Kettlebells have been around for over 100 years and they’re the simplest form of exercise equipment there is. 

Only now are they beginning to gain popularity with the masses.  

Here are 5 reasons kettlebell training can get you 6-pack-abs…

1. Unilateral Work

Most people that start out with kettlebell training really just want to see if it’s for them. Because of that, they go out and buy ONE kettlebell. Little do they know that they’re frugality is probably the best thing that they could do to get that 6-pack.  

As they start to snatch, swing, row & press that single KB they’ll notice that their form has to be impeccable in order for the exercises to work.  

Training with that single KB creates an imbalance in weight distribution while they are performing their exercises, meaning that the side that isn’t loaded has to work extra hard to maintain balance. That imbalance results in your abs and your low back & glutes to contract resulting in strengthening like no other.

2. KB Training Forces Your Abs to Work The Way They Were Meant To

You’re already aware that doing endless crunches or situps will NEVER get you six-pack abs, right?  Let’s understand why and how KB training can help you get a 6-pack that works.  

One of the many functions of your abdominals is to stabilize your spine and torso - to hold you upright, not allowing your torso to collapse.  

That said, by swinging, snatching or doing any KB exercise where your center of gravity is being moved around, you are using your abs to resist rotation or any excessive lateral flexion (bending sideways).  Doing this forces your abs to contract or brace and protects your very sensitive lower back area forcing your abs to not only work the way they were meant to work, but doing it at every conceivable angle.

3. They force you to relax your hip flexors, getting rid of that paunch.

Living in a society that is constantly sitting, it’s no wonder that our posture is terrible.  One of the most commonly tight areas of our body are our hip flexors (the muscles responsible for bringing our knees into our chest).  The problem is with tight hip flexors (from excessive sitting) is that we force our pelvis into anterior pelvic tilt (the swaying of the back of our pelvis up giving us a big arch in our low back).

Not only is having that arch bad for our low back, but it unnaturally forces our guts out giving us the appearance of a paunch belly.

When you do the bread & butter exercise of KB training - the 2-arm KB swing, we force our hip flexors to relax by using their antagonist muscles, the glutes and hamstrings.  After doing high reps of swings to finish our workout, your hip flexors will have no choice but to relax and thus eliminating that excessive protrusion peaking out of your shirt. 

4. KB training keeps your low back healthy.

It’s a myth that KB training is detrimental to your back.  

Learning and mastering "bracing" techniques (the same kind of bracing that you would use when you squat or deadlift), will actually allow you to strengthen your back when you dynamically use a KB.  

As we stated in point #2 above, moving that KB around and shifting your center of gravity forces your abs to work in such a way that you are resisting rotation and flexion.  Your abs don’t work alone in this as they have to contract in concert with your obliques and your erector muscles (the 2 columns of muscles in your low back).  

Bracing properly and using a KB will make your back bullet-proof and safe guard you from any kind of "everyday" injury.

5. KB training is interval training "on steroids".

Interval training, usually done at the end of a workout, involves bouts of high intensity exercise (sprinting, bodyweight circuits, complexes, etc) followed by recovery periods.  

Research has shown that training of this type creates an amazing fat burning response and will spare your hard-earned muscle.

Traditional KB training usually involves doing a series of full body exercises and movements continuously without any rest until we reach a certain time or until we finish our required number of repetitions.  These "circuits" or "drills", as they are sometimes called, give us a more of challenge simply because we adding KB into the mix.  The result is one of the gut wrenching interval sessions you’ve ever done in your life.  And the beauty of it is the variety of movement that will reduce the amount of overuse that occurs with traditional sprinting on a track or bike.

Kettlebell training, although it’s history is rich in tradition, is the wave of the future.  It’s the hottest 6-pack-abs generator of the moment and will definitely help you get those rock hard abs you’ve been looking for.

Make sure to get your 6-Pack for Summer with the TT Kettlebell Revolution.

Chris

I was in the gym this past Friday and felt depressed.  It was a beautiful day outside and the weather was spectacular.  The temperature wasn’t too hot or too cold. It was perfect weather for being outside.

But I was "stuck" in the gym doing heavy Bulgarian Split Squats. Nonetheless, I gritted through the workout and got it done.

