For the most part, I took the weekend off (up until now) of doing any work on the computer. I was on it way to much last week and my eyes were about to pop out of my head. I don't feel like I got enough outside time this past week so I chose to spend part of this morning digging in the dirt and getting rid of the weeds in my garden. It was overrun. I had so many good intentions last Spring of eating all year from our bounty of peppers, corn, tomatoes and such but got sucked into work and other responsibilities. So the weeds and grass snuck in and destroyed my beautiful vegetables.
Which brings me to your weeds. What is holding you back from looking your best, feeling your best and performing at your best?
For many of us, laziness is a huge factor this time of year. We settle into our comfy sofas, curled up with a book or sit at the computer and never look to go outside and get reacquainted with our surroundings. I am guilty of it at times too. I forget how refreshing the cold is against my face as I walk with my family in the woods. So this morning's garden detox felt awesome. At first, I was overwhelmed looking at all that had to get done but after getting in there and turning the soil some, it became fun and satisfying.
Getting started on a workout program has got to be the hardest part to the exercise habit. But just imagine how good you will feel even after the first week of moving more. Many of my clients comment on how strong they feel after one week of classes with HeadSTRONG Athletics. They become addicted to the energy and workout because it makes them powerful, inside and out. And let me tell you, many of these people had weeds galore to overcome. But they did it.
So, are you going to sit on your butt and let the weeds take over? Get up and move.
Shawn in the garden BEFORE the weeds took over! Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.
Wilmington, North Carolina Kettlebell Instructor Launches HeadSTRONG Athletics Boot Camps
Summary: HeadSTRONG Athletics, located in Wilmington, North Carolina, holds boot camps focused on kettlebell training to help people burn body fat, gain lean muscle and increase their athletic ability.
November 12th, 2008- Local Wilmington, North Carolina Russian Kettlebell Instructor and fat loss specialist, Shawn Manning, is the founder of HeadSTRONG Athletics, a fitness boot camp for men and women located at McKay Healing Arts on Wrightsville Avenue. The boot camp program promises twice the results in a fraction of the time for a third of the cost of other Wilmington personal training services.
Manning believes that boot camp group classes are the answer to those looking for personal service but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg to get in shape. “The economic situation has taken its toll on all of us. I started these classes with my present one-on-one clients in mind so that they could save money and still enjoy the rewards of personal training. It turns out that fitness enthusiasts of all types love the atmosphere and challenge. The group boot camps not only provide awesome energy and camaraderie, they also allow people an affordable alternative to expensive programs.”
HeadSTRONG Athletics’ integrated strength and conditioning training plus Precision Nutrition system is second to none for helping people burn fat, lose weight fast and improve their athletic abilities. “Our clients are shedding weight, hitting the tennis ball harder and looking better than they have in years.” HeadSTRONG Athletics accomplishes this by focusing on kettlebell training and compound movements. “Our boot camps consist of 45-minute super-charged workouts featuring interval and circuit training. “We use kettlebells, sandbags, heavy ropes and body weight drills instead of machines to get in top shape.” This type of fast paced training, such as the Tabata intervals they use in class, burns nine times more fat than ordinary straight set, long rest periods exercise. Manning is quick to say that although this type of program may not be for everyone, even beginners have great success and are never left behind. “Don’t get fooled into thinking this is too hard for you if you are just starting to workout. Modifications are made everyday so that people feel comfortable easing into exercise.”
HeadSTRONG Athletics has some raving fans, such as Fran Rudolph who claims: “I’ve lost 15 pounds; my clothes are starting to fit again – yeah! And now, I can do much more – biking, kayaking, skiing –to name a few, and just doing regular housework is so mush easier. And, the classes are so much fun. It seems like intense personal training, but with a group – and such nice people – everyone’s so friendly and welcoming. Your training program is definitely part of my life now, and I can’t imagine where I’d be without it!”
The name HeadSTRONG Athletics comes from the belief that everyone has internal athletes that needs to challenge themselves and be aggressive. Some people want to be active to lose 30 pounds, some to move up to the next level in their sport and some to feel like they did in their 20’s. “I believe there are two parts to physical fitness; One being the conditioned body and the other the strong mind. When you become tough physically, a change happens within that prepares you mentally for the next challenge. Being headstrong is as important as looking good. We want to be the ones to facilitate this change with our boot camps.”
