One Bell Workout

The following workout is one which can be done with one bell. Make sure you can get-up with this size before attempting. **Please note that I am 32 weeks pregnant at this point.




Do 4 Rounds on Each Side:

Right Hand:
Turkish Get Up (up only)
Clean, Squat and Press 5 Reps
1-Hand Swings 10 Reps
Sling Shots 5 Reps (each way)
1-Hand Swings 10 Reps
Clean Squat and Press 5 Reps (leave it up on the last rep)
Turkish Get Down

Repeat for Left Hand

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

A Baby Update

As many of you already know, Tommy and I are expecting our 2nd baby on April 30th. That means I only have 8 1/2 weeks to go! I can't tell you how (mentally) ready I am to start training hard again. I am feeling like a house right now even though to most I am still pretty small for a 32 weeker.


So far I have gained about 25 pounds. Last time I maxed at 30. I am comfortable with that. It didn't take long to lose it before and I expect the same this time.


For those of you wondering about kettlebells and pregnancy I can offer up this advice:

Don't start using the bell for the first time when you get pregnant. But don't stop if you are already proficient at it.


I continue to swing, do get ups, squats and presses. I have just reduced the weight a bit and listen to my body. If it hurts, don't do it. Common sense rules.


One of the biggest differences this time around is how my lower back feels. With my first, I was not using kettlebells or doing Z Health and my back was always crunched up and hurting. This time, I have not had any back pain (except for one instance where my ego took over and I squatted with too much weight....stuuuuuupid!) I seriously think everyone should consider doing R-Phase Z drills while prego. It has worked better than yoga, stretching, foam rolling and message for me.

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

WOW-Supersetting Exercises

Today's Workout at HeadSTRONG Athletics:
Do 1A-C. Rest after C for 45 sec-1 min. Repeat 2-3 Rounds. Move to next set (#2) of Exercises. **Please note that I am 32 weeks pregnant at this point.

1A. Squats (Prisoner or Front with KB's or Sandbags) 1 Minute
1B. KB See Saw Presses 30 sec
1C. Plank 30 sec

2A. Runner's Lunge (holding KBs or Sandbag) 30 sec. each leg
2B. Alternating Bent Over Rows (2 KBs) 30 sec
2C. Pinwheels (Alternating Dynamic Side Plank) 30 sec.

3A. Deadlifts (2 KBs) 30 sec.
3B. Get up sit up 30 sec. ea. side

Intervals X 4 each:
1. Frog Hops (or Side to Sides) 30 sec.
Rest 30 sec.
2. Front Back Sprints 30 sec.
Rest 30 sec.

See video for demos of exercises


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

Comic Relief

I could not pass up spreading a bit of humor in times like these. The following is from a friend of mine but I have no idea who wrote the original copy.

HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this
true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't
waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up
your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can
extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer?
Take a nap.


Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay
and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more
than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system.
Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass
(green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your
recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.


Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine,
that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even
more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms
up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one.
If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular
exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No
Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!.... Foods are fried these days in vegetable
oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more
vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit‑ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the
middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You
should only be doing sit‑ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO, Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the
best feel‑good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.


Q: Is getting in‑shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had
about food and diets.

And remember:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in sideways ‑ Chardonnay in one hand ‑ chocolate in the other ‑
body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO, What a
Ride"

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

Prego Workout

The following is a workout I did this morning that is a good example of what a prego (30 week) kettlebeller can still do. Slow and Steady. The snatch ladder was a throw in to make sure I can still do them.

3 Rounds of each
1A. Goblet Squats 10 reps
1B. Military Press 5/5 reps

2A. Racked Stationary Lunge 8/8 reps
2B. Alternating Bent Over Row 6/6 reps


Snatch Ladders from 10 reps with 30 seconds rest in between each set (number).
Ex. 10/10 rest, 9/9 rest.....


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

Are you Nutritionally Accountable?

I am going to make this short and to the point. If you want to reduce the amount of body fat that is glued to your bottom, be nutritionally accountable. You are the only one who knows when you get gluttonous or eat the wrong foods too often. "I" am the easiest person to lie to because "I" know "I" won't tell anyone else what a pig "I" have been.

If you are working out properly and not shedding weight, look at how true you have been to eating plan. Use a Nutritional Adherence Chart to keep yourself on track. Post it on your fridge and let others glare at it. And then try to explain why you are not losing weight.

If you don't have a chart to follow please email me at shawn@headstrongathletics.com and I will send it to you.