On the bike ride home, my indoor experience got my thinking….

With the weather absolutely beautiful right now, do I really need to be training indoors?

Now, don’t get me wrong, the gym that I train at is beautiful. Beautiful in the sense that you can drop weights, grunt and yell as much as you like. There’s a row of power racks, a glute-ham raise, dumbbells that go up to 150lbs and rings hanging from the ceiling.  But on Friday it felt like a furnace in there and I felt like I was in a dungeon.

Based on my last video, I’m taking my own advice and training outside until the weather gets better.  That starts TODAY!

Here in Toronto, we’re only really blessed with good weather 5 months out of the year. The rest of that time is a toss up.

So I’m going to put the barbell and dumbbells down for the next 4 months and focus on training outside in my backyard and running hills at my favorite spot.

Here’s what today’s workout will be…

1) Foam roll, stretch hips & jump rope for 5 minutes

2) Turkish Get-ups (2 x 5 per side)

3a) Chin-Ups (3 x AMRAP)

3b) KB Windmill (3 x 10 per side)

4) KB Snatches x 100 (50 per side)

Since this will be my first outdoor workout in a while, I’ll probably start off using the 16kg kettlebell for the first set and then move over to the 24kg.

The plan is to train 3 days per week using a combination of kettlebells, bodyweight training, sandbag training and some fun stuff like hitting an old tractor tire or flipping it over in the alleyway (hopefully my neighbour won’t mind).

I’ll be sure to update you on how things go and make sure to check back tomorrow when I take you through a tour of my "outdoor gym". I’ll show you exactly what I have in my arsenal and how you can equip your backyard so you won’t have to waste time travelling anywhere for your outdoor workout.

Have a great day,

Chris

p.s. If you’re looking to break out of your dungeon, then you can join me with some outdoor kettlebell workouts by clicking HERE

=>Start training outdoors with the TT Kettlebell Revolution TODAY

Memorial Day Outdoor KB Circuit

Perform the following workout as a circuit going from one exercise to the next. Only rest when necessary. Perform 3-5 total circuits after a thorough warm-up.

1) Burpee Push-ups x 10

2) KB Goblet Squats x 20

3) 1-Arm Row x 15 each arm

4) KB Tactical Lunges x 20

5) 1-arm KB Press x 10 each arm

6) KB Swings x 30

Happy Memorial Day!

-Chris

p.s. If you’re looking for more KB workouts to get you lean in time for the July Long Weekend, click HERE to get started with the TT Kettlebell Revolution!

=>Get started with the TT Kettlebell Revolution

From the mailbag, here a some nutrition, diet & supplement questions that I received from you guys last week….

Q: Chris, if I want to lose fat, what recommendations would you give me as far as diet goes? I’m not obese and I’ve been doing your TT Kettlebell Revolution for 3 months now. I’ve lost 30lbs and I probably have 10-15lbs of fat left to lose.  

-Greg, Sioux City

 A: Hey Greg. The first I would do is cut out all processed and junk food.  ALL OF IT. I know some fitness and nutrition people say that moderation is the key, but truth be told, if you really want to get super lean, then cutting out all junk food is a must.  Any food that you can get out of the window of your car (like in a drive-thru) is off limits.  The only exception is if you live in California or Florida and you buy oranges from the dude selling them from a grocery cart in the middle of the freeway.

 After that I’d cut out all starchy carbohydrates. This includes pasta, bread, potatoes and rice. I don’t care if it’s whole grain, spelt, kamut, whatever.  Cut it out for the time being.  The biggest argument people would have is, "how am I supposed to get enough fiber?".  That one’s easy, just…

 Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables gunning to have at least 8 servings per day. I’ve seen many nutrition books say that you shouldn’t eat fruit because of the sugar content - that fruit will make you fat. That’s a load of crap. Eat the apple or banana instead of the sugar-free diet bar that most nutrition experts try to convince you to eat and you’ll be better for it.

Make sure you’re getting enough fat.  Have a variety of sources. Right now I’m on a higher fat diet in an effort to get leaner (I know, it may not make any sense), so I’ve got bottles of pumpkin seed, grape seed, coconut and extra virgin olive oil that I rotate and take on a daily basis.