HeadSTRONG Athletics offers boot camp classes throughout the day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. A free one-week trial is available to all newcomers. There will be a FREE Post Thanksgiving Workout for anybody interested in burning off Thursday’s meals at Hugh McRae Park on Friday, November 28th at 9:00 am. For more information visit www.headstrongathletics.com.Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.
In ten years of personal training, I have never had one client come to me and say “I want to look like the guy on the front of Muscle and Fitness magazine” or “please help me get big and bulky so that I cannot play tennis anymore.” What most people want is to have a strong athletic physique and avoid the inactive doldrums of aging. One of the best ways to reach this goal is to escape the boring days of bodybuilding workouts and start a circuit training routine. Bodybuilding workouts, in which you perform straight sets of one exercise for as many reps as possible, are a thing of the past. If you want a workout that helps you build a strong body and cardiovascular system, keep reading!
So, what’s the problem with a straight set bodybuilding format? Well, though straight sets are extremely easy to comprehend for people new to fitness, they are also an extremely inefficient way to order your exercises. In most commercial gyms you’ll typically see someone perform three sets of 8-12 reps for let’s say the bench press. They pump out the reps, go to the water fountain, talk with some buddies, watch a couple of highlights on ESPN, and then lollygag back to the bench area to hit up their second set. In general, most people, guys in particular, tend to take about 3-5 minutes between sets. In the case of three sets of 10 on the bench that means it would take up to 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a horizontal push). That means you’d need at least in hour to perform four different exercises! I can think of a thousand things I would rather be doing than spending a whole hour in a commercial gym.
A much more effective and time-efficient approach to ordering your exercises is utilizing the alternating set format. Here you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a short period of time, then perform another non-competing, or antagonistic, exercise and rest for a short period of time. Alternating sets allow you to work different movement patterns when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The outcome is training efficiency and amazing results. You will accomplished more in less time and crank up your metabolism so that you are burning more fat throughout the day. Outlined below are several ways to perform alternating sets:
1.) Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and lunges)
2.) Trisets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, rows, and lunges)
3.) Circuits: Alternate between four or more different exercises
Though supersets and trisets are excellent options, circuit training is by the far my favorite way to train. To demonstrate why, let’s examine a circuit training template using timed set intervals:
The 40-20 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:
Exercise#1- (Kettlebell Front) Squats
Exercise#2- (Kettlebell) Clean and Press
Exercise#3- Lunges
Exercise#4- Forward Roll-Outs with the Power Wheel
Exercise#5- Swings
Rest for 30 sec.-1 Minute After the Circuit
Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-25 minute total body fat burning, strength-building workout.
Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took the bodybuilder to get in three sets on the bench you have gotten in three sets of five different exercises for a staggering total of 15 work sets! How efficient! The short bursts of exercise not only helped you build strong muscle, it also put you far ahead of our bodybuilder friend on cardiovascular benefits and you are out the door in half the time.
To recap, the key to creating the optimal metabolic workout for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity and keep rest periods short. You will accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain. Use the following template I use with my HeadSTRONG clients for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:
Exercise#1- Double-Leg Exercise (such as Sandbag Deadlifts)
Exercise#2- A Pushing Exercise (such as Pushups)
Exercise#3- A Single-Leg Exercise (such as Sandbag Overhead Front Lunges)
Exercise#4- A Pulling Exercise (such as Sandbag Rows)
Exercise#5- A Core Exercise (such as Russian Twists)
Check out this video for an example of the workout:
Keep checking in for more killer circuit training workouts from the HeadSTRONG Athletics Boot Camps in the weeks to come.
Yours in Determination, Confidence and Physical Achievement, Shawn Manning, Russian Kettlebell Instructor http://www.headstrongathletics.com/
Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.