Brain-Body Intelligence

I am about mid way through the evidence-packed book The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. Silberman Books) by Norman Doidge. It is a recommended resource from my Z Health Certification that has really opened my eyes to how moldable (plastic) the brain truly is. Doidge sifts through tale after tale of amazing changes people have made in their health, mobility and intelligence after reworking their once-thought-stale brain. So how this relate to physical fitness?

Most of us are a little stupid when we first pick up a kettlebell. We don't automatically know how to fluidly swing, clean or snatch it? The bell bounces around, landing hard on bone or soft, venerable tissue. I personally spent the first 2 months with bruises on my forearms trying to get the form exactly right. (I wasn't smart enough at the time to put on wrist bands). Little did I know that I was on my way through the 3 Stages of Motor Learning, the link between brain and movement:

1. Cognitive: 1-1000 Reps (Thinking about the steps)
2. Association: 1,000-10,000 Reps (Practicing but not thinking as much)
3. Autonomous: 100,000-300,000 Reps (Automatic, without thought)

Now, after doing countless numbers of these exercises, I am proficient to the point of doing them without thought.

Not everyone is going to go through the stages at the same rate. As Dr. Eric Cobb explained to us, a natural will learn faster. And doing drills that enhance body control and awareness such as Z Health, can cut the time by 50-60%.

I recently worked with a client, Ray Liotta, who pitches for the Kansas City Royals baseball team. After warming up with about 20 pitches, we practiced drills such as toe pulls, hip circles and thoracic mobility. After each drill he pitched about 20 more balls. Each time, he felt himself get more flexible and in control than the last. We finished with an full-body Neural Warm-up and Eye Drills and he was feeling better than he had in over a year.

To put it in a nutshell, just by concentrating on how his joints were moving while doing Z, Ray was able to carry that over into his sport and excel. The brain/joint/movement link in real life.

So if movement practice works on our physical state, how do we get our brains in shape?

The closer I get to giving birth, the more I recall how dumb I felt after my first born. I don't know if it is hormones or distraction that does it but it is like aliens have sucked out all the smarts and locked them in a chest until the first 6 months have passed. So, with the reading of The Brain That Changes Itself, I have wanted to find more ways to avoid this loss. Below is a short article that I came across to do just that:

The following article was first published at SharpBrains.com.

The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Brains

1. Learn what is the "It" in "Use It or Lose It". A basic understanding will serve you well to appreciate your brain's beauty as a living and constantly-developing dense forest with billions of neurons and synapses.

2. Take care of your nutrition. Did you know that the brain only weighs 2% of body mass but consumes over 20% of the oxygen and nutrients we intake? As a general rule, you don't need expensive ultra-sophisticated nutritional supplements, just make sure you don't stuff yourself with the "bad stuff".

3. Remember that the brain is part of the body. Things that exercise your body can also help sharpen your brain: physical exercise enhances neurogenesis.

4. Practice positive, future-oriented thoughts until they become your default mindset and you look forward to every new day in a constructive way. Stress and anxiety, no matter whether induced by external events or by your own thoughts, actually kills neurons and prevent the creation of new ones. You can think of chronic stress as the opposite of exercise: it prevents the creation of new neurons.

5. Thrive on Learning and Mental Challenges. The point of having a brain is precisely to learn and to adapt to challenging new environments. Once new neurons appear in your brain, where they stay in your brain and how long they survive depends on how you use them. "Use It or Lose It" does not mean "do crossword puzzle number 1,234,567". It means, "challenge your brain often with fundamentally new activities".

6. We are (as far as we know) the only self-directed organisms in this planet. Aim high. Once you graduate from college, keep learning. The brain keeps developing, no matter your age, and it reflects what you do with it.
7. Explore, travel. Adapting to new locations forces you to pay more attention to your environment. Make new decisions, use your brain.

8. Don't Outsource Your Brain. Not to media personalities, not to politicians, not to your smart neighbour... Make your own decisions, and mistakes. And learn from them. That way, you are training your brain, not your neighbour's.

9. Develop and maintain stimulating friendships. We are "social animals", and need social interaction. Which, by the way, is why 'Baby Einstein' has been shown not to be the panacea for children development.

10. Laugh. Often. Especially to cognitively complex humor, full of twists and surprises. Better, try to become the next Jon Stewart (Note: I just corrected his name from "John"...which may call for a #11: Spellcheck!)

Now, remember that what counts is not reading this article-or any other-, but practicing a bit every day until small steps snowball into unstoppable, internalized habits...so, pick your next battle and try to start improving at least one of these 10 habits today!


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