Finally, eat lean protein from quality, naturally raised and/or produced sources.  If you eat meat (like I do), then get your sources from butchers and or farmers that allow their livestock to pasture.  Eat lots of beans & lentils and if you take protein supplements, opt for the plant-based protein powders like rice or pea protein.

If you can make those changes, you should see a significant reduction in bodyfat in addition a reduction in inflammation and an overall increase in energy.

 Q: Chris, Are there any specific diets that are simple to follow and take the guesswork out of nutrition?

  -Marlene V., S. Africa 

A: Hi Marlene.  In my experience, diet and nutrition is an on-going journey about finding what works for you.  Once you’ve found it, hang onto to it for dear life and relish in the fact that you are somewhere 90% of the population is striving to be.  

That said, if you’re looking for me to get specific, there are 2 "diets" that I like, have used and support.

The first one would be Brad Pilon’s EatStopEat. On this diet, you can pretty much eat whatever you want and still lose weight.  I find that for most people who I turn this diet on to, their biggest obstacle is mental - Can I survive without food for a day? Will I lose all my hard earned muscle? Will my metabolism slow down? Won’t my blood sugar drop so low that I’ll pass out in the middle of driving home? Brad dispels all these myths and backs each claim with supported research.  EatStopEat is a great read and it works.

 =>Check out Brad Pilon’s EatStopEat HERE

The second "diet" book that I like is Craig Ballantyne’s "Simple Nutrition".  The title does it justice.  Craig is one of those guys that is able to find the simplicity in everything complex - and what’s more complex these days than diet and nutrition.  Craig’s outlook is much like mine and Brad’s - focus on eating REAL FOOD. His diet is a little more structured that EatStopEat, but that isn’t saying much at all.

The bottom line…when you can maintain 6-pack-abs and ridiculous pound-for-pound strength like CB can, then he must be doing something right with what he puts into his body.

 =>Check out Craig Ballantyne’s Simple Nutrition HERE

The beauty about both these "diets" is that it doesn’t take much to follow them.  No counting calories or grams of protein.  And the best part is that there’s no stress!

 Q: Chris, I know you focus on REAL FOOD, but do you use any supplements?

 -Francis, Toronto, ON

A: I’ve been using supplements for 15 years.  Some have worked, most have not.  Right now, based on this post by Mike Boyle, I’ve been adding Fiber, Fish Oil and Glucosamine to my morning routine.  That’s about all the supplements that I’m taking right now (if you don’t count the cocoa nibs, chia seeds, maca powder and rice protein that I add to my morning shakes).  I’ll let you know how that works out for me over the next few weeks. 

 ****The following is a re-print of an interview I did  on the FitAndBusyDadBlog with my friend, strength coach Troy Anderson and how he uses kettlebells for his clients and athletes. I really dig Troy’s Philosophy because he too is a busy dad with a limited schedule.  There are a few good lessons that you can get from this interview, so please take 5 minutes to read it.****

What the He** is a Kettlebe**!?!

I was introduced to kettlebells a few years ago when I picked up a fitness magazine, read it cover to cover, and then got lured into the advertisements in the back of the magazine.

At first, like many of us, I didn’t get it. What’s a cannon ball with a handle on it going to do for me?

Better late than never I guess. Now I have 7 KBs and I use them every week. Come the summer time, that will increase to everyday because I can’t stand to be inside a gym when the weather’s nice.

I asked my friend Troy Anderson, a strength coach in Tempe, Arizona why he uses KBs as his primary training tool. Here’s how that conversation went down…

CL: Troy, first, tell us a little about yourself and your general philosophy when it comes to training.

TA: Sure, Chris. I’m a fitness coach located in Tempe, AZ working in the profession for 11 years. I’m the owner of Anderson Training Systems. We operate by 2 primary principles:

1-Ductus Exemplo (leadership by example)

2-Fitness Ain’t Pretty, Results ARE!

Personally I am a life long under-sized, under-talented athlete that used strength and conditioning to achieve beyond my natural means and currently play Australian Rules Football as sport of choice.

I am brand new dad to a baby girl and I am looking forward to being a sporting/physical activity role model for her.

