Certain movements don’t get enough credit when it comes to strength gains.

The big moves- like squats and deadlifts- are stars for a reason; they’re fundamental patterns that create full body strength.

But you know what helps with ALL those movements?  Ground based movements like the ones in Animal Flow…let’s discuss.

What is Animal Flow?

 It’s a system of movement- created by long time certified personal trainer Mike Fitch- that uses bodyweight ground based movements used in yoga, calisthenics, and gymnastics.  Although the moves themselves aren’t always unique, the system is; each movement is given an animal name that resembles its movements.  This makes them easier to remember, and allows for easier programming when used in a flow.

It’s broken down further into six components that each serve a particular purpose:

1. Wrist Mobilization exercises to prepare hands and wrists for all the ground work ahead.
2. ...

You got yourself some kettlebells and are READY to use em!  But…you’ve watched so many videos and read so many different things about how to use them, you’ve got analysis paralysis.

OR…

You’ve been using them for a while- like you would dumbbells- and you’re not really sure if you're doing it right, or what else you can do with them.

No matter what your exposure is to bells, here are the three most common mistakes that people with all levels of experience make.

Not understanding the purpose of the exercise (which in KB’s, most often looks like using arms instead of your backside).

From first glance, kettlebell swings and cleans look like a great arm exercise, don’t they?  Swings could be seen as a front raise. And cleans?  Seems like great bicep and shoulder work. 

And yes, your arms are being used in both these moves- but they aren’t the driving force for moving the bell.

Both these exercises are Ballistic...

The history of kettlebells is mostly told like this…

Much of the conversation around when kettlebells came into play begins around the start of the 18th century in Russia, when the word for it- ‘Giya’- was first published in the Russian dictionary.  Back then, KB’s were used as counterweights on market scales, until someone decided that throwing them around might be good entertainment.  This is thought to be the beginning of using kettlebells for weight training.

The story continues to the late 1800’s, naming Russian physician Vladislav Kraevsky as the country’s founding father of  kettlebell usage for olympic weightlifting.

But the truth is, there’s evidence of Kettlebells being around earlier, and in other countries…

Check out this enlightening article that talks about Elise Serafin Luftmann, one of the earliest strongwoman  known in history, from a German speaking region of Bohemia in 1830.

Kettlebells have...

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...

Let's first talk about KB's vs DB's...

The first obvious difference is the shape- dumbbells have an even displacement of weight, while the weight in KB's is and imbalanced (just like most things you pick up in life).

The offset nature of the bell improves not just your grip strength, but holding one turns on all those stabilizer muscles to keep it centered in your hand as you move.

This is a BIG factor in how many muscles get recruited when doing any exercise...said another way: more bang for your buck.

You can do just about every dumbbell exercise with a KB, but trying to do kettlebell exercises with a DB isn't as easy.

Switching from a power building move- like a swing- into a strength based move-- like a press- is pretty seamless with a KB- and adds a whole other aspect of strength building.

 And now, KB's vs Barbells. 

 The shape of the barbell creates a stable and fixed position- two hands and equal weight distribution- which pre-determines the path you...

There are very valid reasons to do the bare minimum.

The list of reasons why you might want to go easy is long.

Here's just a few:

Not great sleep, haven’t worked out in a while, still sore from your last workout, too stressed to focus- even just a low energy day.

Not the best conditions for sure.  And if you’re feeling off, you’re putting yourself at risk or injury if you push too hard.

On those days- just commit to the warm up, or 10 minutes, or one set.  You may feel like doing more, you may not, but by doing something, you’re shifting both your mind and body to a consistent routine.

Which will always be more important than crushing your workout.

All the benefits of strength training come with doing it consistently, over a long period of time.

So challenge yourself when those days (or weeks or months) call for it, and then cut back when you need it.

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...

This is why we create that...

The current 4 month block that my group folks are working through is focused on both POWER and BALANCE.

We're in the first month- and we starting off strong as we always do.

Because even though this is a non diet training program, that doesn't means we don't train hard. 

It's just our focus is different.  

We honor not just our food needs and desires, but our energy and mental health needs.

All without focusing on aesthetics or changing the magic that is our unique selves.

And we always have a purpose and a goal.

It just doesn't have anything to do with how we look, and everything to do with how we feel.

DOORS OPEN AGAIN IN MAY 2023.  QUESTIONS? Email me at: [email protected]

Sharing a swing variation- 2 of 3 that we worked on this month- that builds power, strength, and works on balance.

The second variation that you see adds some glute and quad strength, while opening up that hip and increasing range of motion in your ankles.

Want...