Have you mastered the Double Handed KB Swing?

The Single Arm Swing requires a bit more skill- but still has all of the same mechanics of the two handed.  So feeling good and confident with two hands on the bell will make one hand that much easier...

Holding the bell in one bell is an instant game changer, requiring more of your core muscles to stabilize the offset weight, and more of your upper back and shoulder muscles to keep your shoulder locked back and down while you swing.

It can be helpful- especially in the beginning- to place the opposite hand of the swinging arm on that shoulder, as a physical reminder to not disengage.

Keeping the bell high between you legs will help with this as well.

And remember, the swing is a hinge, not a squat.  So think about sending your tailbone to the wall behind you as you swing the bell back, and keep your knees soft.

When was the last time you picked up an evenly weighted box? Or needed to grab something that wasn't directly in front of you?  Or had to reach to get something in your backseat?

Life isn't perfectly aligned like that.  

So when we talk about 'functional training', we've got to consider how we move outside of the gym, not just inside.

Deadlifts are one of my most favorite exercises.  

But to make the most out of them- and give your body a change to experience hinging and picking things up at weird angles just like you do in life- you've got to mix it up.

Directionally AND positionally.

Here is one example of taking an exercise and changing the direction.

Kettlebell single arm suitcase squats are one of the best squat variations out there.

Yup, I said it.

And here's why...

Any exercise where you have weight on one side of your body (as opposed to a double suitcase squat) and not the other creates instability. 

And being unstable means your core needs to work that much harder to keep you from tipping over.

So core stability, balance work, grip strength!, and of course, lower body fire .

How to do it:

To get the most out of this move, keep your weight as balanced as you can between your two feet and keep your shoulders square (words can't express how difficult this can be!).

Keep your chest up, navel drawn to spine, and squeeze your glutes as you stand.  

Enjoy!

I have always looked at animal movements as the cornerstone of just moving better.

Crawling, rolling, reaching in all the ways and directions makes for a strong body. And not just strong in the traditional sense- like being able to squat 300lbs- but building the kind of strength that prevents you from hurting yourself when you squat that 300 (or 30 ‍).

The kind of strong that allows you to stay away from sprains and twists when you fall. Or pick up something at an angle. Or reach behind you to get something heavy. You know, the kind of strong we need in everyday life.

Animal Flow (AF) is a system of putting moves together that I’ve used with clients my whole career, but in a more streamlined way (here's a more in depth post breaking down all the components of Animal Flow).

I became an AF instructor to learn their system of this type of movement- and then I integrated what I found most useful into my own programs.

When I'm working with clients one on one, we use AF move that are...

Some facts about me that have nothing to do with fitness...

• In 1985, we got my moms dream dog- a toy poodle named Monique- and she was a wild first dog experience.  My dad didn't like her and my mom treated her like a baby- she regularly painted her nails and played with different haircuts on her (my haircut here is also courtesy of my mother).  Monique was far from a good fit for our family; she's wearing a cast in this pic because my brother would chase her around our small house and she broke her leg on our brick fireplace.  Somehow, she lived a long life and died while my brother and I were in college (and she was living with an elderly lady who was a much better fit for her, but that's a whole other story).
• I had brain surgery a few years after this pic to remove a large benign tumor from the base of my brain.  My surgery date was set for the next week and they sent me home.  The day before my surgery the tumor slipped while I was blow drying my hair,...