I have been using kettlebells for 5 yrs to help those from 16 to 60. Regardless of their goal(s) they are the only tool that all my 1 on 1 clients touch every single time they come in.

CL: OK, I’ll bite. Out of all the little “toys” that are available to you in a gym, why kettlebells?

TA: 2 reasons:

1-versatility you can use them anytime anywhere and get great workout in. Just last week I did a quick workout with a KB that I had in the back of my truck in the hospital parking lot, like 4 hours after my little girl was born. It was great. Sure you can do lots of bodyweight stuff but ultimately we need a way to progress or overload, and as guys don’t we all really want to put weight in our hand(s)

Like in the example of my hospital workout, I would much rather - for the time, overall benefit and general enjoyment - snatch a kettlebell 100 times vs doing 50 bodyweight squats and 50 push-ups. It is just a better full-body workout

2–As a professional especially as someone who focuses on working with everyday folks I know I need to get people doing big bang for the buck full body movements; in order to help them sculpt and carve their bodies to the degree they desire. The problem is, as adults they likely have mobility issues and /or have very little lifetime exercise or athletic experience which plays a significant role when it comes to teaching some of these more athletic full body movements like squats, cleans, presses, etc…

Basically, what it comes down to is that I can teach/make the complex movement simple in a matter of 2 or 3 workouts vs 2-3 years. End result is that my clients get better results faster.

CL: Great point, man. Congrats on your little girl, and great job on just finding the time to get a workout in. I’m sure people were staring at you in the hospital parking lot. That happens to me a lot when I hook my blast straps up to the roof rack of the minivan while I’m waiting in the parking lot for my kids to get out of school!

So T, tell us what some of your favorite exercises are.

TA: We banter about this topic an awful lot I will give you my top 3 though.

#1 Snatches–most athletic and total movement out there it is a full-body strength, power, coordination movement, if you can snatch you are good to go. Peform these with high reps and you’ll have a killer fat loss workout

#2 Turkish Get-up/TGU - If someone held a gun to my head and said Troy you can only use 1 exercise for the rest of your career to get clients top results this would be it.

There isn’t an aspect of the body that doesn’t take a beating; while not as explosive as a snatch it does take some serious focus. Which I think is very cool side benefit for most trainees it actually forces them to ‘get in the moment’ and quit thinking about all the BS that goes on in their day.

You can’t do a TGU with out focus.

#3 Double Front Squat–I have squatted with a lot of different implements and I must say that a double KB front squat really works your legs because you get such a great and natural range of motion but it also scorches the core because of the placement of the KB’s. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much your core gets worked.

CL: TGUs are one of my favorites too. You’re right, it does take a lot of concentration and mental focus. Especially when you’ve got 72lbs over your head and you need to ensure that it doesn’t come crashing down onto your skull. OK, let’s get into some conditioning stuff.

What’s a “smoke session”? There’s some urban kettlebell legend that a “smoke session” is one of the toughest workouts on the planet. Can you confirm or deny these rumors?

TA: Yeah funny that term came to me from a supressed memory of military training. We had this mean, little drill sergeant who dragged us out into the sand pit one Saturday night when we were supposed to have a weekend pass, and ’smoked’ the crap out of us for like 90 mins. So that is where the legend of the smoke session came from. They are tough but in the program they are progressive, so they aren’t just intended to be brutal for the sake of being brutal. I mean really fat loss and fitness aren’t supposed to be easy.

Ultimately a smoke session is a kettlebell specific, pretty intense interval training session. Again it’s the flexibiltiy of the kettlebell!

CL: OK, here’s a question/comment that I get a lot and just really pisses me off. What’s your response to the skeptics that say “whatever you can do with a kettlebell, you can do with a dumbbell”?

TA: I would say they are full of crap. I can say that with confidence because around 6 yrs ago I was that guy and now I can admit I was 100% wrong. Here’s something to think about… I would bet anyone that I can take the average or even untrained person and teach them how to effectively and safely perform a squat, deadlift and overhead press faster than anyone can do that with a dumbbell.

