What Do You Wear on Your Feet?

The following is a guest post written by Katie Bigelow, a Z Health Master Practitioner(p), RKC and student at Emory University majoring in Neuroscience. Next time you are in the market for athletic shoes, reference this article for some smart choices!

"As most athletes who first meet Delaine and I at Condition Kettlebell Gym have noticed, we wear some pretty funky shoes – that is if we are actually wearing shoes. Well, here is the information you’ve all been asking us for about shoes.

First, we must start with the basics. In today’s age, shoes are a materialistic accessory that more often than not matches the color of clothing. Thousands of years ago, before the invention of air conditioning, cars, and the light bulb Neanderthals walked the earth BAREFOOT. And so should you! The Neanderthal barefoot approach is significant, because this is actually the most efficient and healthy method of walking and movement for your body. Anatomically, there are 26 bones in the foot and ALL of them should be mobile. When taking a step, the force from the ground starts at the heel and is distributed throughout the rest of the foot and body. If one of the bones in the foot doesn’t move efficiently or is jammed, the force from the ground is altered and the distribution throughout the rest of the body changes. What does this change in force mean for you? Put simply, changes in joint and postural alignment and PAIN! The pain can occur in the knees, hips, and/or lower back, etc.

So, you can’t walk the streets barefoot and you don’t want immobile and painful joints. Here are some shoe suggestions that will help minimize pain and postural changes and facilitate healthy and mobile joints:

Nike Free
Puma Alsten
Converse – Chuck Taylor’s
Puma Speedcats
Vibram Five Fingers
Adidas Samba
New Balance 790s
Adidas Chiba
Reebok Driving Shoes

These are all athletic shoes that are great options for athletic performance, everyday activities, and even work! If you don’t have any of these shoes in your closet, you should check your current shoes to see if they fit the profile. An easy test is to pick up one shoe and bend the sole. If the sole doesn’t bend with ease, or only in the toe area, you should strongly consider purchasing any of the shoes listed above. Basic things to look for are flat shoes with a flexible sole throughout the entire length of the shoe, which will allow for all the bones and joints in your feet to move freely and efficiently. Also, if you’re puzzled about where to look or all the shoe stores you’ve checked don’t carry the above shoes, trying some of the following websites:

www.nike.com
www.ebay.com
www.zappos.com
www.eastbay.com
www.vibramfivefingers.com

With a fresh pair of flat and mobile shoes you are well on your way to better performance with a more efficient and mobile body!"

Keep moving,

Katie Bigelow
RKC Instructor
Z Health Level 4 & 9-S Movement Coach

Workout of the Week -The Basics Circuit

This week we are concentrating on the basics but doing it in a way that is still challenging. I have taken 5 "Back to Basics" exercises and put them together for a continuous circuit. That means no rest until you finish all exercises.

Warm Up:
Z Health...4 High Payoff Drills (Ankle tilts, Toe Pulls, Hip Circles and Thoracic Glides)
Pumps and Kettlebell Halos

Workout: (3 Rounds)
1. Kettlebell Deadlifts, (30 sec. each arm)
2. Partner Pushups with a shake in the middle (can be a regular pushup) (30 sec.)
3. Kettlebell Clean and Squat (30 sec. each side)
4. 1 KB Back Row (30 sec. each side)
5. Swings (2 Hand, Hand to Hand, 2 KB's) (30 seconds)

We topped this off with Rope Velocity (20 seconds) combined with Farmer Walks/Overhead Carries and Racked Walks between each rope set.

Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group boot camp kettlebell classes in Wilmington, NC.

Strength/Cardio Combination Workout

Workout of the Week:
This past week in the boot camp classes we concentrated on doing a strength and cardio exercise back to back with a rest after completing both.

Complete each round 2-4 times doing exercise A and B back to back. Rest 30 seconds-1 minute after. Rest 1.5-2 minutes in between each round.
Round 1:
A. One Side Shouldered Sandbag Step-ups
B. High Knee Skips/Jumping jacks

Round 2:
A. Seated (on the floor) Overhead KB Press
B. One-handed swings

Round 3:
A. One Side Shouldered Sandbag Squats
B. Shuffles

Round 4:
A. Bent Over Sandbag Rows
B. 2 Handed Swings

Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our boot camp kettlebell classes located in Wilmington, NC.

