Strength training is mobility training.

And.

For many of us, adding some extra attention to an area that needs it- spine, hips, ankles- makes a HUGE difference in how they live their lives.

Here's some things to ask yourself ...

Do you have a job where you sit much of your day (bonus points if you've got a long commute to get there)?

Do you notice stiffness in a particular area that doesn't get better with just stretching?

Do you notice limits in your ranges of motion? Like you can't straighten your leg all the way, your heels come up off the floor when you squat, crossing your legs when sitting feels hard or impossible?

Is it challenging to get up and down from the floor from any position?

Do you struggle to find a comfortable sitting position once you get there?

Have you had to see a physical therapist and was told to incorporate more ranges of motion in to your fitness routine?

If you answered yes to any of these, it's worth exploring how adding just a few sessions specific to...

My group members have been working on building POWER and BALANCE for our current training block.

Up til now, we’ve mostly worked on each component separately, but this month we’re combining them.

Because that’s what progressive training looks like around here (if you’ve been here long enough, you know we break it down before we put it together) .

Jumping and plyometrics are typically programed as the cardio portion of a HIIT style or aerobic endurance type of workout- which is great- but there are benefits to slowing it down.

Any type of jump is itself a balance exercise.  One that forces you to generate power, stabilize, and then absorb the deceleration.

Jumping also creates stronger joints and ligaments while developing your vestibular system, that inner ear mechanism that’s responsible for our sense of where we are in space (like being able to walk without looking at our feet).

Knowing what exercises to do- and WHY you’re doing them-...

Focus on the eccentric part of the move.

Eccentric training emphasizes the lowering phase of an exercise...

Like the descent of a squat, the lowering of a bicep curl, or the downward portion of a push up.

This part of an exercises creates less fatigue then the concentric phase, and working here allows you to produce greater force and strength, more muscle mass, and makes all parts of an exercise easier.

This lovely eccentric tricep pushup is on the Collaboratives program this month.

Wanna try?  We’re going down for a slow count of five.

Engage your abdominals, glutes, and push into the floor with your chin slightly tucked.

Pick your starting position-the one that will allow you to lower with control for a slow count of five.

So both knees down, alternating one knee up (really engage that glute on the extended leg), or from full plank.

Corkscrew those hands into the floor and skim your ribcage as you lower, keeping elbows in close.

Adjust your reps accordingly- and get all...

I rely HEAVILY on routines to manage my anxiety- and that includes following a predictable strength program that allows me to see progress with consistency.

We don’t talk enough about the ways in which training benefits those of us who deal with anxiety and depression.

Following a routine of movement alone promotes everything from better sleep to improved feelings of well being (and we all know what sleep deprivation does for our mental state ).

Following a training program?

Besides all the things I listed above, it’s lovely to have one less thing to think through, to have to decide what’s next.

Because every decision you have to make will add some amount of stress to your life (and all those tiny decisions ADD UP to people who deal with anxiety).

And that familiarity that comes with knowing your routine? It’s pretty damn soothing if you ask me.

The longer you stick with a program, the more dialed in you become to what’s being asked of your body, the easier it...

It's this:

How many days can you commit to?

Then adjust your expectations accordingly.

Something you’ll always hear me talk about is reps on reps.

You get good at doing the thing by doing the thing.  Repetition and consistency is the key to building strength, to being able to move with less restrictions and achiness, and to see measurable change.

And.

Real life will tell you that there will be times when you can give lots of time to your training… and then times when you’re lucky if you lift one day a week.

That’s how life goes (and thankfully, you’ve got all of it to do this fitness thing).

You won’t always be living  ‘best case scenario’, where you can train 2-3 times a week.  And get the results that consistency like that will bring you.

When you can get in a session a week (or less)?  Accept that you won’t be progressing the same- and really, truly know that that’s fine.

And just part of the...

 Of course I’m coaching to make sure everything feels safe and right for each of my people during these sessions…

But I also love when a kid joins us to (Hiiii O!), or when a pet walks right in front of the camera and then plops down in the middle of their owners mat.

Being a coach is a human experience, one that involves supporting clients in their lives outside of their weekly workouts.

Because fitness doesn’t happen inside a vacuum. And life can be one big barrier to fitness if you don’t have the tools and support to make it work for you.

I’m opening up applications early this time around- December 19th. They’ll stay open until the 30th. New members will have an easy intro week- you’ll be assigned a FOUNDATIONAL MOVEMENT PATTERN workout, and you’ll have time to read through all the things and get familiar with program. First live workout of 2023 will be on January 9th at 9am PT.

The idea that you need to be working to a certain pain point is rooted in targeted body shaping workouts- something that has been disproved time and time again.

But the fitness industry continues to sell programs based on achieving a certain body shape anyway.

So let’s get clear on why you could feel sore after a workout:

You’re doing something new
You’ve increased your weight/reps/sets
You haven’t done that particular movement in a while
You’re overtraining

Soreness, shaking, that burning feeling- it happens.

But the goal of strength training is to ADAPT to the exercises you’re doing, not throw something new at your muscles every workout.This is, in part, the concept of Progressive Overload- a training principle with actual science behind it.

To get good at something you need to do it time and time again- and building muscle is no different.

The Kettlebell Collaborative is a progressive, intentional fitness program that not only allows you to...

There's a real lack of quality kettlebell programs out there. 

I see plenty of KB programs out there that either use them as dumbbells (completely missing out on all the fun kettlebells can be) or programming that's kind of all over the place.

Many are without clear instruction or ways to modify the exercises.

Risk of injury goes up when you’re bouncing around workouts (you want to ADAPT to your exercises- that’s how you build strength), or don’t have tips on how to make a move work for you.

That's where this program comes in. 

I want people to feel like they know exactly what they're doing when they pick up a kettlebell, and to feel the confidence that comes with owning your movements. 

Each week you'll have the opportunity to really refine your skill and build for the next workout, with a full breakdown of the move of the week and a whole lot of ways to modify it.

Plus a follow along bodyweight mobility workout to not only increase your range of...

Being sore after a workout is a sign that you're doing something new, moving in a different way, or you've increased your weight...and that your body hasn't adapted to the movements you're doing.

The actual point of exercising?

To ADAPT TO THE MOVEMENTS YOU'RE DOING.

And if you're constantly switching up your workouts, your body is constantly being challenged by something new.

If you're being challenged with something new every workout, you won't get the opportunity to get good at the thing, to adapt.

I say all this as someone who chased soreness for years- and who taught fitness to others who also wanted the satisfaction they felt leaving a class completely spent.

And yes, I still love to be challenged.  By how heavy a weight is to move, by moving it in a challenging way, and by feeling my heart beat hard and fast.

But now, I understand how it all works.  

And my assignment has changed.

One that doesn't involve pushing myself in my workout so much that I have nothing...

The idea that you can change the length of muscles is a myth.

 They have a point of origin and a point of attachment, attached to bones by tendons.  These are fixed points.  

 Unless you undergo specific limb lengthening surgery, you’re stuck with the length of the muscles you’ve got.

 When it comes to spot reducing, research continues to confirm that this isn’t a thing.  You have no control over where you gain or lose pounds.

 You can’t change your DNA, how big or small your frame is, the structure of your frame, where your body holds weight and doesn’t, or whether you’ll ever have visible abs even if you do thousands of sit ups a day.

 Listen, it’s 1,000% up to you if you choose to pursue weight loss (and you can guess I’m not the coach for you if that’s your goal).

 I just want you to have all the information, so much of which is left out of the conversation, or just...