CL: Great challenge. I wonder if there are any trainers out there that would have the stones to take you up on it? So Troy, you’re a new dad, so I’m sure that you’re just starting to find out what all of us dads already know…that finding time to stay lean, eat well and maintain a healthy lifestyle becomes a challenge.

Can you give us some nutrition tips?

TA: Ok a couple quick ones for you

1) You must have prepared protein source available at all times, the moment you don’t you are set up for making bad decisions. Generally for me this means have some fish, polutry, pork or beef that has been grilled in my refrigerator, that way I can just warm it up and add the necessary ingredients for a complete meal.

2) Prep your veggies don’t be lazy once you have purchased your veggies spend the extra 30mins are so prepping/chopping them in to usable forms so you can have them at the ready during the week.

3) Beans - Use them. They add volume, texture, fiber and some protein too. I love black beans personally

4) Flax meal and Metamucil - Add either or both help to make your protein shakes more filling and a little more complete.

CL: So, with the Kettlebell Meltdown, you’ve proven that you can get a great fat loss workout with kettlebells. But, are kettlebell workouts good for developing strength, power and/or endurance?

You can get all of the above depending on the protocol you use with your kettlebells as much as they are unique they are still a resistance training tool.

However, if you want to get into specifics, during my in-season training I pretty much exclusively use kettlebells to keep lean strong and explosive. At nearly 35 I compete and prevail against players that sometimes are more than a decade younger than I am. I attribute a lot of that to the kettlebell work.

Another instance would be my colleague Ken Black he trains almost exclusively with KB’s he came down to Josh’s facility a couple years ago and loaded a 300lb stone and flipped the 900lb tire. I also used the KB a lot during a train-up for strongman contest.

As for endurance I am currently using them to train a couple first time ironman competitors. While not specific to barbell sports like powerlifting and olympic lifting, KB’s can definitely assist them and for an athlete, weekend warrior, or fat loss enthusiast they have more than enough fire power to provide benefit in those areas.

CL: Awesome stuff, Troy. You really know what you’re talking about when it come to training with kettlebells!

To check out Troy’s new Kettlebell Meltdown Fat Loss Program, click HERE.

=>Kettlebell Meltdown Fat Loss

Chris Lopez

The FitAndBusyDad

 I’ve been training my wife at home over the past couple of months. It makes for a funny dynamic because I have to remember that "she’s my wife" and not one of my other clients.

It’s always difficult for me to train her. It’s hard enough already to make that separation between work and home, but there I am wearing my "work hat" while holding a 6-month-old and guarding the area to make sure that none of the other kids gets hit by a swinging kettlebell.

Regardless, something’s working.  Over the past 8 weeks that she’s been training at home - using only kettlebells & bodyweight exercises - she’s dropped almost 15lbs.  What’s more, she’s a lot stronger that she’s ever been.

Here’s a little peak into her weekly routine:

Monday - soccer practice (She plays for a women’s team that trains every Monday night for 2 hours.)

Tuesday - Off

Wednesday - Kettlebell & Bodyweight Training

Thursday - Off

Friday - Kettlebell & Bodyweight Training

Saturday - Family Hill Day (I’ve got a video to show you about this in the upcoming weeks!)

Sunday - Kettlebell & Bodyweight Training

On her training days, we focus on full-body workouts that can get pretty intense.

Because of the limited time we have, her sessions usually take no longer that 30-minutes and most days they’re closer to 20-minutes in length.

Here are some considerations that I take when training my wife and women in general:

1. NEVER skip the warm-up. My wife, the poor thing, has been pregnant the good part of 12 years (we have 5 kids). So, because her body is still - even after 2-3 months of training - getting accustomed to intense exercise, it is imperative that she warm-up correctly. 

Warming up properly isn’t about hopping on a treadmill and going for a 5-minute jog. First we start out with foam rolling and then some static stretching for her hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, pecs & lats. Then we start a series of short planks, side planks & bridges to "fire-up" her abs. Then we finish doing a series of hip-mobility and glute activation exercises.  The warm-up alone takes close to 7-10 minutes. 

2. Limit the squats - Believe me, I know the benefit of squats. But, with my wife especially, we will squat once every 2 weeks. Women in general, because of the angle of thier hips in relation to their knees, are quad dominant. So instead, we focus on doing a lot of work for her hamstrings and glutes. Reverse & walking lunges, bulgarian split squats, step-ups deadlifts and especially kettlebell swings are staples in our program.

