So I experienced a minor setback while I was training last Saturday….
It was my own ignorance and stupidity that lead to me ripping 2 callouses – 1 on each hand – while doing my snatch test last week.
The good news is that I’m able to do the required 100 snatches in 5 minutes or less (4:47 to be exact).
Read the rest of Road to the RKC – Week 5: A Minor Set Back
I put together a great Kettlebell Fat Loss Workout video for you below. The beauty of this workout is that it should only take you about 12 minutes to complete!
This workout is something similar to what I did over the weekend when I was pressed for time.
We brought my oldest up to volleyball camp yesterday and it ended up being a 10-hour ordeal (3.5 hours to get there, 3.5 hours to get back in traffic, plus lunch, bathroom breaks, etc, etc), if you have kids you’ll know what I mean.
I had an uncharacteristic sleep-in yesterday morning and so I needed a quick and intense kettlebell fat loss workout to get me started. So after a thorough warm-up, I did a workout like the one I outline below (except instead of 1-arm swings I did kettlebell snatches instead).
Check the video out below and let me know what you think
Read the rest of A 12 Minute Kettlebell Fat Loss Workout
To start this week off, I’m veering a little off my usual path of posting some type of video or kettlebell tip to tell you what’s been working for me in my life these days. Over the past few months I’ve made a bunch of changes to try to make my life simpler and more enjoyable. I’ve really attempted to clear distractions to help me and my family live healthier, live more consciously and to put a higher value on experiences more than on possessions.
In addition to that, some of the changes that I’ve made and the practices that I’ve adopted have definitely had something to do with the way I feel and the way I look. Since I’ve made all these changes or adopted these habits I’ve lost a lot of fat around my belly, lost the perpetual bags under my eyes, and feel less tired and more energetic.
1. Chin-Ups & Rows
I used to have nagging shoulder issues. About 3 years ago I gave up the bench press entirely and started to pay more attention to things that would make my body (mainly my joints) more healthy. When looking in the mirror I noticed that my shoulders were creeping forward a lot and that I was getting a natural "hunched" look. My pecs were tight and my back was not strong at all. From that point, I started to add a lot of pulling exercises into my programming – chin-ups & rows. Now, my posture is a lot better. My body looks more balanced and I don’t have anymore shoulder issues.
Read the rest of 6 Fitness & Lifestyle Changes That I’ve Made
Here’s a video that I filmed at Washington Square in NYC to sum up Week 2 of my RKC prep….
And here’s a video of my #4 daughter (and my #3 joining in) in her delirious state after 10 hours of walking the streets of NYC…
Read the rest of Road To The RKC – Weeks 2 & 3 (and a bit of 4)
I got some great news from my wife yesterday – NO, we’re not pregnant with our 6th child.
She hit her pre-pregnancy weight over the weekend!
We’ve been training hard over the past few months to get her back in shape for soccer (she plays in a woman’s league every Friday night) and to get her pre-baby body back – which according to her, she hasn’t had in about 12 years.
I’d beg to differ.
Anyway, for the past few months we’ve been doing very specific things to make sure that her joints stay healthy AND that she gets her "sexy" back.
As her "trainer", one of the main things that I’ve been focusing on are single-leg exercises for her posterior chain. Females especially should train their hamstrings and glutes more because of their predisposition to being quad (or anterior) dominant.
With my wife, being athletic and really going hard on the soccer field, I also really wanted to make sure that 1) she was as protected as possible from the aggressive cutting and planting that she has to do on the pitch and 2) that she develops the ability to accelerate in short bursts.
Single-leg training is something that I think EVERYONE – male or female – should focus on.
In everyday life, it’s rare that we’ll ever encounter a situation where we do things with both feet in contact with ground at the same time with even weight distribution. Running or sprinting is a single-leg activity. Climbing stairs is a single-leg activity. Even regaining your balance is a single-leg activity.
We need to train using single-leg exercises to stay healthy.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the bi-lateral (2 leg) exercises as well. Everyone knows that 2-handed kettlebell swings with a heavy KB is my go-to conditioning exercise. But for athletic performance, symmetry and joint health, 1-leg exercises are incredibly important.
