimes comes up is whether squats are bad for the knees. The answer is yes and no. If you are squatting with poor form - especially if you’re bending at the knees first - then you’re putting your knees at risk. Another indicator is your shins. If your shins are moving significantly forward of vertical, then you are likely putting undue stress on your knees.
Another potential knee problem is squatting all the way to the ground if you don’t know what you’re doing. Squatting all the way to the ground, with added weight on your back can damage your knees if you release tension. You need to hold tension in the knee in this position. Relaxing in this position (with a barbell) can put extra stress on the tendon/ligament structure of the knee because of the stretching effect caused by the leverage of your leg musculature and the weight. It takes a conscious effort to hold tension in this position, so I don’t recommend it without an experienced trainer.
Given that, most people will be fine using the guidelines listed above for proper squatting technique. The squat is an excellent exercise, and is one of the best if your goal is overall size and strength. But be sure you’re doing it right!
Tags: Barbells & Dumbells, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 67% [?]
Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD - Review
If you’re not aware, Mike Mahler has produced a new 3-DVD set, with over 7-1/2 hours of instruction, featuring Mike Mahler, Steve Maxwell, Steve Cotter, and Nate Morrison. I’ve been wanting to write a review of Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD since I got it a few weeks ago, but it’s just taken a while to watch the whole thing. So, you might want to grab a drink and sit back, this could be a long one.
Let me say that at first, I was a little skeptical about the quality of the video. Since it was shot at a kettlebell workshop, I was expecting poor quality video and sound. However, Read more
Tags: Bodyweight Training, Circuit Training, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Product Reviews, reviews, Speed Strength, Strength TrainingPopularity: 100% [?]
More Than a Kettlebell Workshop DVD
Mike Mahler has produced a new set of DVDs. It’s over 7 hours worth of training information from some of the most respected instructors in the industry: Mike Mahler, Steve Maxwell, Steve Cotter, and Nate Morrison.
It was filmed during a workshop in Las Vegas, and is MUCH more than a kettlebell training DVD set. It ain’t cheap, but if you’re serious about your training, or are a personal trainer looking to expand your knowledge (and business), I highly recommend you check it out. You can read all about it here: Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD.
I didn’t want to write up a formal review until I’d seen it. However, since Mike currently has special pricing on it, I really wanted to tell you guys about it so you can take advantage of the discount.
I did get my copy a couple of weeks ago. I’ve only been able to watch about half of it so far, but it’s excellent - and not the same stuff you’ve heard before. New snatch and clean techniques (straight from Russia) by Steve Cotter to really raise your numbers. A different approach to pressing from Mike Mahler to improve your speed and explosiveness.
Before I ordered, I was concerned about the video and sound quality - since it was shot during a workshop. However, I have no issues at all. The workshop was indoors, and both the video and audio are great. Here’s a teaser video:
I won’t say any more about it here, you can find out for yourself at:
Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD
And remember - order now for special pricing!
Tags: Bodyweight Training, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Speed Strength, Strength TrainingPopularity: 80% [?]
How To Structure A Kettlebell Workout For Size and Strength
Here’s another article by guest author, Mike Mahler.
How To Structure A Kettlebell Workout For Size and Strength
By Mike Mahler
I get tons of emails from kettlebell trainees on how to structure kettlebell workouts for getting bigger and stronger. Many trainees make the mistake of doing too many exercises; apply improper use of volume; and use flawed training frequency. Training frustration is soon to follow with the inevitable lack of progress from not having a clear target. When designing a program, you must consider that you can only be good at so many things. Thus, one of the keys to designing an effective program for strength and size is to keep things simple and focus on doing a few things well. Moreover, your balanced development is critical as is proper exercise selection. Lets get into some key ingredients for maximizing a kettlebell program for size and strength.
The first thing you need to do is focus on are exercises that provide the most bang for you buck. I like to break down a full body workout into five categories. Pick one pressing exercise, one pulling exercise, one exercise for the quads, one for the hamstrings, and Read more
Tags: Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 60% [?]