3. Minimal horizontal pressing - My wife does push-ups. That’s it. No floor presses, no bench pressing, just push-ups. And when we do the push-ups, we focus more on the squeezing of her shoulder blades on the "down" motion than we do on the actual "pushing-up" part. Why? Because she (as do most women) has tight pecs already. I’ve found that if we focus on the scapular retraction (trainer speak for squeezing the shoulder blades) I can get her to subconsciously open up her chest to force herself into "good posture".

4. Lots of "core" work - Prior to our "finisher" we always do a tri-set of a combination of abdominal exercises. These exercises aren’t of the sit-up or leg raise variety, but emphasize her ability to move parts of her body in space but still keep her torso stable.  We’ll do planks, side planks, mountain climbers, spiderman climbs, opposite hip touches and reverse ab curls. Remember, your abs are their to hold you in place, not to move your chest to your hips (like in a sit-up).

Training the abs properly, especially in women who have had children, is critical. Don’t underestimate the necessity of a sound abdominal & core program for women.

5. We "finish" strong. We always finish with kettlebell swings. I LOVE KETTLEBELL SWINGS and wrote about why they are so great HERE. 

Prior to this month, I was getting her to do 100 2-arm swings in as few sets as possible with an 8kg kettlebell. But this month, she’s working on doing 1 all out set with the 12kg KB. She’s up to 65 straight and that’s after all the other main exercises she does at the beginning of the workout.

I’ll give you an update of how she’s doing over the next few weeks, but over all, she’s happy with the progress.  

And for those of you who are married, we all know, when Mommy’s happy, everyone’s happy!

-Chris

p.s. Sorry, but she won’t let me post any pictures of her progress…yet

p.p.s. Did you know that the TT KB Revolution comes with a women’s specific workout.

=>Check out the TT KB Revolution complete with the Women’s Specific Workout

I’m writing this during the calm before the storm. My kids will be waking up in a few minutes and then it’s off to the races.

=>Get the TT KB Revolution for ONLY $35!!

I’m about to head over to the gym to film a kettlebell and bodyweight demonstration for a nationally syndicated TV show up here in Canada (yes, we have TVs up here in our igloos :-).

But before that, here’s a study that recently came out from Truman State University studying the cardiovascular "effects" of swinging a kettlebell…

Farrar, RE, Mayhew, JL, and Koch, AJ. Oxygen cost of kettlebell swings. J Strength Cond Res 24(4): 1034-1036, 2010.Health & Exercise Sciences Department, Human Performance Laboratory, Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri.

The subjects were asked to swing a 16kg kettlebell (using 2-handed swings) as many times as possible within a 12-minute period. The swings did not have to be continuous and there were no scheduled rest periods (so they could rest whenever they felt the need to). They just had to do as many reps as they could within the allotted time.

The researchers found that the test subjects completed anywhere between 198 - 333 swings and they worked at an average of 86% of their max heart rate.  What’s more (and here’s where it gets interesting), the subjects worked at 65% of their VO2 Max (which was measured before the test).

 So what does this mean for you and me?

"Continuous kettlebell swings can impart a metabolic challenge of sufficient intensity to increase Vo2max. Heart rate was substantially higher than Vo2 during kettlebell swings. Kettlebells provide a useful tool with which coaches may improve the cardiorespiratory fitness of their athletes.”

 Or….

Continuous kettlebell swings can improve cardiovascular fitness.

This is good news for those of us who can’t afford the time to get on a treadmill for hours at a time and jog to try improve our heart health. 

It also can provide a healthier alternative to traditional cardio because of the low impact that kettlebell swings have on your joints. 

Looking into swinging vs cardio further, 3 of the most common forms of cardio training (running, cycling & ellipticall-ing…I don’t know what to call that) are mainly quad-dominant activities.

KB Swings primarily work your posterior chain (back, glutes, hamstrings) and your abs more effectively. Those posterior chain muscles are key for not only posture and joint health (primarily for your oft vulnerable knees & hips), but are essential for athletic performance, strength & power.

