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-...

 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...

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 most of my clients first come to me, they’re used to doing random workouts on, or following programs that have 3 different workouts in a week.

That kind of training relies on the principle of ‘muscle confusion’, which claims that in order to gain strength, you have to keep trying different exercises so your body doesn’t get used to them.

Except that it’s not an actual training principle at all, but a marketing strategy used to sell programs like P90X all those years ago- and it somehow continues to stick around.

The reality is, the more we do an exercise, the more efficient our brain becomes at recruiting muscle fibers- and the more strength gains we get from it. This is, in part, the concept of Progressive Overload.

NOT being adapted to an exercise is one of the biggest reasons why we get injured. Our bodies aren’t used to the new movement patterns, and don’t know how to respond.

The people I work with are often surprised at how much they...

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!

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,...