I am all about saving money and working out with as little equipment as possible. Give me a kettlebell and a pull up bar and I will be happy. However, I have run across a product that I think is just cool and I wish I would have invented it. It is called the AIR Rope and you can get it at Power Systems. I do not have an affiliate with them but I would like to give kudos to the person who invented it. This simple product has allowed me to get my clients to jump rope without tripping up five times within an interval.
So being the cheap skate I am, I cannot bring myself to pay $30 for each pair of these. So I have come up with a different idea that doesn't cost a dime. Go into your linen closet and grab two hand towels. Grab the ends and start jump roping. The towel will create resistance and give your shoulders the workout they normally get with a jump rope. It is something you can do in your hotel room if you want to get in a quick workout. Here's a quick video:
Try this Tabata Style Workout next time you are stuck in a hotel room with no equipment. Do at least 3 rounds with 1-2 minutes of rest in between each round, which will take you about 15 minutes. 20 sec. on/10 sec. off (Do 20 sec. of set #1, rest for10 sec., Do 20 sec. of set #2, rest for 10 sec., etc...) 1. Hindu Squats 2. Towel Jump Rope 3. Push ups 4. Towel Jump Rope 5. Side Lunges 6. Towel Jump Rope 7. Pinwheels (Side Plank rolling from side to side) 8. Towel Jump Rope
Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.
I will be holding a FREE workout in the park the Friday after Thanksgiving. This will be a FAT BURNING WORKOUT to control damage done the day before. Starting November 10th, I will be starting sign ups. The first 20 people that sign up will be receiving a FREE Gift. Imagine that....signing up for a free event and getting a free gift in return. Cant beat that!
Stay tuned for details! Shawn
Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.
Starting today I am going to start posting my favorite workout of the week. This will be one of our actual Tactical Athlete classes that clients enjoyed during the past week.
Z-Health Joint Mobility Warmup 10 minutes Warm-up/Skill: Turkish Get Ups (3 Per side)
Circuit: 3 rounds with 1.5 minutes in between each round 1. 1-Arm Overhead Stationary Lunge @ 30 sec. each side 2. 1-Arm Bent Over Row @ 20 sec. each arm 3. Squat/Alternating Shoulder Press (Sandbags...can also be done with a ball or kettlebell)@ 40 sec. 4. Kettlebell Slingshots @ 1 minute 5. Swings-20 sec. R/20 sec. L/20 sec. 2 Hand (total 1 minute) Rest
Stretched 10 minutes
Here is the 1-Arm Overhead Stationary Lunge:
Want to know more?????? Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.
This post has been about 12 weeks coming. Many of you know by now but I am officially out of the first trimester of my second pregnancy. I have avoided writing too much about it because I got a bit frightened about spilling the beans before the vulnerable time was over. Something in the back of my mind told me that if (God for bid) I lost the baby, then it was better to not have people connecting kettlebells to a miscarriage.
We had our first appointment with the midwife and the first ultrasound on Friday 10-17-2008 (a little late). The baby was about 3 in. and had a heartbeat of 167. My midwife, Marianne, said everything looked great and to carry on.
My training has been erratic. Too many days taken off. Slow, short workouts. There has just been no rhythm to it. In a way, I have been frustrated with myself for letting it get so unorganized but, I must say, sometimes napping has been much more needed. I have to remind myself that it won't last forever and to "listen to my body." A typical workout is this: 1. Clean and Squat 2. Military Press 3. Turkish Get ups 4. Swings or
1. Sandbag Clean and Lunge 2. Jungle Gym Rows 3. Pushups 4. Snatches I still like to keep things simple and about 30 minutes so I do as many rounds as I feel comfortable with and go with the flow.
Unfortunately, my eating has also suffered. You know, it confuses me. If we are supposed to eat so good for the growing baby inside, then why doesn't my body crave salads and protein and everything healthy? I mean, I drive past McDonald's and it smells like the food of the God's. No lie. I want starchy carbs (not the good ones) and sweets. Forget the protein shakes (although I did force myself to have one this morning) and wholesome vegetables (that smell awful). So, I have been a little devil with my nutrition but that could change tomorrow.
Stats: Me: Official doctor's weight: 135 (By my scales: 132.5) Gain of 1 lb. Baby is 13 weeks due May 1st.
Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our group kettlebell classes and personal training.