Think: being able to throw your 3 year old up in the air and catching her without the fear of "pulling" or "straining" something.

Be warned though, don’t set your timer for 12-minutes and start swinging. Just like every exercise, you need to start at a realistic level and progress gradually.

My suggestion is to start with 2-minutes of swings and work your way up to 12 minutes, increasing the duration of your swing workout by 1 minute per week.

OK, time to get to my trailer and get my make-up on

-Chris Lopez, CSCS, CTT

p.s. Remember we’re celebrating Craig’s 35th Birthday with a$35 TT Kettlebell Revolution Sale!  Grab your copy HERE today before the price goes back up tomorrow before MIDNIGHT!

=>Start Swinging with the TT Kettlebell Revolution

No, it’s not my birthday (although it was my mom’s 61st birthday yesterday - Happy Birthday, mom!).

But my buddy Craig Ballantyne is celebrating his 35th birthday this month….. THE ENTIRE MONTH!

And since Craig had a lot to do with helping me bring kettlebell training to the masses, we (Craig and I) are celebrating his 35th birthday with a special 35th Birthday Promo.

So from TODAY until Friday at 11:59pm, you can get the full TT Kettlebell Revolution for only $35!!!

=> Get the TT Kettlebell Revolution TODAY!

You’ve got enough time before "beach season" to get in shape and now you can do with one of the most effective and efficient ways possible…KETTLEBELL TRAINING!

=>Take advantage of the 35th Birthday Celebration TT Kettlebell Promo by clicking HERE!!!

Remember, the sale only goes only until Friday just before midnight, so take advantage today!

-Chris Lopez, CSCS, CTT

 My family and I played "The Deserted Island" game this weekend.  We each asked ourselves if we were stranded on a deserted island, what 5 items could you take with you and why.

That pales in comparison to what my 4 year old Frankie would take: her plastic pink sunglasses, her Alvin & The Chipmunks DVD, the other 6 people in our family (apparently we only count as 1 item), Rice Crispies and a giraffe.

The game got me thinking about a question that I received over email last week.  

Someone had asked me if I could only choose 5 exercises, what would they be? Which 5 do I think are essential to anyone’s program?

So here’s my answer…

1) Turkish Get-Ups - I wrote an article about TGUs HERE and why I was convinced that they are now the King of all exercises.  Anytime you have an exercise that can help correct muscle imbalance and help with mobility issues in addition to being a great conditioning exercise, you have to at least consider it in your top 5.  TGUs combine shoulder & abdominal stability with lower body strength, coordination and mobility all into one exercise.  If you don’t do these, you need to start now.

2) Chin-ups - If you do chin-ups the right way they become a full body exercise. Doing them the right way involves you contracting and arching your entire posterior chain from your calves to your upper back. Focus on pulling your chest to the bar (not jerking your head at the top to barely get your chin over). Stop the exercise when your form starts to deteriorate.

3) 2-arm KB Swings - I’ve been using 2-arm KB swings as my primary conditioning exercise over the winter. No other exercise combines hamstring & glute strength & endurance, athletic power and grip strength into one exercise.  I’m fully convinced that doing swings have helped me get a lot stronger and have allowed me to stay lean over the "hibernation" months.

4) Push-ups (all variations) - Hand stand push-ups (with my feet on a wall) are my favorites right now. I also like doing these off rings (or blast straps) for some added shoulder stability. If you’re tired of doing the plain vanilla kind or find that you’re just bored of them, try some decline-close-grip push-ups with your feet on a chair. Those are my go-to push-ups early in the AM to help me get some blood into my muscles.

5) 1-Leg Squats - I was a little reluctant to put Pistols in this list because it’s really hard to do them properly. Nonetheless, there’s no denying that pistols are an important exercise for both muscle building and performance. I’m a HUGE fan of 1-leg exercises (the TGUs can be considered a 1-leg exercise as well). There isn’t much in life that we do with 2 legs at a time, so the carryover of 1-leg exercises into the "real world" is very high.

So, did I miss anything?

Leave your comments below and let me know.

Chris, CSCS, CTT

P.S. There’s a BIG Promo coming up on Wednesday.  Stay tuned for details