So in saying that, I’ve filmed a video for you of some of my favorite Glute and Hamstring single-leg exercises using both a Kettlebell and your own bodyweight. I strongly suggest that if you’re not doing some type of single leg training, that you start immediately.
And if you are doing some single-leg work, please let me know what some of your favorite exercises are and I’ll film them as well for future video!!!
Enjoy your week, guys!
-Chris Lopez
p.s. I’ve been using the Women’s Program from the TT Kettlebell Revolution to get my back to her athletic & sexy self. You can check that program out, as well as the main TT Kettlebell Revolution Workouts HERE…
=> Get the Men’s and Women’s TT Kettlebell Revolution workouts
We’re back from a short vacation in New York City and came home even more tired than we left!!!
Lots of walking, lots of sensory overload and one feverishly sick 9-month-old.
I was still able to get some good workouts in over the weekend because I brought my 20kg kettlebell with me in the trunk of the mini-van. One of the movements that I have been practicing meticulously in preparation for the RKC weekend in October is the 1-arm kettlebell snatch.
Back when I bought my first kettlebell, I was horrible at executing the snatch. I used to get bruised up forearms, sore wrists and callouses that would tear anytime I really tried to push myself.
It wasn’t until 4 years ago that I properly learned how to snatch a kettlebell (NOTE: it’s nothing like snatching an Olympic bar or even a dumbbell). I was at a conference and had been speaking to a KB expert over email for a few months. We finally got a chance to meet face to face. He grilled me with questions about being a parent (I only had 3 kids at the time) and then I peppered him with questions about kettlebells and exercise technique.
Fast forward 4 years and I haven’t had a bruised forearm or sore wrists since. (Although the callouses are still there, but my hands are a lot tougher!).
The snatch is one of – if not, the BEST – exercise you can perform with a kettlebell. If you don’t know how to do it properly, I suggest you learn it because it is a tool in your exercise arsenal that you will constantly come back to.
Here’s a video below on how to perform a snatch…
I’m about to leave to get on the road to New York right now, so just quickly….
One of the best kettlebell exercises that combines -
1. Hip Mobility
2. Abdominal and Spine Stability
3. Hamstring Flexibility
and
4. Shoulder Stability
is the kettlebell windmill.
Check out the video below to see how to perform this highly effective exercise…
I’ll have some video from NYC in the next couple of days so stay tuned!
-Chris
***Editor’s Note: Each week I will be posting my thoughts on training for my upcoming RKC certification course in Orlando in October. These are pretty much just unstructured random thoughts on my training and how I’m adapting to a different routine.***
I got back to training yesterday and was incredibly conservative. With my back and my hip flexor feeling pretty close to 100%, I didn’t want to push myself on the first day back. So I limited the volume and really worked on practicing my technique on my kettlebell lifts and limiting myself to only 2 sets of the bodyweight movements.
Yesterday’s training session looked like this…
1) KB Snatch – 5×5 with a 24kg KB resting 60s between sets
2a) Chin-Ups x 2 sets (12 & 10)
2b) Get Ups x 2 sets of 5 with a 16kg KB
3) Handstand 2 sets x 30s
That was it for the workout, but after the foam rolling, static stretching (for my hip flexors & hamstrings especially), and the activation work that I did beforehand the workout ended up being around 40 minutes.
I have 11 weeks to prepare, so I’m really going to build and make sure that I don’t hurt myself.
My next workout day is planned for today so I will be doing some snatches again and then probably some rowing and practicing my military presses and then will finish with more isometric work – probably walking around with 2 KBs overhead for time.
That workout will be done tonight so that I can wake myself up for a long overnight drive.
My challenge for this week will be my scheduling. See we’re off to New York City tonight to spend the weekend visiting some family and friends and to just "vacate". With the RKC prep program that I’m following, my main training days are on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so I’ll be bringing a KB with me to use while we’re away.
We’re driving there overnight so that the kids can sleep and my wife and I can get some quiet time. That means my "clock" will really get thrown off. But, if you’ve ever done an 8-9 hour road trip with kids, then you know what I mean.