Loosen up with a Foam Roller

This post has been removed because since writing it, I have seen the light.

I attended the first weekend of the Z Health R-Phase Certification this weekend (Jan 30-Feb 1st, 2009). As explained by some of the most intelligent brains on the study of movement, foam rolling, stretching and any mode of movement that causes even the slightest pain will send the body into startle reflex. This enemy to efficiency is our body's protective mechanism and guards us from immediate physical threat (1). As Dr. Eric Cobb puts it, "the nervous system often fails to differentiate normal everyday stressors (traffic, a fight with your spouse, a bad meeting with your boss, etc) in today's culture from a physical threat. As a result, many people spend their waking hours in a physically "armored" state. This causes poor posture, slumped shoulders and tense muscles." (1) In other words, when we put ourselves in startle by hitting those incredibly uncomfortable trigger points, we are doing the exact opposite of what was intended...to loosen up.

So, as I learn more, I cannot, in good conscience, leave the Foam Roller article up. Z Health has changed the way I approach flexibility, mobility and everyday aches and pains. Visit a Z Health practitioner in your area if you are interested in learning more.

1. Cobb, W. Eric, D.C., 92004-2006) Z Health Performace Solutions R-Phase Manual 3rd Edition, (p. 13), Z Health Performace Solutions.

Workout of the Week Jan 09 2

Here is a workout we did in class this week. We were concentrating on back to back exercises with no rest in between. Take your 1-2 minute rest at the end of each round.


Round 1: 2-3 Sets

A. Tactical Lunges with the kettlebell (1 minute)

B. Hindu Pushups (30 seconds)



Round 2: 2-3 Sets

A. Squat/Catch/Squat (45 seconds)

B. 1/2 Turkish Get up with Chest Press at the bottom (1 minute per side)



Round 3: 2-3 Sets

A. 1-Leg Deadlift (6 reps each leg...done slow and precise)

B. Russian Twists (30 seconds)



Intervals:

4 Rounds of 3-Bell Swings:

Start with 3 bells...1 heavy, 1 medium, 1 lighter...Example: 20 kg, 16 kg, 12 kg

Do 10 swings with each bell, heavy to light...rest 30 sec-1 min only after all 30 reps are complete

Repeat







Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.

Z-Health is Amazing

WANT TO AVOID THIS SITUATION? GET Z HEALTH!

Sorry there haven't been any videos posted this week. I have been a little out of it for the last 3 days due to a stomach bug. When you add that to being 5 1/2 months pregnant, being a fun mom and trying to train, it really takes you down for the count. So needless to say, today will be a short post.

In my down time, I am preparing for the Z Health R-Phase Certification by studying up on some great anatomy books: Trail Guide to the Body: How to Locate Muscles, Bones, and More (3rd Edition) and Anatomy of Movement (Revised Edition). Both of these are fascinating (if you are into this kind of thing). They have really helped me understand what is actually going on under the skin.

If you have not ever checked into Z Health, I highly suggest you do. The R-Phase Mobility Series, along with kettlebells, have freed me from constant back and joint pain. The focus of R-Phase is Rehabilitation, Re-Education and Restoration of coordination, agility and movement efficiency. Basically you are trying to "re-introduce your brain to your body" to reduce injury, maximize strength, improve range of motion and excel in athletic performance. There are a number of follow along dvd's that you can get to do at home.

If you are really looking to improve your health and movement beyond just looking good, I cannot think of a better way to do it. Take 10-15 minutes every day or even every other day and go through the series on the Neural Warm-up dvd. Your body will thank you and your performance will skyrocket!

Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.

Article on Kettlebells in the Duluth News Tribune

Justin Edberg of Duluth works out with a kettlebell at the Superior Kettlebell Gym in Duluth. Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com

Article from the Duluth News Tribune by Peter Passi:

Minnesota is playing a central role in promoting the latest rage in American fitness — kettlebell training — and it’s anything but new. In fact, the activity can be traced back more than 300 years to humble agrarian origins.

Kettlebells are weights Russians originally used to weigh crops such as grain or potatoes on agricultural scales. These cast-iron weights are usually shaped like a cannonball with a handle affixed to it, and they come in 16.4-kilogram (36.1-pound) increments called poods.