As a family, we’re really looking forward to this trip. The kids love the city, so much so that my #3 daughter (Frankie) calls herself "Frankie from New York".
it’ll be nice to get away and just be in a new environment. It looks, though, like I’ll be up at 5am (as usual) training while everyone is asleep.
I’ll be sure to shoot some video while I’m there, so stay tuned.
-Chris
p.s. I think it’s pretty awesome that I can travel with a "gym" – my kettlebell – in my car and train where ever I want. If you need a "do anywhere" workout solution, check out the TT Kettlebell Revolution…
=>For "Do-Anywhere" Workouts, click HERE
Today is my #4 daughter Mikey’s birthday.
To celebrate, we’re off to the zoo to meet up with some friends later this morning.
I’m mending well from my psoas strain. I’ve spent the week doing A LOT of foam rolling (see video below), stretching, isometric abdominal work (like planks, side planks and bridges) and lots of handstands.
The week off has been a welcomed break and I’m ready (and excited) to start a new program next week. I just really need to remind myself to start slowly and build from there.
NO MORE DUMB JOCK MISTAKES LIKE THE LAST TIME!
The upcoming RKC prep workouts will be something that I’m not used to and haven’t done in a while.
Lots of circuit training.
Lots of building up work capacity.
Lots of sweat.
Maybe some vomit?
We’ll see. One thing’s for sure. I’ll be sticking to my foam rolling routine religiously to make sure that I don’t get hurt again.
Check out the video below to see how I use a foam roller.
Have a great weekend,
Chris
P.S. Happy 3rd Birthday, Mikey!!!
****Editor’s Note: Each week I will be posting my thoughts on training for my upcoming RKC certification course in Orlando in October. These are pretty much just unstructured random thoughts on my training and how I’m adapting to a different routine.***
So the good news is that I didn’t slip a disc – I can be a bit of a hypochondriac sometimes – and I just strained my psoas. I went to see my good friend, Dr. Bill Wells over at the Urban Athlete in Toronto and he fixed me right up.
If you’re ever in need of a chiropractor in the Toronto area, I strongly suggest you visit The UA. Their chiro team is second to none and the beauty about it is that they’re all athletes or former athletes (Bill’s an ultra-endurance athlete, they’ve got a few practitioners who still compete as well and even a former Olympian).
The bad news is that I have to take a few forced days off from training so I can let this injury heal. So instead of trying to amp up the volume a little, I’ll be doing a lot of basic isometric ab work, stretching, foam rolling, trigger point work and probably practicing my handstands.
But absolutely no kettlebells!
Starting next week, I’ll be following the RKC prep program that was created by Master RKC Brett Jones and outlined on his blog. I’m going to follow the program strictly and, because it’s a great idea, even schedule my major workouts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday – because the RKC workshop is on the weekend. How’s that for training specificity?
In addition to that, I’ll be training on Tuesday & Wednesday practicing snatches and doing some bodyweight stuff – mainly chin-ups, pistols, dips and handstands – and probably running hills on one of those days.
So my schedule once I start feeling close to 100% will look like this…
Monday – OFF
Tuesday – KB Snatches/snatch test practice, chin-ups, pistols
Wednesday – KB Snatches/snatch test practice, run hills
Thursday – OFF
Friday – RKC Prep Workout #1
Saturday – RKC Prep Workout #2
Sunday – RKC Prep Workout #3
Something tells me that I’m going to LOVE having Mondays off from training.
So I’ve got 12 weeks to prepare for the RKC in Orlando. The biggest obstacle, and I hate to call them an obstacle, will be my family. I’m a big sucker for my wife and kids so finding time to train on the weekend will be tough. I think more than anything it’s a matter of self-discipline and sticking to a set training time each day. To avoid anyone getting hit by a swinging kettlebell, it looks like that workout time will be early AM.
One other curiosity that I’ve got is how training for the RKC is going to affect my body aesthetically. So sometime this week I will be taking some "before" pictures and posting them and then I’ll take a set every week.
Here we go!
-Chris
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