Those who frequently handled these weights — called girya in Russian — often developed impressive muscles. So much so, that the word for a strongman in imperial Russia came to be girevik, meaning “kettlebell man.”

“It’s not just another passing fad,” said Adam Dailey, who opened the Superior Kettlebell Gym in Duluth a few months ago.

Dailey is one of four Twin Ports trainers to recently become certified Russian kettlebell instructors under the tutelage of Pavel Tsatsouline and Dragon Door Publications Inc., a St. Paul-based company that has been one of the primary promoters of the sport. Tsatsouline has helped certify more than 1,000 kettlebell instructors in the past eight years.

Chris Fournie, a certified kettlebell instructor who owns and operates Progressive Martial Arts and Fitness in Hermantown, introduced kettlebell training to the Northland in 2005. He described Minnesota as a hotbed for the sport, due primarily to Tsatsouline’s influence, and referred to Dragon Door as “the mother ship of kettlebells.”

A kettlebell competitor and champion himself, Tsatsouline trained countless athletes and special forces in his native Russia. Upon his immigration to the States, Tsatsouline introduced kettlebells to Americans in 2001. Although he now lives in California, Tsatsouline originally settled in Minnesota and married Julie Antonson, a native of Duluth.

“I think I honestly was more sure kettlebells would succeed here than Pavel,” said John Du Cane, owner and CEO of Dragon Door. Initially, Du Cane suspected kettlebell training would catch on with a select audience such as elite athletes, law enforcement officials and military service people.

“I really didn’t expect it to take off on the level that it has,” Du Cane said, noting that kettlebells appealed to a much broader market segment than he had anticipated.

But Du Cane said the dramatic results people achieved through training with kettlebells quickly turned the fitness regimen into a sensation.

“Kettlebells combine endurance, flexibility and weight training all in one activity,” said Dawn Karlon, a certified kettlebell trainer and owner of Lifestyle Pilates and Conditioning in Superior.

Dailey said kettlebell training can be beneficial to people from all walks of life and of all different levels.

“As a 39-year-old mother, I wondered if I could handle kettlebell training,” said Molly Solberg of Duluth. But she gave it a shot when Dailey opened his gym and said she has been impressed with the results. Solberg credits stretching and kettlebell exercises for helping her resolve neck pain issues. She also has noticed other benefits of the strenuous workouts.

“It improves your posture and how you move. I also think it’s amazing how much energy I now have,” she said.

Fournie has a herniated disk in his spine, but since taking up kettlebell training, his back condition has improved dramatically.

“I’m 51 years old and I’ve had lots of injuries, but I can do things now that I never expected to be able to do in my life — things that I couldn’t do when I was young,” he said.

“I call kettlebells the fountain of youth,” quipped Fournie.

Kettlebells have proven surprisingly popular with women. Du Cane said that while about 80 percent of the nation’s certified kettlebell instructors are men, about 70 percent of students are women. He said kettlebell training effectively tones and strengthens muscles in the thigh, abdomen and buttocks. It also produces a desirable body shape that’s different than other types of weight-lifting.

“You’re using weights, but they won’t bulk you up. Instead, people training with kettlebells tend to develop a lean and rangy body type that’s strong but very proportional.”

Kathy Sieh of Duluth has been taking kettlebell classes at Progressive Martial Arts & Fitness for about a year and said they deliver the best workout she has ever experienced.

“I’m 48 years old, and I feel great,” she said. “It has really defined my muscles. I’m able to eat more, and I have more energy. I feel spunky.”

Kettlebells also have attracted the attention of elite athletes, such as cyclist Lance Armstrong, who incorporates them into his training.

Zach Walters, a professional boxer from Duluth, also works out with kettlebells. He said that since beginning to train with Dailey, his strength and stamina have improved but not his physical size.

“I feel like it has densified me. There are muscles for show and muscles for go. These are all muscles for go,” Walters said, thumping his torso.

Dailey said kettlebells work entire muscle sets, including stabilizing muscles required to maintain balance and control. A vast variety of exercises can be performed with deceptively simple kettlebells to effectively target particular body parts and improve overall physical conditioning.

“It’s hard to sell people on kettlebells right away, because they don’t believe a little iron ball can do so much,” he said. “But you develop a tremendous passion for them when you realize what they can do for you.”